Ancient World?

After walking at the end of the path in the narrow cave, I have seen the famous portal looks like. It was like everything I expected it to be. It was like a black hole, sucking everything coming close to it. The lights blazing on the cave wall were vanishing as they approached the black hole.

Are the portals able to transfer the energy or only the matter? Would I block the light and cast a shadow inside if I were to approach the portal? Assuming the portal is like a glass, a substance which everything passes through, when I stand in front of it, the light behind me that should radiate to the portal will be blocked by my body. Therefore my shadow will reflect inside the portal, thus revealing my presence to the enemy if they guard the entrance.

"How can I avoid being noticed?" I silently mused while inspecting the portal.

I can create a temporary light source that substitutes blazing runes, but the brightness and angle have to be adjusted perfectly, or I would be creating moving lights. That would also give away my location.

"Unfortunately, I cannot make myself transparent, but maybe I shouldn't. I have a mirror element, and by using the refraction of light, I can send the light through mirrors without blocking it with my body." I made the calculation thoroughly and adjusted the mirrors in my mind. By using close to 20 mirrors, I reflected all the lights with the mirrors without crossing my path.

Now there is only one other issue.

"What if it is a Treasure Realm?"

Secret Realms have differences as well. Most of the Secret Realms are relatively vast worlds with their fauna and flora, and rich in resources. But sometimes, Secret Realms are a small piece of land with treasures hidden within. These types of Secret Realms are Treasure Realms. Secret Realms can be easily observed from one end to the other. If the portal in front of me is opening to a Treasure Realm, I will get caught as soon as I step in. After working so hard to fix the light, I don't want to get caught as soon as I step inside.

Thinking for a little longer, I decided to enter anyway. There isn't much I can do at this point. I can erase my presence, but I cannot vanish in thin air.

If I could create the Mirror World in thin air, I would have hidden inside of a mirror and sling it inside. Then I could observe around through the mirror, and come up with a plan before getting caught, but at this point, there was nothing I could do.

After steeling myself, I stepped inside the portal. Darkness ate me whole, and spit out to another place. I opened my eyes in a dim lighted vast world where I could hear beast roars and wind blow.

"Thankfully it is not a Treasure World." I sighed in relief and looked around. I still had enchanted senses, and I could notice everything around me in a few seconds. There was no guard at the entrance to my surprise, but when I thought of the illusion artifact they had used, it made sense. No one beside me could pass through that barrier.

The exit was also dim, which disproved my theory and only proved my paranoid mind. Lights and energy weren't able to pass through the portal and only matter. Sighing in relief anyway, I walked deeper inside of the Secret Realm.

It was a thick forest with many beasts. From my sonic hearing, I could pick up many types of beasts scattered around the forest. Also, by relying on the enchanted nose and Wolf Queen's vast experience, I could pick up many kinds of smells from valuable habitat. No wonder they fight over Secret Realms. There are millions of beasts and close to hundreds of thousands of plants living in this secret realm.

I walked close to half an hour before I caught sight of the envoys. 8 people with animal ears and tails were walking 20 meters afar from each other. In total, they were covering 200 meters square. They were also close to each other to arrive in a few seconds in case of trouble. I followed them from afar with my eagle eyes and listened to their conversation.

"I have a bad feeling, so keep your eyes open." What a sharp instinct. He noticed my peering eyes as soon as I landed my sight on them.

"Yes, sir!" the rest confirmed in unison.

The man with leopard ears looked around and smelled. He pricked up his ears and listened to the forest, but he couldn't locate me. After standing in cautious sight for more than 20 minutes, he spoke once again.

"If God is right, the entrance to the ancient world will be sealed. Our only task at hand is to validate the intel. We will return as soon as we confirm the gate. Do not dally around after that, and if you have anything to do inside the Secret Realm, do it before we arrive at the entrance of the Ancient World." He said, looking to his subordinates.

"Yes, sir." They acknowledged with smiling eyes. Secret Realms were treasure troves, and being first to enter had its advantages. After confirming the gate to the Ancient World, envoys with higher authority and power would descend to take over the task. At that point, they could get nothing from this venture. But now they got their permission, they were intended to grab something valuable to make it worthwhile.

While they were salivating over their potential gains, I got my mind blown. Two words came out of Leopard Envoy froze my feet to the ground, and I couldn't even move.

"Ancient World!"