The core pulsed violently, cracks spreading across its surface like a web of dark lightning. Then, with a sound like tearing reality, the core shattered and from its remains, a swirling, pitch-black portal erupted. It was denser than the darkness around it, thick and churning like a vortex of liquid shadow.

Adam’s eyes widened. His voice came out flat with disbelief.

"You’ve got to be kidding me... There’s a phase two?!"

The portal pulsed, and a low, guttural growl echoed from within. Something was coming. Something larger than the Abomination had been. Adam could feel it—the weight of its presence pressing against his senses, ancient and malevolent.

Adam’s instincts screamed. He didn’t wait to see what emerged. He turned and ran.

"Not dealing with that," he muttered, his wings snapping open as he shot down the corridor. "I’m sick of fighting you."

He flew fast, weaving through the jagged stone formations as the corridor twisted and turned. The darkness grew thicker, pressing against him like a physical weight.

But something was wrong.

The passage ahead began to narrow, the walls closing in. Adam’s brow furrowed. He pushed forward, but the corridor ended—a solid wall of smooth, featureless stone.

He glanced at the Compass of Desire. The needle was still pointing forward straight into the wall.

"Of course it is," Adam muttered flatly.

He drew Ouroboros’s Fang. The blade pulsed with golden light as he raised it high.

SLASH!

He swung the sword in a wide, horizontal arc. The golden blade carved through the stone like it was paper, the wall splitting open with a grinding groan. Dust and debris cascaded as a new passage was revealed beyond.

Adam stepped through the gap, his eyes narrowing as the darkness beyond pressed against him. But before he could take more than a few steps—

BOOM!

A deep, rumbling tremor shook the ground beneath his feet. The walls groaned. Dust rained from the ceiling. And from the chamber behind him, a massive shockwave of void energy erupted, sending cracks racing across the walls.

Adam turned, his eyes widening.

"That’s not good."

The shockwave faded, leaving the darkness thicker than before. Adam’s jaw tightened. He could feel it—the presence from the portal was following him. It wouldn’t stop until it caught him.

Adam didn’t waste a second. He dove through the gap, wings folding tight as he pushed forward into the newly carved passage. The darkness pressed in from all sides, thicker than before, suffocating. But Adam kept moving, his boots pounding against the stone as he raised Ouroboros’s Fang and swung again.

SLASH!

The golden blade cleaved through the solid darkness, parting it like a curtain. Adam surged forward, carving a path through the void. Each swing sent golden light rippling through the shadows, pushing back the oppressive weight.

Then he felt it.

A warmth in his chest—faint at first, then growing stronger. It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, familiar and precious.

Alice.

Her soul resonated within him, pulsing with life, as if responding to something ahead. Adam’s eyes widened, and a fierce smile spread across his face.

"Alice... I’m coming. Just hold on a little longer."

He pushed harder, his wings snapping open as he shot through the darkness. The corridor twisted and turned, but Adam didn’t slow. He carved through every obstacle, every wall of condensed shadow, every barrier the void threw at him.

Then the passage ended.

Adam burst out into an open void—a vast, empty expanse of nothingness stretching in every direction.

And in the center of it all, a single tree stood.

It was beautiful. Its trunk was pale silver, its branches twisting and curling like serpents frozen in motion. Its leaves shimmered with a soft, ethereal light, casting gentle shadows across the void. And at its heart, nestled between two gnarled branches, a single fruit hung—dark as night, veined with silver and gold, pulsing with a slow, rhythmic light.

[[[The Abyssal Bloom.]]]

Adam’s breath caught. He drifted toward it, his feet touching the invisible ground beneath him. The tree seemed to hum with ancient power, and the fruit pulsed in time with his heartbeat.

"That’s it..." Adam whispered, his voice reverent. "The Abyssal Bloom."

He reached out, his fingers brushing against the fruit’s smooth surface. It was cool to the touch, and a faint warmth spread through his palm as he cupped it gently.

The fruit pulsed once, twice, and a soft chime echoed through the void. Alice’s soul resonated stronger, and Adam felt her presence stir within him—faint, but alive.

Adam’s lips curved into a tired, relieved smile.

"I found it, Alice."

A soft chime echoed through the void as Adam’s fingers remained pressed against the fruit. A translucent screen flickered to life before him, the system’s voice cool and precise in his mind.

[Abyssal Bloom Fruit – Legendary]

[Description: A fruit born from the deepest darkness, nurtured by the remnants of fallen immortals and the despair of a forgotten empire. Its flesh is saturated with concentrated void energy. When consumed, the user gains absolute authority over void-based abilities, including control over shadow, and limited spatial manipulation. The fruit’s power is permanent but requires a strong soul to contain its essence. Warning: Consumption by an incompatible being may result in erasure.]

Adam’s crimson-gold eyes widened as he read the description, a slow, awed breath escaping his lips. "Absolute authority over the void..." He looked at the fruit, then down at his own chest where Alice’s soul rested within him. "This is exactly what you need, Alice."

Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and reached inward, toward the faint, warm presence that had been sleeping in his soul for so long. His voice was gentle, steady.

"Alice... I’m bringing you out."

He focused, and a soft warmth spread through his chest as Alice’s form slowly materialized before him. Her fur was matted, her breathing shallow, and her faint glow had become dim. But she was still alive.

Adam cradled her gently with one arm and reached for the fruit, which came free from the branch with a soft pulse of light. He brought it to her lips, his voice soft, like a quiet promise.

"Here, Alice. Eat this. It’s time for you to wake up."

The fruit seemed to recognize her. A faint resonance passed between it and Alice’s sleeping form, a tremor of recognition that rippled through the void, making the ancient tree shudder and the shadows around them pulse. The fruit’s surface shimmered, and without resistance, it dissolved into light, flowing into Alice’s mouth and spreading through her body like liquid starlight.

A soft, radiant glow spread across her body. Her fur began to brighten, the matted patches smoothing out. Her breathing deepened, slow and even.

Then the light consumed her.

A sphere of absolute darkness formed around Alice, thick and impenetrable, and she floated upward, suspended in the void. The darkness pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.

Adam’s gaze lingered on the sphere for a moment, a relieved smile touching his lips despite everything. "She’s transforming..."

Then the ground shook.

A deep, guttural roar echoed from the passage behind him, and the darkness there began to churn violently. The presence he had felt before, the thing that had been chasing him, was pushing through.

Adam’s smile faded. His hand moved to the hilt of Ouroboros’s Fang.

The darkness exploded outward, and a figure stepped through.

It was humanoid, tall and gaunt, its skin pale as bone. Its eyes were pools of absolute black, and its hair fell in straight, dark sheets past its shoulders. The core embedded in its forehead pulsed with a deep, crimson light, almost like a third eye, and a single, jagged horn curved back from its temple.

Its gaze swept the void, pausing on Adam, then moving past him to the sphere of darkness floating behind him.

A low, cold voice echoed from its throat.

"...The bloom."

Adam stepped forward, positioning himself between the figure and Alice’s cocoon. His voice was cold and flat, carrying a clear warning.

"I’ve spent so long trying to heal Alice. I’m not letting you interfere."