Falling. Falling. Falling.

Plummeting into the bottomless Abyss.

Locked in an embrace, the two had their skin sliced open by the razor-sharp void. Spilled Blood shattered into dust, vanishing without a trace.

Ms Feng cradled the unconscious Night Frost. Her body, overloaded with Mana and battered by the void, had collapsed entirely.

Night Frost’s frame was too fragile for further assault—a conclusion swiftly calculated by her Eye Orb. To shield her, Ms Feng pulled the petite girl tight against her chest. At 175 cm, Ms Feng enveloped most of Night Frost’s slender form. The void’s edge carved deep into her back, exposing muscle and bone.

Still, the void gnawed at her flesh. Yet tentacles sprouting from within her coiled firmly around Night Frost, straining to block the Abyssal Aura.

In the pitch-black expanse, no end in sight. No one knew how long they’d drifted.

A monstrous roar echoed from the distant horizon. A beast vast enough to blot out the sun on the mortal plane appeared minuscule in this infinite void.

Ms Feng glanced away instantly. An undocumented Monster. Merely its radiating presence sent chills down her spine.

Even a sidelong glance was sensed. The colossal creature turned its gaze toward them—then, uninterested in two specks of dust, slowly looked away.

Ms Feng gasped, pressing a tentacle against her chest to steady her racing heart. Cold sweat slicked her skin; fear plain on her face.

*It ignored us… or that glance would’ve drawn it here.* After her Eye Orb logged the Monster’s data, she stared blankly into the endless dark below.

*When will this end? Is there even an end?*

They kept falling. Falling. Time blurred. Not a glimmer of hope remained.

Luck was on their side—Night Frost, a Magic Maiden; Ms Feng, a highly modified human. Night Frost could endure the void without food or water. Ms Feng sustained herself through autophagy.

But Magic Stones were scarce. Mana was essential for a Magic Maiden. How long would these last?

The void eroded Ms Feng relentlessly. Her body neared its limit. Two days? Three? In this timeless black, she’d be shredded to nothing.

"Ugh…"

Night Frost stirred slightly awake—the first sign after unknown hours. Ms Feng felt her heart hammering wildly against her chest.

Night Frost’s Dragon Heart resonated strangely with the space around them. The void nearby turned frenzied, lashing at them like a mad beast.

*Something’s near… but we won’t last.*

Ms Feng assessed her state in a flash. *All or nothing.* Endure this void current—and maybe hope waits below. Or deeper despair.

No time to hesitate. Hesitation meant death. But they carried missions. *We can’t die here!*

She plunged deeper. Fresh tentacles were severed mid-sprout. She’d poured everything into defense—but she was flesh and blood, not machinery.

Even machines fail from fatigue. How much more a living being?

"I can’t… go on…"

Eyes closed. Mind nearly blank. Only her core self—her own eyes—commanded the body to keep producing tentacles.

No trace of Abyssal Aura. No drop of Mana. Genes, flesh, all teetering on collapse. Still—no hope.

Night Frost’s heartbeat raced faster, frantic enough to burst free. *Hope… lies below.*

Ms Feng dove downward, clutching Night Frost. Void erosion accelerated. Her genes and flesh crumbled. In seconds, her body was a mangled wreck.

Pushing through chaotic currents—clouds. A faint breeze on her nose. Oxygen. Mana. Abyssal Aura. *Hope!*

Riding that sliver of Abyssal Aura, her body began to disintegrate. She willed every ounce of flesh and Blood into protective tentacles.

Through the tendrils, Eye Orb peered down. Continent outlines sharpened. Landscapes emerged as they fell.

If his calculation held… under thirty seconds later, he and Night Frost broke free of the void. The tentacle forged from his own body was riddled with holes—but it wasn’t over.

Gravity yanked them earthward. Atmospheric friction seared the tentacle black in an instant—skipping straight from "grilled octopus" to charcoal stench.

No time for jokes. The shell wouldn’t last. Heat became unbearable. Impact loomed. Hit land? Pulp.

Too many variables. Calculations nearly crashed his mind. He narrowed focus to three:

One—survive the soaring heat.

Two—find a safe landing zone.

Three—ensure survival.

*Ocean.* He’d glimpsed blue earlier. Even a deep lake would boost their odds.

He retrieved saline solution from spatial storage, dousing them both. Below: barren gray earth, then yellow dunes, then coastline.

"There’s a chance."

Eye Orb slammed against the carbonized shell—twice, thrice. It loosened. *Bad sign.*

Trajectory shifted slightly… but the shell couldn’t hold.

"It won’t hold…"

No reentry capsule. Survival so far? Luck. And luck runs out.

**BOOM!**

The charcoal shell peeled open, disintegrating from base to tip.

They tumbled free. Wind roared in—shattering the shell from within. Fully exposed, the gale cut like void blades. Eye Orb nestled in Night Frost’s arms. She stirred… but would she wake?

Pain jolted her awake. Panic flashed. She raised a hand—conjuring a Magic Layer. Fragile. Shattered instantly.

"Eye Orb…?"

Her mind foggy, she squeezed out the last traces of Mana, forming a fleeting shield. It shattered. Her body was empty. *Nothing left.*

"Magic Stones! I can’t hold on!"

Eye Orb shoved every Stone into her palms. Wasteful? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.

Night Frost crushed them. Mana surged. Eye Orb guided her toward the coast. *Awake. Manageable.*

*Heaven never seals all paths!*

Plummeting fast—if they hit land, pulp awaited. But sea? A chance.

"Shape remaining Mana into a cone. Drop weight to break surface tension. Less impact. Hit like this? You’ll be pieces."

No hesitation. Night Frost trusted him. Mana sharpened to a point. Dive. Life or death—now.

Miracles had carried them far. They’d done their part. Now—fate.

"My chest… hurts…"

She cradled Eye Orb. He felt her heart pounding like a pump. Closer to sea and shore—the ache sharpened, weakening her focus.

As the words faded—a crack split open across Night Frost’s chest.