NOVEL WEB Chapter 149: The Fading Halo
Location: Abyssal Rift Site – Northern Argana Wastes
A blackened sky loomed overhead, churning with residual Ether. Five Integral Knights stood at the cliff's edge, staring down into a writhing pit of corrupted terrain and distorted Abyssal energy.
Eun-Ha led the vanguard—Solmaria glowing dimly in her grip.
Behind her: Cyg, Astron, Zayne, and Mia.
"We descend in pairs," Eun-Ha commanded, her voice unusually clipped. "Standard containment. No engagement unless absolutely necessary."
Astron raised an eyebrow, eyeing the low frequency flickering around her Cross Staff.
"Eun-Ha, your output is unstable. Let me take point—"
"No." She cut him off. "I've mapped the Rift. I know what's below."
Zayne exchanged a glance with Cyg.
Mia, silently scanning Abyssal signatures, muttered,
"Something's wrong down there. This feels like a trap."
Eun-Ha didn't reply. She had already leapt.
Within the Rift – Abyssal Sanctum
The terrain was shifting constantly—walls bleeding black mist, platforms crumbling, time and space distorting in waves. Eun-Ha moved forward steadily, but something was wrong.
Her vision blurred. Her hands trembled.
"Solmaria… stabilize."
The staff pulsed faintly, but its response was weak.
She gritted her teeth, pressing deeper into the core, following the divine signal buried beneath layers of Abyss corruption. Her Ether control—usually pristine—began to unravel like threads fraying under strain.
And then—
She saw her.
A ghostly mirage of the boy from Daerim village, standing in the core, bleeding from the eyes, whispering:
"You never saved me…"
"No," Eun-Ha whispered, backing away. "You're not real."
"Then why do I still scream in your dreams?"
Location: Surface – 7 Minutes Earlier
Cyg moved quickly, descending after her despite orders. His gut twisted with unease. He had seen this look in her eyes before—on a day when everything had crumbled.
"She's pushing too deep," he told Astron, who nodded gravely.
"Her divine signature is weakening," Mia added. "If it drops another 8%, her cross artifact will shut down."
Zayne cracked his knuckles.
"Then we go now."
They didn't wait for approval.
Back Within the Rift
Eun-Ha dropped to one knee. Solmaria flickered—her once-angelic staff now cracked along the central gem.
Her breathing ragged.
"I won't… I won't fall again…"
The illusions pressed harder—visions of fire, of silence, of guilt. Her past folding in on itself. The light of Solmaria faded…
Until another light joined it.
A firm hand grasped her wrist.
"You're not alone."
Cyg.
"I told you I'd catch you, didn't I?"
She trembled. Her voice broke.
"I can't… hold it anymore…"
"Then let me help."
He didn't say it with grandeur. Just simple, quiet conviction.
Cyg placed his hand over Solmaria. His Ether merged into her stream—stabilizing it through Duo Resonance. Their linked ability flared—light and ice forming a glowing lattice between them.
The Rift began to shake violently.
Mia's voice buzzed through the comms.
"Abyssal fusion breach! Get out of there now!"
Astron and Zayne fought off a swarm of Lesser Voidlings as the center pulsed.
Final Moments – Collapse Point
With Cyg's help, Eun-Ha rose. Solmaria shimmered back to life, blazing with renewed force.
She extended the staff—and spoke softly.
"Divine Seal: Sanctum Requiem."
A cross of golden-white light exploded from the tip, cleansing the core with a sonic boom of divine purity. The Rift shattered around them, and in the chaos, she fell—
Right into Cyg's arms.
Later That Night – Gaia HQ Medical Wing
Eun-Ha stirred, eyes opening to soft lighting and the familiar scent of field sterilizer.
Cyg sat beside her, arms crossed, eyes tired but steady.
"You're awake."
She nodded weakly.
"You risked everything."
"So did you."
They sat in silence. Then:
"Did you mean it?" she whispered.
He blinked. "Mean what?"
"That you'd catch me."
He leaned forward, gently taking her hand.
"Always."
And for the first time in a long time, Eun-Ha let herself cry.
Not from guilt.
But from release.