✦ ✦ ✦
—SEAN'S SUBCONSCIOUS—
Sean jolted snapped back into his body.
His legs locked instantly, refusing to move. He looked down, breath catching as his skin began to freeze, turning into clear crystal. Cold fractures crept upward, spreading from his calves to his thighs, climbing across his entire body.
The crystal imprisoned him alive.
It sealed his soul within the dream, creating space for Opia to move freely, taking full control of his body.
"Damn it… you—"
His words cut off.
The crystal sealed his chest, his arms, then his neck. The cold seeped into his bones.
His breath crystallised into mist, reflecting back into his face. From within the transparent prison, Sean saw a figure that looked exactly like him approach.
The figure crouched slightly, its mouth stretching far too wide, almost reaching its ears.
"Thank you, Sean…" it whispered, pressing its blackened palm against the crystal.
"You've made this… very easy."
Darkness began swallowing everything. Sean sank into it, his breathing distant, his thoughts muffled, as if his consciousness was being forced under.
Just as everything was about to fade completely—
crack.
A sound cut through like a blade.
"SEAN! BRING YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS BACK!"
Not from outside.
The voice echoed from within the crystal itself.
Arthur.
A small fracture appeared on the surface of the crystal prison. Sean gasped. There was still a connection—thin, fragile—between him and his body in the real world.
Opia had not fully taken over.
Seeing the opening, Sean gathered what strength he had left and struck the crystal from within.
It didn't budge.
Too strong.
Then the pendant at his neck pulsed.
A faint blue light emerged, absorbing the dark magic around him. Black smoke seeped from his body, intertwining with the light. The two forces clashed—then fused.
Cracks spread.
The crystal shattered.
Fragments of the past slammed into his mind. Pain surged through his head. With what little strength remained, Sean forced himself to rise.
"Opia…"
✦ ✦ ✦
—REAL WORLD / COLLAPSING SUBCONSCIOUS—
In the real world, Opia's control faltered. Sean's eyes flickered—pitch black, then back to their original colour, then black again.
Within his subconscious, the world began to collapse. The surrounding crystals trembled violently, scattering shards like falling glass. Sean looked around, panic rising, but he knew something… something important was waiting.
His pendant pulsed faintly.
A pale blue light emerged, pushing against the darkness. No words were spoken, only vibrations, faint whispers from deep within the pendant.
Sean realised—
this wasn't just light.
It was a signal.
A way to fight back.
He closed his eyes briefly, following the rhythm of the pendant. His heart seemed guided by it.
Merge the power. Focus on the core… cut the source.
Within his subconscious, he saw it—
a black heart.
It pulsed weakly in the emptiness.
He knew.
This was the core of Opia's connection within him.
Sean drew a deep breath, focusing everything he had. The sword in his hand began to glow blue, syncing with the pendant's pulse. Each beat strengthened his resolve.
With a decisive motion, he hurled the blade straight into the black heart.
Blue light and black smoke burst outward—colliding, merging—before being drawn into the pendant around his neck.
Pressure crushed against his chest, but Sean held firm, following the rhythm guiding him.
In the real world, Opia screamed from within him.
Sean's eyes flickered again—black, then normal, then black.
Blue light and dark shadows alternated across his body.
The subconscious shattered completely.
Crystals broke apart—falling like a storm of glass.
Opia's shadow screamed, clutching its chest as light and darkness fused.
"Impossible!" its voice fractured into countless whispers.
On the ship, Arthur—covered in blood—watched as Sean's blade cracked. Blue light burst from within it.
The wind stilled.
As if the world itself held its breath.
Then—
Opia staggered… and laughed.
The sound broke between mockery and disbelief.
"You… truly bound me?" it said. "How is this possible? What did you do…? Or… did I underestimate you?"
The pale blue blade melted, turning into a liquid metal glow. The crew fell to their knees in terror as Sean's body radiated alternating blue and black light.
Opia screamed again.
"I never allowed this!"
But it was too late.
The bond had formed.
Half of Sean's soul now belonged to Opia.
And half of Opia's power now rested within Sean.
Yet Sean's form did not change.
He remained human.
Just… no longer entirely.
The captain, the crew, the sea, and the storm bore witness—
Sean's choice had forged a new balance.
Between darkness and light.
Soul and power.
Human and Opia.
It was over.
His body collapsed.
Arthur caught him just in time, lowering him carefully onto the deck. He stared at his face for too long.
"You're an idiot," he muttered.
"And stubborn."
No answer came.
Arthur exhaled—short, unsteady.
He removed his glove and pressed cold fingers against Sean's forehead.
Not a prayer.
Not a plea.
Just a promise left unspoken.
Moments later, Sean's eyes opened.
The pendant at his neck flickered—black, then back to its original colour.
Now, the stone held two colours split within it
as if two forces had fused into one.
Arthur noticed.
"…The pendant."
He stood, turning toward the crew.
"Prepare yourselves."
"We're leaving these waters."
Then, more quietly, only for himself—
"As long as you're breathing… I'll stay."
He said it while looking at Sean. Then suddenly—Arthur collapsed.
Blood from his shoulder began flowing again. And slowly—the ship began to break apart.