Medical Specialist [222] wasn't wrong.
The Bloodmoon Trial truly is the only chance death-row prisoners get to trade their spirit companions.
Ash stared at the three spirit companions in his hands, and it was almost as if Valkas' cold, sharp face was still etched in his vision.
That blade that pierced his throat had carried five spirit companions Valkas had just unbound. If Ash had been just a fraction slower, or if his consciousness had faded even a second earlier, all five would have escaped. Even as it stood, two had managed to flee. Who knew where they were now—maybe riding finger sharks in Shatterlake, enjoying the taste of freedom.
As for why Valkas had done this? There were too many reasons to count.
Because Ash had defeated him.
Because he wanted to spite Schilling.
Because he felt a twisted gratitude for Ash's final gestures of compassion.
Or maybe he just wanted to stir up chaos for the fun of it.
Whatever the reason, Ash wasn't surprised. A dying elf could do any number of unpredictable things. The only part that caught Ash off guard was Valkas' final move—driving his blade into Ash's throat. It felt personal, like a parting shot in revenge for being taken down in the Death Duel.
But Valkas hadn't just left him with a wound; he'd also left a problem.
Ash hadn't been in this world for long, but he knew one thing for certain: he didn't belong here.
Not that he was trying to fit in.
He couldn't change this world of mages, nor did he intend to let it change him.
This wasn't his home. Everyone he met here was a stranger, and likely always would be.
Sure, the powers of mages were vast and bizarre, and perhaps some miracle existed that could send him back home. But Ash didn't hold out hope. He wasn't the kind of person who needed hope to keep going.
And with the constant threat of the Bloodmoon Trials hanging over his head, along with the suffocating control of Shatterlake Prison, Ash had developed a peculiar mindset: live for the day. Survive one more sunrise.
He'd already crossed dimensions once. Who was to say he couldn't do it again? Maybe this time he'd land in some high-tech world of mechanics instead of magic. The possibilities kept him oddly optimistic, like someone who'd accidentally stumbled into an unpaid vacation.
That same optimism kept him at arm's length from everyone he met. He could sympathize with their struggles, even mourn their deaths, but it never stuck. It was all just a fleeting movie reel in his mind.
"Observer"—that name suited him well.
To watch but not act.
To see but not speak.
To witness but not remember.
He was like a drifting boat, carried by waves, afraid to dock at any shore.
But now, the boat carried a weight—a package he couldn't ignore. A mark etched into his memory.
Even though mages didn't need sleep, Ash felt certain Valkas' final gaze would haunt his thoughts.
Ash didn't feel responsible for Valkas' death, but the gift he'd left behind—those three spirit companions—made Ash feel obligated to repay him.
He didn't like owing anyone, and he didn't like being owed.
He had to escape the prison.
He had to find Schilling.
He had to survive.
If he didn't, it would feel like a betrayal of Valkas' final act—a betrayal of his gift.
And perhaps that was Valkas' true revenge.
At the cost of his life, with death as the ritual, silence as the curse, and spirit companions as bait, Valkas had cursed Ash to keep living.
For a death-row prisoner in Shatterlake, there was no curse more brutal than the command to survive.
"He was a true swordsman," Sonia said after hearing about Ash's bizarre experience in the Bloodmoon Trial. "And a generous elf, too."
"He might have been generous, but he wasn't some saint. Let's not forget, he earned his way into Shatterlake fair and square," Ash replied. "Elf or human, it's not as simple as good versus evil. Only gods and devils embody pure virtue or pure malice. The rest of us—" he shrugged. "We're caught somewhere in the middle."
"All this philosophy… Is this the first time you've seen someone die since you lost your memory?"
Lost his memory? Right, Heath had seen plenty of death. Ash nodded. "It's the first time I've seen someone die right in front of me."
"So, you don't have any intel on swordheart stances either?"
"None."
"Ugh, what a waste!" Sonia glared at the swordheart spirit companion in Ash's hand. "Such a rare spirit companion… and you're going to squander it. But hey, doesn't that mean you're just one spirit companion away from completing the Severing Self miracle?"
"Exactly. If luck's on my side, I might even find it tonight." Ash exhaled slowly. "That would give me the tiniest sliver of hope for escape."
The Severing Self miracle required three specific types of spirit companions. Each type had several viable variants, so it wasn't about finding an exact match. Most miracles could be assembled with substitutes, though the power and scale of the effect might vary.
If spirit companions were building blocks, miracles were the castles they formed. As long as the structure held, it didn't matter if the pieces were cubes, triangles, or cones.
Swordheart and Substitute fit the requirements. Substitute was decent enough, but swordheart? That was like using a diamond to hammer in a nail. Ash doubted the miracle's creator ever imagined someone would use one of the "Five Unrivaled Secret Sword Spirits" in such a way.
With just one more spirit companion, he could unlock Severing Self and cleanse the chip implanted in the back of his neck.
"Escape…" Sonia murmured. "So your real body is in some prison in the Bloodmoon Nation, under constant threat of those Trials… and you've lost all your previous memories…"
No memories of Heath? True.
Ash shot her a puzzled look. "Didn't I already tell you? My body was framed as a cult leader for the Four Pillars God. One raid later, I'm tossed into Shatterlake. Though, let's be real—this frail body of mine practically screams 'scapegoat.'"
A cult leader… and an escape plan forming in his mind. Ash's journey had just begun.
"With your skills, you can't even escape a Bloodmoon Nation prison?" Sonia asked, raising an eyebrow.
"My skills? You do realize I'm useless, right?"
"Ha! Useless? The same 'useless' guy who forced me to challenge Leonie? What does that make me, huh? Some poor fool controlled by a useless puppet master? A disposable toy you're content to keep throwing into danger?"
Though she'd managed to learn the Water Moon miracle by sheer luck, Sonia was still fuming.
Taking on Felix last time was one thing. The gap in their abilities wasn't insurmountable, and she'd at least had a slim chance of winning. But Leonie? That was another story entirely. The gap between them was like night and day. If Leonie hadn't been holding back, Sonia wouldn't have even had the chance to use Water Moon.
This time, she'd been lucky. Next time?
And the time after that?
Sonia knew all too well that the mage world wasn't short on ruthless, cutthroat figures. Young students like her were one thing, but older mages—those who'd spent decades isolated in the harsh wilderness of the virtual realm—were another breed entirely. Time and danger had stripped their morality bare, leaving only hardened, pragmatic survivalists.
For many of them, the line between the virtual realm and reality had blurred. Killing someone in the real world didn't feel any different from defeating an enemy in the virtual. In their minds, murder was just another step in the game—a chance to reap rewards and loot the spoils.
Some even went as far as becoming "Fallen Fiends," unleashing unchecked carnage in reality, treating the world as nothing more than a blood-soaked playground.
While Sonia had begrudgingly accepted the forced training before—convincing herself it was for her own good—she now found herself facing a different beast. Ash wasn't just forcing her into battles; he was making her seek them out. The sheer recklessness of it all had her seriously considering smacking him upside the head—if she could even land a hit.
"Is it really that bad?" Ash asked, trying to defuse the tension.
"It's my life on the line! I'm the one who gets hurt, who risks dying. I'm the only one who gets to decide if it's bad or not!" Sonia glared at him, her voice trembling with barely suppressed frustration. "Do you even care? Or are you just waiting for the day you'll look at my lifeless body and say, 'Oops, maybe I miscalculated'?"
It's not that bad, Ash almost said. After all, you can't really die… or can you?
That thought stopped him cold.
Could Sonia die?
Mobile games sometimes had mechanics where characters could die permanently, often as part of a cynical cash grab to sell revival items. What if this world wasn't any different?
And Sonia had always maintained that she wasn't some figment of his imagination. She was a real person, with her own life, her own friends, and her own struggles. If she truly was real—then wasn't her existence the very opposite of eternal?
Even if she could somehow come back after a "death," would she still be the same Sonia? Would she be the same sharp, fiery girl he'd come to know?
Ash couldn't afford to take that chance. He wasn't just relying on Sonia for strength. She was the only one he trusted, the only one he could confide in.
Even a small boat felt too empty with only one person aboard.
"You're right," Ash finally said, his tone softening. "I'm sorry. You deserve better."
His words seemed to catch her off guard.
"But you have to know, I've only been pushing you because I believe in you. If I hadn't, would you have unlocked Water Moon so quickly?"
"And what does that have to do with your meddling?"
"I knew the fight with… uh… Ray-something would force you to awaken. You'd feel that gap in power and tap into your potential. Plus, I knew you weren't in any real danger. I had it all planned out."
"You don't even remember her name!" Sonia snapped.
"That's not the point! The point is, I've been looking out for you. Every move I've made has been calculated to help you grow without putting you in harm's way."
Sonia shot him a skeptical look, but Ash sighed and tried again. "Fine. Here's the deal. From now on, if I think you're going into something too dangerous, I'll talk to you about it first. Deal?"
That gave her pause. She crossed her arms and mulled it over. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. At least he was willing to meet her halfway. If she could get him to compromise once, she could do it again. Sooner or later, she'd have him wrapped around her finger.
"Alright," she relented. "But don't think for a second I'm letting my guard down."
Ash nodded, relieved.
If Sonia had known that his definition of "dangerous" was based entirely on event card descriptions, she might not have been so quick to agree.
"Wait," Sonia asked suddenly, narrowing her eyes. "How did you find me?"
"I used the Truth Gate you left behind to enter the virtual realm," Ash explained. "Then I followed your trail. Simple."
When Ash had returned to his cell, the status screen showed Sonia still exploring the virtual realm. While he'd assumed he'd missed the boat, the "Join Midway" option had saved him. It didn't drop him directly beside her, but it got him close enough to catch up.
Sonia didn't seem particularly surprised he'd found her, but her brow furrowed. "Still… I was wandering around for nearly two hours. How did you find me so quickly?"
"Two hours? You were only one zone away from the starting point. I reached you in, what, a minute or two?"
"That's impossible!"
"Why would I lie? Unless… wait, don't tell me… were you just wandering in circles this whole time?"
Sonia blinked, then calmly sat down, turning her gaze to the hazy distance. "I was… exploring thoroughly. I didn't want to miss anything important."
If her face weren't bright red, Ash might've believed her.
Suppressing a laugh, he opened his virtual map. Thanks to the Vision Lens, he had a 24-zone radius of visibility. Most areas were marked as "Pointless Effort," but one glittering icon caught his eye.
"Do you know what 'Vortex' means?" he asked.
Sonia's eyes widened. "You found a Vortex?"
"Yeah, I think so—"
"Then go! Go now!" she all but screamed, grabbing his arm and shaking him like a madwoman. "If we're lucky, we might finally get a shot at forming our Silver Wings tonight!"