The Void felt like a bottomless pit that swallowed every step they took.
They had been walking for days… yet no wind had blown, not a single trace of life had crossed their path. Time itself had lost all meaning in this dull, leaden darkness.
The only rhythm left in their journey was Shinju sitting cross-legged during breaks, quietly absorbing Yin.
Aurelia stood with her arms crossed, watching him.
"How's the Yin absorption going?" she asked, her voice echoing dully in the emptiness."Getting close to your old strength? Honestly, it looks way more efficient than hunting monsters."
Shinju took a slow breath, letting the darkness in his eye settle.
"It's effective," he said, his voice cold and steady."Instead of purifying the corrupted energy inside creatures, drawing directly from the source fills the emptiness in my veins much faster."
He paused.
"But…"
"But?" Koharu cut in, her eyes fixed on him with concern.
"At this rate… it'll take at least fifty years to return to my former state."
"What?! Fifty years?!" Swen practically jumped to her feet. The glass tubes in her hands clinked as she rushed forward.
"Don't be ridiculous! We don't have fifty years! Mikail returns in six! If you're not back to full strength by then, Lunaris—and this dusty little planet of yours—will turn into Yang farms!"
Shinju looked at her calmly.
"This is the best I can do."
Swen clenched her jaw, then forced herself to calm down.
"Then we don't have a choice. We go to the Second Spear of Mikail."
Her eyes sharpened as she continued:
"The moment we remove the spear, the Yang flow in that region will collapse. That sends a direct signal to the facility in space."
She stepped forward, voice rising with intensity.
"The one managing the Yang pill production will panic and teleport down to investigate. That's when we capture them."
Her lips curled slightly.
"We take their teleportation talisman… and send Shinju straight into the heart of the facility."
Aurelia frowned.
"Why space?"
Swen spread her hands wide.
"If Yin on the planet is a lake… then outer space is an endless ocean. The density there is so extreme that no living being can survive more than five minutes."
Her gaze locked onto Shinju.
"But Shinju isn't just 'living.' If he stays there for even a few weeks… he won't just recover."
A pause.
"He'll become something far beyond what he used to be."
Aurelia narrowed her eyes.
"…Then why didn't you do this before?"
Swen froze.
"…Well—uh—about that…"
She scratched her head awkwardly.
"Lunaris was in danger! I panicked! And… maybe… I might have forgotten to bring the teleportation talisman when I came down…"
Aurelia let out a long, tired sigh.
"…Unbelievable."
"We trusted our future to a madwoman."
"Hey! You try staying calm while your entire world is about to be destroyed!" Swen snapped back.
Koharu quickly stepped in.
"Wait… then how do we pass through the golden dome?"
She turned to Aurelia.
"Even dragons couldn't break through it, right?"
Swen smirked, confidence returning instantly.
"That's where my genius comes in."
She tapped her chest.
"The Elysium pills in your bodies don't just protect you from the Void's corrosion—they also prevent Yin contamination. As long as you remain pure, the dome won't recognize you as a threat."
Her voice lowered.
"But the moment Yin taints you… it will reject you completely."
Shinju felt the darkness in his right eye tremble slightly.
"…Then what about me?" he asked quietly.
"Every part of me is filled with Yin."
Swen hesitated.
For a moment… she avoided his gaze.
"…You probably won't be able to pass."
Silence fell.
"The dome will see you as a virus… and lock you out."
Koharu's expression froze.
But Swen waved it off quickly.
"Hey, don't overthink it! Let's just get there first. We'll figure it out when the time comes!"
Aurelia muttered under her breath:
"Of course. Our plan was missing a 'we'll figure it out later.'"
Shinju said nothing.
He simply stared at the endless gray path ahead.
But then…
A memory surfaced.
That moment from a year ago—when he had felt the warmth of the spear in his chest.
Maybe…
There's still a way to use that warmth inside me.