Lady Valor continued speaking.
"According to our oldest records..."
She paused.
Her expression became unusually serious.
"Mystic Jade is an Elite creature."
Sarah's eyebrows rose.
"An Elite?"
Lady Valor nodded.
"Yes."
"But Mystic Jade wasn't originally from the Night Nation."
Sarah listened carefully.
"It belonged to the Ocean Nation."
"The records say it was once the beloved pet of the Night God."
Sarah blinked.
"The Night God had a pet?"
Lord Morgan nodded.
"We have never seen the Night God ourselves."
"Almost everything we know about that existence comes from ancient records."
"But the stories agree on one thing."
"Mystic Jade was special."
Lady Valor looked toward the black gemstone resting on the table.
"It was always surrounded by darkness."
"Not ordinary darkness."
"The darkness of night itself."
"According to the records, the Night God would often caress Mystic Jade beneath the night sky."
"The darkness responded to the creature."
"It protected it."
"It strengthened it."
"And eventually..."
"Mystic Jade became deeply connected to the Night God's power."
Sarah frowned.
"So what happened?"
Lady Valor's expression darkened.
"Then the Night God died."
Silence filled the room.
"After that..."
"Mystic Jade changed."
"It became wild."
"Untamed."
"Nobody could control it anymore."
Sarah slowly sat back down.
"And because it was a water-element creature..."
Lord Morgan continued the explanation.
"The Ocean Nation took responsibility for it."
"They locked Mystic Jade away."
"Not because they hated it."
"But because they were afraid of what would happen if it escaped."
Sarah's eyes narrowed.
"So the creature is still alive?"
"We believe so."
"Some records suggest that it survived long after the Night God disappeared."
"But nobody in the Night Nation has ever seen it."
Sarah remained silent for several seconds.
Then another thought occurred to her.
"If Mystic Jade is an Elite creature..."
She looked between Lady Valor and Lord Morgan.
"Why can't you simply find the creature yourselves?"
The room became quiet.
Lord Morgan's expression immediately became serious.
"Because you're forgetting something."
Sarah frowned.
"What?"
"Corruption."
The word alone changed the atmosphere.
Lord Morgan stepped away from the door and walked closer.
"You know what corruption does."
Sarah nodded slowly.
"It destroys the mind."
"It changes the body."
"It can turn someone into a monster."
Lord Morgan shook his head.
"That's only part of it."
"The Night Nation has an even greater problem."
Sarah listened.
"We possess an affinity toward darkness."
"Our people cultivate darkness."
"Our abilities interact with it."
"Our entire civilization has developed around it."
"That makes us powerful in the lower regions..."
"But it also makes us vulnerable."
Sarah's eyes narrowed.
"Vulnerable to corruption?"
"Exactly."
Lord Morgan nodded.
"Remember..."
"Corruption wasn't born directly from the Void."
Sarah frowned.
"Then where did it come from?"
Lord Morgan's expression became solemn.
"From the darkness of the Void."
Sarah's eyes widened slightly.
"The Void itself contains darkness."
"And corruption carries that darkness."
"That is why it can infect us so easily."
Lady Valor continued.
"If we fight corrupted creatures directly..."
"...we risk allowing that darkness to enter our bodies."
"And once corruption takes root..."
She paused.
"...the entire Night Nation could be doomed."
Sarah slowly looked down.
"So even though you're stronger than most people here..."
"...you can't simply go upstairs and fight them."
Lord Morgan shook his head.
"We could."
"But the cost would be too high."
"Every battle would carry the possibility of corruption."
"And if Lady Valor and I were corrupted..."
He looked around the room.
"Who would protect the others?"
Sarah finally understood.
They weren't afraid of fighting.
They were afraid of what happened after the fighting.
Their greatest enemies weren't simply stronger than them.
They possessed an element that directly threatened the Night Nation's way of life.
Lady Valor gently placed her hand on Sarah's shoulder.
"We aren't doing this because we want to become heroes."
"We're doing it because the people here need to survive."
"We need a path that doesn't depend entirely on us."
Lord Morgan nodded.
"Even if Lady Valor and I eventually disappear..."
"The Night Nation must continue."
Sarah looked at them.
For the first time, she understood why they had approached her privately.
They weren't simply asking for help.
They were preparing for a future without themselves.
Sarah took a slow breath.
"But..."
She looked down at her own hands.
"I'm a shadow user."
"My abilities are connected to darkness too."
"Wouldn't that make me vulnerable?"
Lady Valor suddenly smiled.
A small smile.
Almost amused.
"Don't be funny."
Sarah blinked.
Lord Morgan chuckled quietly.
Lady Valor continued.
"Shadows are different."
"Your shadow power is connected to the Blood God."
Sarah's expression changed.
"The Blood God?"
Lady Valor nodded.
"Blood and shadow are not the same as the darkness of the Void."
"The Blood God possessed an extraordinary resistance to corruption."
"That resistance was passed down through his powers."
"Because of that..."
"Shadow users possess a degree of protection against corruption."
Sarah stared.
"So unlike the Night Nation..."
Lady Valor nodded.
"You aren't completely exposed."
"That doesn't make you immune."
"Never make the mistake of thinking you are."
"But you have an advantage that we don't."
Sarah slowly understood.
The difference wasn't simply the element they controlled.
It was the origin of that power.
Night darkness came from one source.
Shadow came from another.
They might appear similar...
But they were fundamentally different.
Sarah sighed.
"So that's why you chose me."
Lady Valor didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she glanced toward Lord Morgan.
He gave a small nod.
Sarah noticed.
"There's something else."
She folded her arms.
"Why train only girls?"
"Why not train everyone in the Night Nation?"
Lord Morgan smiled faintly.
"Because that is the tradition of the Night God."
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Tradition?"
He nodded.
"For generations, the Night Nation has selected young women and trained them as protectors."
"They are taught combat."
"Essence control."
"Night techniques."
"Survival."
"And the secrets passed down from one generation to another."
Sarah glanced toward the door.
"And the men?"
"They train too."
Lord Morgan shrugged.
"Everyone has their own path."
"Some join the military."
"Some become hunters."
"Some become craftsmen."
"Some study cultivation."
"The girls chosen for this tradition simply receive a different form of training."
Lady Valor smiled.
"I was one of those girls."
Sarah looked at her.
"You?"
Lady Valor nodded.
"I was selected when I was young."
"I trained."
"I survived."
"And eventually..."
"I became one of the people responsible for protecting this nation."
Sarah stared at her with renewed respect.
"So you understand exactly what I'm going through."
Lady Valor smiled.
"Better than you think."
She paused.
"That's why I'm giving you time."
Sarah frowned.
"Time?"
"You have three months."
"Three months?"
Lady Valor nodded.
"Three months to cultivate."
"Three months to strengthen your body."
"Three months to learn how to control your shadow power more precisely."
"Three months to prepare yourself for the Dark Abyss."
Sarah's eyes became serious.
"And after that?"
Lady Valor's expression hardened.
"After three months..."
"We will discuss the plan."
Lord Morgan nodded.
"And then..."
"We put it into action."
Sarah's heart began beating faster.
The Dark Abyss.
The corrupted creatures.
The Fire Nation.
Mystic Jade.
Everything suddenly felt connected.
Lady Valor looked directly into Sarah's eyes.
"Use these three months wisely."
"Don't waste them."
"You don't want to discover what corruption feels like."
Sarah remained silent.
Lady Valor's voice softened.
"You are our only hope..."
She paused.
"...apart from Mystic Jade."
Those words settled heavily inside Sarah's heart.
Only hope.
The responsibility suddenly felt enormous.
But Sarah didn't look away.
Instead, she slowly nodded.
"I understand."
Lady Valor stood.
Lord Morgan followed.
The conversation was over.
Sarah immediately stood and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you."
Lady Valor smiled.
"Don't thank us yet."
"We still have a long way to go."
Lord Morgan opened the door.
Lady Valor paused beside him.
Then looked back at Sarah one final time.
"Three months."
"Remember."
Sarah nodded.
"I won't forget."
The two left.
The door slowly closed behind them.
Click.
Silence returned.
Sarah remained standing for several seconds.
Then she finally released the breath she had been holding.
She looked toward the black gemstone on the table.
A small smile appeared.
"Finally..."
"I'm getting somewhere."
For two months, she had been trapped inside this strange Trial.
She had obeyed.
Survived.
Learned.
Waited.
But now...
She finally had a lead.
It was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
She might have to ascend the Dark Abyss.
She might have to face corrupted creatures.
She might even encounter the Fire Nation.
And somehow...
She might become involved with an Elite creature called Mystic Jade.
Yet having a dangerous path was still better than having no path at all.
Sarah walked back toward the bed.
She sat down.
Then placed the black gemstone between both palms.
Her expression became serious.
"Three months."
"I need to become stronger."
She slowly crossed her legs.
Her breathing became steady.
Her eyes closed.
Then she began cultivating.
The moment Sarah circulated her essence...
The black gemstone reacted.
A dark stream of energy emerged from its center.
It entered her palm.
Then traveled through her arm.
Into her chest.
And finally...
Into her core.
Sarah's expression changed.
The darkness was cold.
But it wasn't hostile.
It felt strangely familiar.
Almost like a distant voice calling from somewhere she couldn't reach.
Her breathing slowed.
The gemstone gradually became brighter.
Then—
A faint crack appeared across its surface.
Sarah's eyes remained closed.
She didn't notice.
Inside her Soul Core...
A tiny fragment of darkness slowly formed.
And somewhere deep within that darkness...
Something seemed to awaken.