The curtains in the room at The Iron Stag blocked out most of the midday light, leaving the space wrapped in a warm twilight.
Haruto and Aoi sat cross-legged on the bed, face-to-face, with the palms of their hands pressed together.
The runic marks on both of their bodies weren’t just glowing—they began unraveling fine threads of light that traced up their arms, weaving together in the space between their chests.
“At first, you’ll feel an icy pressure in your channels,” Haruto warned softly, keeping his eyes locked onto Aoi’s blue gaze.
“That’s my blue mana entering your stream.
Don’t try to resist it or compress it with your aura.
Just let it flow.” “Got it,” Aoi nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
“I trust you, Haruto.” Haruto closed his eyes and narrowed his focus.
He channeled a steady stream of analytical mana into Aoi’s palms.
The instant Haruto’s blue magic touched the girl’s circuits, Aoi let out a soft gasp.
The sensation was unlike anything she had felt before: it was as if a dense, crystal-clear liquid were coursing through her veins, scanning and mending every muscular micro-tear left behind from their fight against Commander Gerald.
In turn, Aoi released her crimson energy.
The compression of her soul—usually fierce and destructive—turned soft and fluid as it entered Haruto’s body.
Instead of clashing against his channels, it wrapped his mana core in an unyielding layer of physical resilience.
ZUUUM!
The entire room vibrated with a magnetic pulse undetectable to ordinary people.
Haruto’s blue mana and Aoi’s crimson aura collided, blended, and stabilized, transforming into a dichromatic spiral of violet light that enveloped them both in a warm thermal cocoon.
Haruto opened his eyes.
He no longer needed to look at Aoi to know exactly where her center of balance was or how much energy she had left.
He could feel her heartbeat echoing inside his own chest.
“It worked…” Aoi murmured, opening her eyes to gaze at the violet spiral dancing around their joined hands.
“I can feel your mind, Haruto.
It’s…
absurdly calm.” “And I can feel your vitality,” Haruto smiled, leaning forward without breaking hand contact.
“With this link active, we don’t even need words for complex tactics anymore.
Your physical strength fuses directly with my processing power.” Aoi loosened her grip slightly to wrap her arms around Haruto’s neck, closing the gap between their faces until their noses brushed.
“Thank goodness,” Aoi whispered with a warm smirk.
“Because I was getting real tired of you shouting out tactical orders in the middle of a fight.” Haruto chuckled, gently taking her by the waist and pulling her closer as the violet light of Primordial Resonance sealed itself permanently into the deepest recesses of their souls.
They had officially reached the second stage of the Ancient Way.
And just in time—because in the shadows of Valoria, the eyes of the Vatican’s first spy had just locked onto the facade of their inn.