As they began descending the mountain, the air had grown colder, and the wind harsher.
Along the path, only the moonlight lit their way.
Swen rummaged through her bag, then three small golden pills appeared between her fingers.
She handed them to Aurelia and Koharu.
Both women looked at her in surprise, while Shinju frowned.
> "What are those? And why aren't you giving one to me?"
Swen replied with quiet confidence.
> "Because you don't need them, Shinju."
She twirled the pills between her fingers — they shimmered with a faint golden glow.
> "These are Elisyum Pills.
They extend life and protect the body from hostile environments.
I managed to make them because we found Elisyum ore."
Koharu held the pill up to the light, curiosity in her eyes.
> "So what exactly do they do?"
Swen slowed her pace and looked up at the night sky.
> "Out in space, Yin density is extreme.
You wouldn't survive a single minute there.
These pills allow you to withstand that pressure — they balance the body's Yang energy and protect it from the corrosive effects of Yin."
Aurelia studied the pill in her hand and raised her head.
> "So… this tiny thing could protect even a dragon?"
Swen nodded.
> "Yes. Especially you.
Because you're a Yang creature—
oh, pardon me… a dragon."
Koharu smiled faintly.
> "So without these pills, we can't enter the Void Realm, right?"
Swen confirmed with a firm nod.
> "Exactly.
The region where the Second Spear of Mikail lies is most likely the area of highest Yin concentration — the Domain of Nothingness.
No living being can survive there.
But with these pills, we just might make it."
Shinju remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distance.
Swen's voice echoed softly behind him.
> "We're already searching for Yin energy for you, Shinju.
That's why you don't need these.
But for us… these pills mean survival."
Aurelia looked down at the glowing pill in her palm.
> "How strange," she whispered.
"For the first time in a thousand years… I feel hope."
Koharu turned toward Swen, a small smile curling at her lips.
> "Even now, you still call yourself the most intelligent alchemist in the universe, don't you?"
Swen laughed, tossing her hair lightly.
> "I don't give up titles that easily, princess.
Especially when I keep proving them right."
Shinju lifted his eyes to the sky.
His voice dropped to a quiet murmur.
> "The Void Realm…" he said softly.
"What awaits us there… won't just be darkness."