Though Riftwalk allowed Adyr to walk through dimensions, it did not give him a sense of direction or any awareness of where those dimensions were.

For that, he needed help from the very creature that owned the skill, so he summoned Sszhar’s body once again.

Now that he was in a stable dimension and had plenty of time without distractions, he let his Grace shine and began to heal the Spark properly.

He watched the wounds on top of its head mend at a visible speed.

Its unshapely structure regained its previous form. Its burst eyes began to reform. Its black scales, which looked as if strange runes were carved across them, became whole again.

Adyr paid particular attention to the runes. They seemed familiar and at the same time alien and ancient, resembling nothing he knew.

As a whole, he appreciated the creature’s beauty from deep within.

It was not only majestic; it seemed to carry every mystery and the full handicraft of creation within it as a concept.

Finally, when all visible wounds had closed and it was almost as sound and strong as before, Sszhar opened its eyes.

Its dark eyes, slit from top to bottom like a doorway to another realm, locked on the small man before it. A low hiss slipped out as its blood-red tongue brushed his black armor with the tip, as if sampling him.

It was far from hostile now and behaved like a little pet that wanted to play.

"I feel like we will be good friends." Adyr approached with a smile and stroked the Serpent’s nose, feeling the coldness and hardness of the dark scale.

His hand was so small that he was not sure it would register as a touch for the massive Serpent, but when he looked at its docile body and saw the tip of its tail swaying left and right at a distance, he realized it was quite satisfied to have earned a new master.

Subduing a Spark was still a very different and strange concept for Adyr. Beyond the details he observed with his eyes, he could feel its emotions, something he could understand and relate to.

"I need to get out of here. Can you find the way?" He asked as if it could understand the language.

Nevertheless, it did not need language. It began to move, understanding more than words through the mind connection.

Adyr flapped his wings, found his place on top of Sszhar, and let it carry him through the endless darkness, using its natural senses and instincts to find the way.

The Serpent moved through the void as if gliding across soil. With graceful motions, neither too fast nor too slow, it slipped forward in a confident direction and activated Riftwalk , passing through an invisible door into another empty dimension where only endless darkness reigned again.

Adyr was not even sure they had truly jumped from one dimension to another. His vision had not changed enough to tell.

Only when he checked his diminishing energy did he accept the answer: they had indeed moved.

"Stop." He called out in a low tone, his voice carrying a slight urgency, and the massive Serpent went still.

"When I used Riftwalk, it cost me 60 energy. When you used it, it cost 120. That is a problem." Adyr murmured, making clear why he had halted the creature.

The cost was already high. Now it was doubled, forcing him to check his reserves.

Seeing there were only 890 energy worth of crystals left, he started to do the math.

"How many more dimensions do we need to pass before we find the way out?" he asked.

Sszhar only hissed as an answer, but the necessary knowledge came into Adyr like a feeling.

A Rank 4 Spark was more intelligent than a Rank 3 Spark and below. Its capacity for thought was a step higher, so communicating with it felt easier and more fruitful, as long as the content was not too complicated.

So I need to spend all my energy. The thought felt depressing and also quietly relieving.

According to the information he received, to reach the exit, he needed to jump at least 4 to 6 more times. In the worst case, he would need to burn 720 energy, which was good, because his reserves would be sufficient.

With greater ease of mind, he gave the command to his Spark and started moving again.

Burning another 120 energy, they passed into another dimension. It was the same empty dark, and Adyr could not tell the difference, but this time he did not stop it and let it do its job.

Then another 120 energy, and another dark dimension greeted them, but this time it was not so empty.

Aren’t they quite lucky? Adyr thought quietly as he looked at the 2 figures waiting in the emptiness, faces turned toward him and hollowed by lost hope.

The figures were Thalira and Brakhtar, still alive but imprisoned in this place, only waiting for the Serpent’s return to take their lives.

Apparently, they were not low-willed. As soon as they saw the Serpent’s giant body appear, they took their stances. They did not look ready to give their lives so easily, at least determined to give the struggle they deserved.

Adyr would usually have been amused and entertained by a scene like this, yet this time he felt irritated.

Is this how fate works?

The question found its way into his mind.

If not for Adyr subduing Sszhar, if not for him losing the location of the exit from the Legacy Domain, the two would have been stuck in this place forever until they died.

Yet now, with a twist of Fate, he had found them here still alive.

Maybe it was the very same fate that had caused his death in his previous life and reincarnated him into another, a chain of experiences leading to this moment.

The thought alone stirred anger, but not enough to make his control slip. He let out a heavy sigh and dismissed the black armor, letting it spread as smoke and vanish.

He folded his wings and flew toward them, calling out to the two who were ready for the last fight of their lives.

"Hey, I was looking for you. It is good you are still alive."

His face looked happy, sincere, and relieved, as if he had been searching for them desperately and, now that he had found them, a deep calm had settled inside him.

"Who?" Seeing the strange yet familiar figure coming toward them, the two looked conflicted at first.

The crimson eyes beneath dark, messy hair, the ash-grey skin with disciplined muscles and lines, and the white and black wings were what made them confused and wary.

Soon, they registered who the man was.

"Adyr..." The name fell from their lips like a spell of salvation, even as it tore open the deepest conflict of their lives.

Seeing Adyr’s unnaturally changed body in this forsaken dimension was shock enough, but the giant Serpent waiting behind him like a guard dog, its tongue flicking in and out, was an even greater shock.

He really subdued the Rank 4 Spark?