An hour after Golanier had left for the campaign Sunhale is teleporting throughout the borders bigger military positions setting up the Darkness of Otaper at each point and giving some undead the magical tattoos necessary to use the Darkness they have access to. Each new Darkness set up and each new tattoos given Sunhale notices the shadows around him including those that make up the Darkness move differently than they usually do, they seem to be motioning for Sunhale to come closer as if they're drawing him in and Sunhale notes it as he finishes up at the border then teleports back to the fortress. He makes his way into the room in which the Darkness was set up then he steps onto the platform and extends his hand out to the Darkness which reaches out to his hand quicker than the last times but just as gentle and as he does so a familiar voice comes from the eternal Darkness before him.

"Greetings Sunhale" Reifal said in the elven language

"Reifal? Have you been using the shadows and Darkness to call on me?" Sunhale asked

"Indeed I have, I knew your purpose so used them to call as opposed to properly speak and interrupt your task" Reifal responded

"Is there an immediate reason you must speak to me?" Sunhale asked as he senses Gira pass by outside the room

"Somewhat, nothing to do with the war or anything but instead this is a good moment to speak as you aren't the most busy and I can teach you new skills with the magic Otaper gifted you" Reifal said the words immediately intriguing Sunhale

"Explain, I am more than interested and to be honest it would be better to learn as I have felt... stagnated if only a little compared to Yorun and his development" Sunhale said

"You have become stagnated as you have only ever been able to use the Darkness of Otaper in certain ways despite the fact some training was given to all elven spies in the event of my death to be able to make the Darkness as you know it and make these tattoos not all secrets were given" Reifal said as Sunhale listened intently

"So what kind of secrets are we talking about here?" Sunhale asked

"Its no secret amongst elven spies that the shadows and darkness are used for discreet communications and being able to more properly show others farther away what it is you mean by moulding the darkness however two uses only you and I have access to is that of going into the shadows themselves and seeing through them" Reifal said

"I am curious about both but seeing through them however would be far more immediately useful" Sunhale said

"Then that is where we shall start, to begin with merely step forward and allow the darkness to grab hold of you more, do not resist them despite how it may feel" Reifal said with a more serious tone

Sunhale nodded knowing Reifal can see them, he steps forward along the platform and as he does so more of the shadows making up the pure darkness reach out to him gently grabbing and covering different parts of his body yet one goes toward his face. The shadows cover his face drowning his sight in infinite blackness but then he feels them creeping towards the tattoos around his eyes then those tattoos begin sliding past his eyes.

"W-What the-" Sunhale began to say before being interrupted

"DO. NOT. RESIST" Reifals said words were clear and loud as a result of Sunhale being deeper in the shadows but also due to his intense insistence

Sunhale begins to feel pain and discomfort as the tattoos slither past his eyeballs like snakes made of water lightly pushing against his eyes as they do so yet they continue to move further the pain and discomfort increasing as they reach the back of his eyes they wrap around the optic nerve Sunhales sight darkens more than it already is and disappears entirely but more than the loss of sight the feeling of pain is indescribable. The darkness muffles the screams of pain from Sunhale as the shadows that normally make up his tattoos practically grip his optic nerves which as they integrate themselves with them turning them as black as the darkness surrounding him. Sunhales brain is alight with pain so much so he wants to claw out his eyes and rip the shadows attaching themselves to his brain via the nerves but his hands are practically bound by the darkness, once gently holding onto him as they would a child holding onto a parents hand now they hold his hands in place as assistants would hold patients down for healers during more difficult sessions of healing. Minutes of this painful procedure happened, Sunhales vision gone is trapping him in a darkness unfamiliar to him until his vision comes back but it is fractured and confusing as if looking through the eyes of a spider it is overwhelming. He sees himself from behind but then from infront, the tattoos are not only on his optic nerves but spread across his face like a spiderweb he also sees the war room but his vision begins to fracture more and he sees more of the fortress from different angles.

"Reifal I see, I-I see too much" Sunhale said his voice quiet and ragged after all the screaming

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"Sunhale listen to me, the tattoos that now have integrated into your optic nerves are still in the end shadows you control directly, take hold of them with your magic and make them lessen their influence then step back out onto the platform" Reifal said, his voice gentle now like a parent guiding their child toward them

Sunhale began to carefully step back out onto the platform where he usually stood while simultaneously controlling the shadows on his optic nerves, they retreat from the nerves and surround the eye, not touching the eyeballs themselves and as a result his vision stops fracturing, returning to normal his mind cannot feel right for a moment as it readjusts once more.

"Now you have seen through the shadows and do not worry next time it will not be painful, the shadows made a place within your optic nerves where they can slip back into easily" Reifal said

"Thank the gods for that... Fuck that hurt" Sunhale said

"Next would be properly entering into the darkness but-" Reifal said but is cut off by something both he and Sunhale hear

At that moment a knock rings out from the door.

"Give me a moment Reifail, one of my comrades clearly wants to talk" Sunhale said

"Alright" Reifal said

Sunhale walks over to the door and he opens it slightly then on the other side he sees Gira standing there, he can see her eyes looking over the spiderweb on his face that is his tattoos current shape.

"I am in the middle of a conversation Gira what is it?" Sunhale asked now in the human language

"Would you be able to take me to Qur'Anther specifically to the Magical Research and Development Institution?" Gira asked which gives Sunhale a quizzical expression

"I am unsu-" Sunhale said before he was cut off by Reifals voice from the shadows which Sunhale looks back over to

"Sunhale, this is what I was about to mention, to teach you about entering the darkness itself I need to speak with you physically in Qur'Anther" Reifal said

"Will they mind if I bring her along to see Vinak?" Sunhale asked

"They will not mind Sunhale and if any have a problem with it they shall hear from me" Reifal said making Sunhale nod and look back out to Gira

"I can bring you there, as it turns out the people there won't mind and its rather a good opportunity for me as well" Sunhale said

"Thank you" Gira said

Sunhale closes the door and looks back at the Darkness of Otaper.

"I shall be seeing you soon Reifal, it is truly an honour" Sunhale said

"The honour is mine Sunhale, I have never had this opportunity to teach these specific things, when you go to Qur'Anther head to the Darkness of Otaper you used to use there" Reifal said then his presence within the Darkness receded

Sunhale relaxes and his tattoos save for those within the eye sockets return to being on his face around his eyes, he then lets the darkness disconnect from his arm before opening the door again and walking out to where Gira is leaning against a wall.

"Alright let us depart then" Sunhale said

"Right" Gira said

Sunhale then teleports to Qur'Anther with Gira. Sunhale sees the familiar city for the first time in a while in all its splendour but Sunhale notices first and foremost Giras reaction to the city something he rarely thinks of given how he grew up in an elven city. What he sees next however is the look several elves give Gira but he also quickly notices their reactions to him something he does feel a little good about.

"Follow me Gira" Sunhale said

Gira nods and follows Sunhale through the streets of the city, he brings her to the Qur'Anther Magical Research and Development Institution where he sees Vinak walking over to them.

"Bringing another human here hm Sunhale? She raise the dead too?" Vinak said jokingly

"Master Vinak this here is Gira she is the one who healed our friend Raeknar before his time in Gantoral" Sunhale said

"Ah the healer, allow me to greet you properly, I am Vinak the one in charge of this place which while lengthy its best translation is the Qur'Anther Magical Research and Development Institution" Vinak said to Gira

"My name is Gira, it is wonderful to meet you Vinak" Gira said

"While you do whatever it is you need here Gira I have someone to go meet" Sunhale said before teleporting to outside the palace of Qur'Anther

As Sunhale appears there the guards who have hundreds of times the magical power Sunhale has look at him and take a knee and bow their head as they see him.

"Sunhale of Lar'Tureak, you return with Otaper's hand guiding your path" One of the guards said

"I must use the Darkness of Otaper, Otapers direct hand in elven affairs will show himself" Sunhale said

The guards eyes immediately widen and they open the doors to the palace allowing Sunhale inside, Sunhale walks through the halls of the palace humble in it's woodland appearance yet magic flows through the entire palace it is ancient long before the reign of Isaile. Sunhale continues to walk the halls until the walls made from wood begin to stop growing so tall and the roof disappears as a full forest begins comes into view, he heads into the forest and feels eyes on him at all times until the sky above disappears under endless leaves and branches fully blocking light from reaching down and Sunhale can feel the presence of the Darkness of Otaper the one made by Reifal.

"Reifal? Can you hear me now that I am here?" Sunhale asked into the darkness that is coming from the very trees

With no audible answer Sunhale goes to connect to the darkness as per usual but the platform sinks into the darkness like a ship on the ocean had a hole blown through it by an explosive in its hold, the darkness moves around him like water and in the middle of it all it begins to part as an elven male with black hair begins to rise out from the parting darkness. This elf has one eye completely black and black tattoos across half his face spreading out from that black eye in a spiderweb pattern, their clothes are old both in their physical age but styling as well, Sunhale can tell they are a style from eight centuries prior to this moment based on his historical knowledge. Sunhale looks at the elf before him as he can practically feel the darkness looking at him yet it all feels connecting to the pure black eye, Sunhale is speechless as the elf he can only guess to be Reifal stands on the shadows before him moving at the mercy of waves they make...