"Charles, come in for a moment." Loran's voice came from beside his ear.
Charles did not hesitate and returned to the underground laboratory.
Jody was already there as well; she had returned a little earlier than Charles.
However, Jody had not spoken yet.
Loran was still busy with her experiment.
"Wait for me over there first."
At Loran's words, Charles found a place to sit and waited quietly.
During that time, gray smoke from the Shadow Nightmare Realm continued to billow from their bodies.
The smoke seemed far more violent than before.
Charles and Jody looked as though they each had a barbecue smoke extractor attached to them, pumping smoke out in great gusts.
Only after quite a while did the smoke gradually dissipate.
Loran had finished her work as well. She said, "You entered the Shadow Nightmare Realm again this time. Tell me, why did it take you so long to return?"
Charles and Jody exchanged a glance and asked, "So long? Senior Sister Loran, were we gone for a long time?"
Loran nodded. "A very long time. You were gone for a full thirteen days. I thought you had already died."
"How... could the time inside have been wrong?"
Charles felt his throat tighten. "The time felt wrong. I only felt that we had stayed in the Shadow Nightmare Realm for at most one or two days."
Loran's previously relaxed posture suddenly straightened.
She said, "Tell me what you experienced in the Shadow Nightmare Realm. I won't let you speak for nothing."
Charles thought of the benefits Loran had given him after he described his previous experience in the Shadow Nightmare Realm, so he began speaking.
Charles and Jody recounted everything they had experienced after entering the Shadow Nightmare Realm.
The story of their journey was full of