Swen stopped the moment she saw the small flame in Shinju's palm—not Yang… but Yin.
Her eyes narrowed.
Without saying a word, she stepped closer to him.
For a while, she just watched.
Then she spoke in a low voice:
"Interesting…"
Shinju didn't look away.
"You did that without meaning to."
A brief pause.
"That… isn't something learned."
Shinju's brows furrowed.
Swen continued, her voice clearer this time:
"No living being reaches a point where they truly want to erase themselves.""Not humans… not beasts… not even dragons."
Her gaze locked onto him.
"No matter how broken you are… there's always something left.""Something that holds on."
A short silence.
"But you don't have that."
Shinju's eyes darkened.
Swen tilted her head slightly.
"You didn't learn to use Yin.""You learned to think like it."
She took another step closer.
"Materializing Yin isn't a technique.""It's not something you can be taught."
Her eyes sharpened.
"No one could do it except the Lord of Darkness.""And now… there's you."
Shinju's fingers trembled slightly.
Swen noticed—but continued.
"When the mind understands something at that level…""it stops thinking."
She tapped her chest lightly.
"It becomes reflex.""Like walking.""Like breathing."
Her gaze dropped to his hands again.
"That's why, for you… Yin…""is as easy as breathing."
Then she added slowly:
"And Yang is the opposite."
A brief silence.
"Whatever Yin is… Yang stands against it.""And you… have been Yin for years."
Another pause.
"It's become part of your body."
That line sank into Shinju.
He spoke slowly:
"So…"
He hesitated.
"My nature…"
The word was hard to say.
"…is destruction?"
Swen didn't answer.
Shinju's voice dropped even lower:
"Then…""what makes me any different from those monsters?"
The question hung in the air.
No one answered.
Swen stayed silent.Aurelia stayed silent.
Koharu moved.
Slowly.
She stepped in front of Shinju.
Stopped.
For a moment, she said nothing.
She just looked at him.
Shinju tried to look away…but couldn't.
Koharu tilted her head slightly.
"Are you really asking that?"
Her voice was calm.
But there was something in it.
Shinju didn't answer.
Koharu stepped closer.
Her eyes never left his.
"If that were true…"
She paused.
"you wouldn't be asking that."
She placed her hand on his chest.
This time, she didn't look away.
"You know…" she said softly,"I can see your heart."
Shinju stayed silent.
Koharu continued, carefully choosing her words:
"Your mind might be confused.""Even you might not understand yourself."
A brief pause.
"But your heart…"
Her fingers pressed lightly.
"…is completely pure."
Shinju's breathing grew heavier.
Koharu's voice softened further:
"So don't put yourself in the same place as them."
A short look.
"You're not."
Her hand remained over his heart.
Her words settled the chaos inside him.
Shinju froze.
The warmth spreading from her hand into his chest…
wasn't unfamiliar.
That feeling…
His eyes drifted into the distance.
Then—
he remembered.
Michael's Spear…
The moment it pierced his chest.
That second when he stood face to face with death.
And yet—
there was no fear.
Only—
peace.
Now that same feeling…
was back.
Koharu's hand was still over his heart.
Shinju's breathing slowed.
So… that's it…
It wasn't power that allowed him to absorb the spear.
It was…
the stillness of his heart.
The first time he had ever truly felt at peace.
His eyes returned to Koharu.
This time, they were clear.
The chaos inside him…
had finally settled.
Yang…
It's not unreachable.
Tears slid down his face.
He didn't wipe them away.
"Because of you…""I'm sure now."
A brief pause.
"As long as you're with me…"
His gaze hardened—not with darkness, but resolve.
"I won't ever fall to that cursed power."
Swen stepped in.
"As far as I know, Yin isn't something you learn through training or techniques.""But Yang is."
She shrugged.
"It'll be hard for you. It's the complete opposite of your nature.""But technically… you can learn it."
Shinju clenched his fist.
"So… if I keep trying…""I can reach Yang."
His voice steadied.
"No matter what… I have to get stronger."
Shinju immediately began practicing.
He searched for something in his mind.
Not destruction.
Creation.
Even that thought felt foreign.
His mind went blank.
Create something…
How?
Calling darkness was easy.
He knew how to do that.
But this…
This was completely different.
A spark…
He tried to imagine a small light.
Warm.
Alive.
Fragile.
But his mind resisted.
Every time—
darkness came instead of light.
No…
Not this…
He slowed his breathing.
Didn't force it.
Just tried to feel.
Something had to be born.
Even something small.
A beginning—
For a brief moment—
there was a faint movement between his palms.
Shinju's heart skipped.
This…
But then—
it vanished.
Nothing.
Empty.
His fingers tightened slightly.
"...Damn it. It's not working."
Swen laughed.
"If you master Yang in a single day…""that'd be unfair to the entire universe."
Aurelia, who had been watching quietly, finally spoke:
"That's enough."
Her voice was calm, but firm.
"This isn't something you force.""That spark… will appear when the time comes."
A short pause.
"We have a long journey ahead.""Save your strength."