Shaw summoned his spear and, with a fluid motion, spun and hurled it at one of the fissures in the void.
The impact echoed like a shattered bell, and the crack expanded, revealing an unstable portal. On the other side, lights flickered in chaotic patterns, and distant voices murmured in unknown tongues.
Shaw didn't hesitate. He stepped through.
Returning in front of a rift he sensed was different from the others, he paused before entering and turned to Rose, questioning:
"Rose, now that I have time, I'd like to know: How can you speak to me even when I'm in my dream world? And why can't others see or hear you unless you allow it?"
After a brief hesitation, he added: "And why are you helping me? What do you gain from this?"
Rose stopped her playful demeanor. Her once-mocking eyes turned serious. She crossed her arms and sighed, as if finally deciding to reveal something she'd been avoiding.
"When you transformed that dimension into your dream world, you effectively devoured and assimilated everything within it. A clone of me—a fragment of my soul—was there, merging with your world. As a result, I became part of you."
Shaw's face remained impassive, but his mind raced.
"In short," she continued, "if you evolve your dream world, it benefits me too, since we're now linked. Who would've thought? At first, I assumed it was just a temporary soul contract binding us, but… this happened."
'Lira,' Shaw thought, recalling the noblewoman who had recruited him with a soul contract. The irony wasn't lost on him.
He analyzed the situation. If Rose was tied to him, then she had effectively become a kind of Consciousness of his dream world—an entity with some authority over the beings within that dimension. But no more than him, the creator.
Upon realizing this, Shaw chose not to dwell on it—not because he fully trusted her, but because he couldn't think of any immediate counterarguments or potential threats. After further mental probing, he confirmed that Rose had indeed transformed into a Dream World Consciousness after the integration, possessing limited authority over its inhabitants—though never surpassing his own as the creator. He also realized he could revoke that authority at any time.
But since Rose had only aided him so far, he decided to trust her—for now. Still, he kept contingencies in mind.
"Understood," Shaw said flatly.
With everything clarified, Shaw activated his Molecular Manifestation and stepped into the rift.
Author's Note: This is the same rift that appeared in Chapter 9, before Shaw's encounter with the Collectors.
Human-like beings were still arguing over the previous issue.
"The core is too unstable!"
"There isn't enough energy to sustain it much longer!"
Shortly after Shaw crossed, the portal sealed behind him with a muffled snap—but the beings in the chamber didn't seem to notice. He remained motionless, observing, deciding to gather more intel while still in stealth mode.
The environment was a strange mix of laboratory and sanctuary. Pulsing machines, crafted from dark, gleaming metal, emitted a low hum as holographic projections displayed intricate schematics. At the room's center, a group of figures in bizarre attire—some in robes embroidered with eye-straining symbols, others in lab coats or futuristic armor—debated around a floating core on a table.
The core was a fractured sphere of amber energy, throbbing irregularly like a wounded heart.
"The portal won't survive another attempt!" a white-haired man shouted, his hands gesturing wildly.
"We need more energy from the Origin, or the link will break permanently!" retorted a woman with pitch-black eyes—no whites, no pupils.
Rose appeared beside him, invisible to the others, her expression tense.
"That's no ordinary artifact," she whispered.
Shaw didn't respond. His mind worked swiftly.
Moving like a shadow, he capitalized on the group's distraction. His Molecular Manipulation warped light around him, rendering him little more than an imperceptible haze.
He approached a table littered with artifacts—crystals, ancient tomes, mechanical devices that seemed alive. One in particular caught his eye:
A small glass orb, inside which a miniature portal slowly rotated, emitting amber sparks.
"A dimensional stabilization model," Rose murmured, intrigued. "Take it. It could be useful."
Shaw reached out, but the moment his fingers brushed the object, a voice cut through the air:
"Someone's here."
The black-eyed woman spun toward him, her face suddenly alert.
Shaw froze.
She shouldn't have been able to see him.
But she knew.
"Use a device to scan for foreign scents in the air," she ordered.
The others complied, inhaling deeply.
"Strange energy… similar to Aether, but different."
"An intruder."
Shaw didn't wait to be exposed.
In one swift motion, he snatched the orb from the table and, simultaneously, hurled his spear at the unstable core.
The spear struck the fractured nucleus with surgical precision.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—the world erupted in white light.
The core detonated, unleashing a shockwave that hurled everyone against the walls. Klaxons wailed as machines overheated, sparks flying in all directions.
"Seize the intruder!"
But Shaw was already moving. He sprinted toward a newly formed rift in the air—a tear created by the explosion.
The black-eyed woman staggered to her feet, blood trickling from her nose.
Shaw leaped through the fissure—and moments later, it sealed shut behind him.
Note: Shaw never deactivated his Molecular Manipulation, so the only way to detect him was through scent or other means like thermal readings. However, the only device they had nearby was the odor scanner.