Ethan fell silent.
He didn't know how to answer her.
But he didn't push her away.
By then, the space around them had finally settled completely.
That man from the Ghost Void—once his energy core was gone—started to come apart. His body broke down piece by piece until it became nothing but invisible motes of energy, dissolving into the air.
In the distance, Emerald Castle's forces began regrouping.
Thalorien led his people back up from the deep seafloor. Trailing behind their formation, batch after batch of Worldheart Crystals were being hauled out with extreme care.
The crystals gave off a steady, ancient pulse. As they arrived, the camp's chaotic energy environment rapidly smoothed out, rebalancing like a storm finally passing.
With those minerals in hand, Ethan felt it for the first time—
a controllable advantage.
