Before Shadow could break free from the insurmountable pull of the stone lantern, he was drawn into its gate. There was a moment of weightlessness, a moment of disorientation — and then he was suddenly blinded by bright light.
Slamming into something hard, Shadow fell and felt a cold, smooth surface under him. Grimacing, he pushed himself up and raised a hand, covering his eyes. It felt like the sun suddenly rose above the Shadow Realm…
No, not quite.
Even before his eyes adjusted to the blinding radiance of day, Shadow already knew that he was not in the Shadow Realm anymore. The Mad Prince was not in his Soul Sea, either. Having used the reflection of a mysterious artifact that seemed to have been contained within Shadow's soul all along, the madman vanished.
All of it was very confusing.
