Weeks passed within the endless gray silence of the Void.
Time felt like stagnant water—motionless, shapeless. They couldn't tell if it was flowing… or if they themselves were simply lost within it.
Aside from a few weak Void creatures crossing their path, there was nothing.No sound.No trace of life.
One day, during a break, Swen shook the supply bag in her hand and checked its contents with a frown.
"Alright… bad news," she said, her voice unusually serious."We need to start rationing. Our food supplies are almost gone."
Koharu let out a long sigh, her shoulders slumping.
"Ugh… so we're going to eat less of those amazing meals Shinju sterilizes and you magically turn into something edible?"
Swen shot her an annoyed look.
"Princess, we're in this situation because of you! You eat like a pig. Even a dragon consumes less than you. We've been walking through the Void, and somehow you still managed to gain weight."
Koharu blinked in shock.
"What? Gain weight?"
She immediately placed her hand on her stomach—and froze.
There it was.
A soft, subtle roundness that hadn't been there before.
"…Wait," she muttered, a bit embarrassed."…you're right."
She cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Well… I guess a little diet wouldn't hurt anyway."
Their journey continued, guided by the faint, flickering light of Swen's crystal.
Ahead of them, a massive, barren mountain rose into the gray sky.
Climbing it took days.
There was no grass, no wind, not even a breath of life upon those jagged rocks. By the time they finally reached the summit, their supplies were nearly depleted.
Shinju stepped forward and looked down the other side—
Then stopped.
"…Unbelievable."
The others quickly joined him.
And shared the same shock.
Beyond the mountain… in the very heart of the Void…
A dense forest stretched endlessly.
Trees with pitch-black leaves.Gigantic, unnatural plants.
A living ecosystem… where nothing should have lived.
"I've never seen anything like this," Shinju said quietly, unable to look away."How is this even possible?"
Aurelia narrowed her golden eyes.
"This is a forest… but the life within it isn't natural."
Swen immediately crouched down, her alchemist instincts taking over.
"This doesn't make sense. The Void shouldn't sustain this level of life energy. Normal plants rely on sunlight, but these…"
Koharu instinctively took a step back, shivering.
"This forest… feels wrong. It's like the trees are watching us."
Shinju's voice turned cold.
"Where there's this much energy in the Void… there are creatures feeding on it."
He glanced forward.
"Stay alert."
As they descended toward the forest's edge, Swen picked up a leaf and examined it closely.
"Look at this. These plants don't absorb sunlight—they feed on pure Yin energy. This entire ecosystem has adapted to the Void… mutated to survive it."
Shinju took a deep breath.
"The Yin density here is much higher than outside. My absorption rate has increased three—no, four times."
A faint smile appeared.
"This place… is heaven for me."
"For me, it's a nightmare!" Koharu complained immediately."Can't we just go around it? Do we really have to go through that creepy forest?"
Swen placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That would take too long, princess. And besides, we can gather fresh supplies here."
She glanced at Shinju.
"And Shinju will recover much faster in this environment. You don't need to worry—we have Aurelia."
A confident smirk formed on her lips.
"I can't even imagine a Void creature strong enough to defeat her."
Aurelia responded with a calm, proud smile.
"You don't need to imagine it, Swen."
A pause.
"Because such a creature does not exist."
Without hesitation, the dragon woman stepped forward—
And entered the dark forest.
The others exchanged brief glances… then followed her into the unknown, leaving behind the empty silence of the Void as they disappeared beneath the black leaves.