Shinju and Koharu appeared to be fast asleep.
Swen glanced down at the crystal sphere in her hand again.The light was steady.
"The spear… it's definitely here."
She exhaled slowly.
She stepped forward carefully.Silent.Like a shadow.
She reached their side.
She crouched down.
Her gaze moved methodically.
Koharu.Shinju.The ground.The grass.
But—
no spear.
Her brows furrowed.
"Where is it…" she whispered."It can't be small enough to fit in a pocket…"
At that moment—
a small pebble shifted beneath her foot.
Click.
Swen's heart skipped.
"Damn…" she thought.
But before she could recover—
something happened.
Her legs stopped.
Her arms wouldn't move.
It felt as if an invisible boundary had been drawn around her body.
Swen looked down.
Thin, black lines…
were wrapped tightly around her wrists.
The more she moved…
the tighter they became.
Her breath shortened.
She lifted her head.
Shinju… was awake.
Watching her silently.
Swen spoke in panic:
"I—I wasn't doing anything!""I was just… just passing by!"
Shinju slowly sat up.
"I told you before.""My business was never with you…"
A brief pause.
"…it was with that dome.""And that's over."
Swen swallowed.
"I'm not from the Land of Angels!""I have nothing to do with the dome!""Please… let me go!"
At that moment—
Koharu stirred.
Her eyes opened.
"What's going on…"
She lifted her head.
She saw Swen.
She stood up.
Studied her for a moment.
"She's not lying.""She's not from the Land of Angels."
Shinju didn't take his eyes off Swen.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Swen nodded quickly.
"Yes! I'm an alchemist!""I'm not a fighter!"
But her mind had already locked onto something else.
"How…?"
No incantation.No seal.No movement.
Just—
a look.
Her eyes were drawn to Shinju's face.
And then—
she saw it.
Shinju's right eye.
Her own reflection…
but not normal.
Inside the eye—
there was a dense darkness.
Not still.
Condensed.
Materialized.
And that darkness…
was wrapped around her reflection.
Swen's eyes widened.
Her breath caught.
"This…"
She tried to step back—
but couldn't move.
"This is impossible…"
Her voice trembled.
"Yin energy…""…can't condense to this level…""…and become matter."
She swallowed.
She couldn't look away.
"You…"
The words came out with difficulty.
"…you have the Eye of Darkness."
Silence.
Then, lower—heavier:
"What kind of connection…""…do you have with the Lord of Darkness?"
Koharu frowned.
Shinju, however…
didn't react.
He just looked at her.
Then, in a flat voice:
"What nonsense are you talking about?"