"Once things here are settled, we'll start searching..."
Dago had a remnant of a Sacred Shrine Stone that could lead them to the Ancient Shrine Altar hidden somewhere across the vast continent. It would merely take more time.
As he spoke with Ewakuai, the black liquid flowing from the No-Faced Stone Man's face had, without them noticing, filled the entire small basin. It looked as though it had returned to its original state as a swamp, except the "mud" filling it this time was far purer, carrying a mysterious richness.
The liquid filling the mire was about to completely submerge their bodies. Ewakuai stopped the conversation he had been having with Dago, looked up at the hazy full moon in the sky, then met Dago's eyes.
"At the end of the Soul Lake lies homecoming."
After saying that, Ewakuai completely sank into the black water.
At the same time, Dago allowed the black liquid to slowly wash over his nostrils and eyes.
Once his entire body was fully submerged, the cold, slick black liquid began to rapidly seep into him through his seven orifices and every pore across his body.
At that moment, Dago felt as if he were a mold. Every inch of flesh and blood, every cell in his body, was being continuously filled.
The process was indescribably wondrous, and unexpectedly caused no discomfort at all. He could even still breathe freely.
Once this "mold" of his had been completely filled, the unknown black liquid within him seemed to vanish entirely.
For some reason, Dago suddenly choked. Before he could instinctively cough, his mind trembled, and he discovered that he had appeared in another "world."
Black. Nothingness.
He drifted through the air like a duckweed leaf, surrounded by boundless darkness.
Then, someone suddenly grabbed his hand from within