"Akira, wait!" Mia grabbed his arm, tears streaking down her face. "You can't just jump into a painting! That's insane!"
"I know," Akira said, gently extracting himself from her grip. "But seven people are dying in there. I'm not leaving them."
"Then I'm coming with you!"
"No." His voice was firm. "I need you here. Keep people calm. Help Rina and Ayaka contain the situation."
"But…"
"Mia." He cupped her face, looking into her eyes. "Trust me. I'll come back. I promise."
Before she could protest further, Akira turned to Rina. "How much energy have you absorbed?"
"Too much," Rina gasped, her violet aura crackling around her like lightning. "I feel like I'm going to burst. It's so much, Akira. So much want, so much need…"
"Good. I need you to lend me some of that power. Can you do that?"
Rina's eyes widened. "Transfer essence? I've never tried that before."
"First time for everything." Akira held out his hand. "Just focus on pushing the energy into me. I'll handle the rest."
