The deeper they traveled into the Void of Fallen Universe, the quieter everything became.
Not peaceful quiet.
Not calm.
This was the kind of silence that felt… aware.
The fractured pathway beneath their feet continued to drift forward through the endless dark, its pale glow the only steady light in a cosmos that seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. Around them floated the ruins of something that had once been magnificent—broken city fragments, frozen star-ships, and entire landmasses suspended in slow, unnatural stillness.
It was like walking through the memory of a dead god.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Okay, I officially don't like this place."
Luka didn't turn.
"You say that about every dangerous location."
"Yeah," Kael muttered, eyes scanning the void nervously, "but this one feels personal."
For once—
No one teased him.
Because everyone felt it.
That faint pressure at the back of the mind.
Like unseen eyes.
Watching.
Waiting.
Aerito walked slightly ahead of the group now, one hand lazily resting behind his neck—but his sharp golden eyes betrayed his relaxed posture. He was studying the space around them carefully.
Very carefully.
After several minutes of silence, Arelia finally spoke.
"…The preservation field is getting stronger."
Aerito nodded once.
"You're sharp."
Eren frowned slightly.
"What exactly does that mean?"
Aerito slowed his pace just a little so everyone could hear clearly.
"It means whatever is maintaining this universe…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…is closer than we thought."
That immediately tightened the atmosphere.
Aarna instinctively moved half a step closer to Vicky again.
She didn't even realize she did it.
But Kael absolutely did.
He leaned toward Luka and whispered dramatically,
"…I'm telling you, she's glued to him now."
Luka didn't even blink.
"Focus."
Kael sighed.
"Tough crowd."
But despite the humor, even Kael's eyes were sharper than usual.
Because the Void was changing.
As they moved forward, the environment began behaving more strangely.
The first sign was small.
A floating shard of crystal ahead of them… repeated the same slow rotation twice.
Exactly the same.
Like a loop.
Eren immediately noticed.
"…Did that just—"
"Yes," Luka said quietly.
Aerito's smile faded slightly.
"Temporal echo."
Arelia's gaze hardened.
"So the core instability is leaking outward already."
Aerito exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah. Earlier than I expected."
Vicky remained silent—but his crimson eyes were sharper now.
Because the pull…
Was getting stronger.
After another long stretch of travel, Aarna finally tugged lightly at Vicky's sleeve.
"Master…"
He glanced down slightly.
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
Then asked softly,
"…When we reach the fragment… will your memories come back?"
For the first time in a while—
Vicky actually paused.
His gaze drifted briefly into the distant dark.
"…I don't know."
Honest.
Simple.
But something in his voice made Aarna's fingers tighten slightly on his sleeve.
Aerito, overhearing, spoke lightly,
"They will."
Everyone looked at him.
He shrugged casually.
"If the fragment is intact, memory restoration is basically guaranteed."
Then his tone softened just a bit.
"…The real question is what else comes back with them."
That line hung in the air heavily.
Kael blinked.
"…Why do I suddenly feel nervous again?"
No one answered.
Nearly three hours into the journey, the pathway began narrowing.
Not collapsing.
Not breaking.
Just… focusing.
Like a funnel.
The drifting ruins around them became denser, forming massive floating graveyards of broken structures. Some were clearly artificial—ancient cosmic architecture. Others were things no one in the group could even properly identify.
Luka's instincts were fully active now.
"…We're being funneled."
Aerito nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Eren's voice dropped.
"Into what?"
Aerito's smile returned—
But this time it wasn't playful.
"…We'll find out soon."
That was not comforting.
At all.
Without warning—
WHUMMMM.
The entire pathway pulsed once.
Hard.
Space around them warped like heat over glass.
Kael immediately stumbled.
"WOAH—!"
Arelia grabbed his collar before he could drift off the edge of the path.
"Focus."
Kael coughed awkwardly.
"…I was totally fine."
No one believed him.
Aerito's expression had gone serious now.
He crouched slightly and touched the glowing pathway.
"…Energy surge."
Vicky's eyes narrowed.
"…From ahead."
Aerito nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
For the first time—
Even he looked slightly cautious.
The deeper they went, the stronger the invisible pull on Vicky became.
Not painful.
Not aggressive.
But undeniable.
Like something… recognizing him.
Calling him forward.
Aarna noticed immediately.
Her voice softened.
"…Master?"
Vicky answered quietly.
"…It's getting stronger."
That was enough to put everyone on edge.
Because if something in this dead universe was reacting to Vicky—
That was never a small problem.
Never.
After another stretch of tense silence, Kael suddenly spoke up.
"…You know, I miss normal problems."
Luka didn't look at him.
"You never had normal problems."
Kael pointed dramatically.
"Exactly! But at least they weren't cosmic horror flavored!"
Even Arelia's lips twitched slightly at that.
But the brief humor didn't last long.
Because ahead—
Something changed.
Far.
Very far ahead.
In the deepest stretch of the void—
A faint spiral of dim light became barely visible.
Not bright.
Not explosive.
Just…
There.
Waiting.
Aerito slowly straightened.
"…Well."
His voice was quiet now.
"…There's our direction marker."
Eren frowned.
"That's the fragment?"
Aerito shook his head slowly.
"…No."
A small pause.
"…That's just the outer signal."
Everyone went still.
Because if that was only the outer signal—
Then whatever lay at the center…
Was going to be much worse.
The group continued forward.
Slower.
More focused.
More tense.
The pathway stretched endlessly toward the distant spiral light, the Void of Fallen growing heavier with every passing minute.
Aarna quietly slipped her hand into Vicky's sleeve again.
Not scared.
Just…
Closer.
Vicky didn't comment.
But he didn't pull away either.
Far ahead—
The spiral light pulsed once.
Soft.
Patient.
Waiting.