Leonar opened his eyes with a slight groan, feeling the cold floor beneath him. This time, though, it wasn't as overwhelming as he remembered.

His vision was blurry at first, but soon he could make out figures around him. Pushing himself up slightly, he noticed four men—some sitting, others lying down—all with visible injuries and exhausted expressions.

To his surprise, Damian, who was seated nearby, immediately stood and rushed over.

"Are you alright?" Damian asked with concern, helping Leonar sit up a little more.

Leonar blinked, trying to piece together the situation. He looked around, confirming there were five people in total, including Damian and himself, but...

Where was the girl?

"What... what happened?" Leonar asked, his voice still hoarse.

Damian sighed, sitting back down next to him.

"Rita and I checked the doors. These are the only survivors we found. There's no one else..." Damian lowered his gaze before adding, "We tried to get to you, but we couldn't move you. Your body was... frozen. Literally."

Leonar looked at him, confused, before closing his eyes for a moment to reach out to Eleonora mentally.

'What was that? What happened?'

"I slipped up a little," Eleonora answered, her tone annoyed. "Your body was sending pain signals straight to your brain. I blocked them so you wouldn't feel it, but for a moment, I lost control, and... well, here we are."

Leonar was stunned.

'Wait, are you saying you were taking on my pain?'

"Obviously," she replied coldly. "If I can't even do that, how do you expect me to help you when you face stronger enemies? This is the bare minimum I can manage right now."

Leonar recalled the times he had slammed into walls while swimming at high speed. He'd overlooked it then since he hadn't felt any pain.

'Then why did I feel pain and stay conscious when you stopped possessing me earlier?'

"I make mistakes, okay? I may be powerful, but I'm not perfect," Eleonora admitted with a hint of irritation. "Back then, I corrected my mistake quickly. This time... I wasn't as careful."

Damian's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're zoning out like you're in another world."

Leonar shook his head slightly.

"I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me."

Just then, a notification flashed before his eyes:

[Access to the floor will disappear in 9 hours and 30 minutes.]

Leonar froze. Hadn't it said 14 hours and 30 minutes earlier?

"How long was I unconscious?" he asked.

Damian gestured vaguely with his hands.

"A while, but there are no clocks here, so I couldn't tell you exactly how long."

Leonar turned back to Eleonora.

'Why was I out for so long?'

"Do you really think those injuries weren't serious?" she replied sarcastically.

Leonar glanced down at his left arm, realizing he couldn't move it. Even the fingers on his right hand were only just beginning to regain some mobility. He sighed deeply.

'How good is your regenerative power?' he asked curiously.

"At your current level? Pretty lousy," Eleonora answered bluntly.

Leonar looked over at the rest of the group. Three men were talking quietly among themselves, while Rita was nowhere to be seen. With Damian's help, he stood up with difficulty and walked over to the small group. When they noticed him, they paused their conversation and greeted him with smiles and jokes.

"Here comes the savior!" one of them exclaimed dramatically.

"The Ice Guy's awake!" added another, laughing.

"Careful not to get too close, or he might freeze us!" the third one chimed in.

Leonar managed a faint smile, surprised by their humor despite everything they had been through. Still, the thought of their other companions, who likely hadn't survived, dampened his spirits.

"How are you guys holding up?" Leonar asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Hungry," one of them said, raising his hand.

"And sore all over," added another with a grimace.

Leonar let out a small sigh.

"And… Rita? Where's she?"

The three men chuckled under their breath, and Leonar noticed even Damian looking away. Finally, one of them answered, "She's in one of the rooms, checking stuff out. Looks like she found something interesting."

"Is it safe to leave her alone in this place?" Leonar asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Relax," another one said. "The only two exits are sealed with the ice you created. Nothing's getting in."

One of the men turned to Leonar with curiosity.

"Hey, your name's Leonar, right?"

"Yeah," Leonar nodded.

"Man, you're lucky your powers awakened here to save us. How did you do it?"

Leonar hesitated for a moment.

"It's… complicated."

Before the man could press further, another one interjected.

"Leave him be. Hunters who awaken their powers in situations like this don't usually talk much about it. It's… personal."

That answer caught Leonar's attention.

"How do most people awaken their powers?" he asked.

The man shrugged.

"From what I've heard, it usually happens in life-or-death situations if they have a strong will. Some find mysterious objects, and others make pacts with spirits."

Leonar nodded, processing the information. Damian, who had been watching him, broke the silence.

"Are you going to check on Rita?"

Leonar shook his head.

"No. I want to take a look at the stairs going up."

When he reached the area blocked by ice, he spoke to Eleonora again.

'Do you think we can get out of here?'

"I could melt the ice right now, but everything would flood," Eleonora replied.

"Yeah, I figured," Leonar muttered, glancing at his injured arm.

'Can you do something like before?'

"Have you seen your left arm? Do you want to lose the rest of your body, too?"

Leonar sighed.

"You're blocking my pain again, aren't you?" he asked out loud.

"Of course. It's my job, after all," Eleonora replied without hesitation.