Chapter 19 - 509,523

Revenge…

For many people, it's the fire that lights them from within, but when its target is too distant, it leaves only cold despair.

Besides, revenge on who?

Malzahir suspected that whoever killed his grandmother was likely acting on the behalf of someone far more powerful—possibly even Lord Sirakhim directly. And if not him, then one of the few figures capable of opposing him—another demigod.

Not to mention as long as the person that did the action was even the weakest beast-tamer, he wouldn't be able to exact his revenge—he was 'crippled' now. Completely vulnerable to even the weakest of spiritual creatures.

He didn't even dare dream of exacting his revenge on Himolker.

'It's only in delusional fair tales that an ordinary person would be able to take down a high-level warrior.'

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He saw no hope of ever achieving justice—therefore, he saw no reason to continue living in this world where he'd have to be confronted by his dismal reality.

"Kain!"

Malzahir's head snapped up at the sound of the frantic shout, his curiosity flaring for the first time in what felt like forever. Not because he was interested in answering those cries of distress and panic—oh no, he was more interested in seeing if there lay the answer of him being put out of his misery quickly and painlessly.

He dragged himself forward, his limbs heavy, his body sore from new and old injuries. The wind whipped through the desert, carrying with it the frantic cries of the group beyond the dune. He crested the sandy hill just in time to witness a shocking sight.

A group of somewhat familiar strangers—the same ones who'd healed and then attempted to torture him for answers previously —were gathered around a patch of sand that seemed to move and churn unnaturally.

One of them, the same young man with dark hair who was responsible for trying to infiltrate his mind, was sinking helplessly into the ground, his body disappearing beneath the surface with terrifying speed. The others were shouting, pulling at ropes, and trying desperately to free him, but their efforts were futile. The sand seemed alive, coiling around the young man in a manner that reminded Malzahir of when his beloved Tyrant Boa would coil around and devour its prey whole.

Malzahir watched in stunned silence as the young man—Kain, he assumed—was swallowed whole. The sand closed over him, leaving no trace of his presence.

Soon, as if the single sacrifice had awakened some kind of ravenous beast, the sand began to tremble once again, this time beneath the feet of all the remaining members of that group.

One by one, the rest of his allies followed. Arms flailed, and voices cried out, but the desert showed no mercy. In mere moments, they were all gone, vanishing beneath the surface without a trace.

Malzahir remained still, his heart pounding in his chest. For a moment, he felt a flicker of something—fear, perhaps, or awe. But it was quickly drowned out by the familiar numbness that had settled over him. He had no strength left to feel anything, no will to fight or flee. He was already dead inside; the desert could take his body too.

"It's fitting," he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible over the wind. "Born of the desert, bound to the desert, and now, to die in its embrace. The sands will claim me, as they claim all things in the end."

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What better place to die than in the arms of the desert? It had raised him, tested him, and now, finally, it would reclaim him. Just as natural and inevitable as the sun getting swallowed by the horizon each day, just as the dunes swallowed all traces of the past, he too would fade away.

He took a step forward, then another, his movements slow and deliberate. The sand shifted beneath his feet, but he didn't fight it. He welcomed it. This was his fate, his final act of surrender. He had no more battles to fight, no more dreams to chase. The desert would take him, and he would finally be at peace.

If the stories told by his grandmother were true, then waiting for him was the warm embrace of his long-gone parents and his beloved grandmother—maybe even his Tyrant Boa was with them, guarding his family before he could arrive himself to protect them in the afterlife.

He closed his eyes, letting the sinking sensation wash over him. He did not struggle. He did not fight. The last warmth he would ever feel came from the sun above, burning mercilessly against his skin. Then, darkness took him.

For a moment, there was nothing but darkness and the suffocating weight of the sand. And then, suddenly, the world shifted.

Malzahir gasped as he was thrown into a world unlike anything he had ever seen. The desert was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of white. The ground beneath him was cold and hard, the air biting and frigid. He stumbled, his legs giving out beneath him, and collapsed onto a strange, hard surface—so different from the warm and soft sand that had cushioned his falls his entire life.

He looked around, his breath coming in visible white puffs as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The landscape was alien, covered in a thick layer of a strange cold white powder that crunched beneath his hands. The sky above was a pale, washed-out gray, and the air was filled with a strange, almost oppressive silence.

Malzahir shivered, his body trembling from the cold and the shock of his sudden displacement. He had expected to die, to be swallowed by the desert and forgotten. But instead, he had been brought here, to this strange, frozen world.

"What… is this?" he whispered, his voice trembling from his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He had heard tales of the afterlife, of places where the souls of the dead were sent to be judged. Was this it? A frozen wasteland where the damned were sent to suffer for eternity?

The air smelled sharp and unfamiliar, the cold gnawed at his skin. His limbs, already weak, were beginning to fail him.

'So this is…hell?'

That was his last thought before exhaustion dragged him into unconsciousness.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!Malzahir drifted in and out of consciousness, he had a vague sensation of movement, he heard a vague groan of pain and struggle, but before he could truly process anything else, his mind faded to black again.

Not knowing how much time had passed, he eventually awoke to the crackling sound of fire.

His body felt heavy, but whereas before the heaviness in his limbs was due to internal factors like his injuries, his depression, and his body shutting down from the cold. Now the weight on his body felt a lot more…tangible.

He blinked, his vision blurry as he tried to make sense of his surroundings and process what was on him.

His eyes flickered open. Based on the dim glow of firelight illuminating the surroundings, he concluded that he was in what appeared to be a shallow cave or a snowdrift hollowed out as shelter.

Moreover the weight on his body, as he expected, was due to an object. Someone had draped several layers of thick, fur-lined clothing over his shoulders, their weight unfamiliar since he'd been raised wearing only light and comfortable materials suitable for the desert heat.

The sound of labored breathing drew his gaze to the other side of the fire and he saw his 'saviour'. Considering he didn't really want to be 'saved' from death, he was still conflicted on whether the other person deserved that title.

The man lay there, propped weakly against the frozen wall, his body covered by deep wounds and frostbite. Blood stained the front of his thin clothes, sluggishly seeping from injuries that no longer seemed to pain him—his body was past the point of feeling. His face was pallid, his breaths slow and shallow. He did not have long.

'Did he take off most of his clothing to give to me? Why?' To Malzahir such self-sacrificing behaviour for a stranger was idiotic, but unbeknownst to him a small portion of his heart, one he thought was long dead, began to beat again.

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Malzahir's first instinct was to close his eyes and let the darkness take him again. He had no desire to be saved, no will to continue. But although Malzahir said nothing. The man's dull, fatigued eyes seemed to still be aware that he'd woken up.

"You're awake," the man rasped. His voice was hoarse, the effort of speaking clearly costing him. "Good… I wasn't sure if you'd wake at all. Or if I could even—cough."

The man's speech was suddenly cut off by a violent coughing fit.

Malzahir sat up slowly, his joints stiff and aching, but majority of his most severe internal and external injuries had been healed. Obviously some kind of expensive elixir or powerful skill had been used to heal him from his formerly battered state.

'Sigh…what a waste…I'm sure many people would be thankful for such care, but I'm not one of them'

His first instinct was to ask why the man had saved him, but the answer was obvious. There was no way this was just an act of kindness. The man must need something from him.

Looking around he also noticed previously overlooked details, his eyes landing on the man's contracts. They were scattered around the fire, their forms broken and lifeless.

One, a large wolf-like creature, lay motionless beside the man, its fur matted with blood. Another, a bird with shimmering feathers, was curled up in a corner, its wings bent at unnatural angles.

There were also other vague shapes hidden in the darkness that weren't moving and showed no signs of life.

The sight stirred something in Malzahir—a flicker of empathy, perhaps, or just the memory of his own loss.

Malzahir's eyes then flicked to the man's side, where the dark stain—which he originally thought was just blood but upon closer inspection was tinged with black and violet tendrils of energy as well—was growing larger.

"You're dying," he said, his voice hoarse. "All of you."

The man chuckled weakly, a sound that quickly turned into another cough. "Yeah. I know. I've been trying to heal myself, but… nothing's working. My contracts are all gone, they fought bravely but the opponent was too powerful. My elixirs are even useless on the injuries it caused me, so I just used the last couple on you. Although there's no future left for me, I took on this mission, and I must ensure its success…and right now you appear to be my only hope."

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Struggling to lift a trembling hand the man presented a storage ring. "Take this," he said, pressing it into Malzahir's palm. His fingers were icy to the touch, like a walking and talking corpse. "It contains everything I've gathered. My allies… they need it. They're out there somewhere, and they're counting on me. But I… I won't make it. So please, I beg you…"

Malzahir stared at the ring. He did not move to wrap his fingers around and it—keeping it loosely suspended in his palm, not truly accepting the task.

He had no interest in playing errand boy for a dying man. He had no interest in anything at all. If he had his way, he would have stayed lying in the snow until the cold took him just as the desert sands had tried to do.

But then the man's gaze met his, and Malzahir froze.

Desperation. Not for his own survival, but for those who were still alive—his teammates. Something about his pleading expression touched a nerve.

Malzahir scowled. He did not want this responsibility. He did not want to be dragged back into the concerns of the living. And yet…

A sigh left his lips, and with it, his resistance. He took the ring.

'I guess I can just delay my death for a little while longer…at least until I deliver this ring.'

The relief in the man's face was immediate. His body, which had been clinging to life to be able to pass this important task on, finally began to surrender. His head lolled slightly, his chest rising and falling in slower, uneven intervals.

Just as his eyes were about to drift shut for the last time, Malzahir spoke.

"What's your name?"

A faint ghost of a smile tugged at the man's lips. "Idrias," he murmured. "Idrias Tailwind."

Then, his breath stilled. His body slumped. And Malzahir was left alone with the flickering fire and the weight of a promise he had never intended to make but would make sure he saw through.

After that… well, he could always find another way to die.

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Why did I agree to this?!'

Malzahir thought for probably the 10th time in just that hour after landing face down again in a pile of snow.

'Snow' That's what he'd learned from Idrias was the name of this horrific white powder.

He groaned, pushing himself up with trembling arms, his breath coming out in visible puffs. The cold bit at his skin, the snow clinging to his clothes and hair. With each passing second, his hatred for this 'snow' grew stronger.

One would think that walking on sand and snow would be similar—they weren't! Absolutely not!

Sand was warm, familiar, and would softly cushion your fall. Snow, on the other hand, was cold, treacherous, and evil.

Every step was a battle for him, his feet sinking into the powdery white surface, his legs struggling to pull him forward. He felt as though he'd somehow degenerated to being a toddler, incapable of taking more than a few dozen steps without being at risk of falling.

'Even though I didn't die, this is definitely hell…' he thought bitterly, while brushing the snow off of his face.

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The only reason he wasn't frozen solid yet was because of the clothing left behind by Idrias. But even that was barely enough.

The freezing winds carrying chunks of ice and snow were like painful pieces of razors, cutting straight to his bones.

His fingers, despite being gloved, felt numb, and his toes had long since lost sensation. He wondered if they'd freeze and drop off before he even found another person to pass Idrias' ring to.

Fortunately, although the majority of the objects in the space ring given to him Malzahir had no idea how to use, some had obvious purposes—and he would have long died without them.

For example, the portable fire starter the size and shape of a can around thigh height, allowed him to obtain some warmth in this cold environment. If he hadn't had it, he wouldn't even know where to begin collecting wood and other flammable materials when all he could see was white…

In the ring were also many food rations, water, blankets, and clothing suitable for various weather conditions. Malzahir had layered himself in thick furs and wool, but even that wasn't enough to fully ward off the biting cold. There was also a mechanical glowing orb that his instincts screamed against touching—certain it was a weapon of some kind, although he had no idea how to use it. He had tried to examine it once, but the moment his fingers brushed its surface, a sharp, electric jolt had coursed through his arm, leaving it tingling for hours. Since then, he'd avoided even looking at it.

As for the 'relic' (whatever that was) souvenirs that Idrias wanted to ensure were delivered to his allies, Malzahir examined them briefly but didn't see anything special about them. Lots of books from a language he didn't understand, strange mechanical items that don't even seem able to work anymore, and more useless junk.

'Was this stuff really worth dying for…?' Malzahir thought in puzzlement as he held up a light purple crystal that was glowing faintly. From the objects Idrias obtained in this relic, it was the only thing that seemed to have any energy remaining.

He sighed, tucking it back into the ring. He didn't understand its purpose, but it wasn't his place to question it. He had a task to complete, and he would see it through—no matter how pointless it seemed.

But as the time dragged on, it was getting harder and harder to retain that conviction. The longer he walked, the more he could feel exhaustion creeping into his bones. His limbs ached, his breath was growing shallow, and his mind had started to dull. He wasn't built for this climate. He wasn't built for this endless, frigid directionless march toward an unknown destination, looking for people he wasn't even sure were still alive.

He couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd left Idrias.

Had it been a day? A week? More? The frozen landscape played tricks on his mind, stretching even short distances into what felt like miles. No matter how far he went, the scenery remained unchanged. No landmarks, no destinations. Just ice and wind and nothingness.

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Suddenly, a deep, thunderous boom shattered the silence and the ground beneath his feet began to shake violently.

Then, without warning, the earth split open.

Just ahead, the snow began to collapse inward, as if the ground supporting it was disappearing. A massive crater formed within seconds, widening, deepening—a sinkhole stretching further and further, swallowing everything in its path.

Malzahir scrambled back, his limbs slow and uncoordinated. He turned and began to waddle away from the ever-expanding hole. Unfortunately, the snow made it it almost impossible to move quickly, and he fell repeatedly, his body slamming into the cold, hard ground. Each time, he forced himself back up, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The sinkhole was gaining on him, and he could feel that just seconds after he left a spot, it would crumble away to nothingness.

"Ah! No!" With the sinkhole already close behind him, he lost his footing again at the worst timing.

But just when he was certain it would and swallow him whole, eyes closed in resignation, it stopped.

Panting, Malzahir collapsed onto the snow, his chest heaving. For several moments, he did nothing but stare up at the bleak, gray sky, his mind blank.

Then, cautiously, he turned his head and looked back.

There was nothing.

No land, no snow, no ground to stand on. Just an endless void stretching beyond sight, a black abyss that seemingly had no bottom.

"What… what is this?" he whispered, his voice trembling. He crawled closer to the edge, peering into the darkness. The lack of light and endless depth gave him the illusion that hundreds of creatures hidden in the dark were staring at him, waiting for him to fall into their open mouths.

Malzahir shuddered at the mental image.

This place truly was hell!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!However, after traveling for what felt like days, he was beginning to think he should have just bitten the bullet and turned back. The ravine stretched endlessly with no signs of an end, nor did he see any movement—no indications that anyone had survived. But still, he kept searching.

"Oomf—!"

Suddenly, his balance wavered, and before he could catch himself, he crashed face-first into the snow with a muffled grunt.

A sharp, indignant squeal erupted beneath him.

Malzahir jerked upright, startled—this had been the first sign of another living thing he'd seen since Idrias!

Beneath him, a small, iridescent creature squirmed free from where Malzahir's feet had stomped it into the snow.

Its fur shimmered faintly with a crystal-like quality, reflecting the surrounding environment. But considering that all of the surroundings were pretty much a homogenous white, it too took on that color—nearly invisible against the snow. It shook itself off, glaring at him with tiny, beady eyes before hopping back a step to examine him.

Malzahir narrowed his eyes. The creature didn't move like a wild animal, ready to launch an attack against him, nor did it flee upon seeing him.

But before he could dwell on it further, he was distracted by a strange sight from his new angle on the ground—what looked to be an opening in the edge of the cliff?

From his higher vantage point while standing, it had blended seamlessly into the snow, but from the ground, the uneven dip in the terrain made its outline just barely visible.

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All along the edge of the massive ravine, the land dropped at a sharp 90 degree cliff. However, here, the edge of the ravine sloped downward in a dangerous incline, like a natural slide that had the world's most gruesome end.

Towards the end of this horrifying slide of death was an area where the snow had settled unevenly, concealing what appeared to be a narrow, partially collapsed tunnel entrance embedded in the slope.

It teetered precariously near the edge of the cliff and one wrong step while trying to enter or exit it could send one skidding off the side of the cliff. One would have to be incredibly nimble to safely enter or exit that passage.

His gaze flicked between the dangerous opening, the tiny paw prints in the snow, and the strange little creature. "Did you come from there?"

The creature tilted its head. Realizing that it might not understand him, he pointed at the opening and tried to convey his question through body language.

Then, slowly, it nodded after nearly a minute of Malzahir looking as though he was clumsily enacting some kind of abstract dance.

But seeing its docile temper, lack of caution around humans, and developed ability to communicate with him despite not necessarily understanding the same language, Malzahir began to form a hopeful idea… Perhaps this was a contracted beast. And if it was here alone, that meant its beast-tamer was nearby—or possibly, trapped.

He exhaled sharply, weighing his options. He had been hoping to find other people, Idrias' allies, but deep down was beginning to lose all hope.

His fingers brushed against the space ring Idrias had given him. He eyed the crumbling opening balanced dangerously on the slope's edge. Had the collapse extended even a foot further, the entrance would be completely gone—moreover, there were no guarantees that the ravine couldn't suddenly expand further and swallow the entrance—and the tunnel it led to along with it.

He then looked at the treacherous incline leading to it. If he wasn't careful, he'd slide straight off into a seemingly bottomless drop. Every single survival instinct in his body was screaming at him not to make the risky attempt of entering the precariously balanced tunnel entrance.

'But fortunately, my desire for survival is at an all-time low…'

Willing to take the risk after finding what may be his only hope of finding Idrias' allies, he secured a rope to ice formation jutting up from the landscape while tying the other end to himself.

After roughly testing its ability to hold his weight, he began his descent done the slope. The snowy slope was slick with ice in some places, crumbling and loose in others, and more than once, he felt his footing slip.

Click.

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Hearing a faint clicking noise he looked back and saw that he had company, assuming that the sound was made from his new companion showing off its nimbleness.

His careful, trembling unsteady steps were followed by the rabbit-like creature that was hopping around while effortlessly maintaining its balance—walking down the incline as though it were walking on flat land.

Click.

Malzahir frowned, glancing back. That… wasn't from the creature, was it?

Crack.

The sound came again—louder this time. Malzahir barely had time to glance back before the ice formation that had been supporting his weight split clean in half.

His body fell into a helpless skid downward, while he scrambled to regain control.

But at the last possible moment, his fingers dug into an exposed rock jutting out from the entrance he was trying to enter—digging in deep enough to cause his fingertips to bleed and some of his nails to even break completely off.

He gripped it tightly, the impact jarring his arm as half of his body dangled precariously over the steep cliff. For a heartbeat, he just hung there, breathless, looking back at the endless dark below.

Then, slowly, carefully, he pulled himself into the narrow opening at the ravine's edge, his muscles burning with the exertion of raising his whole body. "Gods," he muttered under his breath. "This had better be worth it."

The rabbit-like creature, which had remained still during his struggle, suddenly moved again.

Its body shuddered slightly—then, its glassy, vacant eyes blinked. A subtle shift in energy rippled through the air, and in an instant, the creature became noticeably more lively. It straightened, its ears twitching, its fur shimmering as if reinvigorated.

Malzahir frowned, noticing the change. "What is wrong with you?"

The creature didn't respond in words, but this time, it moved with a much clearer purpose. It hopped forward, glancing back at him as if to beckon him along.

"…Alright," Malzahir murmured, brushing the snow and ice from his sleeves. "Lead the way."

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Kain would never describe himself as particularly lucky. In fact, he'd argue that luck rarely, if ever, worked in his favour. In fact, whenever something 'lucky' did happen to him, he'd likely become more paranoid about what horrible tragedy he could expect to come his way soon.

Just thinking about his life—both his past and present one— would reiterate this.

When he got into the college of his dreams in his past life—his entire family died on the drive up to see him.

When he got the internship position of his dreams—he died a painful and gruesome death from some kind of mystery disease.

And in this life, it feels as though every month or so he is having to somehow scrape his way through one life-threatening event after another…

However, surviving millions of tons of collapsing ice, stone, and snow with only mild injuries had to count for something—probably at the cost of every shred of good luck he had left.

Of course, although he wasn't the one who had borne the brunt of the impact, that didn't mean everyone else got off so easily.

Vauleth's immense body lay sprawled in Kain's star space, bloodied and barely breathing. The serpent had wrapped around them at the last moment, coiling as tightly as possible to shield them all from the worst of the collapse. Without him, Kain wasn't sure they'd be anything more than a bloody smear beneath the ice.

After recalling the injured dragon right when he sensed through the bond he couldn't hold on any longer, Kain and Serena had managed to land perfectly in a small hollow in the ravine.

The space they now occupied was… a miracle. A small pocket of space, barely enough to accommodate the two of them, held together by precariously balanced layers of compacted ice and rock. A single mistake, a careless movement, and the delicate balance holding back the crushing weight above them could shatter.

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Their 'prison' weighed on their minds heavily, but fortunately, the ice and snow surrounding them seemed to emit a light purple glow, ensuring that they weren't also completely without light, while also being cold and trapped.

With a quiet breath, Serena recalled her Starweaver and Balens, who were still free. The space instantly felt bigger without their presence, but not by much. Kain, pressed against one icy wall of their tiny prison and exhaled slowly, "Any ideas?"

Serena didn't respond. She sat back against the uneven surface, closing her eyes briefly, her mind likely turning over their predicament and trying to find a solution like he was.

They were trapped. That much was obvious. And they didn't dare risk trying to dig at the walls for fear of triggering another collapse.

Serena had already attempted to use Balens to wish them out of there before recalling him, but—like a handful of times before since entering this relic—it had met some kind of interference.

Honestly, considering the overpoweredness of Balens' ability, Kain and Serena had almost come to rely too much on the spiritual creature whenever they faced a predicament. Having only two wishes manage to be successfully granted since they'd first entered, had seriously crippled them…

However, Kain couldn't help but note that the first wish to be successfully granted, to identify the most useful object to heal Serena, was extremely small and also in a cavern that seemed to be supplied with a different, golden, source of energy.

When a more difficult wish, to increase Aegis' strength, was granted, it was after Kain had drained the core fragment in that portion of the ruins—which eventually led to the collapse. Now looking at the faint purple glow surrounding them and Balens' lack of success again…

"Do you think there is another fragment like the one you drained nearby?" Clearly, Serena was on the same track as him.

In which case, Kain was incorrect in his assumption that this civilization only took a single fragment from the planet's core—or perhaps they did but split it into several pieces.

Either way, Kain was excited about the possibility—the previous core helped heal Pangea somewhat—but it is nowhere close to its peak. If there are more of those 'core fragments' out there, perhaps he could completely heal the damage caused when trying to heal Serena.

Even more ambitiously…

'I wonder what would happen if I absorbed even more than I needed…?' His heart skipped a beat at that thought, as guilt consumed him. Perhaps that 'ruin guard' wasn't wrong in what he called Kain. Perhaps there truly wasn't much of a difference between Kain and the Abyss.

Shaking his head he tried to bury that terrifying thought. Instead he focused back on their current predicament.

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They had been trapped for god knows how long now and had gotten to see more sides of one another than I'm sure either of them were comfortable with…

Serena would release her Prismarin to use its illusions to grant her some measure of privacy and keep some level of boundaries with him.

'Unfortunately, Bea isn't skilled in illusions would need to infect Serena's brain directly…' Kain thought with tears in his eyes while putting away a used can formerly filled with food rations, but was now was filled with a smelly brown matter…

Many of the canned rations had since been used and turned into makeshift toilets, and their stock of food was dwindling.

Logically, they should have been panicking. But neither of them were.

Serena, for her part, remained composed. Likely because she had already conveyed that one of the still-active Prismarin illusions had found help—probably one of their teammates. All they had to do now was wait.

Kain was calm for an entirely different reason. Their food stores in their respective space rings were beginning to run out, but he wasn't concerned.

Even though he couldn't retrieve living things or whole plants from Pangea, he could take out fruit. The portable 'garden' that was Pangea was practically limitless, more than enough to sustain them forever even with the drastic harm done to its wildlife recently.

But explaining why he seemingly had a limitless supply of food to Serena was a little awkward.

Serena, of course, had likely already guessed at Pangea's existence. There had been too many sloppy clues left by Kain, moreover she had played the biggest role in creating the array that would lead to a made-up 'subordinate realm' anchored to their planet that she'd never heard of…

She hadn't said anything outright, but the way she watched him was telling. A calm, knowing gaze that felt like a silent accusation for lying to her for so long.

It was almost a strange, unspoken tension between them—Kain had a secret, Serena had all but confirmed it in her mind, and yet neither of them addressed it. The flimsy barrier concealing Pangea's existence remained intact, but Serena's persistent, expectant stare made it clear she was waiting.

Waiting for him to break first.

Kain exhaled slowly, tilting his head back against the frozen ceiling.

He was starting to feel guilty.

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Kain pressed his fingers against his temples, exhaling sharply. The way Serena kept looking at him was starting to wear him down.

She hadn't said a word about their dwindling food supply, nor had she directly asked him how he seemed to always have perfectly fresh fruits and vegetables to eat. But that knowing gaze, expectant yet patient, was practically a silent demand.

He had a secret. She knew it. And he knew that she knew it.

Addressing the very obvious unspoken knowledge between them was honestly adding an unnecessary layer of tension to all of their interactions.

He wasn't sure why he hesitated. Maybe because once he told her, there would be no going back.

Or maybe because, despite everything, despite her, he still had this ridiculous instinct to keep it to himself. Pangea was his secret, one of the few things in this world that truly belonged to him.

Even only a few members of his family, those he completely trusted with his life, only knew that he had the ability to help the affinity-less become beast-tamers—they weren't privy to Pangea's existence.

But it was also a burden. And keeping it to himself any longer felt… exhausting.

Kain clicked his tongue, finally making his decision. "Fine. You win."

Serena blinked, tilting her head ever so slightly, as if to say, I wasn't playing a game.

He ignored that, summoning Bea, figuring it was simply easier to show rather than tell.

The microscopic amoeba immediately made her presence known to Serena, who could not see her, by extending thin mental threads toward her and Kain, connecting them in a way that would allow her to share his vision.

Thankfully, likely already having an idea of what this was about, Serena did not resist.

Serena's mind brushed against his, and for a moment, Kain felt a flicker of unease. Sharing this part of himself, even despite all they've been through together, felt like exposing his heart completely defenselessly to another person.

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Her eyes fluttered shut as Kain shared his vision with her as his mind entered his star space.

———————–

A familiar seemingly endless space opened up before her—after all, she had one too.

But her attention was immediately drawn to something that was most definitely not in her own.

Most beast-tamers' star spaces held only the stars that represented their contracted creatures, floating in an otherwise empty space. Kain's was different. Radically different.

The four stars symbolizing his contracts were there as expected, each radiating a distinct hue—a calming blue, vibrant green, sturdy brown, and blazing red.

But unlike her own stars, his were orbiting around something she'd never seen or heard of before…

A planet. A massive, living world, was suspended within the void of his star space.

Serena's breath hitched as her mind processed what she was seeing.

Her voice, when it finally came through their link, was uncharacteristically hesitant. 'Kain… what is this?'

He said nothing, simply willed his consciousness forward, drawing her along as he descended toward the surface with a thought.

On the surface, Serena saw through their shared vision vibrant green plains, towering forests, rivers carving blue veins through the land, reflecting the 4 'celestial bodies' above that housed Kain's contracts.

But along with the beauty, were also the visible scars.

Charred wastelands, their soil cracked and lifeless. Large areas of the lush forest were reduced to withered and dried out husks—vibrant green and sickly brown dividing the forest like some kind of invisible line.

The contrast was jarring. On one side, life thrived—birds soared through the canopy, their songs echoing in the fresh air, while herds of creatures roamed the plains, their movements fluid and harmonious. On the other…a deathly silence. The air was heavy, stagnant, and through the senses shared with Kain she could hear and feel the ground crunching beneath his steps as he wandered over the dried out and dead plants.

Although in the process of recovering, it was obvious that entire ecosystems had recently been wiped away.

A large portion of Pangea's life and energy, drained and broken—all to save her.

Serena inhaled sharply. She had known Kain must have sacrificed something in order to heal the injuries even Balens was helpless against. However, seeing the visual impact of what he'd given up was incredibly jarring.

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Kain pulled back, severing the link, and watched her expression shift as she processed what she'd seen. She didn't look at him right away. Her fingers curled slightly against her knee, and her gaze drifted downward, unreadable.

"…This is beyond what I expected," she finally murmured. "I thought it was some kind of relic. Or a subordinate realm you could tap into directly with some kind of skill or device," Her voice remained steady, but there was an undeniable weight behind her words. "Not this."

Kain leaned back against the frozen wall, watching her carefully. "Yeah. Well. Surprise."

Silence stretched between them. The faint glow of the ice around them cast sharp, delicate shadows on Serena's face, but her expression remained sombre. She didn't seem angry at being lied to for months. She also wasn't shocked in the way most people would be.

But she did look… incredibly guilty—which was also not what he wanted.

After a long period of tense silence, she finally opened her mouth: "Does it have a name?"

Kain couldn't resist letting out an amused smile, thinking that this scene was reminiscent of revealing a hidden child on a first date given the extreme awkwardness and tension between them now. But he still answered with feigned calm, "Pangea."

"Pangea…" She muttered softly, letting the unfamiliar name role off her tongue to get a feel for it.

Her fingers soon tightened almost imperceptibly. "It's so beautiful…god knows what impact damage to it will have on you…was it worth damaging Pangea just for me?"

Kain released a breath while looking away. "It wasn't just for you."

It was a half-truth. A part of him had been curious about the prospects of using a planet's core for power and the abilities of the items they'd found. But when it came down to it, he had pushed Pangea beyond its limits for her. And she knew it—they both did.

Serena didn't argue. She simply sat there, her usual detached composure settling back over her like armour, though something in her eyes had softened. After a moment, she let out a quiet breath and shook her head. "You're insane."

Kain huffed out a laugh. "Tell me something I don't know."

Another pause. Then, softer—almost too soft to hear—

"…Thank you."

Kain didn't respond right away. He wasn't sure he even could. Instead, he simply closed his eyes, letting his head rest back against the icy wall.

Before long, he unconsciously drifted off to sleep. Finally having someone to confide in made him feel much lighter somehow.

Unfortunately, after confirming the full extent of the sacrifice he'd made, Serena couldn't share his relaxed demeanour, something in her gaze shifted and became firmer—some kind of resolve confirmed—as she stared at Kain's sleeping face.

She felt as though she owed Kain a huge debt—and she didn't want to leave it unpaid.

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Serena had become quite strange recently…

Ever since Kain had revealed Pangea to her, there had been a noticeable difference in how she treated him.

It was not quite like she'd become a completely different person—otherwise he may be inclined to have Bea check her mind for evidence of possession.

She was still Serena—composed, calculating, and possessing that same cool, aloof presence that made it difficult to tell what she was thinking. But there was a distinct softness in the way she interacted with him now that wasn't there before.

Her features that were originally like a perfectly sculpted ice goddess, would now soften like the snow melting away in spring when she looked at him.

And, frankly, it was starting to make Kain a little paranoid.

It started with small things. Subtle, barely noticeable gestures. She offered him the chance to rest in the portable outdoor bed that she had brought that was far more comfortable than what could be normally bought—hers must have been specially made.

Kain wasn't so picky about where he slept, getting accustomed to sleeping on the hard bark of trees, on stone, and on the grass when he first started exploring the wilderness while still in high school.

Therefore, since this small space could really only accommodate one mattress, he simply let her have only hers out. But now she was offering to have him lie on it.

On her bed.

That she sleeps in.

That is definitely something she never would have done before.

Another time she casually adjusted his coat when it slipped off his shoulder while he slept. She even wordlessly used a spiritual skill to recharge a device called a 'warmed stone' she had discreetly heated with her spiritual power when she noticed him shivering.

That was already strange enough.

But then, the incidents started piling up.

The most damning event happened when they had to maneuver around the cramped space. The cave was small, and moving around required careful, deliberate coordination, while excessive movements were forbidden, lest they accidentally disturb the fragile ice formations around them and trigger a collapse. At one point, while trying to retrieve something from her pack, Serena got up and leaned forward slightly—and in that moment, Kain turned to speak to her, only to find his face practically buried against her chest.

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A long, tense silence followed.

Serena, to her credit, didn't react much. She simply stared down at him, waiting for him to move. But Kain, in his frozen state of awkwardness, did not—not immediately at least. His mind was absolutely frozen and unable to process what exactly the soft sensation brushing against him was…

"…I can't move unless you do," she finally pointed out, her voice betraying just a hint of exasperation.

Kain, realizing the situation, nearly snapped his neck trying to jerk away.

But after he calmed down, he couldn't help but re-examine the situation differently. Knowing Serena, she simply would have blasted him away in anger, leaving him half-crippled in the process. While it was an innocent, completely unintentional mistake (Kain feels the need to make that abundantly clear), her calm response was now making him second guess everything.

Was it intentional? At least on her part?

Then there was the time she fell asleep while sitting next to him in the middle of their conversation. Since the mattress was only pulled out for a few hours each day to free up space, when they wanted to nap for a few minutes, both would usually just rest against the cave's walls—often not far from one another. It wasn't ideal, but it worked—until Serena, in her sleep, shifted ever so slightly. Her head ended up resting lightly against his shoulder.

Kain, once again, froze.

It was such a minor thing. A barely-there touch. And yet, for some reason, it sent his thoughts into a downward spiral of confusion. Serena had never been physically affectionate before, nor did she seem like the type to seek comfort in others while unconscious.

'Now this…is this also… intentional?'

His thoughts were covered in a confused haze for the couple hours she was napping. When she got up and moved away from him, he tried to examine her face for any changes. He wasn't sure what he was looking for, perhaps embarrassment at waking up on his shoulder, but nothing. She was completely nonchalant about the prolonged physical contact.

And then—then—there was the incident with the makeshift bath.

A small section of the cave had been silently designated as the 'washroom' where Kain and Serena would both go to freshen up or take care of some more gruesome matters involving empty food cans…

That corner was chosen because there was a small indentation in the floor, resembling a shallow tub made of ice, that they could then melt away with their spiritual power to slightly expand while also making it filled with fresh water.

While not ideal, it at least allowed them to somewhat freshen up. However, given the nature of their predicament, privacy was nonexistent. Serena, being Serena, took advantage of her Prismarin's illusions to create a shroud while she bathed.

Kain, for his part, remained perfectly still in his corner, doing his absolute best to respect boundaries and pretend the situation was not happening, like usual.

But then something most definitely different from the usual happened—that shroud covering her faded.

It was brief—only a second or two—but Kain, in a horrible twist of luck, had looked up at just the wrong moment.

Serena, thankfully, was mostly submerged, but the sheer surprise of the moment caused him to immediately turn away so quickly he actually smacked his head against the ice.

"…Are you alright?" she asked, seemingly unbothered.

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"Fine," he rasped, clutching his head.

The hits just kept coming. And the more they did, the more his brain spun ridiculous conclusions.

Was she being more accommodating because of gratitude? Was she trying to repay him for saving her life? Kain's thoughts spiralled even further as he reached a hard-to-believe conclusion.

'Was she considering repaying him with her body?'

The pieces started forming a picture in his mind, and it was a picture that made his heart race. Shaking his head frantically, he tried to dislodge the spicy image, but it would keep popping up at the most inopportune times—making many of their more recent interactions awkward on his part.

Finally, after days of this strange, unbearable tension, Kain couldn't take it anymore.

"Serena," he started carefully, watching her as she sifted through the remaining supplies. She looked up at him, one brow raised.

"Mm?"

He hesitated for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Look, I appreciate everything, really, but… you don't need to do this."

Serena tilted her head slightly. "Do what?"

He exhaled through his nose, choosing his words carefully. "I respect you greatly, and while you are extremelybeautiful, I truly never even thought about your repaying me with your body."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Serena's expression didn't change at first, still trying to process what exactly he had just said. And then—

A sharp, unmistakable shift.

Her gaze, which had been softer these past few days, immediately turned cold. Not angry, necessarily. But whatever warmth had been there before vanished in an instant.

"…Repay you," she repeated flatly. "With my body?!"

Kain swallowed, realizing he had stepped into dangerous territory, he hurried to clarify. "I just meant—"

Serena's stare pinned him in place. He could practically feel the temperature drop several degrees.

The tension stretched between them like a blade poised over his neck.

Then, finally—

"I see," she said coolly. "You misunderstood."

Kain very much wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!Kain's regret was immediate and all-consuming.

He had stared down death more times than he could count—confronting opponents far more powerful than him and even facing an army of Abyssals—but none of that compared to the sheer horror of watching the warmth drain from Serena's expression like a candle snuffed out in the wind.

It was as if the past few days had been nothing more than an illusion, a delicate bubble filled with kindness that he had now popped with his own stupidity.

He had miscalculated. Badly.

Serena did not speak again after her deadpan 'You misunderstood.'.

Instead, she went back to whatever she had been doing before he stupidly felt the need to 'clarify his intentions' with her—only now her movements were cool and impersonal, whereas they had previously been more relaxed and comfortable, almost like an old married couple—

'Nope! That's a very dangerous thought.'

It was the kind of cold detachment he used to expect from her before they'd gone on several missions together. But now, after their relationship had warmed up, it was painful to see their relationship regressing in real-time.

If this was a video game, Kain would certainly see the favourability score with Serena drop down to zero.

The air between them remained thick with unspoken tension, and the weight of his blunder pressed down on him like a stone. He needed to fix this. Somehow.

Clearing his throat, he decided to attempt damage control.

"Serena, listen—"

"You should get some rest." she interrupted, her tone even and unreadable.

Kain hesitated. That was it? No biting remark? No verbal lashing that would make him wish for a quick death? Just… cold dismissal?

That was somehow worse…

Still, he was not one to let a bad decision sit unresolved. He sucked in a breath. "Alright, I know I messed up, but—"

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"Kain."

His name, spoken coldly, shut him up instantly.

Serena finally turned to look at him, and while her expression remained neutral, there was an edge of finality in her gaze. "Drop it."

…Yeah, okay. Maybe he should drop it. For now. He'll bring it up again maybe when she'd a little less testy…

Letting out a quiet sigh, he muttered a reluctant, "Fine."

The next few hours were suffocating. The easy—well, easier—atmosphere they had managed to build was gone, replaced by an impenetrable wall of ice. Serena only spoke when necessary, answering in short, efficient sentences that left no room for further conversation.

Kain hated it.

And, more importantly, he hated that he cared. He knew there was a time when he truly wouldn't have given a damn what she thought of him, and maybe even would have preferred that they don't talk—but he was finding it impossible to find that previous dislike he had for her again.

'Why did I dislike her?' He was sure he had a valid reason, but couldn't recall it even if a gun was placed to his head.

*…* Meanwhile, the System who had been silent recently, continued its pattern, not willing to refresh Kain's memories about its role in he and Serena getting off on the wrong foot.

And similarly Kain and Serena were also completely silent.

They ate in silence, each keeping to their respective sides of the cave. When Serena eventually laid out her mattress, she did so without offering him a spot this time. Not that he blamed her. He'd basically implied she was trying to seduce him as some form of repayment—because he was, evidently, an idiot.

He lay back against the icy wall, staring at the ceiling, his mind restless. How could he have misread things so badly?

'I mean, some of her actions were rather ambiguous…I can't be completely blamed for misunderstanding.'

Kain groaned, dragging a hand down his face. He needed to break this unbearable tension before it became permanent.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to try a different approach. Something casual. Lighthearted.

"So," he started, careful not to sound too stiff. "Remember when you mentioned missing Starfruits?"

A beat of silence. Then, flatly—

"No."

Kain almost choked on air. "You—you just did! Like, a few hours ago—"

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"I don't recall."

She absolutely did. There was no way that a girl that was towards the top, if not the top, of most of their college classes could forget a conversation they had mere hours ago. She was just refusing to acknowledge it.

Kain exhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Ahem, anyways. I thought I should mention that I think I found a fruit that tastes similar to it in Pangea. If you'd like maybe I could…"

She ignored him, turning onto her side away from him as if fully intent on sleeping, despite the fact that he knew for a fact she wasn't actually tired yet.

Kain debated his next move. Clearly this small talk wasn't working. And she didn't seem to want to accept his olive branch. He could just let it go—cut his losses, pretend today never happened, and let time do its work.

But that wasn't really his style, now, was it? Not to mention he refused to believe that he was that clueless!

He smirked slightly, pushing himself up from where he leaned against the wall. "Fine. If you don't want to talk about that, then let's talk about something else."

No response. Predictable.

Kain leaned slightly forward, even resting his elbows on her mattress. Obviously, she'd be able to notice the shift in weight on her mattress, but she still seemed intent on pretending to be asleep.

Kain leaned his head down, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "How about this—was it intentional?"

Silence.

"Look at my side. The falling asleep on my shoulder? The coat fixing? The heated stone? The—"

"Go to sleep, Kain."

'See! Not asleep!'

"The bath?" Kain finished, ignoring her.

There it was. The tiniest tensing of her muscles. Barely a flicker of hesitation—but he caught it.

'Well, well well… interesting.'

A victorious grin curled his lips. "Now that I think about it, it is strange that your contract would suddenly lose control at that time."

"…You're unbearable."

Kain chuckled, leaning back off the mattress and going back against the wall with a satisfied sigh.

Serena, meanwhile, simply let out a quiet breath and closed her eyes, but there was a noticeable redness crawling up her face—unfortunately, for Kain he was unable to see it.

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Serena still wasn't as open as she had been before Kain decided to confront her about 'repaying him with her body.' But after Kain broke the ice last night, she also was no longer outright freezing him out.

It was somewhere in between, like a wall that had been chipped but not yet broken down. Kain figured that was a small win—his blunt approach must have done something right.

They hadn't spoken much beyond necessity, but Kain could sense that the worst had passed, and things may continue to ease up with time.

Just when Kain was thinking that their shared prison may actually be a good opportunity to reconcile, Serena suddenly stiffened.

Kain, who had been idly flipping a bottle in boredom, trying to get it to land upright, immediately caught the shift. "What?" he asked, voice low and alert.

Serena didn't answer right away, her blue eyes narrowing slightly as she stared in a single direction, as if peering into the distance. Kain followed her gaze, but all he saw was a familiar wall of ice.

A few tense seconds passed before she finally murmured, "One of the Prismain's clones is returning. It's now close enough that I can see its surroundings."

Kain straightened. "Is it coming back with one of our teammates?"

Serena's brow furrowed as she focused on the incoming presence. "Maybe. I can't tell yet."

Kain frowned at that. "What do you mean?"

"They're… covered." Serena's tone held a rare note of uncertainty. "Multiple layers. Their face is almost completely concealed."

Kain's frown deepened. Not knowing who exactly was coming or if they were trustworthy made his excitement wane.

Serena continued gazing into the air, gaze distant as she tried to make sense of the blurry vision her clone was sending back. "They feel… familiar. But I can't confirm how."

Kain scrunched his brows together in thought, "Familiar how?"

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Serena's expression remained unreadable. "I don't know yet."

"Hmmm…"

"What?" Kain asked, as Serena made a pondering noise but never spoke further.

"I think…I think that space ring is familiar…It might be team leader Idrias' storage ring?"

Kain perked up, "Great! If it's him then we should be able to get out of here."

But Serena didn't look as optimistic as Kain as she examined the incoming information.

"I'm confident that is his ring…but I don't think with his Idrias. This person's physique and gait are completely different."

Kain exhaled sharply, Idrias wouldn't just hand over his space ring to someone else unless he was dead—the thought that the person in charge of this mission had passed, was extremely worrying. And if this ring wasn't on Idrias' hand, who was this? And how did they get it? Were they. Perhaps responsible for Idrias' death.

Kain ran a hand roughly through his hair in frustration, if there was one thing he hated, it was uncertainty. He had enough on his plate dealing with his own tangled thoughts about Serena—now there was a potential unknown factor heading straight for them? He hoped it truly was one of their teammates coming to help them…but if it was instead someone hostile…it could still be an opportunity to leave and it wasn't like he had no human blood on his hands.

His fingers flexed instinctively, his mind already preparing for the worst.

A heavy silence settled between them, the air thick with unspoken tension at the idea that they may be finally able to leave Serena's gaze remained fixed, her expression neutral but focused as she sifted through the limited details the Prismarin clone provided.

"How close?" he asked.

Serena blinked once, refocusing. "Not long now. Less than an hour."

Kain inhaled deeply, his body tensing in preparation. There was no use in standing around waiting like sitting ducks. He stood up, shaking off the stiffness from sitting for so long, and rolled his shoulders.

Serena glanced at him but didn't comment. She remained poised, calm, but he knew she was on high alert.

A minute passed, then another.

Then, faintly, a tap tap tap sound echoed through the cavern.

Kain stilled. His gaze flickered toward Serena, but she was already focusing on the noise.

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The tapping was rhythmic—too deliberate to be a coincidence.

"…Is that Morse code?" Kain muttered under his breath.

Serena narrowed her eyes. "No," she murmured, tilting her head slightly, "but it's definitely a pattern."

The tapping continued, slow and steady, and growing in volume with time as the unidentified person drew closer. After a few moments, it stopped entirely.

Then, a voice—muffled but just barely audible—filtered through the thick walls of ice.

*"Can you hear me?"*

Kain's brows shot up. He couldn't quite recognize the voice. And Serena just stared at the wall in confusion not reply—but that was likely because she couldn't understand what was being said.

Unlike Idrias and Zareth, the respective leaders of the Pathfinders and Starchasers, Serena and majority of their teammates couldn't speak the Southern language.

Fortunately, like much of the knowledge of the Pathfinders that he was forced to learn, Kain managed to gain a rudimentary understanding of the language when Bea had transferred knowledge from that elderly tribal woman to himself.

He had to be careful, though. His understanding wasn't perfect, and a misunderstanding could be dangerous.

*"Who are you?"* he asked, his tone sharp since he now knew for sure that this was not a teammate.

A brief pause. Then the voice responded, *"Someone who is here to help."*

'Yeah that's not suspicious at all…'

Serena's gaze was focused on Kain, her brow subtly furrowing as she read his expression. She couldn't understand the words, but she was studying the way he reacted, likely gauging whether the situation was good or bad. And right now his expression didn't look too good.

The reply was vague. Too vague. Kain didn't like that nor was he convinced that this wasn't an enemy. But he could play along for now if it'd lead to them getting out.

Kain exhaled through his nose. *"And how exactly do you plan on getting us out?"*

Another pause—this one longer.

'Did this person have no plan?'

Or were they hesitating for another reason?

*"Sigh…We have our own means of melting the walls around us, but we didn't dare to try due to the risk of it caving in on us and the lack of knowledge of whether there were even any tunnel exits nearby. As long as you could scout around our location for areas that look less likely to collapse and are closer to our location, we should be able to handle the rest."*

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Silence.

Kain was beginning to panic, wondering if their only sign of help in a while had decided against the effort. After all, since this person was not one of their teammates, he really had no reason to help Kain and Serena.

For all he knew, Kain and Serena were horrible people that would turn on or kill him the second they managed to escape.

'Of course, I have no plans to do so…unless necessary."

Serena, still unable to understand the conversation grew slightly nervous at the prolonged silence, but decided to trust Kain to handle the exchange.

Then, finally, the voice returned. *"Understood. Give me a moment."*

Kain relayed the response to Serena in a low voice, keeping his eyes trained on the wall of ice in front of them that he felt the voice was coming from—but given how sounds can get altered as they travel through different surfaces, it was difficult to predict the man's exact position.

Over the next hour, the man, presumed to be mapping the outside of their 'prison' could be heard fading in and out of earshot.

At times, the vibrations of his movements sent uneasy shudders through the cavern, making the ice creak ominously.

For now, it was concluded that only 2 of the walls and the ceiling would eventually lead to the network of underground tunnels their rescuer was in.

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"It's been nearly two hours since we last heard anything, do you think something happened?" Kain asked anxiously. Previously, they would hear light banging and calls along the walls as the other man was mapping out their location from the outside.

Serena shook her head hesitantly, "I don't think so…Prismarin hasn't expressed that its clone was facing any issues…Maybe they just got caught up in something."

Then—without warning—the world shook.

A dull buzzing sound rumbled through the cavern, low and invasive, like the growl of some great beast gnawing at the bones of the earth. The walls trembled. Fine cracks spiderwebbed across the ice, glinting like broken glass in the dim light.

"Something's shifting," Serena murmured, pressing her hand against the wall. "Her fingers came away dusted with frost—no, not frost. Powdered ice. From above. The ceiling was shedding fine dust like particles like dead skin.

The distant scraping of rock against rock echoed through the space, followed by the unmistakable sound of something cracking. Not a clean snap, but a wet, splintering groan, as if the earth itself were being torn apart. A jagged fissure began forming in a corner of the ceiling, splitting wider with every passing second.

Then… CRACK

A deep groan reverberated through the cavern as the ceiling and several of the walls also showed signs of giving way and burying the two alive. They buckled inward, ice and rock screaming under the strain. A mixture of dust from shredded stone, ice, and snow plumed in thick clouds, choking the air. Kain's pulse hammered in his throat as a thick slab of ice the size of a truck tire broke free from above, crashing down barely a foot away from his head..

*"Stop! STOP!"*

At Kain's shout, the buzzing stopped. For one terrifying heartbeat, the cavern held its breath. Then—miraculously—the shifting ceased.

Kain saw the source of the disturbance. A tiny opening had been cut into the ceiling by something resembling a drill, creating a hole only as thick as a pencil.

And creating that tiny hole had almost destabilized the entire cave they were in!

The ice above them groaned dangerously, deep fractures spreading from the newly created hole like the webbing of a shattered mirror. Dust and bits of frozen rock crumbled down, and for a split second, Kain thought the entire ceiling was about to come crashing down on them.

The air became suffocating, with neither Kain nor Serena barely able to breath for fear that the smallest breath will destabilize the cavern and lead to a collapse

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'I guess it's a good thing we didn't just try and blindly dig our way out of here…' Kain thought in trepidation, only now realizing just how unstable and fragile the structure surrounding them had been this whole time.

'Who knows, maybe if one of us had sneezed loudly enough the past few days, maybe we'd both be dead…'

After his pounding heart calmed down and it looks like the spread of collapse was halted, Kain shouted in anger. *"I said not to try and dig us out! We just need help finding a safe location, Goddammit!"*

But after a moment, it dawned on him.

'Did he misunderstand me?'

Bea had transferred knowledge of the Southern language to him, but he wasn't exactly fluent. He hadn't had many chances to practice, and there were many words that his tongue just refused to make. Having the knowledge was one thing—speaking it well was another.

All of his repeated silences after Kain spoke would also support that.

'What exactly did I say earlier?'

Thinking back, Kain's stomach sank as he realized the mistake.

Instead of saying "Help us scout around our location," he had accidentally used a verb that more closely meant to "Help us clear around our location."

The difference between the two words was slight—practically homonyms, and Kain's mouth, unaccustomed to the language, hadn't enunciated the word clearly enough. Therefore, to the other person it might have sounded more like he was giving permission—no, asking—for them to dig the escape route themselves rather than waiting for Serena and Kain to assess the structure first.

Kain ran a hand roughly through his hair, biting back a curse. He had gotten cocky. Wayyy too cocky.

He was so used to understanding things immediately using Bea as a shortcut that he had underestimated how easy it was to mess up a single phrase due to lack of actual practice and had nearly gotten himself and Serena killed in the process.

'Dammit. Dammit. Dammit…'

Above them, the ice gave another ominous loud creak. Getting out safely suddenly became much harder…

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!The cavern shuddered again.

A deep, groan from the ice above sent a fresh cascade of powdery frost drifting down on them. Kain barely breathed. Every sound felt like it could be the last thing that they ever heard.

A single wrong move, a whisper too loud, and the entire space could come crashing down, crushing them before they even had the chance to run.

After this round of shaking, the silence that followed was thicker than the ice above them. Kain's pulse roared in his ears, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts—as if exhaling too hard might bring the entire mountain down on their heads.

Then—

A voice, muffled but unmistakably alarmed, filtered through the pencil-thin hole in the ceiling. "You… alive?" The words were stilted, heavily accented since he was attempting to speak a language he was unfamiliar with instead of relying on Kain to translate, but the concern was genuine.

Kain swallowed hard, forcing his voice to remain steady. "We're here." Kain replied in his native tongue before switching back over to the Southern language, this time being much more cautious with the words he chose. *"Don't—don't—try to dig again. The structure's too unstable."* He hesitated, then added, *"Do you understand?"*

A pause. Then, slower this time: *"Understood."*

Serena's eyes narrowed. "Tell him again," she murmured, her voice a blade sheathed in ice. "Scout the tunnels. Find a stable path. No. More. DIGGING."

Kain relayed the message, over-enunciating as if his life depended on it—because it did. A grunt of acknowledgment echoed back, followed by retreating footsteps.

Outside, the stranger grunted in acknowledgment. Then, faintly, the sound of retreating footsteps echoed through the cavern walls.

For a long moment, neither Kain nor Serena moved. The air still hung heavy with the threat of collapse, the ceiling's fractures a stark reminder of how close they'd come to being buried alive.

The reprieve lasted seconds.

The cavern shuddered again.

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"I don't think we can wait for him to return and help us get out…" Kain said to Serena.

Serena's eyes flicked toward him, nodding in agreement but completely void of any fear. They had both already grasped the reality of their situation: waiting meant death and the next few minutes would determine whether they lived or died.

Kain inhaled carefully through his nose, steadying his thoughts. They had to move, and they had to do it now.

Kain took another slow breath in thought. The ceiling was already unstable, so attempting to break through the walls supporting it would just make the collapse worse. Moreover, they weren't even sure what areas of the walls even led to a tunnel or how far it was until they reached a stable area.

But, although poorly executed, their 'rescuer' had essentially mapped out the closest path between a tunnel and their cave. After all, if it was possible to reach their location with a drill like object, assuming this 'drill' wasn't abnormally large, then it was probably less than a foot in that specific spot to freedom.

"We need to move toward the already breached section of ice," Kain said, knowing that this risky plan would be going against all of their survival instincts to move away from the original source of the collapse. "Slowly. Any sudden force might set everything off."

Serena nodded, already analyzing the structure. She ran a hand along the hole, her spiritual power was emitted from her hand and examined the location.

"It's fragile. But… I can melt a path through if we're careful."

Another groan rattled through the cavern. A jagged fissure tore further across the ceiling, and Kain barely pulled Serena back before another slab of ice crashed down right where she had been standing.

Shit.

There was no more time.

"Do it." Kain ordered, urgency sharpening his voice. "But make sure the heat is gradual—if the ice contracts too fast, it'll fracture even more."

Serena lifted her hand, and a glow of soft ember-red bloomed at her fingertips. She pressed her palm against the thickest section of ice, letting a warm current of energy seep into it instead of forcing it. Slowly, so slowly, the ice began to sweat, then drip. A thin sliver of space widened into a narrow gap. A gap became a path.

Another tremor. "Go." He gestured for Serena to move first, placing his hand beneath her to provide a boost through the narrow opening above.

She hesitated only a second before climbing through the opening first and then reaching down to pull him up.

Then, just as Kain reached for her hand and was halfway through to the other side of the passage, the entire cavern screamed.

A violent crack splintered through the chamber beneath them, and Kain could see the ceiling of the cavern—now the floor of the tunnel Serena stood in—give way.

"KAIN!"

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He was still halfway through the passage.

Serena's hand clamped onto his wrist at the last second, her grip the only thing stopping him from plummeting into whatever abyss waited below. Kain barely had time to register the moment before a fresh quake rocked the tunnel, and Serena's footing slipped.

"Let go!" Kain shouted. "If you don't—"

Serena's eyes flashed with defiance. "Shut up."

A burst of strength surged through her limbs, and with a fierce pull, she yanked Kain back onto solid ground.

She hit the ground with him on top of her, Kain's weight driving the air from Serena's lungs while the ground she had just been standing on gave way as the cavern below caved in.

A deafening roar consumed everything as their previous 'home' (or prison depending on the perspective) caved in completely, sending a plume of ice and rock crashing into the space they had occupied mere seconds before.

Thankfully, their sudden combined fall, landed them around a foot away from the edge of what was now a massive sinkhole.

Not that either of them cared about that at the moment. Kain was more distracted by the sudden soft sensation against his face.

His lips had landed on Serena's.

Time froze. His brown eyes, wide with shock, locked onto Serena's equally stunned blue ones. The world around them—the sinking cavern, the dust-filled air, the fading tremors—ceased to exist for a few seconds.

'K-kis—'

A sound from the far end of the chamber snapped them back into reality.

And with a sharp inhale, Serena pushed him off…violently.

Kain rolled onto the frozen ground beside her, blinking rapidly as he tried to form words. He came up empty.

Footsteps.

Kain tensed, shifting into a defensive stance even as his body protested the movement. Serena followed suit, her fingers twitching in preparation to summon a contract.

Then, a familiar voice called out.

*"You're alive? Thank the gods!"*

They both looked up to see the face of their 'rescuer', who was more familiar than they'd expected—Malzahir.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!The air was suffocating, and it wasn't because of the debris and ice kicked up from the collapsing cave—at least not completely.

Rather, if you were to ask Malzahir, the tense atmosphere would be because of his newfound companions.

Malzahir had been relieved to find them alive—at first. But as they walked deeper into the network of tunnels, away from the unstable site of collapse, his relief turned into confusion, then mild discomfort.

Kain and Serena flanked him, one on each side, like silent sentries escorting a prisoner. They weren't walking together, not even close. There was a noticeable gap between them, and yet, somehow, Malzahir found himself caught in the middle of something he didn't understand.

A strange, tense current crackled in the space between them. It wasn't overt hostility—he'd recognize that easily enough—but it wasn't camaraderie either. It was something else entirely that he couldn't put a name to. But whatever this undercurrent of emotion was between them it made his skin prickle in unease.

He slowed his steps slightly, hoping to fall behind and give them space. Maybe they needed to talk. Maybe they wanted privacy.

They didn't.

The moment he shifted position, the two of them instinctively widened the distance between each other, as if the invisible line that had tethered them had suddenly snapped. Both of them were now almost unnaturally stuck to travelling along opposite walls of the tunnel.

Now the silence felt even more awkward with the gaping chasm of space between them that Malzhair was no longer filling.

They didn't look at each other. Not once.

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Instead, they both directed their words to him. And only him.

The girl, 'Serena' he learned was her name, barely spoke the Southern language, but made a clear effort to incorporate some of its words in her speech to him. Her limited vocabulary made her normally fluid speech coming out clipped and measured as she went back and forth between the Empire's tongue and the limited words she picked up while travelling the south.

He, in turn, stammered through his responses as he too tried to use both languages to communicate, but he also couldn't help stammering due to his surprise at the sheer fact that she was speaking to him at all. Based on his first impressions of her, he thought she would just coldly ignore him, but it seems she was more welcoming than she looked…

Although, Malzahir couldn't understand why she didn't simply say what she wanted to communicate to her partner, who could then translate for her…

The boy, 'Kain', on the other hand, stuck to the Southern tongue. The conversation with him was more natural, easier, but Malzahir couldn't ignore the fact that Kain didn't so much as glance in the white-haired girl's direction, not even when she spoke.

Something had definitely happened before he arrived…

The three of them emerged from the unstable tunnel into a wider, open cavern. The space was reminiscent of the other abandoned chambers Kain had come across before—artificially carved walls, remnants of forgotten machinery, and the lingering, unmistakable scent of age and decay.

Several crates lined the far side of the chamber, stacked haphazardly as if left in a rush. The trio wasted no time making their way over, grateful for something—anything—to distract from whatever strange atmosphere had taken root within their small group.

Kain reached a crate first and pried the lid off with little effort. Inside, the contents had long since turned to dust. A pungent, rotten scent wafted into the air, confirming what he initially suspected—food supplies, stored away and abandoned to time. Whatever had once been inside had long decayed beyond recognition.

Serena opened another crate. Empty. Whatever had been inside had either been taken or had deteriorated completely.

Malzahir sighed, running a hand through his hair. *"Nothing useful,"* he muttered in his own language, shaking his head.

Kain grunted in agreement, already moving to check another section of the cavern. Serena, silent, did the same.

And still, they did not look at each other once.

After scouring the chamber for anything remotely useful, or to find out any hidden threats before they relaxed here, they regrouped near the center of the cavern. The oppressive silence stretched on for another long moment before Malzahir finally spoke.

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"I came…for you," he stuttered in the unfamiliar language, but he wanted both Kain and Serena to understand him.

But both Kain and Serena just tilted their heads in confusion. 'Did I use the wrong words?'

"I came for Idrias…" He continued, voice quieter now. His fingers curled around something in his palm, hesitation flickering across his face before he finally held it out to them.

A ring.

Kain's breath stilled. Serena's fingers twitched at her side. The insignia carved into the band was familiar and unmistakable.

"How did you get this?!" Kain exclaimed, while reaching to grab it. "This ring should be with—"

"…He's dead," Malzahir added, as if they hadn't already guessed. After all, they didn't know what had happened to Malzahir since they'd last seen him, but based on the pitiful amount of spiritual power on him they didn't think he'd be able to steal or rob the 7-star Idrias.

But although they'd been mentally prepared, the weight of those words was like a punch in the gut.

A sharp inhale. A stiffened posture. A look of shock and horror that was impossible to mask.

'Ahh…he must have been extremely close with them…' Malzahir thought as his face shifted into an expression of pity, not knowing that they were more so emotional that one of the most experienced and skilled members in the entire Order had died without even his remains being found.

In the increasingly sombre air, Malzahir shifted, uncomfortable. He had done what was asked of him—he had delivered the ring Idrias had entrusted to him. There was no more reason to linger.

He turned to leave, already stepping toward one of the other tunnels leading out of the cavern. But before he could take another step—

*"Where are you going?"* Kain's voice cut through the silence.

Malzahir stopped.

For some reason, leaving suddenly didn't feel as simple as it should have been.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!Kain couldn't resist empathizing with Malzahir.

Weak. That was what he had been when he watched his family die, powerless to stop it.

Weak. That was what he had felt when he had taken his final breath in a foreign land.

It wasn't until recently, until this life, that Kain had truly felt as though he had some measure of control over his own destiny—and he was desperate to never lose that feeling again. Which is also why he was so determined to establish his own power.

Then, even if the entire country—the entire world, even—turned against him, he would never feel helpless—never feel weak.

Weak was the word Malzahir had used for himself, yet Kain saw something different. He saw someone who had been strong before, someone who had fallen but still had the embers of something left.

Someone that could potentially be an asset.

Kain couldn't help recalling when he'd first met Malzahir and activated the Threads of Destiny. The information Kain could get from the threads was limited—giving only colour, thickness, opaqueness, and length.

Therefore, it's difficult to get any specific information just from the threads' appearance. At the time of questioning, Kain had assumed that the thickness and bold colour of the thread connecting himself to Malzahir was due to him having essential knowledge for their mission—that's why Kain so reluctant to just let him leave.

However, now Kain was re-examining his past assumptions. Perhaps the coercion coming from his skill to save Malzahir back then wasn't because of any knowledge he may have, but rather due to his future actions that may be of benefit to Kain and the others…like bringing Idrias' ring to them.

Or maybe becoming someone that may be a close ally for Kain…or subordinate.

*"Then get stronger."*

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Malzahir blinked at him, eyes narrowed in confusion. *"And how exactly do you expect me to do that when my totem space is crippled? It is impossible for me to form another contract."*

Totem space was the name often used by southern tribespeople to describe the pocket of space their new contracts would dwell in—similar in concept to the star space. However, considering that they have only one, and it is supposedly tied to their bloodlines, the boost provided to their contracts is greater than the star space.

Kain didn't address Malzahir's concerns about his totem space right away. Pangea was still damaged, and even if it weren't, he'd never attempted to use its ability on someone who had once been a beast tamer. Theoretically, it should work, but if there was one thing Kain had learned, it was that theories didn't always hold up in reality.

Moreover, it wouldn't be the exact same as his totem space, and Kain was unable to compare them since he'd naturally never seen a totem space before.

So he decided against getting his hopes up by describing it as a means of 'healing' or 'giving him a second one.'

Unsure if it would truly work and not wanting to set unrealistic expectations, Kain kept his words vague. *"Stay a little longer. Just long enough to see if there's a way to solve your inability to form another contract."*

Malzahir's lips pressed into a thin line. *"You're saying that as if you actually believe there is a solution out there."*

Kain shrugged. *"I can't say for sure. But what I can be sure of is that you'll just be throwing away your grandmother's memory if you die here."* He held Malzahir's gaze, waiting to see how he would react.

For a long moment, Malzahir said nothing. His fingers twitched slightly at his sides, as if resisting the urge to clench into fists. His jaw tightened, and Kain could see the war waging behind his eyes—the desperation of a man who had lost everything, the bitterness of someone who didn't want to hope, yet couldn't quite let go of the possibility.

*"Fine,"* Malzahir finally exhaled, his voice rough. *"I'll stay. But not because I believe in your bullshit."* His gaze flicked to the cavern walls, to the dark, jagged shadows stretching beyond the dim firelight. *"I just want to make sure you two leave this hellhole alive. That's all."*

Kain smirked faintly. Liar.

Serena's sharp gaze flicked to him knowingly, but she said nothing. She had likely guessed that Kain was considering using Pangea to help Malzahir.

She didn't say anything, though. Instead, she turned away, clearly done with the conversation. "Let's go through the things from the space ring. We need to know if there's anything useful."

Kain nodded, and Malzahir, after a brief hesitation, followed. The three of them sat around a dimly lit portion of the cavern, Idrias' space ring before them. They began sifting through its contents, pulling out relics, documents, and other objects of interest.

And then they found it. A violet crystal about the length of Kain's forearm that glowed faintly.

Kain's breath hitched. The moment his fingers closed around the fragment, something inside him coiled—tightened—lurched forward like a beast catching the scent of fresh blood.

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Hunger. But not his hunger.

The fragment's glow reflected in his eyes, casting eerie violet streaks across his vision. The energy inside it pulsed in time with his heartbeat, and for a split second, he swore he could feel it coursing through his veins, whispering, beckoning like a snake charmer…only he was the snake.

His grip tightened involuntarily, knuckles whitening.

'More. Just take it. Absorb it. You need it. You know you do.'

He swallowed, muscles stiff as he forced himself to steady his breathing.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Serena's voice cut through the haze like a blade.

Kain blinked, exhaling slowly before nodding. "Another fragment."

Malzahir frowned, watching the two of them. "And what exactly is that?"

Kain debated how much to say. He still wasn't sure how much he wanted Malzahir to know—not yet. "It's useful," he settled on. "I'll hold onto it." He said before putting it into his own storage ring with trembling fingers.

Serena didn't press him, but Kain could feel her lingering scrutiny. She likely could sense something…off, with his behaviour but didn't press further.

Instead, she returned to sifting through the items, as if nothing had changed. But Kain could feel her attention lingering.

His fingers that wer just folding the fragment twitched at the emptiness, like they weren't entirely his anymore. His pulse pounded in his ears, a rhythm that didn't belong to him.

'Is this what addiction feels like?'

He had convinced himself before that absorbing fragments was harmless, that it was only a means to recover Pangea.

But this hunger… it was stronger this time. A little harder to ignore.

And for the first time, a quiet, insidious thought crept into his mind: If I keep doing this… will there ever be a point where I can't stop?

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That same night the cavern was silent save for the occasional distant drip of water, the faint rustle of shifting fabric as Malzahir stirred in his sleep, and the steady rhythm of Kain's own breathing.

He watched Malzahir's still form carefully, ensuring there was no sign of resistance. There wouldn't be. Bea's threads had already burrowed deep into his mind, latching onto his mind with a vice grip, ensuring that he wouldn't wake up for what was about to happen next. Without the bond of a beast tamer, Malzahir had no defense against it. No instincts to warn him. No passive resistance to fight it off.

It was an unsettling vulnerability.

Serena's gaze was already on Kain. He didn't need to look to know it. However, while he didn't want Malzahir or anyone else to know he could absorb core fragments—lest he be mistaken for an abyssal like before—Serena already knew he had this ability, so he didn't feel the need to have her 'go to sleep' too. But even if he had tried, there's no guarantee he'd be able to put someone with her capabilities to sleep anyways.

Kain let out a quiet breath, his fingers brushing against the space ring as he retrieved the violet fragment.

The moment it touched his palm, a familiar pulse of energy rippled through him. It was like slipping into cold water—jarring, yet exhilarating. The hunger stirred immediately, and it took all of his self restraint not to groan in pain at how fiercely uncomfortable the feeling was.

'Take it.'

The whisper in his mind was more urgent this time, sharper, more insistent. Kain didn't resist any longer. He sat cross-legged, centering himself as he pressed the fragment to his chest and let the energy flow into him.

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A deep tremor rolled through his body as the core's essence surged forward, threading through his veins like liquid fire. It was stronger than before. More potent. He could feel Pangea reaching out instinctively, devouring the energy as if it had been starved for it.

His fingers clenched. His jaw tightened. His breath came in short, controlled bursts as he forced himself to regulate the flow. Too much at once could be dangerous. He knew that instinctively. But the deeper he sank into the sensation, the harder it became to pull back. It was intoxicating, this feeling of restoration, of power flooding what felt like the deepest areas of his soul.

The violet energy surged towards Pangea, with Kain trying his best to not make the planet too overwhelmed by the sudden influx of power.

The cracked, dried-out areas of the planet began to burst with renewed vitality, veins of purple energy coursing through its crust, sealing the fractures with an almost unnatural smoothness. Trees that had withered to brittle husks now stood tall and ancient, their leaves shimmering with a luster that had never existed before—even before the planet's energy was first drained.

Lakes, once murky and stagnant, became crystalline, reflecting the sky like polished glass.

New rivers formed, carving fresh paths through the land barren portions of land as if reshaping the very bones of the planet. Wildlife stirred, some creatures evolving directly without any added materials as if adjusting to an unseen force that has raised their life level.

Roaarr

Mountain ranges shook and massive tsunamis were formed as the various top creatures on the planet—the apex predators—awoke from their long slumbers.

Aurem, in particular, flew high above the planet, his radiant golden body making sure his presence was imprinted in the minds of all the creatures below in case his prolonged absence made some weaker newcomers, born in his absence, forget the strength of his claws and want to take over his authority.

Eventually, Pangea was not only restored to its original appearance, it went even further beyond that. It was as though it had been reborn anew, stronger, more vibrant, and yet… something felt wrong.

Somewhere in the haze, he felt Serena's piercing gaze harden.

"You should slow down," she said evenly. Not an order. A simple observation.

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Kain exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing himself to loosen his grip on the fragment. He could feel sweat beading at his temple, his body trembling faintly from the strain. She was right. He was taking in too much too quickly. More than he even needed, really.

"I'm fine." His voice was steadier than he expected, but there was a raw edge to it.

Serena didn't respond immediately. Instead, she studied him in that quiet, knowing way of hers before finally looking away. She wouldn't interfere. Not yet, at least.

The energy within him continued to pulse, though it had settled into a slow, steady rhythm. Pangea was absorbing it greedily, rebuilding itself, and even going a step further. But beneath that hunger, something else stirred. A presence. A whisper of something not entirely under his control.

But despite the fact that Pangea had long fully healed, the feeling of hunger did not diminish at all. If anything, the hunger that lurked beneath the surface felt more distinct. More aware.

Kain frowned slightly. He had always assumed the hunger was simply Pangea's instinct to seek out resources to mend its fractured existence. But now he was wondering if that instinctual need to devour wasn't out of necessity—perhaps it was just its nature.

And perhaps, now that it had been fed so well, it would no longer be satisfied with mere survival—it wanted to be full. Satiated.

Before he could contemplate further, the steady flow of energy slowed and then stopped.

His fingers brushed over the now-dulled fragment. Its glow had faded, the majority of its energy siphoned away. He tucked the empty husk into his storage ring, exhaling slowly.

Serena stood and stretched, no longer feeling the need to keep watch with his task done. She cast him one last unreadable glance before turning going to the area of the cavern she'd set out her mattress.

Kain, however, remained still. His hands flexed involuntarily, an unfamiliar unease creeping into his mind.

Pangea had been restored, and yet, as his connection to it deepened, he couldn't shake the feeling that it may not be as much under his control as he'd always believed.

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