At the second Master of the Shadow Cottage's reminder, Raphael froze for a moment. "A sefirah-no, I mean, a secret realm can be used for sacrificial rituals?"
"Of course," the other man said. "Do you remember? I told you before that a secret realm was rather like a higher-order life-form.
"After discovering the Dark Hut, we gradually learned something of its 'temperament.' With suitable offerings and invocations, supplemented by large amounts of spirituality, we could perform a sacrificial ritual to the Dark Hut. The Dark Hut would cooperate by giving us certain responses.
"The Master of the Shadow Cottage can use those responses to check the Dark Hut's condition."
Raphael nodded, then asked, "Just to check its condition?"
The second Master of the Shadow Cottage's expression turned a little strange. "I imagine the Master of the Shadow Cottage outside has noticed you're in here. He might even use the Heaven and Earth Mirror to look inside."
But rather frustratingly, looking inside would do little good.
The Master of the Shadow Cottage was indeed far stronger than Raphael, but entering the Dark Hut now would exact an enormous price from him.
As Raphael understood it, the relationship between the Master of the Shadow Cottage and the Dark Hut was delicate. The Master of the Shadow Cottage was highly attuned to the Dark Hut; the power he drew from it could even sustain him as a dual pathway King of Angel, and could bring him to the level of "half a Great Old One."
But theirs was more of a partnership. The Master of the Shadow Cottage always maintained a careful distance from the Dark Hut. This was a sefirah, after all. If he got too close, he could easily accelerate the process of being merged into it.
Raphael's arrival had disrupted