A pitch-black sphere floated in the seawater. It was like a painting, for there was no light or shadow whatsoever to give it three-dimensional depth—only pure black. To Ian's eyes, it was an abrupt patch of darkness amid a kaleidoscopic world. No matter the angle, it remained an unchanging sphere.
Ian could only feel incredulous.
"Why is the Star-Prison here?"
This was the Star-Prison—a dark domain that absorbed all electromagnetic waves, all light, all gravity, all Origin Matter and psychic reactions; a prison where all things were held in stasis.
Its appearance within the hollow cavity of the Terra Dragon's skull inevitably stirred countless thoughts.
Was this the method the Terra Dragon had used to protect its Inheritance? Had the Terra Dragon of old actually already mastered the means to create a Star-Prison?
And more importantly...
How was he supposed to open this miniature Star-Prison?
For the moment, Ian could find no method at all. Rather, the reason he had come seeking the Terra Dragon Legacy was to see whether its Inheritance contained a way to open or repair the Star-Prison.
And now, that Inheritance was inside the Prison.
That made this a dead loop.
With a thought, Ian condensed the surrounding seawater into ice and used it to touch the Star-Prison.
There was no reaction whatsoever. Ian could feel no counterforce, nor could he sense the ice spike advancing. Other than absorbing all external force and severing the connection between inside and outside, the black sphere produced no reaction with the outside world.
To Ian's senses, it was as though he were pushing into emptiness with all his strength, forever unable to feel his force truly touching anything. There was not even the sensation of air becoming wind as it brushed past his fingertips. An utterly voidlike tactile sensation