Adam had no idea what had happened in the room after he left. He was focused on the Void Transit, and Silvana herself didn’t want him to see or hear it.

Perhaps she had confessed her true feelings to Aiden when he had put intense pressure on her, but she wasn’t ready to show that to Adam.

Only if she became strong enough to live up to her words would she find the courage to confess this to him.

Step. Step. Step.

Aiden was moving toward the exit.

Within the walls were chambers containing the Void Routes, but those weren’t the only exits from here. One could enter or leave through a simple door, and Aiden chose that very option.

Gladius, who had been watching Silvana, whistled with a sly smirk on his face.

"Well, well, it seems you still haven’t realized what you agreed to, have you?"

"Agh?"

Silvana turned to look at him, but to her shock, Gladius was already standing in front of her. He leaned down, holding out his hand to her.

"Here."

She got up from the ground before glancing toward the door. Aiden hadn’t left yet. He was waiting for something.

"What you said... Do you really mean that?" Silvana asked, placing her hand on her chest.

Aiden nodded slowly.

"Yes. I considered your answer a worthy one. Your stance is what any Operator who wishes for their Phantom to one day reach the pinnacle of power should strive for. All other questions at the observatory. This isn’t the most appropriate place."

Tap. Tap.

Gladius patted Silvana on the shoulder before tucking his hands into his pockets and walking forward casually.

Like a shadow, Xyrea immediately appeared behind him, walking at a leisurely pace.

Sano and Natta cast strange glances at Silvana and followed Aiden. Their work here was done. It was time to return. Though they hadn’t expected it to end this way.

"How much longer are you going to stand there?" Aiden’s voice rang out.

However, his eyes weren’t narrowed, and he didn’t radiate any threat. He was just waiting for her like any normal human.

Silvana glanced at the Void Transit. She was worried.

"Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine."

"But..." Silvana bit her lip. "If I’m busy training, doesn’t that mean I won’t be able to help him in battle?"

"If you dawdle and can’t learn anything before he might need your help, then yes. But if you get stronger, on the contrary, it might prove useful to Adam right now, at the Gray Sea."

Gladius nodded.

"This time, Adam won’t be coming home anytime soon. The Gray Sea is a vast area, and Adam will most likely want to visit his second monster city, Varreyn. You’ll have plenty of time to get stronger."

Silvana thought for a moment as her eyes widened.

"Wait... Mr. Aiden, why you? Why not Xyrea or someone else? How can you help me get stronger?"

Aiden turned and headed for the door.

"I have more than enough experience. I’ve seen more Operators and Phantoms than you ever will. Either way, I don’t advise you to question my methods, or I’ll get angry. You don’t want that."

Click.

He opened the door and stepped outside.

Silvana gulped. She still didn’t know exactly what she’d agreed to, but she knew it wouldn’t be easy.

’How? How did things turn out this way? Why are we now working with Aiden Henk?’ she thought, her eyes darting from side to side. ’It wasn’t supposed to be like this, but... if it helps our cause, there’s no point in backing out, right?’

Before leaving, Silvana turned toward the Void Transit as a bitter smile appeared on her face.

In fact, Silvana hadn’t originally had such ambitions. When she was at the Operator Academy and was just preparing for this role, all she wanted was to find a worthy Phantom and help him in battle.

But Adam’s travels to distant parts of the world, and especially his encounter with Goen and Arika, had changed Silvana’s view of the world and their roles.

Now, she didn’t just want to be capable of more, she knew it was possible.

Sure, there were still plenty of trials ahead before Silvana and Adam could obtain the Manifest Nexus. To do so, they first had to reach the Second Circle, and even there, they would have to take several steps.

None of that mattered, because now Silvana had a goal, and she knew she could achieve it.

Clutch.

Silvana clenched her fists tightly before following Aiden.

’I have to get stronger! No matter what it takes! Even if I have to learn from him!’

For the first time, Silvana felt like Adam, who had always wanted to reach the next peak.

And... she liked it.

...

Whoooooooosh!

At the same time, Adam was moving through the Void Transit. He didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d arrived here, and he still couldn’t get used to the pressure that seemed to want to tear him apart.

"Tsk. This turned out to be harder than I thought." Adam frowned, looking around. "Still, I’m gradually getting used to it. I still don’t know where I’m going."

Adam realized he was still a long way from the Tarnished Lands, so he decided to use the time he had to understand better how the Void Transit worked.

He narrowed his eyes, watching the white spots that occasionally flashed by to his right and left.

In the distance, beyond the spots, were some shapes, they could be ruins, buildings, or just a tree. Anything that marked a particular territory, separating it from the others.

’I see. Every Void Route has some identifying mark, right? But... if I’m traveling through the Void Transit, doesn’t that mean I have access to all of them?’

At that moment, something in Adam’s gaze changed as his eyes lit up brightly.

Soon, he saw a map of purple lines resembling a blueprint. Each point was a Void Route, and he could choose any of them.

It all depended on whether he was ready for what he would encounter on the other side.