Shin activates the Teleportation Stone.
Light engulfs him and in the next moment, he lands in Tao City, at the heart of the kingdom.
He doesn't stop to breathe.
Ignoring the pain tearing through his body, Shin runs toward the palace. The guards recognize him instantly and step aside without a word. He storms through the halls until he reaches the throne room.
The doors open.
Silence.
Every eye turns toward him.
"Shin?!" Ray shouts. "Where have you been?!"
Arthur steps forward. "You vanished. We thought"
"I went to the Garden," Shin says, his voice calm but strained. "I obtained the stone."
The room erupts.
"That's impossible!" "You can't survive that place!" "That being alone could have destroyed our solar system!"
Shin exhales slowly.
"I defeated it."
The hall freezes.
"…What?" someone whispers.
Shin continues, exhaustion heavy in his voice.
"With the help of the Nature Spirits, I created an attack that destroyed its existence core."
Murmurs spread like wildfire.
"How could a human" "That power" "This makes no sense"
Shin's vision blurs.
Historia.
"She's still cursed," he mutters.
Without waiting for permission, Shin turns and runs. Arthur reacts instantly and follows him.
They reach Historia's chamber.
She lies pale and still.
Shin pulls out the Spirit Stone and presses it gently against her chest.
The stone glows.
A translucent list appears in the airancient symbols flickering rapidly. The stone begins to dissolve, turning into light as a dark, twisted aura is pulled out of Historia's body.
The curse manifests writhing, resisting
Then it shatters.
Gone.
An attending doctor steps forward, holding a magic crystal. He closes his eyes, focusing.
"I detect… nothing," the doctor says slowly. "There is no curse."
Shin's knees nearly give out.
Arthur exhales sharply, his hands trembling.
"She's… she's healed," Arthur whispers.
They return to the throne room and explain everything.
The king rises from his throne.
"Today, we celebrate my daughter's recovery," he declares.
Applause breaks out.
Then the king raises his hand.
"However," he continues, "before that there is a matter to address. We have discovered a dying city on an island several kilometers from here. Its people are… undesirable."
The word cuts deep.
Shin steps forward.
"Will you help them?"
The king's answer is immediate.
"No. I will not waste my soldiers or resources on such creatures."
The room grows tense.
"Please," Shin says. "They're suffering."
"I said no."
Something inside Shin breaks.
He looks directly at the king.
"You're filth," Shin says coldly. "How can you look at people in need and call them worthless? I will never forgive you for this."
Gasps echo through the hall.
Shin turns to Ray and Arthur.
"Will you Help them," he says. "Or stay here with him."
Ray clenches his fists.
"…We can't. We still have things to do here."
Arthur lowers his head.
"I'm sorry, Shin."
Shin nods once.
"Fine."
He turns and walks away.
The king scoffs.
"Let him go. He can't save them anyway. The king's word is absolute."
No one stops Shin.
Outside, night has fallen.
Cold. Dark. Silent.
Shin walks alone, his thoughts heavy, his body screaming in pain.
I'll save them.
He remembers the island's location.
Step by step, he walks hours pass. His pain worsens. The betrayal cuts deeper than the wounds.
Suddenly, Shin notices something at his side.
A small pouch.
"…I forgot I was carrying this," he mutters.
Before he can think further, a familiar voice speaks.
"What do you want?"
Shin looks up.
"Reinzahn," he whispers. "Please… take me there."
The dragon studies him closely. He can feel the tension radiating from Shin's body but he nods.
As they prepare to depart, Reinzahn asks,
"How did you defeat that being?"
Shin answers weakly, pain creeping into every word.
"…At the perfect moment, I immobilized him and stepped away. The Nature Spirits bought me time. I bound all four formulas together creating a new one. A spear formed. I aimed. He died. My senses returned."
His voice fades.
Shin collapses.
Darkness takes him.
What will Shin do next?