Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 172 Silver Sand Labyrinth

Like moths to a flame, such was the sacrifice. Raina Grace felt no threat, instead, there was an indescribable sense of sorrow and pity. The red light seemed to whisper softly, touching her soul, like an extraordinary embrace, an emotional exchange across time and space.

The soul was conveying a deep longing, a desire for liberation, a desire for resistance. This was not hostility, but a desperate plea: Please, take me away, no matter what.

Raina Grace's eyes sparkled with a faint light; she accepted this request, merging her consciousness with the red light, wishing to understand more about the soul's desires and origins. However, nothing remained, she didn't even know its essence...

Occasionally, souls approached her, each carrying a certain longing, seemingly for something lost. Yet, this longing was so abstract that Raina Grace found it elusive.

They were like a group of silent ghosts, existing in this space without a physical form, shape, or memory. Mysterious encounters, silent communications filled Raina Grace's heart with pity, so heavy that she wanted to refuse, yet couldn't bear to.

Along the way, friendly souls were like friends, yet there were also malevolent ones attacking her. As she accepted more souls, more of the five-colored souls came over, while the malevolent ones dared not approach.

Raina Grace discovered that the souls retaining the colors of the five elements seemed like lost spirits, wandering memories, each supported by an obsession, a commitment to not forget. They seemed to be waiting for some redemption, eager to reclaim their former selves. These souls drifted in the void, occasionally emitting a faint light, as if searching for a path forward.

The dark, gloomy souls had fallen into a state akin to malevolent spirits, their only instinct to devour and consume everything. They were no longer individuals but a relentless force of destruction. This color and nature resembled the power of the abyss, seeking by all means to invade, inhabit, and attempt to reshape themselves, integrating their darkness into the world.

Hoping that one day, all the lost souls could find their way home, and all the dark malevolent spirits could find a way to liberation.

"It's really surprising, Ocean Bloom. Truly surprising," a dark shadow muttered in a corner of the endless abyss.

Could this be the power of Ocean Bloom? Her wisdom and compassion all along offered new possibilities to the endless abyss?

A three-dimensional projection in front of the shadow emitted a faint light, slightly illuminating his face, which seemed to be Willow Wood, but his face appeared in the light in a peculiar way, as if two entities from different spaces were conversing.

Several light shadows around him projected different scenes from the abyss, including the Abyssal Tears traversed by Silver Tan, the Abyssal Cliffs that Flicker Shadow was climbing, and the Abyssal Desolation where Flame Wave was sent — the closest in space to Raina Grace, yet the projection showed a significant time difference.

"Falling into the time rift, what can you do?" Willow Wood's icy voice echoed in the eternal silence, unclear to whom he spoke. "And you, who revived the dying Azure Phoenix, who reopened a path in the sealed abyss, what more surprises can you bring me?" His fingers gently swept across the projection of Raina Grace's face, his voice as cold as ice.

As Willow Wood's fingers moved, the world Raina Grace was in began to crumble before her eyes. In the last moment, she seemed to hear the souls' wails and the void's sinister laughter, suddenly looking up.

The sandstorm raged like snow, with Willow Wood's figure appearing and disappearing in the swirling winds, his voice howling through the storm, becoming a scene in the cold, merciless abyss. Time also seemed to be silenced in the sandstorm, blown into countless fragments of memories.

Finally, as the sandstorm subsided, Raina Grace stood up from where she had been crouching to avoid being buried, only to be met with a pervasive silver light that nearly blinded her. She quickly covered her eyes, then peeked through her fingers, still seeing a world of silver white.

Slowly lowering her hands, from her elevated position, she could see everything clearly. Below her feet was a sand wall that could flow and shift at any moment, forming a vast labyrinth in this expansive world with its continuous, uneven walls.

Raina Grace felt fortunate that she was not buried by the sandstorm but was instead lying atop a sand wall.

But this fortunate circumstance might not last long, as any slight movement could trigger a strong chain reaction, reshuffling everything — watching the high walls rise, then watching them collapse.

Even the high wall she was on was a dangerous place, as she could see the quicksand below thinning and narrowing, and any slight movement could accelerate this flow. She was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to move forward or retreat when another sandstorm approached.

The surrounding sandstorm roared past, completely obscuring her vision, leaving her to rely on touch to sense the storm's immense power. The desert roared like a relentless beast, ready to pounce on her at any moment.

Raina Grace had to make a quick decision: she couldn't just sit and wait for death.

With a strong kick, she leaped forward, barely clearing the edge of the sand wall, avoiding the oncoming sea of sand. Her body sailed through the air, accompanied by the sharp sound of the wind and flying sand grains, like a bird instinctively flying to escape the threat of the sandstorm. Yet, the sandstorm showed no mercy, bombarding her with sand grains like bullets, causing piercing pain. She couldn't stop; to be stationary in the face of movement meant being overwhelmed.

Her vision twisted, the sand and wind nearly blinding her to her surroundings. Her eyes hurt from the sand's assault, forcing them shut. She had to remain calm. Relying on her elemental magnetic power, intuition, and hearing, she sought any refuge from the sandstorm. The storm intensified, like thousands of arrows shooting at her body. She ran desperately, each step feeling like crossing an endless abyss.

Suddenly, a powerful gust hit her, pushing her further. She lost her balance and fell heavily on the sandy ground. The sand nearly penetrated her skin. Without time to cry out in pain, she immediately bit down hard and struggled to stand. But the sandstorm gave no chance for rest. The sand and wind formed a formidable barrier, like an insurmountable cage.

If swallowed by the sand sea, she would disappear forever in this vast desert.