Kharon held on Gale more tightly as he looked at the figure before him. Bewilderment plastered on his face as he slightly bowed before speaking to him.
"Good morning, Hollow Regent. I will be joining you today when you go hunting. I hope you don't mind."
Axel looked at him indifferently as he shrugged before beckoning towards him. As Kharon slowly approached, he felt more and more uneasy as beads of sweat rolled down his face. However, as he got closer, he felt Gale's body relax.
'Does he feel comfortable with Axel's aura? Could it be that Duskwolves have a connection with the path of darkness...?'
"We don't have all day."
As he said this, Axel walked towards Kharon before placing his palm on his shoulder. As soon as he did this, Kharon's senses were all turned off.
'Where am I? Why can't I feel anything?! Am I being transported through the shadows...? It feels so empty and strange.'
The next second, Kharon could smell an earthy smell as his feet landed on a firm, yet squishy piece of land. He could feel the warmth of the sun on his face as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light. Once they did, he could see trees of varying colours. Axel was still holding on to his shoulder, but he quickly pulled back his hand.
"We are at the edge of the Heartlands forest. You should know a bit about it. I'm assuming you have seen maps of this place."
"I have... I need to ask you something though."
Not receiving a direct objection, Kharon asked, "How did we end up here? I am assuming that it must be an ability of the path of darkness to travel through the shadows. But how can you leave Lunaris Haven so easily; I thought it had counter measures against arcane abilities."
"It's a lot easier to leave Lunaris Haven than it is to enter it. I can transport myself and others using the Shadow Realm as you must have guessed. But I can't use this method to get into Lunaris Haven because of the guards, the aetheric barrier columns and other factors."
Once he finished speaking he began walking towards one of the trees before turning back towards Kharon.
"Are you coming?"
"Umm yes. But where are we going first?"
"We need to find your little duskwolf a new pack."
Kharon looked down at Gale who was quietly resting in his arms. He felt a painful sensation in his heart as he thought about parting with Gale.
'I didn't get to buy you something. I wanted to treat you to some high end delicacies before we parted ways.'
He scratched Gale's ears and gently stroked his fur as he smiled melancholically.
"You could always keep him with you. Though I wouldn't recommend it considering your path. It's better not to take any risks."
"You know about my actual path?"
"The Hollow King already told me. Plus I saw your fight with Wyatt. The only reason you weren't discovered was because most members of the Hollow Syndicate aren't wielders. Also they barely know about the path of darkness, so they wouldn't think too much about the abilities you displayed."
Axel looked at Kharon for a few seconds before turning back as he said, "Let's just go. The faster we get this over with, the faster you can gain actual experience. Don't you want to be a powerful wielder?"
"I do."
"Then don't hesitate. I know that it isn't easy to disregard the things you love. But it's better to do it quickly instead of prolonging your suffering by holding on."
Saying this, Axel offered Kharon his hand. Kharon sighed as he looked at a sleepy Gale before taking Axel's hand. As he did, the feeling of nothingness returned.
When his senses returned, he was standing on a large tree branch. Axel was on one knee, looking at something. Kharon tried following his gaze but was unable to pinpoint what exactly he was looking for.
Suddenly, Axel whispered, "Use your aether. Gently spread it around your surroundings to feel. Duskwolves are almost impossible to spot when they are asleep. Make sure you don't use too much aether though. I would prefer to avoid unnecessary killing."
Kharon did as he was told, gently releasing a wave of aether while focusing on his surroundings. He slowly closed his eyes and shut down all his senses, focusing solely on his aether. As he did, he began seeing the outlines of trees and feeling the lives of the animals around him.
'So much life. I didn't even notice how many creatures were lurking around us. I can only sense within a 200 meter radius around myself. Do I need to practice this skill or does it get better as I assimilate with my core?'
"It will increase with both training and assimilation. I can sense your aether. 200 meters isn't too bad for your first try."
Silently, Kharon whispered back, "How far can you sense?"
"Significantly further than you. You will understand when you are a tier 3 wielder. Just keep practicing this skill whenever you are hunting. It will definitely help you avoid dangerous enemies."
'Like tier 3 essence beasts. I wonder if Aidan can use this skill...'
Kharon slightly lost his concentration as he thought about Aidan. His aether flow slightly faltered but he was able to regain proper control of it before anything happened. He once again focused on his environment as he began sensing the sleeping duskwolves which were hiding inside trees while a few lay underground.
"What do I do now?"
"Use your levitation ability and put your duskwolf next to one of the older wolves. If you can correctly guess which one is the leader then I will train you."
Hearing this, the range of Kharon's aether began steadily increasing. The intensity became even lighter and more precise. Suddenly, Kharon thought of something as he narrowed down the range of his aether and disregarded all of the unnecessary information he was getting.
'I need to only sense the duskwolves, nothing else matters in this moment. Their aether signatures all seem similar but there are some slight variations between each of them. I just need to find the one with either the strongest or oldest aether signature.'
Focusing even harder, Kharon managed to sense a powerful aether signature from a duskwolf. It was also very old, but he couldn't be sure. He gently picked up Gale as he stroked his fur and kissed his forehead before using Hidden Hand to move him towards the leader of the duskwolves.
Kharon's heart began to beat faster and faster as he gently placed Gale on the ground. Knowing the potential danger, he made sure Gale wouldn't be defenseless. Suddenly, a little howl was heard as Gale woke the sleeping leader.
Once the howl was heard, the whole pack seemed to spring up as they surrounded Gale from all sides. Kharon watched with great worry as he felt Axel pat his back. With great reluctance, Kharon released his barrier, letting Gale go.
The leader of the duskwolves stood up as his full size was revealed. He was several times bigger than Gale and he even dwarfed some of the other duskwolves. As he moved towards Gale, he sniffed him before gently placing his paw on his head. Once this was done, the other duskwolves began howling as the surroundings turned darker and darker until they vanished from sight.
Tears began flowing down Kharon's face as he wiped them away. His lips curled into a wide smile as he sensed the duskwolves licking Gale.
'He is going to be ok. I don't have to worry anymore.'
"I guess you passed. I will help you perfect your True Sight and improve your fighting style."
"True Sight... why give it such a name? I mean it's good but, it could sound a bit more powerful or mystical."
"The technique is called True Sight because it sees through the world. You wouldn't be fooled by illusions and unseen things become visible. Your tier still plays a big part though. If I was to hide something from you, then your True Sight wouldn't be able to sense it. So keep that in mind."
Kharon nodded as Axel suddenly grew wings made of shadows and shot up into the sky. Kharon quickly used Hidden Hand as he followed suit with great difficulty. He began using True Sight to look for Axel but was unable to find him.
'Where did he fly off to? Is this a type of test to see if I am worthy of his training?'
Sensing that something was coming, Kharon assumed it was Axel. But as the figure approached, Kharon sensed its wild and ferocious aether as he dodged a giant claw made of shadows.
'An essence beast from the path of darkness. Did Axel lure it towards me? It's aether seemed so similar to his. I really have a long way to go. A tier 4 beast of darkness-it must be an Eclipse Specter considering it's use of a shadow-forged weapon. I need to beat it as quickly as possible, or I will probably end up dead...'