As they began descending the mountain, the air grew colder.The wind sharpened.
The sky was slowly darkening.
Swen rummaged through her bag.Three small, golden pills appeared between her fingers.
Without saying anything, she held them out to Aurelia and Koharu.
Both looked at them in surprise.Shinju frowned.
"What are those? And why aren't you giving me one?"
Swen didn't hesitate.
"You don't need them, Shinju."
She rolled the pills between her fingers.A faint golden glow spread around them.
"Elysium Pills.They extend life and protect the body from external conditions.I used the remaining essence."
Koharu lifted one of the pills toward the light.
"What exactly do they do?"
Swen kept walking, her gaze briefly shifting to the sky.
"In space, Yin density is extremely high.You wouldn't last even a minute.These pills… balance that pressure."
A short pause.
"They maintain Yang equilibrium.They suppress Yin's decay."
Koharu frowned.
"Wouldn't it be better to use the Elysium essence directly?"
Swen rolled her eyes.
"If you try to drink it, your veins will burn."
She glanced briefly at Shinju.
"He's the only one who can handle that."
Then she turned back to Koharu.
"By converting it into pill form… I made it something your body can withstand."
Aurelia examined the pill in her hand.
"So… something this small can even protect a dragon?"
Swen nodded.
"Especially you.Because you're a Yang being."
A slight smirk.
"Sorry… a dragon."
"Yin would corrode you faster than anyone else."
Koharu smiled faintly.
"So without these… we can't enter the Void?"
"You can," Swen said flatly."But it won't last long."
She paused for a moment, then added:
"The place where the second Spear of Mikail lies… is pure Void.Without these pills… you won't survive there."
Shinju remained silent.His eyes were fixed on a distant point on the horizon.
Swen spoke without looking at him.
"We're already searching for Yin for your sake, Shinju.You don't need these."
A brief pause.
"But for us… this is life."
Aurelia closed her hand around the pill.
She didn't speak for a while.
"…Strange," she said at last."For the first time in a thousand years… I feel hope."
Koharu turned to Swen, a faint smile forming.
"When I first entered the Void… my body started to rot.You're amazing."
A short pause, then she added:
"'The most intelligent alchemist in the universe'… isn't just a title, huh?"
Swen laughed.
"I don't give up my titles easily, princess."
Shinju lifted his head.His eyes were on the darkening sky.
"The Void…"
His voice was low.
"What's waiting for us there… isn't just Yin."