Gauss studied the spot for a long while and became certain the small clearing up ahead was the lowest point in the whole valley.

“Right there?”

Serandur followed Gauss’s pointing finger.

“Let’s back off a bit first.”

Knowing something was off, Gauss wasn’t about to stroll straight in. He pulled out a climbing kit, used Mage Hand to carry a rope up and anchor it high on the rock wall, tied off, then he and Serandur climbed to higher ground to look down on the suspicious clearing.

He raised the bone-white staff; a single Magic Missile streaked out and struck precisely where he’d judged the low point to be.

A heartbeat later—

Vmmm!!

Pale blue light rippled across the ground. Then the earth sank and spiraled, forming a deep quicksand whirlpool; the missile vanished into it without a sound.

Mana reaction!

Gauss had been watching it like a hawk and didn’t miss the initial arcane blue glow.

So… not simple quicksand but a mysterious, mana-triggered spatial effect. Something was down there.

After a brief disturbance, the ground smoothed over as if nothing had happened.

He tested several more times. The surrounding area was safer than expected—and only mana would trigger it. Thrown rocks, crossbow bolts, any physical impacts—no reaction. It behaved like solid ground.

“Let’s go have a look.”

Once he’d mapped the basics, they returned to ground level. A few test stamps—rock solid. Meaning unless the passerby could wield mana, no amount of ordinary traffic would trigger the effect.

Gauss fetched a sparrow he’d snagged earlier from the cliff, tied a string to its legs and bound its wings. After a moment’s focus, he layered it with Omni-Armor—then lowered the sparrow on the string into the target spot.

A flash of blue—quicksand yawned open again and swallowed it.

The whirlpool stayed open. The string held firm.

After a few seconds Gauss reeled the sparrow up. It stared, stunned, then seemed to realize its plight and started thrashing. He checked its body—no injury; looked like it was fine in there. But that wasn’t conclusive; even in extreme environments—like without air—most creatures last several dozen seconds.

So he ran a series of follow-up tests on the trussed-up sparrow.

…

In the end, he concluded the space below was deep—and had air, enough to sustain life.

He soothed the jittery bird in his palm and cut the bindings. “Thanks for the help.”

The “escapee” flapped at once, eager to bolt—but its limbs were stiff from the tie; a couple flaps and it dropped. Gauss, soft-hearted and quick, scooped it up again, had Serandur lay a simple healing spell on it, and released it. Revived, it shot skyward and vanished.

“A pity,” Gauss sighed. He’d wanted to give the little thing half a lantern-fruit—a labyrinth delicacy it might never taste—but its courage ran out. So he would do the honors himself. He’d spent mana testing; time to refuel.

Once the prep was done, Gauss readied to go down.

“Captain—shall I?” Serandur offered.

“No need. I’ll go,” Gauss waved. “I’m better suited.”

If there were unknown hazards, so be it—he’d accept the risk. Most importantly, he could shield himself on demand; unless something broke his defense in one blow, he could instant-cast another Omni-Armor.

Reptilian Strain gave him tougher skin, better regen, and environmental resistance. And you don’t send the healer in first. If something happened to him, Serandur could haul him out and patch him up. If something happened to Serandur… what then—stare at it?

“If anything goes sideways, I’ll tug the rope—pull me up. You stay topside. If I’m hurt, I’ll need you,” Gauss added before Serandur could protest.

Serandur thought it over and nodded.

Gauss tied one end of the rope to his waist; the other he anchored to jagged stone.

“My life’s in your hands,” he joked.

“Count on it,” Serandur said solemnly, gripping the rope ready to pay it out.

Gauss drew a deep breath. Wrapped head to toe in Omni-Armor, he strode into the “magic sand.”

Ripples spread; his toes crossed an unseen surface like water—and stepped into another world. Ankles, calves, thighs… and then he was gone.

The whirlpool kept turning; only a thick rope trembled at its center.

Inside, Gauss cracked his eyes. Utter blackness—no sand, no earth. He cast Light; the tide of darkness around him peeled back—but only a limited halo. Beyond it, illumination dropped off sharply and fell back to shadow. Light felt suppressed here.

He glanced up the rope—nothing, just black. The far end seemed to hang from nothing.

Downward, then. He could feel more space below; good thing the rope was stout—and long.

As Serandur fed rope, Gauss lowered himself. At last his boots touched the ground.

He untied the waist loop and crouched, Light gleaming across deep-black floor tiles. A rap of his knuckle—solid, thick. Closer inspection: vine-like sigils etched the surface.

In his vision, the runes pulsed with an uncanny, ineffable resonance; he couldn’t parse it in a moment. He stared, memorized, still not content—pulled a scroll and sketched the pattern.

Then he stood, about to explore the rest.

First, he marked his position on the mental map. Even in this abyssal space, with only a weak light, he’d find the way back.

“Let’s go,” he murmured—partly to steady himself.

A slow circuit showed a plaza-like space. On one side, a deep corridor led onward.

After confirming the plaza held nothing else, he headed into the passage.

The quiet was terrifying. The dark didn’t just swallow light; it seemed to swallow sound, senses—even life. As he walked, a strange familiarity crept in.

Have I been here?

He searched his memory—certain neither the body’s past nor his own had seen a place like this. Of course, anyone would remember a place this odd. Could it be the “mandela effect”?—déjà vu—when the brain files new scenes under “old memories,” most common in those in their teens and twenties.

This body was about twenty…

He sent Mage Hand ahead. The deeper he went, the stronger a peculiar pull—his bone-white staff’s light subtly brightened and cut more darkness.

The corridor was short. A small room lay at the end. He checked the entrance—no traps—then stepped in.

Maybe three meters on a side. In the center stood a plain black stone chair. On its seat lay a flawless white gem. Nothing else.

His heart thudded faster at the sight. Anyone would know this wasn’t ordinary. He calmed himself and sent Mage Hand to pluck it. The spell’s fingers closed; the gem lifted easily.

No other reaction.

The hand floated it to him.

“Let’s Identify you first.”

He raised the staff toward it—

—and the staff shuddered violently. The gemstone slipped free of Mage Hand—and, before he could react, slammed into the staff.

Click!

In the blink of an eye, the gem sank into the bone-white staff. Blinding light burst forth. It was so bright he winced. Heat suffused the shaft; its shape slowly changed—skeletal ridges smoothed into a slim, rounded length. From thirty-odd centimeters it stretched to just over fifty. At the pommel, a pure white gem coalesced.

The flare dimmed.

In his hands gleamed a wand so beautiful it could have been a work of art.

At last—my wand is complete.

He held his breath. He’d gotten the bone staff from the halfling mage Andeni. He’d always called it a “staff,” but it had been a handle—no core. He’d tried all sorts of materials to no avail. Who’d have thought, by sheer coincidence, he’d find a matching core here?

He swung the wand, enchanted. It was gorgeous—and moved like an extension of his arm.

Rumble—rumble—rumble!

Before he could admire it further, a roar shook the room. A bad feeling slammed into him.

Without hesitation, he snapped into Ghoul Form and triggered Enhanced Leap and Brute Force. Guided by his map, he bolted for the rope.

Out of the corner of his eye—darkness came alive. Strange to say, but that was the sense: the black thickened like a living, viscous fluid and surged from all sides. Light fought stubbornly—and shrank visibly.

He clamped the wand in his teeth, gripped the rope with both hands, canceled Brute Force lest he snap the line, and didn’t wait for Serandur—climbing hard, hand over hand.

He flew up the rope.

At the last instant, with Light about to be swallowed whole, he burst from the whirlpool like a fish breaching—and arced to the earth, crashing down.

Vmmm!

The “sand” vibrated and then set, hardening back to soil.

Gauss pushed himself up. He stood there—white hair, small curved horns, pale energy clinging to him, a white wand between his teeth—eyes a touch dazed.

“Captain—what happened down there?” Serandur asked at once. He’d felt Gauss climb under his own power, so he held off pulling.

“What happened?” Gauss’s confusion deepened.

“Captain, drop the form first,” Serandur said, patting his shoulder—a reminder that the state burned through energy.

“R-right.” Gauss canceled Ghoul Form.

A wave of emptiness and hunger hit him. He hurriedly pulled out jerky and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Easy—have some water,” Serandur said, setting his questions aside for the moment.