Jack's eyes closed as the final sensations of the battlefield slipped away. When they opened again, he was no longer surrounded by noise or movement, but by a stillness so complete it felt unreal.
There was darkness everywhere. Not night, not shadow, just an endless absence, silent and unmoving.
He checked himself without thinking. His body felt whole. No pain lingered, no trace of injury remained. The lack of damage unsettled him more than wounds would have. The battle had pushed him to his limit. Something should have been wrong.
"Where am I…?" he murmured.
Memories surfaced in fragments, the clash of power, the rising strain in his body, Rayden standing firm before him. After that, everything faded into blankness. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember how it ended.
He began to walk. The darkness neither resisted nor responded. There was no sense of distance, no sound to mark his steps. Then, far ahead, he noticed a faint light.
It was distant, small, but steady.
Jack focused on it and continued forward. No matter how far he went, the gap between them never closed. The light remained out of reach, as though it existed somewhere beyond him.
A sudden pressure formed in his chest.
His breath caught as the sensation spread, heavy and suffocating. Strength drained from his limbs, and his thoughts blurred under the weight of it.
"What's… happening…?" he whispered.
The pressure intensified, leaving him unable to move. Panic flickered briefly before his awareness gave way, and the darkness swallowed him again.
Jack awoke with a sharp gasp, his body jerking upright as air rushed into his lungs.
Sweat clung to him, his heart racing as his hand pressed against his chest. There was no pain now. Only the memory of it remained, fading rapidly.
The darkness was gone.
He was lying in a small infirmary room, dimly lit and quiet, the air faintly scented with medicine. Reality settled slowly as his breathing steadied.
Something shifted beside him.
"Turt…" he said softly.
The creature lay curled next to him, watching with alert eyes. Seeing it there eased the lingering tension in his chest more effectively than any reassurance could have.
A voice came from the doorway. "You're in the infirmary."
Jack turned his head. Rayden stood there, calm as ever.
"So, you finally woke up," Rayden said. "How are you feeling?"
Jack looked down at himself. No bandages. No visible injuries. "I passed out," he said quietly.
"You were unconscious for seven hours. Sunset's already passed."
Seven hours. The thought settled without shock.
"And the battle?" Jack asked.
"You won."
Jack nodded once. The victory felt distant, almost unreal. What stayed with him more strongly was the exhaustion he still felt beneath the surface.
Rayden continued, his tone measured. "That space dome you used it worked. But you're not ready to rely on it. Be careful with it from now on."
Jack didn't argue. He remembered how it had drained him, how close he'd been to losing control.
After a moment, he asked, "Can I learn to control it?"
Rayden paused. "What's your trust level with Fenix?"
"Medium."
Rayden's gaze sharpened slightly. The synchronization he'd witnessed in battle hadn't matched that number.
"There's still room to grow," he said. "I don't know much about Fenix. Creatures like it are rare. Control won't come from forcing that power, it'll come from strengthening your bond."
"I understand," Jack replied.
A brief silence followed before Jack spoke again. "How's Fenix?"
"It's fine. Fully recovered."
Relief flickered across Jack's expression. "That's good."
With Aetherine administered in time, monsters recovered quickly. Knowing Fenix was safe lifted a weight he hadn't acknowledged.
Rayden turned to leave, then added, "You've been granted permission to pass through the village. You can head to Grane City tomorrow morning."
Jack looked up at him. "Thanks."
Rayden gave a short nod and left the room.
The door closed softly behind Rayden, leaving the infirmary wrapped in silence.
Jack remained still for a moment, listening to the faint sounds of the village beyond the walls. Only when they faded did he shift, his hand slowly rising to his chest.
There was no pain.
Yet something lingered.
A dull heaviness pressed beneath his ribs, faint but unmistakable. Not enough to alarm him, just enough to be felt.
"What was that place…?"
The darkness returned to his thoughts. Endless. Silent. Watching. And the light distant, unreachable, refusing to come closer no matter how far he walked.
His fingers curled slightly against his chest.
"Why does it still feel like something's there?"
The battle was over. His body had recovered. And yet, the sensation hadn't fully left him behind.
Jack turned his head toward the window.
Moonlight slipped through the glass, pale and calm, illuminating the quiet outline of the village outside. Everything looked normal. Peaceful. Nothing hinted at the strange space he had seen, or the pressure that had nearly crushed him within it.
For a moment, doubt surfaced. Not fear, something quieter. Something unresolved.
Then movement broke the stillness.
Turt stirred and hopped onto his lap, settling there with familiar weight. Jack looked down at it, surprised, then let out a slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
He rested a hand on its head.
Whatever that darkness was… whatever that light meant… it could wait.
Jack straightened slightly, his grip steady now.
"No matter what it was", he thought, "I'll get stronger".
"Strong enough to face it".
"Strong enough to understand it".
The heaviness in his chest remained but it no longer felt overwhelming.
Outside, the night stayed quiet, and for the first time since the battle, Jack allowed himself to rest.