Adam felt the surge of evolution energy gathering within him, a torrent of power begging to be unleashed. But his gaze swept over his companions.

Lilith, her elegant form cracked and weary, holding the silk dome together by sheer will. Ignis, her draconic fire dimmed to embers, body littered with injuries from her desperate bravery. They were hanging on by threads.

The priority became clear.

"Lilith, Ignis," he said, his voice firm despite his own pain. "You two evolve first."

Both of them looked at him, surprise in their eyes and mind-voice.

«But… You're the one who should evolve first,» Ignis protested weakly.

"And you are both on the brink," Adam countered, gentle but unyielding. "That fight took everything from you. A little more power, a little more resilience, could mean the difference between life and death if something finds us before I'm done. Your evolutions will be quicker. Do it. That's an order."

Lilith studied him for a moment, then gave a slow, graceful nod of her head. «Your logic is sound. Our current forms are liabilities. Very well.»

Ignis,after a second, nodded too, a spark of her old eagerness returning. «Okay! I'll get stronger and protect everyone better!»

They retreated to opposite sides of the silk cocoon. Lilith began weaving a denser, personal pod around herself, while Ignis curled into a ball, her scales beginning to glow with a deep, inner heat. The familiar, condensed energy of evolution began to radiate from both of them.

With his companions beginning their transformations, Adam turned his full attention to Alice. He crawled closer, his heart aching at her insubstantial form. He focused on their bond, the Soul-Link that felt like a frayed, bleeding cord.

'System. Diagnosis. What are my options to stabilize her? To save her?'

The blue text appeared, clinical and direct.

[Ally: Alice. Status: Critical (Void Core Breach). ]

[Immediate environment insufficient for recovery. External void-energy required for stabilization, or profound healing magic. ]

[Alternative solution detected: Utilize Soul-Link conduit. ]

[Proposal: Temporary Soul-Harboring. The bonded soul can be drawn into the host's spiritual core for safeguarding, slowing degradation and allowing for passive stabilization through the host's vitality. Warning: This will place significant strain on the host's psyche and spirit. ]

Adam didn't hesitate. 'How do I do it?'

[ Focus on the Soul-Link. Do not pull her to you. Instead, open your own spiritual core. Create an invitation. A sanctuary. If her unconscious self accepts, the transfer will occur. ]

Adam closed his eyes, pushing past his physical pain. He focused on the golden thread that connected him to Alice, now thin and sputtering. He poured his will, his affection, his promise of safety down that thread. He imagined his own core not as a place of consumption, but as a warm, dark nest, a place to rest and heal. He opened it wide, sending a silent, powerful call.

'Come here, You're safe with me.'

For a long moment, nothing. Then, he felt it—a faint, weak pull from the other end. A whisper of acceptance.

Alice's physical form shimmered violently.

Then, like smoke drawn into a vent, it dissolved into tendrils of faint starlight and shadow. The tendrils streamed across the short distance and poured into Adam's chest, right where his core and the Soul-Link resonated.

A profound weight settled inside him, not physical, but spiritual. It was a comforting, familiar presence, now nestled deep within, asleep and fragile but safe. He could feel her there, a quiet ember in his soul. The overwhelming panic about her dissipating form eased, replaced by a fierce, protective determination.

'She's with me now. I will find a way to heal her.'

His mind, clearer now, began to chart a path. Staying here, grinding in the dungeon, was no longer viable. The Void Entity was a threat beyond his current comprehension. He needed knowledge. He needed to understand what Alice was, what that thing was, and how to fight it. He needed the resources of a wider world.

'After this evolution, we leave. We find a way to the surface. We get stronger, And I will mark that void bastard. I will hunt it across worlds if I have to.'

His thoughts were interrupted as the evolution energies from Lilith and Ignis began to peak, their forms shifting within their respective cocoons. Adam turned his attention outward, using his Hunter's Tri-Sense to guard them.

As he scanned their makeshift shelter—the ruins of the Pale Revenant's lair—he noticed details he'd missed before.

The silk dome was woven around and over a natural alcove in the canyon wall. Within it were piles of… debris. Not just bones of prey, but other things. Tarnished gold coins, scattered as if from a burst pouch. A few pieces of broken jewelry, gems dulled by time. Several weapons—a notched sword, a shattered shield, the splintered haft of a spear—all of poor to mediocre quality and clearly ancient.

"Who brings jewelry into a dungeon?" Adam muttered to himself, curiosity piqued. He nudged a clump of gold coins with his snout.

Then, his eyes landed on a small, seemingly unremarkable leather pouch, dusty and worn. It looked ready to fall apart. But as his gaze lingered, his system panel flickered with an analysis.

[ Item Detected: Pouch of the Hoarding Gnome (Artifact - Minor). ]

[Status: Damaged, partially dormant. ]

[Effect: Extradimensional storage space. Capacity: Approximately 2 cubic meters. Activation requires minimal mana infusion. ]

[Rarity: High. ]

A storage pouch! And an artifact at that. This was a treasure hoard, albeit a pathetic one by dragon standards. The Pale Revenant must have collected shiny things from adventurers it killed over the centuries.

"Jackpot," Adam hissed, a flicker of excitement cutting through the grim atmosphere. "Alice, if you were awake, you'd probably try to toss this thing for challenging your Void Locker's authority."

He focused a tiny trickle of his returning mana into the pouch. It shivered, the leather seeming to grow slightly less brittle. A small, shimmering mouth-like opening appeared at its seam. Experimentally, Adam used his mana to guide a handful of gold coins, a few of the less-damaged gems, and the least broken of the enchanted weapons into the opening. They vanished inside. The pouch's weight didn't change.

'Perfect. We'll need resources on the outside.'

Suddenly, his Hunter's Tri-Sense blared a silent alarm. It wasn't sight or sound, but a vibration in the air, a shift in the faint psionic static of the dungeon, and a new, foreign scent carried on a stale breeze.

Something was coming. Something was moving with purpose through the Bone-White Canyons. And it was heading directly towards their location.

Adam's body tensed, every ache flaring back into sharp focus. He positioned himself between the approaching threat and the two evolving cocoons, his mind racing.

'Not now. Damn it, not now.'

The hunt was on, and they were still in the den of the hunted.

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