109 Thank God this is not a horror novel

"Why...is it dark?"

My first initial response was surprise. 

I felt that one second of feeling like my heart dropped, which meant I had entered the compressed space between two portal gates. The moment my forward foot touched the ground, I should arrive in the Lord Castle's garden.

But instead, my foot landed in a dark space. I said space because although I landed on a solid platform, I couldn't be sure about it. There was nothing around me but darkness--no land, no walls, no sky. No Jade.

I realized then that I couldn't feel Jade.

It wasn't just a matter of 'It's not there' beside me, but I couldn't feel the bird, my familiar, who should have been connected to me through our soul. Even if I couldn't physically see Jade, I should be able to feel him, supposedly. 

But I felt nothing. Or rather, something was obstructing our connection. Was it this darkness?