Sunhale stands in Qur'Anthers palace forest where the typical Darkness of Otaper is set up but its in a state he's never seen the darkness itself flooding the area it is limited to, the platform gone beneath the waves the darkness makes and in the middle of it all stands Reifal. Sunhales eyes look over Reifal as its the first time he's ever seen him physically like this, his mind races as this man he knows to be older than he is looks if anything younger, no grey hairs, no wrinkles upon his face and yet his magic is stronger than their own Monarchs by leagues he can't quite define. Reifal can see the inquisitive look in Sunhales eyes and can practically feel the thoughts racing through his head. Reifal chooses to be the first to break the silence.

"I know you have questions Sunhale, you are free to ask them" Reifal said, his voice clear as it is when they speak through the same darkness surrounding them silencing any thoughts in Sunhales mind that this was not Reifal

"Apologies I... Confess I didn't know what I anticipated you to look like but someone who looks younger than even I was not what I expected" Sunhale said

"You yourself do not look too old Sunhale especially for one older than his own commander, over 300 years in this realm and not one wrinkle or grey hair upon yourself. A slight benefit of the tattoos, they move across the skin aiding it though the hair is not affected" Reifal said

"The hairs just dye but none of that seems to be right for you, I've seen spies older than me with the tattoos and their age is easily determined" Sunhale said

"Well you are not wrong, I have served the elven empire for a long time and Yorun is not the only necromancer I've seen nor is that conquering bastard named Golanier. I'm older than any elf has lived at least that would be the case were we not able to live FAR older in a time long before" Reifal said

"How old are you and how have you lived so long?" Sunhale asked

"I've walked this world for 7,931 years and as for how I've done so, immortality" Reifal said as if it were all the simplest thing but it all shocks Sunhale immensly

"Please for the love of the gods explain" Sunhale said

"I've always cared for our people, the empire or individual elven kingdoms whenever they popped up. When I became Otapers chosen I knew one day I'd die and someone else would have to deal with it all especially after everything I set up crumbled so I asked Otaper for something, I asked for immortality. Now as it turns out the gods all have their own ways of granting immortality, some even having several ways to do so but the point is Otapers way was simple tying my soul and body to the darkness present across the realms including most importantly their own realm" Reifal said

Sunhale was about to ask the question of how yet before he can he sees Reifals body gradually turn completely black as if staring into the darkest void just like the Darkness of Otaper that surrounds them. The change starts from Reifals feet travelling up his whole body and he gradually starts to sink or at least thats what Sunhale thinks until he looks closer, he can barely make it out unknowingly his tattoos have begun changing his vision as it did previously to allow him to see enough of a difference between the eternal blackness around them and the form that is Reifals as they merge, startig at Reifals feet once more his body becomes like water just as the rest is as he starts to join with the darkness around them.

"By Otapers dark gaze..." Sunhale said as he watches Reifals form disappear into the darkness

"This is practically a more advanced version of what I will teach you but this is how I live, I have become a part of the shadows, apart of Otaper themself but don't mistake me I am still just an elf now with an eternally extended life. I can end it all myself though, this immortality only extends my life forever more so I can still be killed though that's not typically a worry and hasn't been for a long time" Reifal said as his voice came from all the darkness around Sunhale

"What is this?" Sunhale asked as he looked around

"Simply put, I've become a shadow, I will teach you to enter the shadows but becoming one is reserved for if Otaper gives you the ability to do so thought it comes with it's own strengths and weaknesses" Reifal said

"One more question then, your eye? It didn't seem right" Sunhale said

Reifal stops being a shadow returning to his normal elven form with the eye connected to the familiar spiderweb tattoos more apparent.

"There's a reason I told you not to resist, back when I first found out about how to do it I resisted them, now I'm blind in this eye when its not seeing through the shadows" Reifal said

"I'm sorry...? You seem fine with it but it still seems prudent to say it" Sunhale said

"I came to terms with it years ago, I could ask to have it fixed but it's a nice reminder and warning for any other chosen of Otaper in the future" Reifal said

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"Fair enough, now would you mind teaching me this going into the shadows thing?" Sunhale said receiving a nod from Reifal

"When it comes down to entering the shadows themselves we enter Otapers own realm of Delatanok, sections of it for our own uses but still accessible to others should we or Otaper want them to be but regardless the only way into the realm is via the shadows, the very darkness around us. To enter the first time you must relax, lay down upon the ground let the waves of the darkness take you and think of eternal darkness, no dirt, grass, sky or clouds nothing normal save for a moon that gives off no light yet is visible all the same even amongst complete and utter darkness then project that to the darkness with your magic and give the feeling of longing for that same imagined darkness" Reifal said

Sunhale lays on the ground he feels the shadows beneath him allowing him to float upon their surface just like water would allow him to do, he closes his eyes and imagines nothing but an endless darkness with nothing in sight. Sunhale then uses the shadow magic and thinks on wanting to go somewhere eternally black then he can slightly sense the darkness he floats upon swirl around him until he slowly begins to sink into the darkness yet even as it begins to cover him entirely he breathes normally. Soon enough he feels weird as if he had been turned on an axis so that instead of laying down he was standing, he opens his eyes and in front of him is a bipedal creature larger than he is so it is bending down to bring its face down to him. The creature is skinny with spikes across its body, its arms are almost as long as its entire body yet its head is wedge shaped with lizard like eyes, this is all barely perceptible to Sunhale as the creature is as dark as Reifal had been as he turned into a shadow. Sunhale quickly backs away from the creature and looks around he can barely perceive more in the distance.

"Reifal!? It worked! Where are you!?" Sunhale shouted into the void as he looked around for Reifal yet he saw nothing

"Not here Sunhale" A familiar voice emanated throughout the infinite darkness

"...Otaper" Sunhale said as he took a knee despite not knowing where Otaper was

"Stand Sunhale, you are a second chosen you need not bow or take a knee so long as you continue to do as I command" Otaper said as their featureless humanoid form manifests out of nowhere in front of Sunhale

"I anticipated Reifal would be right behind me, so where is he?" Sunhale asked

"If you'll remember what was said by Reifal moments prior 'sections of it for our own uses but still accessible to others should we or Otaper want them to be'. Now I can allow him into this section of my realm for you but it is best you figure out how to let him in as it can be useful in a moments notice" Otaper said and Sunhale nods

Sunhale closes his eyes and similarly to how he entered the realm himself he imagines Reifal next to him meanwhile back in the Qur'Anther Palaces forests the darkness swirls around Reifal which causes him to smirk.

"Such a fast learner, you got a good one Otaper" Reifal said to himself as the darkness grabs hold of him and forcibly sinks him before he rises up next to Sunhale

"Easier than I expected" Sunhale said

"You're just pretty damn good with your magic, don't sell yourself short" Reifal said as he put his hand on Sunhales shoulder

"You can take it from here once more Reifal" Otaper said before their form just disappears once more

"From here you can see everything, your vision back in Roara through the shadows is fragmented and narrow in scope while here you can see as much as you damn well want, trust me I've seen things you would never be able to anticipate" Reifal said

"Understood, so coming back and forth to this realm is simpler from now on?" Sunhale asked

"Simpler? Sunhale you laid down and thought about darkness, hardly anything simpler but to be fair it is. From now on you need merely think of being here and you can sink into the shadows you stand upon, don't even need to lay down, same goes for heading back to Roara. You can head straight back to your fortress from here too, travel is quite a useful benefit of this realm but a better use is storage, Golanier used the demon realm of Beraskil but you and I can use here" Reifal said

"Useful" Sunhale promptly responded

"In fact allow me to give you something from my younger days, been waiting millennia for Otaper to have a second chosen to give such a thing too" Reifal said

Reifal reaches to his blackened eye and grabs hold of something from within it, he begins to pull something from it which Sunhale quickly realises is a dagger with words engraved on its blade he doesn't recognise.

"This dagger, it is empowered by the magic given to us by Otaper, it can allow you finer control of them to do things you could not do usually or allow another to use the magic as you do though it will be far, far more difficult for them" Reifal said as he handed the dagger to Sunhale

Sunhale takes the dagger and the section of the realm where they stand, designated as his shakes a little as it lays on his palms.

"Thank you, I should probably head back to check in on my ally in Qur'Anther" Sunhale said as he admired the dagger

"Not going to ask about the words?" Reifal asked

"Okay fine I am admittedly curious" Sunhale said

"Jikaelan Orsorto Palinakotae, it means 'Home In Shadows' in an ancient dialect of our language" Reifal said

"Simple but I like it" Sunhale said

"I certainly lived up to the words, today is the first time in 3,000 years I've left this realm" Reifal said

"Then the clothes seem odd" Sunhale said confusedly getting Reifal to laugh

"Shadows are out there, with that dagger you'll figure out how to use them in other ways" Reifal said

"Okay...? Anyway I should be going" Sunhale said

"Return to your fortress, once this Gira has finished with her time in Qur'Anther I shall inform you" Reifal said

"Thank you Reifal for everything you've taught me" Sunhale said

"No problem, I've waited millennia to teach someone this magic so honestly it has been a pleasure Sunhale" Reifal said with a smile as he left before Sunhale

Sunhale then simply sinks into the dark ground below him and walks out of the Darkness of Otaper in the Fortress, he senses Golanier has returned with two new people in tow and Yorun is with them, he heads there to see what is happening...