In the midst of all the changes, there is one place that has always been peaceful, and that is the prison that Bran created.

......

Imprisoned in a cage without the reference of the sun and the moon, time becomes meaningless. In the darkness, in the blink of an eye, it may be a second, or it may be a year.

Out there, Stan never realizes how long or short the years are. But here, the short and the long merge into one, wrapping him tightly.

How long has it been?

Stan screams, can anyone tell me?'s voice thundered out of his mouth, only to turn into the low hum of a gnat the moment it left his mouth.

Anyone else?

Stan shouts again, but there is nothing but darkness around him.

Obviously there is a solid, cold earth under him, but the sense of falling is always with him. He began to regret it, why didn't he pretend to accept Bran's invitation then?

Isn't there a better chance of escaping when you become a jailer? What happened then, and why refuse?

Proud?

Perhaps. In the darkness, Stan seems to see the nature of pride. It's just a useless, self-protective shell.

But what does it protect?

Stan is still a little unsure of what else he needs pride to protect in his existence. He's so powerful, does he need pride to disguise it?

If you hadn't stepped into it carelessly, how could you have fallen into such a predicament if you didn't have a trap that should have been prepared for others?

It was really careless! an oversight that he regrets to this day. If he could leave, he vowed never to come near it again.

And he can't remember how many times he made this vow......

Recently, Stan sensed that the darkness had changed a bit again, as the feeling of a dog licking bones had disappeared. But it didn't bring the slightest relief, it made him nervous.

Disgusted! Like the scraps of food, it can no longer arouse its appetite. If he loses his qualifications to be food, Stan can't figure out what value he has left.

He tried to break free, at least after handing over some of his knowledge to trick Bran into it, he began to gather strength. Perhaps the plan was really successful, because Bran hasn't been seen since.

Now, he prefers that this plan did not work out, because he does not want to be left alone here.

Once, it was only a thin line to break through the shackles of darkness. But for some reason, the power of devouring suddenly increased. A terrifying hunger pang gripped over it, and a myriad of whispers echoed through the darkness. If you listen closely, there are only two words - I'm hungry!

Stan never imagined that a large amount of mana would be forcibly stripped from his body, leaving him in a near-death state. If he could connect to the Demon Sea, then this consumption may not be a big deal, but the darkness has long blocked everything - including his connection to the Demon Sea.

Stan sees death for the first time in despair. It was still darkness, a darkness that even darkness could not hide. It's everywhere and all the time around. It was only before death that they began to converge and gradually revealed their true colors.

And Stan finally sees it for what it really is, Bran!

Bran looked down at him with a smirk, like a true god.

He also found a lifesaver and began to cry and plead. It was then that Stan learns that the dawn can be black. A thick hint of ink pries open a corner of darkness and allows him to reconnect with the sea of magic.

He even pushed him hard and sent him in. With that wisp of ink, he returned to the long-lost sea of magic and entered the tributary without any problems.

Under the infiltration of the tributary, the magic quickly recovered, and the warm vitality flowed again, gradually roaring.

With this hint of enlightenment, he decided that as long as he could live, there was nothing that could not be exchanged. It was also because of this enlightenment that he didn't dare to stay in the sea of magic for long.

He was afraid, afraid that his body would be damaged by the darkness, that the inky light would suddenly disappear, and that he would never find his way back.

The worry was right, as soon as he returned to the light of day, it vanished, and darkness once again enveloped everything.

Hallucinations?

Coming to his senses, Stan begins to wonder what had happened. How could the figure of death be similar to Bran's, but what about the magic that filled his body?

This causes Stan to fall into a state of confusion and become a bit confused. The only good thing about this state of affairs is that life is no longer so difficult.

Stan would prefer to go back to that state if he could. It's a pity that he got out of that state. But after it was laid out, time became even more difficult. Because, the state of confusion made him completely lose his sense of time.

The speed of the dark licking is getting slower and slower, and slowly it will take a bite after licking. Stan, who was deeply humiliated by this, couldn't help but complain loudly - there is a kind of you don't eat it!

But now that he really doesn't eat it, he feels scared and regrets.

I'm still useful! I still have a lot of knowledge to exchange! I'm a relatively old being, and I know a lot of secrets hidden under time.

Really, I'm still useful!

Perhaps, a heartfelt plea can really move the heavens, even if the words are not revealed. The darkness slowly cleared, and although it was still pitch black, Stan subconsciously raised his hand as if there was a glare of light.

A voice came from my ear, "Look! He's awake......"

Then sporadic voices sound next door, making Stan feel harsh and noisy even though it is just a few people.

Footsteps sounded in the darkness, noticeably dragging a bit. As time passed, someone limped to his cage and struggled to raise his head to reveal a familiar face. Then, with helplessness and sadness, he choked up and shouted, "Teacher......"

Stan couldn't help but let out a low cry, "Maddie!"