Saelunith slowly removed her hand from Max’s chest, though her eyes remained fixed upon the place where the void heart rested.
"My understanding of the higher Magic Soul realms has become clouded since the previous Sovereign passed away. Much of our knowledge vanished with him, leaving us with only scattered memories." She looked into Max’s eyes. "From what little I remember, that emperor may stand four realms above you, perhaps even higher."
"Such a gap cannot be crossed through courage or skill alone. If you confront him as you are now, you will die again."
Max remained still upon the throne. "Then I need another way."
Saelunith hesitated. "You could allow the void heart to become your main source of power, but the more you rely upon it, the more influence its hunger may gain over you. It has already changed you."
Her voice weakened as realization settled across her face.
"You no longer have any emotions, do you?"
Max lifted his gaze toward her. "You can tell so easily?"
"We spirits are sensitive to such things. Emotions leave traces upon the soul and change the way spiritual energy moves through a living being. Inside you, there is only silence surrounding that heart."
"I will not surrender control to it," Max said. "Whenever it speaks to me, I want only to devour and destroy. If I rely upon that power during battle, I may kill my own people before I reach the enemy."
Saelunith placed her palm over his chest once more, her touch carrying only concern. "Then you came here because you need its power without becoming its slave."
"Yes."
"There may be a way, but it is ridiculous even to consider." Saelunith shook her head. "Only the former Spirit Sovereign ever completed it. The full method died with him, and what remains are scattered pieces of knowledge buried within this citadel."
Max shifted forward upon the throne. "What way?"
"The former Sovereign terrified the world because his magic was so potent that it could manifest life itself. Even the mana surrounding him seemed alive, answering his will." Her attention returned to Max’s chest. "That power is the complete opposite of what now lives inside you. Where spirit creates and restores, void consumes and erases."
Saelunith stepped away. "Attempting his method with that heart inside you would be madness."
Max caught her wrist before she could turn from him. His grip did not hurt her, but the cold determination within his eyes made it clear that he would not release her without an answer.
"Tell me."
Saelunith stared at him for a moment before giving in.
"The only possible way is to create another heart inside your chest."
Max’s grip loosened. "A second heart?"
"A Spirit Sovereign’s Mana Heart."
Frightened whispers spread among the spirit women, but Saelunith silenced them with a raised hand.
"A Mana Heart is not made from flesh. It is formed by compressing mana until it becomes so pure and potent that it begins producing spiritual energy on its own. Once completed, it constantly nourishes the body, Magic Soul, magic container and magic of whoever carries it."
"And you believe I can create one?"
"Under ordinary circumstances, yes." Saelunith pulled her wrist free. "A newly formed Mana Heart would connect to the heart already inside its host. Over time, the two would combine and strengthen one another until flesh and mana became almost indistinguishable."
Her expression darkened.
"But your heart would never accept it."
Max waited for her to continue.
"Spirit and void naturally repulse each other. The moment we began forming a Mana Heart beside yours, the void would sense it and attempt to consume it. The spiritual power would defend itself by drawing in more mana and trying to restore whatever the void destroyed."
"What happens if the Mana Heart fails?"
"Everything compressed within it would be released inside your chest. The force would tear through your organs, Magic Soul and magic container before any of us could save you."
Max’s expression remained unchanged. "That is not what frightens you most."
Saelunith lowered her gaze. "No. Your death would be the smallest possible disaster."
The chamber fell silent.
"If both hearts lost control, the void would continue consuming the spiritual energy while the Mana Heart drew more mana from its surroundings to rebuild itself. The more one destroyed, the more the other would create. The reaction could begin feeding itself."
Saelunith looked around the ancient citadel.
"It would first drain this realm, then the pond connecting our worlds and the elven forest beyond it. After that, I cannot say where it would stop. It might destroy only this citadel, or become a mana storm powerful enough to spread across the entire world."
"A storm that consumes mana?" Max asked.
"Every trace it can reach. Forests sustained by magic would wither, spiritual realms would collapse and countless magical creatures would die. Those whose bodies depend upon mana would follow. Even the survivors might be left in a world that could no longer support the life born within it."
"So failure could cost more than my life."
"It could destroy the balance of the world."
Saelunith searched his face for hesitation, but found none.
"And if it succeeds?" Max asked.
Frustration entered her expression. "After everything I have told you, that is still your question?"
"I heard you. Now tell me why the method is worth considering."
"If you created the Mana Heart and forced it to coexist with the void heart, you would possess two sources of power that should never exist within the same body. The void would grant you destructive power far beyond anything you can currently control, while the Mana Heart would nourish your body and soul, allowing you to survive the strain."
"They would balance each other."
"Do not mistake coexistence for balance," Saelunith warned. "They may continue rejecting each other for the rest of your life. You would need to control them whenever their powers came into contact."
"How much stronger would I become?"
"Creating a true Spirit Sovereign’s Mana Heart would rebuild your entire foundation. Your body, Magic Soul, magic container and connection to the Sovereign’s inheritance would evolve together. If the void heart survived and adapted, you could rise through several Magic Soul realms at once."
"Enough to fight the emperors?"
"Perhaps. I cannot promise you would surpass them, but the difference would no longer be so great that one finger could end your life. You might become strong enough to fight them, survive their attacks and possibly kill them."
Max’s fingers tapped once against the armrest before becoming still.
"You said the Mana Heart nourishes the soul."
Saelunith immediately understood what he meant.
"Emotions leave their deepest traces upon the soul. If the void heart is suppressing yours, placing a powerful source of spiritual life beside it may awaken them. I cannot promise everything you lost would return, but you may begin to feel again."
Max fell silent. The method could help him defend Voidstar and recover his emotions, yet one failure might destroy the people he meant to protect.
"What would I have to endure?" he eventually asked.
"The Mana Heart cannot be completed outside your body and placed inside afterward. Your body, and especially your void heart, would reject it immediately." Saelunith touched the place where the second heart would need to form. "We would have to create it here, beside the void heart, while you remained conscious."
"How?"
"By forcing spiritual magic into your chest and compressing it one layer at a time until it begins taking the shape of a heart. The power would tear apart the flesh around it, and we would have to restore the damage while continuing."
"And throughout it, I must restrain the void."
"Yes. It will attempt to consume every trace of spiritual magic we place inside you. You must hold it back while also keeping the forming heart alive. The pain will worsen with every layer, and the process cannot stop once the Mana Heart begins producing energy of its own."
"For how long?"
"I do not know. The fragments left by the former Sovereign were never meant for a body like yours. It may take hours or days. We will have to rebuild the missing parts of the method as we proceed."
"What if I lose consciousness?"
"Your control will disappear, the barrier between the hearts will collapse and they will collide."
Max rose from the throne. "Then I will remain conscious."
"Determination cannot guarantee that your body will survive."
"No," Max agreed. "But it will keep me conscious long enough to give the method a chance."
"Even if I agreed, we cannot begin tonight," she said. "The citadel does not contain enough spiritual energy to form a complete Mana Heart. We would need to awaken the old formations, gather every spirit capable of controlling life magic and recover whatever remains of the Sovereign’s records."
"Then begin preparing."
"You still do not understand. If the void reacts as I expect, all that power will become fuel for it."
Max extended his hand toward her.
"Help me create the second heart. There is something you do not know about my void."
Saelunith’s eyes narrowed.
"It is capable of more than consuming."
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