The sensation of passing through the spatial vortex was far longer and more turbulent than when they had been transported here from the Pillar of Suppressing the Abyss.
It was not physical movement, but a process of being forcibly dragged and kneaded through a viscous, icy, hostile "medium."
Countless fragments of shattered light, distorted noises, and incomprehensible scraps of thought washed over their sensory defenses like ocean waves.
This was especially true for Ming Xin and the Seeker, who were most sensitive to the presence of Order. To them, the sensation was nearly torture.
Shadowfiend adapted better instead. His dark gray body, fused with the Initial Embers, seemed to have found a measure of belonging during the passage and no longer resisted so violently.
Instead, it faintly resonated with certain deep Shadow Energies flowing through the vortex, helping him bear part of the pressure.
He could even vaguely "sense" the direction in which the vortex extended, as well as the denser, more chaotic aura of shadow coming from the region at the other end.
After an indeterminate amount of time—perhaps only a few breaths, perhaps several hours—the pulling force abruptly vanished.
As though they had been spat out, they landed upon an entirely new and deeply unsettling "land."
This was the true depths of the Shadow Plane.
The first thing they felt was the pressure everywhere. The "density" of space seemed incredibly high, as if every inch of "air" was made of solidified darkness and cold malice.
It weighed heavily upon both body and consciousness. Ming Xin felt even his Miniature Order Field becoming sluggish, as though it were turning through thick mud.
Light? There was almost no light here in the conventional sense. As far as the eye could see, there was only boundless, layered darkness.
It was not