Elias thought he was dreaming when he rose from sleep. The bleeding of memories to reality was strong. He was reminded of the abandoned village he and Alice had stopped in on the way to the Witch Coven. There the place was eerily empty and felt off when they entered. It had not taken long for the signs of corruption to show itself and the zombies to come out of the shadows. After that, the ogre followed. The ground had shaken like it was doing now. This time, however, he was somewhere no corruption should be. A sanctuary for the witches that wielded pieces of the Sword Breath.

He jumped out of bed realizing that the shaking was no mere dream. Whatever was happening was real. The items on the wall rattled violently and a few fell onto the ground. Elias could only hear the sounds of the shaking house. He hurriedly prepared for the worst. Stepping out of his room he saw Thompson also hurriedly collecting his things and going for the door. Alice was right behind him.

“What is going on?” Elias asked over the sound of falling items and cracking wood.

Thompson could only point to the window and the sight beyond. The magical barrier and wall between the calm sanctuary and the corrupted lands created hundreds of years ago, was now visible. Instead of a faint piece of glass separating the two worlds, it had now cracked. Colors bled through the sky as the domed barrier protecting them was falling apart. The barrier let out waves of energy causing the ground to shake as its structure cracked.

“That does not look good,” said Thompson as they watched a larger crack form in the sky. It was followed by a larger shake and a chilling wind. As they stepped outside they saw witches running around outside.

“How did this happen? It is too sudden,” asked Elias to no one in particular.

“Something must have and maybe we can fix it,” said Alice with a tone of hope in her voice. “We need this place to survive. I need this place to survive.”

“If it can be fixed then it will need to be done quickly and with the help of the Matron,” said Thompson.

The trio ran further into the grassy field where most of the witches had congregated and searched for the Matron. A few of the older buildings and those closest to the barrier’s edges had started to or had completely crumbled. Grass and plants near the edges blackened and withered as the corruption seeped into them.

The Matron stood at the center of the gathering, her face etched with lines of concern and determination. Around her, the coven’s entire force of witches was locked in frantic discussion, their hands weaving intricate patterns as they attempted to reinforce the failing barrier. Elias, Alice, and Thompson pushed their way through the crowd, each keenly aware of the time ticking away with every tremble of the earth beneath their feet.

"Matron!" Alice called out, her voice cutting through the cacophony of anxious whispers and the groaning of the earth.

"Elias, Thompson, Alice," she acknowledged them with a nod. "The barrier's magic is old, and some dark force is targeting its weaknesses. We must act swiftly."

"What can we do?" Elias asked, gripping his sword tightly.

"The only way to keep the barrier intact is to reinforce it with magic. But it is not a simple mend," the Matron explained, her gaze lingering on Alice. "You are trained in the old ways, Alice. You will assist the witches in repairing the damage while Elias and Thompson, you must defend us from what may come through. Our barrier is long-standing and ancient. I hope it isn’t too late."

Without hesitation, Alice moved to join the circle of witches who were beginning their incantations, their hands weaving patterns in the air, intertwining their magic with the fabric of the barrier. They joined together in the ritual. The energy swirled around them.

Elias and Thompson took their positions at the forefront, where the barrier was most vulnerable. Elias could feel his sword hum with anticipation mirroring his own, and Thompson loaded his crossbow with a steady hand, ready for whatever would come.

As the witches chanted, the air crackled with energy, and the barrier flickered like a flame in the wind. They were making progress, but it was a race against time. The cracks grew, and with a resounding boom, a section of the barrier shattered, raining down magical shards that dissolved before touching the ground.

The Matron turned to Elias and Thompson, "Keep them off us for as long as you can." She continued, "This sanctuary, this last uncorrupted refuge, must endure, or all is lost for my sisters."

With a collective resolve, they all turned to their tasks. Alice chanted with them, their voices merging into a powerful cadence. The air around them thrummed with the resurgence of magic, threads of light weaving into the shattered dome above. Colors flashed above them, but their focus was on their individual tasks. Despite never using her Sword Breath in this way Alice followed the Matron’s example. The others were also following her example and their collective power was channeled by the Matron. Their energy fed into the barrier in an attempt to fix it.

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Elias and Thompson took their stand at the forefront of the crumbling barrier. As the first vile creature—a twisted mass of tentacles and teeth—slipped through a fissure, Elias met it with the edge of his blade, his strokes swift and sure. Thompson’s crossbow twanged repeatedly, sending bolts thudding into the grotesque forms of the invaders.

The creatures were unlike the bats that had plagued them earlier. Monstrosities of strange animals faced them. Growing from the remains of the swamp lands they looked like no other creature. Elias ran to cut them down and prevent them from reaching the focused witches and Alice. Thompson supported from behind pinning the monstrosities down or slowing them before Elias got to them.

Elias expertly wielded his sword, a blur of steel that danced with lethal precision. His movements were an orchestrated symphony of slashes and thrusts, each step taken with the grace of a seasoned warrior. His mind was clear, every sense heightened as the pulse of the battle thrummed through his veins. Each monster that dared to challenge the barrier's breach met its end on Elias's blade. The ground beneath their feet rumbled with diminished ferocity as Alice's incantations began to take effect, her voice a steady beacon amidst the cacophony of battle cries and the sinister hiss of dark magic.

Thompson’s crossbow served as a formidable counterpart to Elias's sword. For every fiend that Elias dispatched, another found itself impaled by a bolt, its advance halted. They were an efficient team; Thompson's strategic placement of shots created openings for Elias, who exploited every gap with ruthless efficiency. The monsters fell one by one, but still, they came, an unending tide of malice pouring from the weakening rift in the barrier.

Elias could feel the strain of combat beginning to tug at his limbs, the exertion threatening to overshadow his focus. But the sight of Alice, steadfast and resolute, fueled his resolve. He could not falter, not when their last bastion of hope was clawing its way back from the brink of destruction.

The witches weaved their power behind the pair. Alice poured her focus into the barrier. Her hands moved with practiced ease, guided by the whispers of ancient spells that wove around her in a tapestry of glowing threads. The light from the witches' combined magic cast long, flickering shadows across the ground as the barrier started to knit itself back together, slowly sealing the fractures that marred its surface. In the center of the ritual, the Matron helped keep them all in sync and the energy flowing to where they needed it the most.

Around them, the ground had reduced in shaking. A few more of the buildings had toppled over and more were groaning from the strain but that wasn’t their concern at the moment. Above them, the sky began to close, the colors of the barrier melting back into a seamless dome. The cracks that allowed the abominations to squeeze through were cut off. They were left with no path for retreat as Elias and Thompson fought them.

“Keep them at bay!” shouted the Matron. “My fellow witches, keep your focus on me. We need one final push. Follow my lead!”

The air crackled with power as the Matron's voice, a force in itself, cut through the noise of the battle. The witches’ hands were locked in positions of arcane significance, their fingers tracing sigils that glowed with a light that seemed to pulse in time with their quickening heartbeats.

Alice, her eyes reflecting the storm of energy that swirled around them, chanted louder, her voice harmonizing with the Matron's command. She was the linchpin, the focus of their collective will, yet even as her voice soared, her face creased with concern. The barrier, so close to mending, began to tremble under an unseen force.

“We’re almost there!” Alice called out, trying to be heard over the din. “Just a little more—”

But her words were swallowed by a resounding crack. Horror painted her features as black lines, like veins of poison, spread through the once-clear membrane of the barrier. Flashes of light, blinding and wild, erupted inward, the shockwave knocking several witches off their feet.

“The corruption…it's too strong!” one witch screamed, struggling to rise. The energy had been drained from her completely. She fell to the ground.

Elias glanced over his shoulder, his next swing faltering at the sight. “Alice!” he shouted, and his voice was a blade of desperation.

“I know!” Alice replied, panic threading through her words. “I can see it!”

Thompson fired another bolt, his usual calm demeanor now etched with lines of stress. “We can’t hold them much longer! Elias, we need—”

But there was no time for strategy. The barrier was imploding, the protections they had relied on for so long turning into their enemy. It was as if the sky itself were shattering, falling upon them in pieces of deadly light.

“Do not yield!” the Matron roared. “We are the shield against darkness! We will not be overcome!”

Her hands moved with a fervor that belied her years, weaving a desperate counter-charm. But the other witches were disoriented, their connection frayed by the unexpected assault.

“Matron, it’s no use!” another witch cried out, her face pale. Other witches had fallen around her. The entirety of their energy was drained.

“Gather to me!” the Matron commanded, but even as she spoke, the first of many monstrosities broke through the remnants of the barrier, its eyes glinting with malicious intent.

Elias stepped forward, sword raised, a furious cry on his lips, meeting the creature head-on. The impact was monumental, sending shockwaves through the already unstable ground. Thompson reloaded with trembling hands, his next shot veering wide as the ground shook.

Alice, rallying her strength, joined her voice with the Matron's once more. “We stand together,” she affirmed, though her heart sank like a stone in her chest.