Ghostlight

This was a theory that Lord Nightblade had come up with after analyzing my spell in great detail using an examination matrix. She had a hint of the nature of the strange quality of my spell ever since she detected its lingering remnants in Shadowlight. However, after going through the composition of my spell, she had become more certain of its nature.

My darkness spells contained an nearly imperceptible hint of light.

Rather than clashing with the darkness of the spell, it instead amplified its power, resonating in bizarre fashion with it to produce unexpected results. However, Lord Nightblade also informed us that this was definitely not something meant to happen. Dual-elemental spells were extremely rare and powerful, something far beyond even her level, much less mine. Moreover, they had to be of compatible elements rather than contrasting elements, which made my spells all the more confusing.

Our attempts to understand the nature of my spells were met with failure. Despite casting spells of various elements until I was on the verge of collapse, the same ghostlight - the name that had been given to the strange light in my spells - never appeared in any of my spells that were not of darkness. 

As she let the last of my spells dissipate within her examination matrix, I could almost feel the complex emotions swirling in her mind… or her mana core, since she didn't really have a mind. Nevertheless, she said not a word about her thoughts, and instead moved to bring us to Lord Nightshade and the recuperating Dark Elementals.

I was glad to see them largely well, although I could tell they were still slightly injured, it was nothing life-threatening. While my companions chatted excitedly with them, Lord Nightblade disappeared into a nearly opaque fog of darkness that I assumed was coming from Lord Nightshade. 

Her actions did not go unnoticed, as the Dark Elementals ceased their previous talks to converse in hushed tones about her relationship with Lord Nightshade. I was more than a little surprised to hear about this initially, as I had assumed she was simply a reinforcement sent in the nick of time to save all of us, but as their gossiping became more heated, I was rocked with multiple revelations.

For one, she had apparently been very, very close friends - or perhaps more than friends, if their tone of voice was anything to go by - with Lord Nightshade before they even became Dark Lords, and she had apparently left her post against orders when she heard that his outpost was in danger of being wiped out to save him. 

Perhaps they were a little too excited about their relationship, which could have explained why they seemed to have completely forgotten about my presence as they delved into a full-blown discussion about the depth of their relationship.

I listened with more than a hint of interest, though I was mostly enjoying the glorious chaos of mental voices talking, yelling or something whispering as they hotly debated the topic at hand. Apparently, the two of them were famous for being some of the youngest Dark Lords in history and had a long list of stunning feats, so they seemed to be a perfect match. 

Suddenly, a somber voice asked despondently, "I wonder if Lord Nightshade would be affected by his injuries. He did nearly die, and perhaps his core was also affected. It would be a massive waste - his talent is virtually unmatched and no one denies he will become a Night Reaper given enough time. Not to say that he won't be able to make it if his core is damaged, it just might take some more time…."

At these words, the lively conversation and gossiping died down momentarily, before others chimed in. Some asked angrily about why he had been sent to a dangerous outpost instead of a safer area, whilst others mourned the loss of a great talent. I wasn't sure why they were all assuming he had indeed suffered some permanent damage, but I wasn't going to say anything about my confusion.

At some point, one of them said, "What a pity, they were truly a perfect match! Lord Nightblade might overtake Lord Nightshade's talent now, but I think they will still become a couple…"

At this moment, two dark figures materialized right behind the unlucky Greater Elemental that had just spoken. All conversation ceased as the others stared nervously at the more than slightly annoyed Dark Lords, while the oblivious individual chattered on about their potential relationship. All the while, the duo seemed to get a little more aggravated with every word that was said, until I could almost see the exasperation in Lord Nightshade's posture.

At some point, he seemed to finally realize what was going on and asked faintly, "They're right behind me, aren't they…."

Then Lord Nightblade grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him into the fog for some disciplinary action. A few minutes passed, with little more than flashes of darkness to hint at what was happening there. Finally, she strode out, staring at the Greater Elementals like how a predator might look at its prey.

"Ahem… he'll live, right?" Lord Nightshade asked.

She gave a curt nod, staring with displeasure at the Dark Elementals who quailed under her gaze. 

Lord Nightshade sighed as he seemed to come to a decision. "I don't think denying anything will really change your views, so perhaps it is simpler if I admit that we are indeed in a relationship, have been for some time actually," he said candidly.

They cheered loudly at his words.

"However," he continued, "this does mean that you will be punished more severely by the two of us for your… unnecessary information sharing just now. Also, for your information, I am NOT permanently injured in any way, in fact my mana core is perfectly fine, thank you,"

At these words, they seemed to understand the kind of hell they were about to experience as they turned to Lord Nightblade, who I could almost feel smiling dangerously at them.

Then he turned his gaze to me. I was able to withstand the pressure after being acclimatized to Lord Nightblade's voice and pressure, although it was notably heavier compared to hers. 

"I assume you are the mortal Nightblade has been talking about?