Thalen walked down a corridor with calm steps and a faint smile on his face. He continued walking, passing by a door, ignoring it… but then he returned and peered inside through the glass. There, he saw a girl standing beside Nairobi's coffin. He looked at her and smiled.
Jinso stared at the sky from his room's window, remembering Nairobi's death, feeling the weight of sorrow:
"If only… I were stronger!"
"If I had arrived sooner… it would have been my fault."
He stifled his tears, slapped his own face with his hands, and said:
"Alright… I shouldn't grieve for too long. He would be angry if I mourned more than necessary."
The scene shifted to Thalen standing before seven people seated on tall chairs. The one in the center spoke:
"So, Thalen… tell us about the vessel!"
Thalen looked at them and said:
"It's stable, but it has made a pact with Kaizen!"
Thalen's words were met with shouting and panic:
"What?? A pact with Kaizen? Is that even possible?"
"We must execute it immediately!"
"Yes, yes! Before Kaizen regains his full strength!"
Thalen raised his hand to calm them:
"Calm down. None of that will happen."
Everyone fell silent, then the one in the center asked:
"What do you mean by that, Thalen?"
Thalen replied:
"I will train it to control its power. Then we'll find a way to separate Kaizen from Jinso. After that, I will fight Kaizen."
Everyone remained silent, thinking about Thalen's words. Then the one in the center said:
"Very well, Thalen. Do what you wish, but keep the vessel under your watch!"
Thalen smiled:
"Alright, old man. Don't worry… nothing escapes my eyes!"
Jinso stood in the training arena, taking deep breaths, then began running. He followed it with push-ups and fitness exercises for a full hour. After finishing, he sat down to drink water:
"I got so bored waiting that I ended up training for an hour."
"Where could the announcer be? He's late…"
"Hello."
Jinso jumped in fright, falling to the ground, and then saw Thalen standing behind him:
"Oh my god! You scared me, master!"
"Hahaha, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"You're late. Where have you been?"
"Who's late? Me?"
"Yes, who else? I've been training here for a full hour and you never showed!"
"No, no… I've been here the whole time, you just didn't notice me."
Jinso looked at Thalen in astonishment:
"You've been here? How did I not see you?!"
Thalen smiled and explained:
"It's because of my Kyoketsu no Hikari, called the Void of Resurrection. It can block attacks… you could even say it blocks everything, including energy. That's why you didn't notice me."
Jinso stared in amazement at Thalen's power:
"Wow! Amazing, master… so that's why I didn't notice you."
"Hahaha, yes… that's why you didn't sense me."
"But is that all the powers of the Void of Resurrection, or does it have other abilities?"
"Yes, it has other abilities besides nullifying attacks. It can create weapons. Any weapon I see, I can recreate it inside the Void of Resurrection."
"Wow! I wish I had your field, master."
"Hahaha, yes, yes… but there's one thing I haven't mentioned. Even if you had my field, you couldn't activate it. It only responds to its heir or someone with immense energy, which I possess. So I can use it as I wish."
"Damn! I wish I could create weapons or block attacks."
"It's out of your hands, Jinso… but I'll train you, and you'll become stronger with your own skills."
Jinso looked at Thalen warmly and said:
"Thank you, master… truly, thank you." (he stifled his tears)
Thalen approached Jinso, placing a hand on his shoulder:
"Don't be sad, Jinso. There was nothing you could have done."
Silence filled the place, but Thalen broke it:
"So, shall we begin, Jinso?"
"Yes, master."
"Now we need to test our theory, correct?"
"Yes… but how?"
"Don't worry… just relax."
Suddenly, Thalen vanished from in front of Jinso.
"Y-yes… I'm r-relaxed… w-what… is happening?!"
Jinso lost consciousness after Thalen touched him. Thalen held him, placed him on the ground, then stepped back and looked at him:
"Alright! Shall we begin now?"