Shadow Author

Within the empty nothingness rather than facing fear I was extremely relaxed not having the least bit of dread.

What should have — for any sane person — been a nightmare to go through didn't faze me in the slightest.

To begin with it was clear that the purpose of the trial was to test one's determination.

All one had to do was simply survive in the void for an extended period of time and one would gain full access to the sword's authority.

So long as one had the willpower to keep going one would step closer to succeeding.

Though it wasn't nearly as easy as one might think.

In a place void of all existence where nothing, not even yourself is valid, the person must not give up.

Worst of all, there was no countdown indicating how much time was left or how much time passed.

Soon I, like others, would lose the sense of time and when that happens things would get much more difficult. Hours might feel like years while years could pass in a second.

This was the most terrifying part because one might give up when there is only a second left or they might lose themselves in the void and never recover.

Nonetheless where there was nothing I continued to smile like a maniac — though it wasn't literally because I didn't have a body.

The reason I was so carefree was because of two points that made the trial too easy in my eyes.

First of all this empty, barren, void unlike in appearance was not a cage — for me at least.

In this reality where escape is futile and having a strong mind is key I didn't have to abide by the natural rules.

This was due to one specific thing the voice either overlooked or didn't realize existed.

Aether!

The force that's sole existence is to destroy!

In a place where nothing exists, would a substance that feeds off destroying things be able to exist? The answer… yes.

Because that very nothingness is something for Aether to annihilate.

The question as to whether it's possible to destroy something that doesn't exist could be tested at this moment.

However, I wanted to avoid this cheat that was entirely open for me to take advantage of.

I didn't need to make use of my power to shatter this place when I could defeat it by abiding by the rules present.

As easy as it would be to simply call upon Aether to annihilate this realm and take control of the sword in my mind there was no reason to.

Either way, the same end would be achieved but if I followed the rules set in place I would at least be able to prove to myself that nothing will be able to stop me from achieving my goals.

Therefore throwing out the free escape card I made myself at home within the boundless abyss.

This is where my second point of interest came into play as I still didn't have a single worry.

The cause of my difference resonated with the fact that this place felt like home.

Although fake it reminded me of the desolate lands I already traveled through.

The moment I died before I transmigrated into my new body the process wasn't instantaneous.

Rather it was an extremely prolonged experience that enfolded over a long period.

During that time I was in a state of absentminded existence where I had no body, had no senses, and had no purpose only waiting as time continued.

That place was the true cage where those trapped within would never face anything ever again therefore this fake place that makes up a trial was nothing more than a sweet reminder of the hell I already went through.

I survived hours, days, years, centuries, and eons in the real void where the only proof of life that I had were my memories.

Memories of my existence that I latched on to and replayed in my mind desperately trying to hold on to them and not forget.

That was the true test of willpower therefore this miniature joke of that real place couldn't shake me in the least.

I knew who I was, I knew my purpose, I knew the reason why I was in such a place, and most importantly I knew I would succeed.

Thus, I closed my eyes — metaphorically — and waited out however much time it would take before I succeeded.

.

Meanwhile, Miss Smith sat down next to my body which was frozen in place, devoid of any emotion.

Only the constant breathing would serve as a reminder that I still contained the essence of life.

"I'm sorry, I wish you didn't have to go through such a terrifying experience but I had no choice. I can only pray that you don't fall victim like me and instead overcome the nightmare."

Miss Smith took one last look at my body before taking a meditative position to train as she knew it would be a while before I either succeeded or failed.

But before she focused all her intentions on recovering her lost power she quietly whispered:

"Please set us free."

.

Within the void, I remained motionless enjoying the tranquility.

I didn't allow for any worries to occupy my mind or any thoughts to flow through as I purely rested my mind and waited for time to pass.

It was long past the point that I lost track of time but I knew it had been at least a week since I first started.

One thing that I was sure of was that time was flowing differently in this realm. It wasn't because I could sense it or anything profound like that but rather because if the challenge took too long my body in the real world would start to deteriorate.

I knew I wouldn't lose too much time because if I died in the real world when trying to complete the trial it would be totally pointless.

Therefore I relaxed and breathed, and although I needed to keep things on schedule, gaining strength from the sword would more than make up for the time lost.

So time continued to pass when nothing happened, the days turned into months, and even then I didn't waver in my determination.

After I was more than certain a year passed away I started up my mind for the first time and began having thoughts.

As the years passed I reviewed everything I managed to accomplish since I arrived in the new world.

As I thought back on it I realized that I hadn't really done too much.

Sure it hadn't even been a full week since I first transmigrated but I still had so much to do.

What terrified me more than the current circumstance I was stuck in was the future I'd have to prepare for upon my return.

I was moving too slowly.

It took a decade but by then I managed to formulate the perfect plan to get everything I wanted to be done as fast and as efficiently as possible.

Where there was no place for error I knew the way I would move once I succeeded thusly I returned to my state of mediation.

Another decade flew by as I enjoyed the peacefulness.

Then I returned to work as I started forming plans outside the scope of my current ones. Things that weren't needed or required but would help out in the long run.

Then I started thinking about people and places that I need to meet and visit. Specifically, things about them that would allow me to win them over in my favor.

I thought about all the ways to manipulate them, have them favor me, befriend them, sympathize with them, ally with them, and make them loyal to me. Whether it was by giving them what they want, helping them out, using power to control them, or breaking their minds.

Anyway, that would get me what I wanted I thought of, and just like that, half a century passed.

Once I had everything I wanted to plan out and accounted for I switched between reliving through memories and relaxing.

During that period I completely lost all sense of time. I had a feeling that I'd been in the place for a century. Whether that was true or not I had no idea.

I counted to a million a couple of times when I was bored and that was my only way to judge how long it had been.

Then out of nowhere during a seemingly ordinary day when nothing was happening, the voice returned.