When Ray finished talking to Lily, his body crumpled to the ground. During combat, he had ignored his pain entirely, but now in the aftermath, it struck him with the force of a freight train. The catastrophic damage from overusing star power had left his limbs shattered.
Though he collapsed hard, Ray immediately attempted to mend his bones with Star energy. It worked partially—some bones knitted together and several organs improved, but certain injuries remained beyond his healing capabilities.
His star core, nestled close to his heart, had sustained damage. Though the crack appeared tiny, its implications were severe. Absorbing star energy now would allow it to leak into his body, causing devastating harm. Star energy was designed to remain contained within the core for those capable of wielding it.
Like all specialized abilities, power required a core for containment. When that vessel cracked, the leaking energy could ravage organs, bones, muscles—everything essential for survival.
Ray had always visualized his STAR core residing near his heart, but this assumption proved incorrect. It existed within his mind. During meditation, with eyes closed, he could examine its condition directly.
A fissure ran straight down the middle of his star core. The core gleamed with a yellowish brightness—a blinding white light reminiscent of a true celestial body. Not literally, of course; an actual star inside his physical form would have incinerated him instantly.
The star core occupied a corner of his consciousness, allowing him to draw energy from it or replenish it. He wondered if he could heal the core using Star energy itself. Though skeptical of success, attempting something seemed preferable to remaining idle and helpless.
Michael released a deep sigh, breaking the silence. "That was... that was insane," he said, his voice quavering slightly.
He smiled wistfully, imagining Jacob's potential remarks if he were still alive. "You didn't even help... you just sat there doing nothing," the phantom voice echoed in his mind.
These words tormented Michael. Instead of assisting Ray, he had merely absorbed a beating and dispatched a few Shadow minions—actions that hadn't helped but rather complicated their situation. Was he truly valuable to the team? He felt everyone would function perfectly without him; he was merely an obstacle. They constantly had to rescue him. Had he attempted to fight the beast alongside them, he likely would have perished.
He had frozen when the shadow humanoid beast with blades approached, and when the beast king attacked, he'd only been thrashed and complicated matters further.
Lily initially panicked when Ray collapsed, but her worried expression vanished once she realized he had healed himself using Star energy.
Damien, still using chains as makeshift prosthetic legs, surveyed their surroundings. "Have to say, that was pretty intense," he remarked, exhaustion evident beneath his casual tone.
Shadow had vanished, and Awana remained absent, still gathering additional weapons. The beast king lay dead, its massive form sprawled across the clearing.
"I'm hungry. Haven't eaten in ages," Damien announced. "Wonder if we can cook the beast king's meat for food?"
"I wouldn't recommend it," Michael cautioned. "Who knows if it's poisonous or might harm our bodies? But if you're determined, go ahead. I won't stop you."
"You make a good point," Damien conceded, then shrugged. "Well, what do we eat then?"
"I don't know," Michael admitted reluctantly.
"Okay, fine then—beast meat it is," Damien declared, departing into the Shadow Forest alone.
Everyone caught their breath in the aftermath. While Damien hunted for beast meat, Michael contemplated his usefulness, and Lily and Ray chatted animatedly, finding comfort in each other's company as always.
Awana soon returned, his eyes widening at the carnage. Beast king flesh littered the entire area. "What in the world happened here?" he asked, visibly shaken.
"Oh, about that—we killed the beast king while you were gone hoarding weapons, not even caring if we lived or died," Michael replied bitterly.
"I thought you were supposed to be calm, logical, and observant. Since when did you become so hateful?" Awana challenged.
"I just... I just want to be useful," Michael confessed, vulnerability breaking through his facade.
"Listen, man, you're the only reason we know about these trusts in the first place," Awana said earnestly. "You're the only reason we didn't just perish when we needed insight. Your knowledge exceeds ours, and you explain things better than any of us. We might be skilled fighters, but if something complex confronted us without you present, we'd likely die before figuring it out. With you around, I'm certain we'd survive."
"I'm pretty sure you would survive," Awana added softly.
Michael sighed. "Well, if all I'm good for is helping you remember things or providing insight, what use am I when you actually need help fighting?"
Awana exhaled deeply. "Listen, we can handle fighting on our own. If you want to join in, go right ahead."
"I noticed you're pondering over what Jacob said before he entered that loop," Awana continued, offering a gentle smile toward Michael. "He told you that when we fought that scavenger Shadow monster, you didn't help. Honestly, he was right, but I wanted you to use that as fuel to contribute more often."
"Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it," Michael replied with a genuine smile.
"No problem. I always have your back, you know that, right? My entire personality isn't just hoarding weapons, even though I enjoy doing it," Awana said, smiling. "Though some people might think that way."
Damien finally returned with some monster meat. "It's black, but what did you expect? This place is probably made of shadows anyway. Did anyone think we'd find regular meat? Anyway, does anyone know how to make a fire?"
"Aren't you the novel enthusiast? Didn't some fantasy book teach you how to make a fire?" Michael asked.
"Well, you're the knowledgeable one, right?" Damien retorted.
"Just because I found a letter before we were taken doesn't make me knowledgeable," Michael shot back. "It just means I know more than you guys because I coincidentally found that letter. Without it, I'd be just as clueless."
"Whatever," Damien muttered. "Awana, do you know how to make a fire?"
"Sure I do," he replied, walking off to gather sticks before quickly lighting a large flame.
"That was fast," Michael remarked.
"Indeed," Awana said with a smile.
Soon Shadow appeared near them. Damien glanced at the figure.
"For a second I thought you were dead. We haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"
"Killing," Shadow stated simply.
"What else would you expect from an assassin trapped in a dark realm? It's the perfect place to eliminate people and creatures," Damien observed.
Meanwhile, Ray focused on the mental image of his cracked core. "I don't think I should absorb more stardust energy," he thought. "If I do, who knows what might leak from the core? Perhaps I should test if Star energy can heal my core, or if it will mend on its own. If I wait for natural healing, I'll be too cautious to absorb stardust energy, fearing leakage. Without Star energy, I'd be defenseless. If Lily gets hurt because of that—" He stopped abruptly. "No, I can't let her suffer again. I don't care if my organs get damaged."
He began absorbing Star energy, attempting to heal the cracked core, but his efforts proved futile. The core would need to heal naturally. Some Star energy leaked out, attacking his organs, but he quickly expelled it from his body.
Lily approached Ray, noticing him cross-legged on the ground with closed eyes. She understood he was likely examining his magical core in the mental plane. Though he possessed a hardened body, that was a generic skill—everyone in their world had magic. She had believed leaving the trials would strip away their gifts, which was partially correct, but Ray's body had created the star core that would retain stardust energy even if they returned home. Similarly, Lily possessed her light core, currently not at full capacity since she wasn't fighting.
She decided against interrupting him, sitting down instead to close her eyes and attempt to manipulate her own core.
"Wait, why is there ash here? Did someone die?" Awana asked with concern.
Michael and Damien exchanged smirks. "Oh, you want to know who that is?" Damien taunted. "It's Jacob. You heard it first—Jacob is finally dead." He clapped his hands and jumped excitedly.
"Finally! I'm tired of him making me feel useless and weak," Damien continued with a smirk. "Now look at him—just a pile of ash. I survived when he thought I'd be the first to fall."
"Shut up," Michael snapped. "Death can claim any of us at any time. I wouldn't boast if I were you. Don't tempt fate."
"Fine," Damien conceded, turning his attention back to the forgotten monster meat and the still-burning fire. He held the black meat directly over the flames with his bare hands, allowing sparks to singe his skin.
"Keep your hand away from the fire, you fool! What are you thinking?" Michael exclaimed.
"We don't have anything to hold the meat with, and I don't have gloves," Damien explained. "I'm doing this the old-fashioned way."
Awana sighed. "You should have let me handle this," he muttered. "Now you'll burn yourself through sheer stupidity. I thought those fantasy novels might have improved your thinking, but apparently not."
Damien, not hearing the criticism, continued scorching his hand while holding the black meat against the flames. As the temperature rose and his hand began to burn, he dropped the meat directly into the fire.
"You absolute idiot!" Awana cried out. "Do you realize what you've done? The meat will be charred beyond edibility! I should have known better than to let you handle this. When you cook something, it gets hot. When your hand touches hot things, it hurts. When you're in pain, you drop whatever you're holding. Do you possess any common sense whatsoever?"
"Hey, I didn't mean to! No need to overreact," Damien protested.
"Go find more meat and give it to me when you return. Stop doing foolish things that harm our group," Awana commanded.
Damien hurried off to hunt for more meat while Ray and Lily remained focused on their cores.
Ray's magical star core, acquired from his second gift of Star energy, was healing gradually—just a single centimeter in nearly thirteen minutes. But as it mended, he vowed that nothing would prevent him from getting Lily and himself back home.