While waiting for the field of attraction to grow stronger, Isiah raised his head to gaze up at Emperium one last time.
He had held high hopes that he would discover a solution during this trek, a way to either remain in this region indefinitely or level up. He had never anticipated that his pursuit would bring him to the brink of losing his life.
"It had to be done this way," he murmured quietly into the dark.
He was merely thinking out loud, and Eijar remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Isiah was not a master who shared his vulnerabilities with her, and she was far from comfortable in his presence.
She could never treat him with the familiar ease she had once shown toward Lucas before he discarded her. The memory of that abandonment haunted her to this day, leaving her forced to rebuild her bonds from scratch with his younger brother.
The surrounding forest began to hiss. The sound started as a low, ambient rustle, steadily intensifying as the minutes slipped by.
