Solwyn looked around the dark cube they were in. "So… how bad is that?"
This wasn't Sol's first time dealing with the void, as he had once obtained the void root, which was outfitted into a powerful weapon that saved him a few times, but he didn't know much beyond that. All he really knew was that the void erased anything it came into contact with and that it was extremely hard to control, which was why Fabio was only able to make the Tynamo Cannon that could release it only in beams.
Reena sat down slowly, her voice hollow. "It's bad. Real bad. The void wasn't meant to be entered. The void destroys anything foreign like us."
Solwyn nodded along but found the situation still odd. "Huh… then why aren't we dead? Shouldn't we have been erased by the void already?"
"I… don't know." Reena paused as her gaze fell onto the murky floor beneath. But as the floor swirled underneath her, the answer came to her. "I see! That's why the divine spell is called [Dimensional Banishment]!"
She tapped on the floor, causing small ripples through the black ground beneath them. She raised her head with joy and explained, "The spell was not meant to kill the target, but to restrain them and keep them in this prison that's outside of any dimension, where they cannot be any threat to either the originating dimension or any other place they could have been sent to instead. But because the void would harm anything not a part of it, this room was created. The walls and floor around us replicate the natural boundaries of dimensions that prevent the void from coming inside. In other words, this is like a mini dimension!"
Seeing her joyous expression, Solwyn asked, "How can this help us get back then? In under eight minutes?"
[8:12]
The timer continued to tick down silently, but it was still at the forefront of their minds.
"Yeah!" Reena nodded enthusiastically, finally having hope. "Because this mini dimension is still tied to where we came from! Think about it, there is no concept of space in the void, so how does this room exist? That's because it draws space from our home to maintain itself. It's not too different from using a straw to breathe underwater." But as she explained, her smile slowly morphed into a frown. "But that straw is likely too small for me to use to open a portal, since it's only meant to maintain the prison… So the only way for us to get back… is to go outside and push the room closer to our dimension. I can then draw space from there and open a way back."
Another obstacle appeared in their way. They were in the void, and it was too dangerous to go outside. Reena had already said it before, the void was dangerous. Dangerous to anything foreign to it. Going outside was suicidal.
She fell silent, her thoughts running in circles. She searched for any other alternative. But there was nothing. The only path forward required someone stepping out into the nothingness.
Solwyn looked at her, then at the rippling black walls, then back at her again.
Calmly they told her. "If that's the case, release me. I'll go outside."
Reena's eyes widened in shock. "What? Are you insane?" She snapped. "Do you not understand what that means? Going out there—you'll die!"
Solwyn nodded solemnly. "Probably." They admitted. "But I'd rather go and try than sit here and wait for the timer to kill us all."
[7:26]
They gestured to the chains encasing their entire body. "So? Will you release me?"
Reena hesitated. Her grip tightened at her sides. She had agreed to work with them—for survival. But now that they were asking to be freed, a different fear surfaced. She didn't trust them. What if they turned on her? What if the moment the chains were off, they attacked her? She was cautious as she had heard too many stories of such events happening.
She bit her lip. Her eyes flicked toward the timer again.
[7:12]
"...Screw it." She muttered. She took a deep breath and walked up to Solwyn, placing her hands lightly on the magical bindings.
This was still her spell, even if she didn't fully understand it. She couldn't fully control it, but she knew how to make it do certain things. The chains shimmered under her touch, and one by one, they began to dissolve, fading into a misty light before vanishing completely.
Solwyn rolled his shoulders and stretched their arms out wide. "Much better. You may not believe this but the chains were rather uncomfortable."
They took a single step toward her, and Reena flinched, pulling back instinctively.
But Solwyn didn't even look at her. He just walked past and approached the wall.
He glanced over his shoulder. "How do I get out?"
Reena exhaled, her nerves still on edge. She walked toward the wall and placed her palm against it. The surface, once firm, rippled outward in gentle waves like disturbed water. "The wall's still there." She said, "But it should let you pass through now."
Solwyn nodded. Cautiously, they reached out, and extended their arm into the void beyond.
The sensation was immediate.
A wave of searing pain engulfed their arm. They yanked it back instantly with a sharp hiss. Their fur had been stripped clean off, and their skin beneath was covered in blistering black burns that hissed and sizzled.
Amber rushed to his side upon seeing the burns.
"I'm fine." They said with a pained smile trying to assure her it's fine. But when they inspected the damage, they couldn't help but frown. "It's not as bad as a void energy beam from the Tynamo Cannon… but it can definitely hurt. Not unlike jumping into a pool of lava."
He flexed his injured arm that could already be seen regenerating as some fur had already sprouted back. "I won't last long out there."
Reena looked stricken. "Even like this, you can't survive it…?"
"No. Not for long. And if I'm not even able to endure it in this fused state…" Solwyn trailed off, clearly weighing something.
There was one thing left.
He closed his eyes.
Sol spoke to Thorwyn. 'You know what I'm thinking.'
'I do.' Thorwyn's voice echoed back through their shared mindspace, steady and grim.
'I don't know what will happen if we use it while fused.' Solwyn admitted. 'But it's all we've got left. If something goes wrong… can you help keep me in check?'
Thorwyn didn't hesitate. 'Yes.'
Solwyn opened their eyes. The decision was made.
[6:23]
Their body shifted as a low growl rumbled from deep within. A wave of energy rippled outward, thick and oppressive, warping the very air around him. A storm of pressure radiated off his form, growing heavier by the second.
Amber took a step back as her instincts screamed at her to run away.
Reena staggered, her knees buckling under the weight of the energy. "What—what's happening to them?!"
No one answered her, but at that moment, Solwyn activated his most powerful law technique.
[Draconification]