The roar of the upward-flowing water was deafening now, a thunderous vibration that shook the very foundation of the cavern. Riha stepped out from the narrow, jagged tunnel, her arms still cradling the sleeping, shivering form of Tinker.
Before her lay a sight that defied every law of the physical world. A massive chasm split the earth, and from the glowing depths, a gargantuan waterfall surged upward, its mist swirling into a luminous nebula that hung where a ceiling should have been. The water was iridescent, glowing with a soft, ethereal teal.
But as Riha stepped toward the edge, she hit an invisible wall.
The air shimmered like heat rising from a desert road. A ripple of translucent energy pushed back against her chest with the force of a physical hand. She tried to surge forward with her mana, but the barrier simply absorbed the energy, glowing brighter with every attempt.
"Stop, Child of the Void."
The voice didn't come from the air; it vibrated inside her skull, melodic and ancient, yet sharp as a diamond edge. It was the same voice from her dreams—the woman of the ancient civilization.
"I am here," Riha shouted over the roar of the falls. "I've followed your call. Let me pass!"
"Many have followed the call," the voice echoed, a hint of melancholy in its tone. "But the path to the First Breath is not walked by feet. It is walked by the spirit. To enter, you must prove your worth."
"How?" Riha demanded, her grip tightening on Tinker.
"In the chamber behind you, there are a thousand lights. Among them lies one Heart-Clear Crystaland and raven -obsidian. They are the anchor of this realm. They cannot be taken by force, nor can they be found by the eyes. They can only be tamed by one who is true to their own heart. Bring the Crystals to the Altar of Truth at the barrier's edge, and the way shall open. Fail, and you shall remain in the dark until the mountain claims you."
A Forest of Diamonds
As the voice faded, the cavern behind Riha suddenly ignited.
What had been a dark, damp cave was now a blinding forest of light. Thousands—perhaps millions—of crystals sprouted from the floors, the walls, and the ceiling. They were of every shape and color: jagged amethysts, pulsing rubies, and long, slender shards of sapphire. The light was so intense that Riha had to shield her eyes.
She looked around, her mind racing. "Heart-Clear Crystal... True to your heart..."
She walked through the shimmering forest, her boots crunching on fallen shards. Every crystal she passed hummed with a different frequency. Some felt angry, vibrating with a sharp, electric sting. Others felt mournful, cold to the touch.
"They are full of spirit and energy," the voice had said. "And they are pure."
Riha sat on a flat stone, gently placing the poisoned Tinker on her shawl. She looked at the millions of gems. If she used her Mental Power Skill, she could scan them, but the voice had specifically said the eyes—even the mind's eye—wouldn't find it.
"True to my heart," Riha whispered.
She looked at her reflection in a nearby wall of obsidian. Who was she? Was she the "Villainess" of the novels? The Sovereign who ruled with an iron fist? The student from a distant world? Or the sister who missed her brother so much it felt like a physical ache?
She had spent so long building walls, wearing masks, and calculating her every move to survive the Galaxy Level. She had convinced herself that her "heart" was a liability—something to be locked away behind armor and spider silk.
The Knowing Smirk
Riha closed her eyes. She stopped looking for a "special" crystal. Instead, she began to listen. Not to the waterfalls, but to the silence within herself.
She thought of the moment she fell into the sinkhole. She hadn't thought about her crown or her power; she had only thought about saving the fox in her arms. She thought about the little girl on the train, and the pride she felt in seeing a world she helped build. She thought about the moon-lotus eyes of Xaris, and the way her heart fluttered despite her logic.
"Purity isn't about being perfect," Riha realized aloud. "It's about being honest."
She stood up, her crimson eyes glowing with a new clarity. She didn't look at the massive, glowing rubies or the pillars of emerald. She walked toward a far corner of the cave, where a single, small crystal sat tucked away in a crevice.
It wasn't glowing. It was as clear as a drop of morning dew, almost invisible against the gray stone. It looked unremarkable, even fragile.
Riha reached out. Most people would have tried to grab it with mana or gloves, fearing the "taming" process. But Riha dropped her mana defenses entirely. She let her heart be open—vulnerable, grieving, ambitious, and loving, all at once.
"I am Riha," she whispered. "I am a seeker, a ruler, and a dreamer. And I am tired of being afraid."
As her bare fingers touched the clear stone, it didn't burn. It didn't pulse. Instead, it turned warm, flowing like liquid light into her palm. It began to glow with a soft, violet hue—the exact color of her own soul.
A knowing smirk spread across her face.
"Crystals are pure," she murmured, looking at the gem. "But they're also mirrors. You don't find the Heart-Clear Crystal. You become it."
The Breaking of the Barrier
Riha picked up Tinker and walked back toward the upward-flowing falls. At the very edge of the invisible barrier stood a simple, unadorned stone altar.
She placed the violet-glowing crystal into the circular indentation at the center.
The effect was instantaneous. A shockwave of