Niki didn''t know for how long he fell, as the ind''s darkness seemed to distort his perception of time. However, after he fell through the barrier, it regenerated itself.


    The wound on his hand was still sizzling from the divine energy that invaded his body. The fact that the mute was another beloved of Celestia didn''t surprise Niki, as everyone he hated was the same.


    However, it was his greater grief that he was the reason for her awakening. Or rather, his act to get Sergio to move on was what triggered the mute into awakening her powers.


    The words he said to hurt his dearest friend still lingered in his mind. However, there was an indisputable truth that even if Niki said them to make Sergio move on, he still didn''t lie.


    Sergio was his friend, but it''s not like the alchemist knew him enough to consider him as one. However, Sergio attached to him after one month together said everything about the alchemist''s need for people.


    ''I wish that you grow from this, Sergio,'' Niki thought as his darkness coated him like a cocoon. Then, hended on the rough ground before he began to roll down some sort of cliff.


    As his vision and perception were obstructed, Niki didn''t know where he was heading. Furthermore, even if he wasn''t protecting himself with his darkness, the ind wasn''t exactly full of sunshine.


    His falling finally came to a pause, and so did the pain of the impact that apanied it. Then, like a butterfly emerging, his cocoon broke down to reveal the wounded Niki.


    "Dammit," Niki grabbed his hand that was reeking of divinity. "What have I done to feel this kind of pain?" it was more than he could handle, but there was nothing to make it stop.


    The pain wasn''t physical. It was spiritual. His existence as a Dark Fae made him rtively weak against divine powers.


    "And for some fucking reason, every person I meet seems to be a holder of such divinity."


    Not all gods were good, and not all of them were evil, but it seems that both of them were a bane to his existence. Moreover, judging from the Curse of The Banished, it seems Celestia loathed his race itself.


    ''There must be ways to counter this divinity, and one such way might be the Absolute Shield,'' this fact made him even more desperate to gain the Legendary Skill.


    As Niki tried to look at the surrounding, he found himself at the base of a dune. What he fell on top of was ck sand that seemed to make up most of the ind. There was not a soul in sight, and this knowledge made him both relieved and cautious.


    "I guess this is another obstacle I need to ovee," Niki sighed. "Just get healed already," he looked at his darkness fighting thest of divinity out of his hand. When it was finally over, the pain stabbing through his heart finally subsided. "Hah," he sighed.


    The wound began to heal ever so slowly, but unavoidable damage would stay there forever. Niki tried closing his hand, and it made him wince.


    "I need to get going," a sense of urgency overtook him. His perception of time was distorted in this ce, so it was better to get this over with quickly.


    As Skills were a manifestation of power, it was almost a certainty that monsters were nearby. However, the strength of the monsters and the environment would be dependent on timing and luck.


    "Maybe I should tweak luck into surviving in this godforsaken ce," Niki looked at his fate points, which were 31. This was after he absorbed the two knights and used the A Wise Choice.


    However, such a general way to change his luck was beyond manipting the probability of a single event, but a multitude of infinite ones. So if he ever gets another choice for his next Bloodline Talent, it would be to have a luck stat.


    Niki started climbing the dune again to get a better look at the ind. But, unfortunately, after blocking the explosion and fighting against the mute, Niki''s mana was almost drained out, making even climbing difficult.


    After he climbed the dune, he looked at the surroundings, and as he expected, it was an endless wastnd. The ck deserted stretched far into the distance until he couldn''t see anymore. There was an ominous sounding behind him that bugged him. When he turned to look at the source, he couldn''t see anything.


    Lightning shed in the sky, and then came the thunder. It was then that Niki realized what the sound was. It was an iing sand storm. If it indeed reached him, things will turn quite ugly.


    His legs were moving before his mind reached a decision, and Niki ran away from the storm. Fortunately, it seems that monsters knew wiser than to stay in this ck desert, so Niki didn''te across any of them as he ran.


    The storm rumbled as it approached, rolling faster than Niki could run away. But, unfortunately, his fifty-something stats in agility didn''t exactly make him the fastest man alive.


    The air currents threatened to lift and drag him into the storm, only for the wind and sand to shred his body. It was at that moment that his darkness regenerated enough for him to hide in his pocket dimension.


    Niki disappeared from his spot and appeared inside his dimension, and he fell to his knees. He couldn''t tell for how long the storm would take to pass, but at least, he was safe until his mana runs out again.


    The pocket dimension needed mana to stay stable, and it was nearing the end of its lifetime. But, since he was inside a separate space, Niki couldn''t regenerate mana from the world like he usually did.


    "Let''s hope I outstay the storm," Nikiid down on his back as he waited. The silence of the pocket dimension was enough for him to hear the blood pumping through his vessels, and it seemed to amplify the silence for some reason.


    Memories that he tried to seal resurfaced in his mind, ones that made him the viin to whoever met him. However, he knew that his return here had a purpose, and it might be more than just revenge.


    The hours stretched until the dimension grew unstable. Even if he was in the heart of the storm, Niki needed to leave before he vomits up everything he kept in this space.


    After he reappeared in the world, the dimension resumed its stability. Luckily, the storm has passed, but it changed the surrounding.


    "Awooo,"


    There was a howl from behind him, and Niki turned to look at the sand fox that has appeared. It was a tiny monster made of sand, but it was far from being friendly.


    Niki''s eyes turned bloodshot as ck petals appeared around him. The petals then rushed toward the fox, destroying it. Then, Niki coughed blood. Niki had to milk the mana in his cells to use that attack, which came at a cost.


    "Such a pathetic state I found myself in," he helplessly smiled as he took out his bag of potions. However, Sergio didn''t give him any more mana-regenerating potions, not that it was healthy to use them often.


    Niki had to wait while hoping that no monsters appear. He closed his eyes as he sat in the middle of countless dunes to focus on recovering.


    "Where the abyss begins, the divine ends. When the abyss appears, the undead will devour the world. Those who befriend the abyss will be eaten by it. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."


    Niki recited the words engraved in his mind as the darkness reeked into him, attracting more darkness. The petals created more petals, and they regenerated his mana.


    Martial Arts helped ordinary people regenerate mana and strain the heavenly strings for power. But, for those abandoned by Celestia like Niki, there was no ce for them other than the abyss.


    The art regenerated his mana, and Niki opened his eyes. As he stood up, he removed the headband that hid his features. His ck hair surrounded his ears, but it was nowhere near enough to conceal their pointy ends.


    It was always a refreshing feeling when Niki allowed his ears to stretch. His sharp teeth turned into a grin as his thirst for power reced the loneliness from before.


    "Absolute Shield," Niki grinned. "You are mine!"


    His journey through the desert began as Niki rushed forward. As he traveled depending on the direction of the strongest mana, monsters began to appear.


    Giant monsters that inhabited the sand revealed themselves to attack him, but Niki''s twin scimitars shed them in half. The moment his des touched the monsters'' bodies, they destroyed them using his art.


    The golem, the scorpion, the giant sand foxes, and the fifty-year-old worms all fell for his des. However, the desert seemed to be endless.