The massive doors swung outward silently, revealing the eerily empty streets of Damascus. Nova carried a bag of materials in one hand while gripping the hilt of his new hammer with the other—to an experienced blacksmith, as good a weapon as any.

The morning sun still lit the city, but its warmth felt wrong somehow—filtered through whatever force kept the rift stable.

'The Cardinals didn't seem quite as incompetent as I feared. At least they listened. It would suck to be forced to stay in this madness for the rest of the week.'

He ran down the white stone steps, keeping his eyes firmly on the ground. The rift's presence weighed on him like a physical thing despite his immunity. Its wrongness pulled at his other senses—the way sounds seemed muffled and distant, how the air felt thick in his lungs.

[Fragment of Nova Noctis equipped.]

With enhanced senses, he scanned the area for any movement. The streets were completely deserted—no birds, no people, not even insects. Just empty buildings with doors left wide open, half-eaten meals abandoned on shaded tables, and scattered belongings dropped mid-stride.

'No one would have been safe if they were outside when it appeared. Maybe they already got swallowed… Early birds got quite the worm this time.'

He soon reached an open plaza that would suit his needs. The white stones were arranged in an elaborate pattern—probably meant to be viewed from the cathedral's higher windows. Now it would make an excellent base for his formation.

A tiny whisper drifted past his ear: "Hey."

Nova froze mid-step. He scanned the empty plaza with narrowed eyes. A swift glance at the rift revealed nothing of note.

'I'm not going crazy, so what was that? Hearing voices is an early sign…'

"Show yourself," he commanded, figuring someone had to be messing with him. The hammer was in his hand, ready to strike. "I'm not in the mood for games."

"Can I help?" the whisper replied, like it was spoken right by his ear.

"... Annelie?"

A giggle echoed from somewhere to his left. Then Annelie's form shimmered into view. Her skin and clothes turned from completely transparent back to normal. "Sorry! I couldn't resist." She grinned, clearly pleased with herself. "You looked so confused!"

Nova lowered the weapon with a sigh. "I should have known you'd follow me. Was that some kind of chameleon ability? It even works through clothes?"

"Close! Void mantis, actually. They're basically undetectable until they strike." She bounced on her toes like the ballerina she once was, eager to show off more of her abilities. "Want to see what else I can do?"

'She seems more outspoken and excitable now… Is it just more of her true self shining through, or is the rift affecting her as well?'

Nova studied Annelie's confident stance with growing concern. "You're sure you can resist the rift enough to be out here?"

"Of course!" She spread her arms wide, grinning. "I lived in the damn place at one point."

Nova's fingers tightened around the hammer's hilt. Her casual attitude toward the void worried him more than any show of fear would have. "And remained lucid the entire time? You're sure you died, and didn't just lose your memory?"

That seemed to dampen her mood, causing her to think for a moment. "... I mean, it's impossible to know. I don't remember dying, only waking up in my next life."

"Then we can only assume you have a high resistance, but not an infinite one." Nova knelt on the cold stone, trying to focus on the task as he began pulling materials from his bag. "Right now, we need to focus. The longer that thing stays open, the more minds it corrupts."

"Right, right." Annelie crouched beside him, watching intently. "So what's the plan? And why did you need so much metal?"

Nova pulled three identical bowls from his bag. "We're going to test which material resonates most strongly with the rift. Iron for grounding, copper for life, silver for celestial energy. One of them should either attract or repel whatever is maintaining this tear."

"So if we choose the wrong type, it would end up strengthening the void being instead…" She leaned closer. "Need any help setting up?"

"Actually, yes." Nova pulled a piece of paper from his bag. His essence flowed into it, creating an intricate pattern of overlapping lines and curves. "Draw this pattern around us, but larger. It needs to be close to perfect."

"Got it!" Annelie took the paper with careful hands, studying it for a moment before starting. Her essence traced glowing lines across the white stones, each stroke precise and measured. As she worked, she glanced at Nova. "I'm sorry about that kick, by the way. I wasn't sure how hard to do it."

"No, it was perfect. Anything less wouldn't have worked on them." He arranged the bowls in a triangle in the middle of her pattern. "Besides, I barely felt it."

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"Oh yeah? I'll have you sink into the wall next time, then."

Nova's lips curved into a smile as he placed the first metal samples in their bowls. "I might have to defend myself, then."

"Oh-hoh, you sound confident!" Annelie paused her drawing to shoot him a challenging look. "You think you'd win in a fight?"

"I have no idea." Nova adjusted the final bowl slightly, ensuring perfect symmetry. "A serious fight, maybe. But I don't know how many tricks are up your sleeve. Or how much Soul Power you have."

"You tell me first."

"Slightly over three thousand."

Annelie's hand jerked, nearly ruining a curve. "What?"

"I usually keep it hidden."

"Well, yeah, I knew you had more than I could sense. But that's all?"

"... How did you get so strong then, oh great prodigy?" Nova kept his voice light, but his eyes narrowed as he studied her. Something felt off about her behavior.

"Uhm..." Annelie's hand paused mid-stroke. "The church gave me–"

"Right. Wow, very impressive." Nova's words carried a sharp edge, trying to provoke a reaction. "Did they give you the monster materials as well?"

"Hey!" Color rose in her cheeks as she spun to face him. "I really did struggle to survive before coming here! Don't look down on me just because they value my potential!"

Nova rose in one fluid motion and caught her hand before she could pull away. His essence flowed toward her wrist, seeking her pulse, but he encountered an invisible barrier that scattered his power like rain on a window.

Annelie stared down at their joined hands, anger fading into confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Checking your pulse." His fingers tightened slightly around her wrist.

"Oh." She sounded disappointed. "Why?"

"Because your behavior has been unusual for a while now." Nova kept his voice gentle. "Tell me honestly, are you sure you're not affected by the rift? Your pulse is odd, but I can't check it properly if you stop my essence from flowing through."

"I..." She reached up with her free hand to touch the silver amulet hanging at her throat. The metal seemed to pulse with an inner glow. "That's the amulet's protection, I think." Her eyes met his, now filled with uncertainty instead of the earlier confidence. "Ehm, how would I know? About the rift affecting me?"

"Figure out why you are acting differently from earlier. Is it just that you feel more open about being yourself? Have your plans suddenly changed? Is anything different?"

"Of course something's different!" The words burst from her like a dam breaking, swapping over to their old language. She stared at him with eyes filled with emotion. "You're here! You're in this world together with me! And I don't know what to do! This rift appearing doesn't even come close to the shock of meeting you again!"

Nova went still, feeling the raw honesty in her voice. He drew a deep breath, choosing his next words carefully. "I feel the same way, Annelie. I'm glad to have found you. Very much so." His grip on her wrist softened. "And whatever we decide to do going forward, we'll be in it together. Whether you decide to stay here in the church, or you want to join me in saving the children of Taurel Kingdom." His voice firmed as he leaned closer to her, making sure she understood. "But this isn't the time to discuss it, and you should know that."

Annelie stared at him for a long moment as realization slowly struck her. Then she nodded, freed her arm from his grip, and slapped her cheeks firmly. "You're right; this is unlike me." Her hand closed around the amulet again before she pulled it over her head and threw it on the ground. "Check my pulse again."

Nova felt a wave of relief at seeing her focus return. He took her wrist once more, closing his eyes as his essence flowed into her body.

'Mmh, no obvious signs of possession or alteration… But a ton of different signatures I've never seen before. Are those the beast powers? Her body shows signs of cultivation, but not the kind I'm familiar with. Are they acting up somehow due to the rift?'

"... It's tough to say." He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze. "All the beast powers you hold might make you more vulnerable to the rift, but I didn't feel anything else out of place. I would need to dive into your mind to be absolutely sure, but I won't ask you to let me. It's incredibly personal."

"... I'd like to keep a few secrets still..." Annelie's voice softened as she looked away. "But I promise not to act up again. Let's continue the ritual."

"I'm not saying you can't act up," Nova released her wrist gently. "I'm just pointing out that it's more likely due to the rift than your actual feelings. As long as you can identify that, you'll be fine."

"I understand."

Nova turned back to the bowls, rechecking their positions in the formation. "Each metal will resonate with a different type of energy. A strong attraction would mean we need to use something else to close the rift, while a repulsion would give us the material we need."

He pulled three small formations from his bag, carefully drawn on pieces of paper. After placing them under each bowl, he sent a pulse of essence into all three simultaneously.

[You have learned the skill: Hum Of Resonances (Master - 44%) {Grade 6}]

[Your essence creates a connection between objects and the forces in the environment, allowing you to measure the strength and compatibility of their bond.]

The bowls started humming quietly, each producing a different note. Nova closed his eyes, listening intently. "Can you hear the difference?"

"Yeah..." Annelie moved closer, studying the bowls. "The iron sounds... angry? Like it's fighting against something."

"Good observation." Nova opened his eyes, watching the metals carefully. "The void hates being grounded. Iron represents stability and permanence. Everything the void seeks to corrupt. But in this case, it could also be reacting to the holy city."

The silver bowl's tone grew sharper as its surface began to glow with a faint white light. The copper remained silent, while the iron's deep hum continued.

"But look at the silver." Nova pointed to its growing radiance. "It's not just resonating—it's actively fighting back. The void entity is trying to corrupt it, but can't."

Annelie nodded. "Because silver represents the celestial? The opposite of the void?"

"Well, not exactly. But it shows us what this rift is weak against. Which means..." Nova's eyes narrowed as he studied the reaction. "Something is actively maintaining it. Something that fears silver."

A sudden wind whipped through the plaza, sending loose papers skittering across the stone. The rift seemed to pulse overhead, rippling like dark water.

"It noticed us." Annelie's voice stayed steady despite the growing tension. Her hands moved through familiar patterns, reinforcing the formation around them.

"It can't hurt us here, whatever it is." Nova put all the items back in his bag. "But we know how to hurt it." He stood from his spot and turned back to the cathedral. "Let's go."

Annelie picked up her amulet before falling into step beside him, dismissing the glowing formation with a wave. The lines faded from the white stones, leaving no trace of their work. "But silver? Will we have enough?"

"In the holy city?" Nova chuckled lightly. Everything he knew about human greed told him there would be plenty to go around. "I expected this place to be filled to the brim with precious metals."

"... Well, probably." She glanced up at the cathedral's ornate decorations. "How much will you need?"

"More is better, but for a formation of this scale..." His eyes tracked the rift's edges, calculating. "A few tons should do it."

'And if not, it should at least tire the rift being. It can't hold the rift open forever.'

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