Shinju and Koharu looked as if they were in a deep sleep.
Swen glanced again at the orb in her hand. She was certain—the spear had to be inside one of them.
Carefully, she stepped closer to the two.
She crouched down, eyes scanning every detail.
Around Koharu and Shinju… there was nothing resembling a spear.
> "Where is it…" she whispered.
"Small enough to fit in a pocket, maybe?"
Just then, a tiny pebble beneath her foot shifted.
Crack!
Swen's heart nearly stopped.
> "Damn it…" she muttered under her breath.
But before she could even breathe again, she felt it.
Her legs… her arms…
She couldn't move.
Her entire body was wrapped in thin, black threads.
They pulsed like living veins, tightening with every breath.
Her eyes widened in terror.
When she turned her head—
Shinju's eyes were open.
> "I—I wasn't doing anything!" Swen stammered.
"I was just… just passing through!"
Shinju rose to his feet slowly.
> "I told you," he said calmly.
"My fight wasn't with you… it was with that cursed shield."
"And that fight is over."
Swen struggled to breathe.
> "I'm not from the Angelic Kingdom!" she cried in panic.
"I have nothing to do with the shield! Please… let me go!"
At that moment, Koharu stirred awake.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
> "What's going on here?"
Without turning, Shinju replied softly,
> "We have a guest. A spy, perhaps—but not a very good one."
Koharu stood up and looked at Swen.
After a moment of silence, she spoke with surprise.
> "She's… telling the truth. She's not from the Angelic Kingdom.
If she were, I would've seen her before."
Shinju glanced back at Swen.
> "Is that so?"
Still bound by the threads, Swen nodded desperately.
> "I swear! I'm an alchemist, not a fighter!"
But as she struggled, one question echoed in her mind:
> "How did he do that?"
No incantation, no seal—
Just a look, and the spell had taken hold so swiftly, so silently.
It was impossible.
Her gaze drifted to Shinju's face—
and then she saw it.
In Shinju's right eye, she saw her own reflection—
but within that reflection, her mirrored self was surrounded by writhing, shadow-like threads…
a living darkness swirling inside his eye.
Swen's throat went dry. The words escaped her lips before she could stop them:
> "How… how is this possible…"
"This is… the materialized form of Yin energy…"
"You… you possess the Eye of Darkness."
She wanted to step back—but couldn't move an inch.
In awe and fear, she whispered:
> "What kind of connection… do you have with the Lord of Shadows?"
Shinju frowned slightly.
> "What nonsense are you talking about?"