Adam’s vision swam as he leaned heavily against a jagged stone pillar, his body screaming with every shallow breath. The void around him pulsed with the aftermath of Alice’s Abyssal Mandate, the remnants of the Void Manifest’s wave still dissipating into the darkness.

Alice was still standing in front of the Void Manifest, her dark violet aura blazing, her claws extended. She moved again—a blur of shadow and violet light, striking the creature’s flank, then its shoulder, then its chest. Each hit landed with precision, and the Void Manifest recoiled, its twin stars flickering.

"Impressive," the Void Manifest’s voice echoed, layered and cold. "Your power is worthy of praise. You are not merely a spawn of the void, you are a sovereign in your own right. Your existence signals the dawn of a new era for the Void race."

Alice’s eyes blazed. "I don’t care about your race!"

She lunged again, her claws carving deep furrows across the Void Manifest’s form. The creature staggered, its form flickering, but it didn’t fall. Instead, it raised its hand, darkness gathering in its palm.

"Then you will serve as the catalyst for our rebirth."

It thrust its hand forward, and a wave of void energy erupted from its palm. Alice raised her arms to block, but the wave passed through her harmlessly—she was already dissolving, her form scattering into wisps of shadow.

The Void Manifest’s twin stars narrowed. Its form shifted as the shadow dispersed, revealing nothing but empty void.

"...An illusion."

Its layered voice echoed, cold and furious. "You dare deceive me?!"

The shadows in the chamber thickened, and a cold voice drifted from everywhere and nowhere.

"Don’t worry. We’ll be back."

The void shuddered as the presence of the two intruders faded completely, leaving only the Void Manifest and the lingering echo of Alice’s defiance.

The Void Manifest’s form convulsed, its twin stars blazing with ancient fury. Its voice erupted, shaking the void itself.

"WRETCH! WRETCH! WREEEEETCH! COWARD! YOU THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE THE ABYSS?!"

Its roar echoed through the darkness, raw and endless.

"THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THE VOID! THE SEAL WILL BREAK! THE VOID WILL BE FREE! AND YOU—YOU WILL BE CONSUMED! DEVOURED! UNMADE! THE ABYSS WILL CLAIM YOU! YOU CANNOT FLEE FROM DARKNESS ITSELF! I WILL FIND YOU! I WILL TEAR YOUR SOULS APART! I WILL ERASE YOUR EXISTENCE FROM THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY! THERE IS NOWHERE YOU CAN HIDE! NOWHERE YOU CAN RUN! THE VOID IS ETERNAL! THE VOID IS ABSOLUTE! THE VOID WILL CONSUME ALL! AND WHEN IT DOES, YOU WILL BEG FOR DEATH! BUT DEATH WILL NOT COME! THERE WILL BE ONLY THE VOID! ONLY THE ABYSS! ONLY ME!"

The echoes faded, leaving only the cold, empty silence of the void.

Somewhere in the darkness...

Adam’s knees buckled as he and Alice emerged from the shadow of a broken pillar, stumbling onto the cracked, uneven ground. The sky above them was a swirling grey void, the landscape a desolate stretch of rock and dust.

Adam collapsed onto his hands and knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His body was broken, his scales cracked, his blood pooling beneath him. Alice landed beside him, her form materializing from the shadows, her chest heaving. She reached out, gripping his shoulder.

"Adam! Are you okay?!"

Adam’s voice came out rough, strained, but there was a thread of dark amusement beneath the exhaustion.

"Heh... did you see its face when it realized it was fighting a shadow?"

Alice’s cat ears twitched, a sharp grin spreading across her face. "It was priceless. It thought it had me cornered, and I was just a decoy the whole time."

Adam let out a low, pained laugh. "That was a good idea. Using your shadow to draw its attention while you pulled me out."

Alice’s grin softened into something warmer. "I learned from the best." She crouched beside him, her dark violet eyes scanning his wounds. "You look terrible, by the way."

Adam’s lips twitched. "Thanks. I feel terrible."

Alice’s gaze swept the desolate landscape, her cat ears swiveling as she listened for any sign of pursuit. "I don’t think it followed us. It was too busy throwing a tantrum."

"Good." Adam’s voice was heavy with exhaustion. "We need to find the others. Ignis, Lilith, Isolde and azrynn... they’re still somewhere in this place. I need to get to them before I collapse."

Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the other women, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she nodded, her tail swaying behind her.

Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the other women, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she moved to his side, offering her shoulder for him to lean on. "Then let’s move. Lean on me."

Adam hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He draped his arm over her shoulders, letting her take some of his weight. His body screamed with every step, but he forced himself forward.

"Which way?"

Adam pulled out the Compass of Desire. The needle spun for a moment, then steadied, pointing in a specific direction. "That way."

They walked in silence, the only sounds the crunch of their footsteps on the cracked ground and Adam’s labored breathing. Alice’s dark violet eyes scanned the landscape, her cat ears twitching at every sound.

After a few minutes, Adam spoke, his voice strained. "Alice... about what you said earlier. About smelling other women on me..."

Alice’s tail flicked. "What about it?"

Adam let out a slow breath. "I just want you to know... it’s not what you think. Lilith and Ignis... they’re important to me. But so are you. You were the first. You’ll always be first."

Alice was silent for a long moment. Then her voice came, softer than before.

"...I know. I was just... I was unconscious for a long time. I didn’t know if you still remembered me."

Adam’s arm tightened around her shoulders. "I never forgot you, Alice. Not for a second."

Alice’s cat ears twitched, and a small, genuine smile crossed her face. "Good. Because if you had, I would have had to beat some sense back into you."

Adam let out a low, pained chuckle. "I wouldn’t expect anything less."