The vehicle cuts through the night toward the White State. The heart of Chiulrom glows beneath the dark sky. Tall houses of white stone rise like towers, silver details gleaming at the edges, and bright lights bathe the wide streets, reflecting off the polished ground. White flags flutter at the top, almost glowing, and the air feels heavy, charged with something greater.

  Ark steps out, the hood of his dark blue hoodie casting a shadow over his brown eyes, and follows the festival losers to the center — an open circle surrounded by white pillars.

  In the middle, a festival winner stands with hands clasped, face closed off. Three losers surround him, hands open on his back, channeling Chi. Transparent, bubbling orbs rise along the winner’s skin, the air crackling around him. Ark stops, his stomach tightening.

  He already knew what was going to happen, but seeing the Chi transfer was something else.

  “This is what’s waiting for me,” he thinks, fists clenched on his light blue pants.

  The idea of being drained, of having his Chi ripped out until he’s just an empty shell, is suffocating.

  A memory of Imi flashes through him — weak, lying in a bed in the Blue State, so far away. He sees her face for a second: pale, sweaty, her eyes holding onto the little life left.

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  “I have to go back.”

  He can’t afford to faint — let alone lose what he has.

  He steps back, eyes scanning the circle — Sentinel Tokers in black cloaks watch the edges, light red stones in their hands.

  A scream breaks the silence. A man in a torn cloak runs from the crowd, a Sentinel Toker chasing after him. The stranger stumbles near Ark, and a pouch falls from his belt — a dark cloth band studded with dark blue stones rolls across the ground, the stones glowing like the ocean’s depths. The Sentinel rushes past, shouting, without noticing the band.

  Ark freezes. The glow of the band pulses as if calling to him.

  No one saw. No one moves. Just him.

  One second. Two.

  He crouches fast, fingers trembling as he grabs it.

  “Space Element,” he thinks, Jion’s warning echoing in his mind — forbidden, dangerous. He remembers the lessons in the Blue State: an absorption band holds several stones, and with quantity, Chi changes — not stone by stone. Imi needs him strong, not drained.

  He stuffs the band in his pocket, heart pounding. The Sentinels move toward the ritual, backs turned. Ark backs away further, sweat dripping, until he vanishes into the shadows of the white houses. Standing there, breathless, he squeezes the band in his hand.

  “If I transfer my Chi, I lose everything.”

  He feels the pulse in his temples, Chi vibrating like a trapped creature.

  “But if I use this…”

  He looks at the band. Forbidden. Unstable. Capable of changing everything. Or destroying it.

  He thinks of Imi. The way she held his hand like he was more than a brother — like he was her last anchor.

  “Imi doesn’t have time for doubt. Or fear.”

  He closes his eyes, breathes deep.

  And chooses what no one should have to choose.

  If you’ve made it this far, thank you for following another part of Ark’s journey.