Shinju, Koharu, and Swen set out at dawn, their stomachs full and bodies rested.
As they descended the mountain slopes, a thick mist began to crawl across the ground, growing heavier with every step.
Koharu finally broke the silence.
> "Shinju… after absorbing the Yin essence from those swamp rats, have you regained any of your former strength?"
Shinju paused for a moment, then answered calmly:
> "No. Not yet.
I'm still far from my old self.
But don't worry — I'm stronger than I was before."
Koharu lowered her head, then glanced at his face.
> "Even so… when I walk beside you, I feel something strange.
Like the whole world could turn against us, and still… nothing could touch you."
Shinju smiled faintly, his gaze fixed on the misty horizon.
> "It couldn't," he said quietly.
"As long as I'm here, no one will dare harm you."
Koharu blushed, unsure of what to say. A shy smile curved her lips.
Swen's voice cut through the quiet:
> "Hate to interrupt your romance, but the air around us feels off.
This mist isn't natural."
Shinju lifted his head.
The fog was thick now — their footsteps vanished without an echo.
> "You're right," he said in a low tone.
"Something's watching us."
Just then, Koharu stumbled.
> "My head… it's spinning…"
Swen dropped to one knee.
> "This mist… it's suppressing our senses."
Shinju spread his arms, releasing Yin energy into the air.
The mist rippled — for a brief moment, the wind shifted.
> "Fall back. I'll take the lead."
Koharu clasped her hands, forming a white ring of light that circled them and eased their breathing.
> "At least it's not poisonous… but there's magic in it."
Shinju nodded slightly.
> "It must be a creature's territory."
He moved forward cautiously.
When his footsteps faded, only a low hiss remained — first from the right, then the left… then directly behind.
He turned — a massive body loomed before him.
Its scales were stone-hard, its eyes glowing a sickly green.
The beast reared back and spat a stream of acid.
Shinju raised his shield just in time.
The acid hissed as it ate through the surface, the air thick with the stench of burning earth.
> "Acid…" he muttered.
"So that's your attack."
The serpent lashed out again, its tail cracking like thunder.
Shinju crossed his arms to block, sliding back several steps as rocks shattered beneath him.
Koharu shouted, panic in her voice:
> "Shinju!"
> "I'm fine," he said steadily.
"Take care of yourselves."
He gathered Yin energy in his hand and thrust it forward.
The dark wave struck the serpent — but was instantly swallowed.
> "Hmph. It's dispersing my energy…"
The serpent's tail rattle suddenly vibrated, emitting a deep, unsettling tone.
The ground trembled — Shinju's black blade of Yin shattered in his grasp.
He grimaced.
> "It's breaking down my energy!"
Swen's eyes widened.
> "Resonance!" she shouted.
"That rattle — it's vibrating in reverse phase to your Yin waves! It's absorbing your attacks!"
The serpent hissed again, the sound crawling not through their ears, but their bones.
Koharu clutched her chest.
> "It feels like my heart just froze…"
Shinju narrowed his eyes.
> "So… you can't be killed with Yin."
The creature lunged forward, massive and swift.
Its body slammed into Shinju, tail striking his ribs with a bone-cracking thud.
The air burst from his lungs.
Swen cursed under her breath.
> "If I can break that resonance, our attacks might work — but how?"
Shinju spat blood and pushed himself up.
Swen snapped her fingers.
> "Every material vibrates at its own frequency! If I can create a counter-resonance, I can shatter the rattle!"
> "So, you need time," Shinju said flatly.
> "Exactly! But I have to pin that tail down first!"
Shinju didn't hesitate.
He charged forward.
The serpent opened its jaws wide — and Shinju leapt straight into them.
Koharu screamed.
> "Shinju, no—!"
He caught the beast's upper and lower jaws, forcing them apart with raw strength.
His muscles quivered, shoulders locked in place.
The serpent went wild, thrashing violently — its rattle screamed like a death bell.
The sound grew so intense the ground itself began to fracture.
The shockwaves tore at Shinju's back, splitting his skin open — only to heal instantly.
His vision blurred, but he didn't let go.
> "Swen!" he roared. "Now!"
Swen slammed her sphere into the ground.
The air screeched.
A vibration too high for ears to hear rippled outward — a fine, cutting thread of sound that struck the serpent's tail.
Crack.
One ring on the rattle shattered — then another, then all of them.
The resonance collapsed.
Shinju's grin turned feral.
> "It's over."
His dark blade shot through the serpent's mouth, piercing its neck from within.
The creature stiffened.
The green light in its eyes faded away.
For a moment, there was only silence — and the pounding of three hearts.
Koharu rushed to Shinju's side and knelt beside him.
> "Talk to me! Are you all right?"
Shinju exhaled heavily, forcing a smile.
He pressed his palms to the serpent's body — thin black smoke rose from beneath his fingers, flowing backward into his hands.
Koharu leaned closer.
> "You're… absorbing its Yin energy?"
Shinju nodded slightly.
> "The amount is small," he murmured.
"At this rate, it'll take a long time to regain my full strength.
Still… I feel better now."
Swen crossed her arms, smirking.
> "If a simple snake gives you this much trouble, we're in for a long trip, my friend.
Without me, you'd still be bathing in acid."
Shinju gave a quiet chuckle.
> "I never claimed to be all-powerful.
There's no such thing as an easy hunt here.
Every creature in the void has evolved to survive the impossible."
Koharu eyed the serpent's carcass.
> "Was this thing normal for the void? It seemed… too strong."
Shinju rubbed his chin.
> "If it had faced my former self, it wouldn't even be an insect.
But right now… it was a worthy opponent."
Swen crouched by the corpse and drew her knife, cutting beneath its neck.
She muttered as she worked:
> "We're moving way too slowly…
And of course, I forgot the teleportation talisman. Brilliant.
Truly the mind of a genius at work."
Koharu leaned in, curious.
> "What are you doing?"
Without looking up, Swen replied:
> "Trying to make sure we stay alive.
This serpent's venom sac is valuable — with the right process, it can be refined into a shielding agent."
Koharu frowned.
> "So it's not for eating?"
Swen sighed.
> "No, princess. Properly handled, it'll protect us. Maybe."