It took Grey two days of silent, arduous travel through the lightless void to reach the nearest black star. By the time the celestial silhouette loomed large in his vision, the toll of the journey was painfully evident.
The majority of his divine sense, the very essence of his mental and spiritual power, had already bled away into the vacuum, scattering like dust in the wind.
His spirit body, once vibrant and robust, had become dangerously thin and semi-transparent, flickering like a candle in a gale.
Yet, despite the soul-deep exhaustion threatening to unravel his very existence, the bright glint of adetermination in his eyes remained ironclad.
"I have to succeed this time," Grey whispered, his voice a ghost of a sound that was immediately swallowed by the emptiness. He gritted his teeth, forcing his flagging energy to coalesce as he charged toward the looming obsidian mass.
