Stunning Significance

I reeled at the words. In hindsight, they made sense: how could a spell cast by a measly rank 2 mage hope to hold against the sheer power of a Dark Lord? It had only ever been meant to be a one-way transfer, as any feedback from Lord Nightshade should have snapped the link with its sheer strength… after killing me, of course. 

However, that was not what had happened. Instead, it had miraculously held on even after half of a Dark Lord's raw power passed through it and into me, even surviving long enough for me to transfer the matter back before I died. In the cold light of day, it suddenly seemed clear that something was not quite right with the spell I had cast.

At this moment, Lord Nightshade said solemnly, "It is not possible. He is, after all, a being of Darkness - how can there be something for Light? Even his ghostlight is more something of Darkness than something of Light."

"You know the truth yourself, Nightshade. How could the mana link have held your power? You are but a step away from becoming a Night Reaper - even with the instability of your mana core reducing your strength, it was far too much for any normal link to hold - yet it nearly survived two crossings rather than one. We cannot protect him now," she countered piercingly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere dropped by degrees as the two Dark Lords suddenly had a confrontation. Although I knew full well that they were longtime allies and lovers even, at the moment they looked like two deadly beings about to tear each other apart or die trying. 

Timidly, I asked, "W-What's happening? Who do I need protection from?"

Lord Nightshade massaged his temples. Slowly, he said, "We… have not been completely with you. You know that you possess ghostlight and that such a thing is rare, exceedingly so; you may also have been able to tell that your case is somewhat unique, since neither of us could identify your ghostlight."

Silently, I nodded. It did not take a genius to work out that I - or rather, the body I currently inhabited - was not unique in this world: there were certainly others that could amplify darkness in one way or another due to their own special properties. 

"However, what we have not told you is that a being that can amplify darkness such as yourself is highly valuable - you even more so due to the unique nature of your ghostlight. We are duty-bound to secure any such beings we find, regardless of their strength or our current circumstances. Even if it costs a large group of Greater Dark Elementals, or even a Dark Lord, we should ensure that they reach the safety of the Night Citadels in one piece over even our own safety,"

"With our own status, we are not entitled to know why such beings are so important, but you should know that we once had a short battle between two Night Reapers over one such individual," he continued.

A cold feeling of dread settled in my gut. Why would anyone even be willing to sacrifice a Dark Lord in the first place? These were existences on a plane I could not comprehend, and even if I knew that there were at least beings two tiers higher than themselves, they still seemed to be godlike existences to me. 

Despite the incomprehensible power they held, I was apparently worth more than them, at least to the higher-ups of the two Dark Lords. What kind of powers did I hold, sleeping dormant in my ghostlight? What could make even Night Reapers covet or fear my abilities?