"Asher…"
He turned quickly, but nothing was there. Only darkness.
"Why did you leave ?"
Index's voice echoed again, louder this ti.
His barriers stayed up, but his thoughts began slipping. Old mories surfaced—her smile, her laugh, the way she used to hold onto his arm.
Then ca the mory he tried to forget: leaving her in the void.
He clenched his jaw. "You're not real."
The air around him felt heavy, pressing from every side. The walls moved like they were breathing.
But her voice didn't stop.
"You promised, Asher… You said you'd co back for ."
His flight slowed. Moving felt harder, like swimming through thick water.
Then sothing ford ahead. At first, it looked like fog. Then it changed—turning into her.
Index.
She floated, arms outstretched, eyes full of tears.
Her dress was torn. Her face pale. Hair stuck to her cheeks. The tears on her face glowed faintly green.
"You left alone in this place," she said, voice trembling with pain. "While you went chasing other won. You slept with them. Again and again. And left at the end of the line."
His stomach twisted. "No. That's not true. I wasn't avoiding you. I was trying to get strong enough—to pull you out. To save you."
"Lies," she whispered. Her head shook slowly. "All lies."
"You're scared. Scared that if you co to first, you won't be able to leave the void. That you'll be stuck here… with . And you don't want that."
Her voice cracked. "Because it's easier to keep adding won to your life than to face ."
He didn't answer.
Because deep down, part of it—just a sliver—felt too close to the truth.
"It wasn't like that," he said quietly. "Pantheon warned . He said the void twists reality, that it's too dangerous. He told to be careful—told not to rush in blind."
She laughed. Bitter and broken.
"Of course he did," she said, voice like cracked glass. "And you listened. Because that gave you a way out, didn't it?"
"No—"
"Yes." Her tone sharpened. "You let his voice drown out mine. You used his warnings as a shield. An excuse. Sothing to make you feel better while you kept waiting."
"That's not fair," he exclaid.
"What's not fair," she stepped closer, eyes glowing with sorrow, "is waiting in the dark while you lived. While you laughed. While you touched other won. And I was nothing more than a ghost you kept tucked away behind so 'caution' excuse."
He opened his mouth, but no words ca.
She was right about one thing—he waited too long.
"But it's okay now," she said, stepping even closer. "You can make it up to here."
Her fingers reached for his cheek, brushing the edge of his skin like a mory trying to co alive.
"We can be together again. Just you and . No more running. No more excuses."
The green glow returned to her eyes—faint, but steady.
"You don't have to leave. Stay. Right here. With ."
Her hand rested over his heart.
Warm.
Familiar.
The weight in his chest started to ease.
Why was he here? There had to be a reason.
Sothing important.
He blinked, trying to focus.
But the thought slipped away, like sand through his fingers.
Her smile grew. "See? You're finally letting go. You don't need to carry it anymore."
His arms dropped to his sides. The tension drained from his body.
The barriers flickered out, one by one, like candles in the wind.
Just as the last barrier faded, a voice cut through the silence.
(Brat, wake up! Don't fall for this obvious illusion!)
Pantheon's voice echoed, snapping through the fog clouding his thoughts.
(This isn't her. It's the Beast playing tricks. It wants you trapped here.)
(Fight it. Don't lose yourself. You still need to save the real Index.)
mories slamd back—the mission, the danger.
BOOOOM!
His aura erupted in a burst of power.
Dragon scales erged across his skin, tough and shining like armor.
FLAP!
His wings folded tightly against his back, hiding as if preparing for a fight.
"How dare you use her image!" he shouted, fury burning in his voice.
"No fake can hold . Not here. Not now."
SWOOOOSH!
In half dragon form, he pushed through the crushing pressure that tried to slow him down.
Wings beating strong, he closed the distance faster than before.
The deeper he went, the heavier the weight pressing against him beca.
(Brat, I got you!)
Pantheon poured the last of his power into Asher's mind, sharpening his will to an unbreakable level—stronger than even an SSS rank.
"ARGGGG!" They roared together, pushing every last bit of strength forward.
Asher smashed through a thick barrier, and the crushing pressure suddenly disappeared.
However, his montum carried him forward—he crashed hard into the ground.
"That was close. Without you, I wouldn't have made it."
(Brat, you're completely right. That cunning woman was crazy to hand this mission to an S Rank.)
"True. I don't think she even expected to survive this. Feels like I was walking straight into my own assassination."
(Don't worry, brat. Once I get my power back, we'll pay her a visit. I don't like people who play tricks on my little brother.)
"Oh, so now I'm your brother? Did my dedication to get you back your power make you sentintal?"
(Brat, don't push your luck.)
They both laughed, the tension easing between them.
While waiting, he absorbed the energy from his dragon cores to quickly restore his strength.
Once ready, he stood before a massive, glowing cavern. It looked like giant flesh, pulsing with green energy inside.
"Better to leave this thing alone. But where's the Genesis Crystal?"
He scanned the area carefully, eyes narrowing at the faint glow deeper inside the heart's chambers.
A soft pulse echoed with each beat.
"Could it be hidden further in?" he wondered aloud.
(I can sense a powerful elent, brat. Just keep heading that way.) Pantheon urged.
Asher moved cautiously through the dense muscle fibers.
Each step sent small tremors through the ground, syncing with the slow, steady beat echoing around him.
(Brat, you're close. I can feel sothing ahead. Stay sharp.)
The muscle around him thickened, turning almost translucent, veins of erald light weaving like rivers beneath the surface. The steady beat grew louder—thunderous now, shaking the very air.
Ahead, the cavern opened wider into a vast chamber at the heart's core. It was the epicenter of the beast's life force.
At the center of the chamber, embedded deep within the glowing flesh, lay black marbles.
'That's it. The Genesis Crystal.'
Unfortunately, his happiness was cut short. The crystal was embedded deeply in the glowing, translucent flesh.
Pulling it out would be dangerous. More than that, it could trigger an explosion.
He knelt, careful not to disturb the fragile balance. His fingers hovered over the crystal's surface, feeling the raw energy thrumming just beneath his skin.
(Brat, it's the real deal. If I could tap into it, I'd regain my full power.)
(But trying to pull it out is too risky. Instead, we'll absorb it directly.)
"So, we're camping here? Isn't that dangerous? What if the beast gets triggered?"
(I have a plan. I have a powerful spell to hide our aura. Even if we push past SS rank, we can keep our presence hidden. Besides, we're inside its heart right now. If it senses anything, it'll probably just think we're so kind of parasite.)
Pantheon's words made sense.
Before Asher could answer, the ancient dragon morphed into its armored humanoid form.
With steady hands, it reached out and touched one of the glowing crystals.
(There's more than enough for both of us. Start working,) Pantheon ordered.
Asher nodded, steeling himself. He closed his eyes and focused, reaching out with his senses to connect with the crystal's energy.
The mont his fingers brushed the surface, a warm surge spread through his body.
Surprisingly, this energy—unlike the green one—blended smoothly with his own.
It adapted to what he already had inside, flowing in without causing any overload or backlash.
Both of them took this chance to strengthen themselves. They pushed their limits, soaking up every bit of energy they could handle.
Outside, things heated up. So problems popped up—minor at first—but luckily, the beast hadn't fully engaged.
One by one, the S Ranks planted the nodes as planned.
Still, more than 30% of the team had to quit. They lost consciousness and slipped into a coma-like state from the strain.
This showed just how strong those ntal attacks really were. Without Pantheon's support, Asher would've been brain-dead by now.
Inside one of the motherships, Seris calmly sipped a cup of tea while watching the operation unfold on several glowing screens.
A quiet hiss sounded as the door behind her slid open. Another figure stepped into the room.
Tall, composed, and dressed in a sleek dark suit, the newcor had striking red eyes and snow-white hair that shimred faintly under the light.
She didn't turn around. "You're late."
The figure didn't answer right away. Instead, he moved to stand beside her, eyes scanning the sa screens.
If Asher had been there, he would've recognized the man right away. The red eyes, the pale white hair—the sa race as Draz.
"Seris, you're too cruel. You actually sent him on that mission knowing full well only SSS Ranks can survive those ntal attacks."
She rolled her eyes. "Don't play innocent. You're the one who asked to get rid of him. This was the cleanest way to do it."
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