A sharp spike of pain shot through Jennifer’s shoulder as her eyes shot open.

“No! Stop- Argh” Jennifer tumbled, clutching her arm. Her mana pathways burned as if on fire, and the worst headache of her life assailed her. She’d almost overdrawn.

No, it was worse than overdrawing. Way, way worse. My body had broken apart, cracked into pieces, until that woman put me back together.

Clutching her eyes shut, she worked on bearing through the pain, her mind still confused by everything she’d seen. After a few moments of trying to gather herself, Jennifer blindly grabbed onto the wall, pulling herself up and leaning against the wall. Her throat felt dry, and her entire body throbbed from having what felt like a storm of mana pass through her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, taking a look around. She was back in the familiar dungeon caverns, with a section of debris blocking the way back. Whatever had happened after she fell unconscious hadn’t left the hall intact.

Jennifer turned towards Irwys, watching him sitting nearby. His armor was still caked in dark blood from the ogre that mixed in with his own. The blood on his body made her worry he may be in a worse condition than her.

“Are you okay?” Jennifer asked.

“Healing. I’ll need a few more minutes. Don’t drink the potion, it’ll kill you,” he replied, not looking up at her.

“I know. I’m not dumb enough to drink a healing potion after almost overdrawing my mana,” Jennifer replied, feeling her throat burn as strength continued to sap from her body. She leaned against the wall for support.

“My head hurts,” Jennifer groaned, feeling petulant after having her second near death experience. She wished it’d come with fewer headaches involved.

“It’d be a miracle if it didn’t hurt after all that,” Irwys replied, turning to look at her.

Jennifer was about to retort back at how he’d been the one to drag her in, but the strength to do so seemed to be fading from her body with each passing moment. “Why did you bring us there? Would’ve been easier to fight through monsters,” Jennifer muttered, glancing sideways at Irwys.

Irwys sat silently next to her, looking down at his blade without replying.

Jennifer left the swordsman alone. She didn’t possess the needed energy to pry answers out of him. Her eyes went towards her injured leg. The limb had swollen a fair bit and was now a nasty red.

Jennifer tried to move her leg, instantly regretting the decision. Now that she wasn't in imminent danger of dying, her poor physical status and the dozens of cuts, scratches, and aches began to become all the more noticeable, accompanied by the familiar exhaustion that came after a stressful event.

I guess this is how I die? Injured and stuck in the dungeon, waiting to be eaten by some monster.

Jennifer felt her eyes drooping, her eyelids turning heavy. Hadn’t she done enough by now? Got stuck in the dungeon with some swordsman, fought a giant monster, did some stupid trial as well. She could rest, just close her eyes and be free of the pain.

A hand tapped her cheeks, causing the cuts within her mouth to sting.

“Hey, keep your eyes open. Stay there with me,” she heard Irwys speak, his hands grabbing her shoulder.

But she was tired. So very tired.

“Fates. Listen, I wasn’t lying when I told you I would get you out. You just need to hang on for a while,” Irwys spoke, yet Jennifer found his voice distant. She’d lost a fair amount of blood, and it was a struggle to keep her drooping eyes open.

Why wouldn't he just let me sleep?

“Girl. Listen carefully. You have a Mark now. I don’t know why you got stuck with me here, but I need you to focus on that Mark. Focus on the magic in your soul, and open your eyes,” Irwys said, grabbing her shoulders.

Jennifer frowned. A Mark? What Mark? There was no—

Fire blazed in her soul, dense magic pulsating at her thought and coursing through her body. She felt something rise from deep within her soul, responding to her thoughts.

She felt the Mark. Her Mark.

Mark of Time

The Mark for the chosen of Time in the trial of the Seeker

Jennifer opened her eyes, feeling the magic shake her awake. Her sight was blurry as she saw Irwys’ silver eyes looking at her.

“I need you to swear something, okay?”

Jennifer stared into Irwys’ deep silver eyes, her mind drifting. She wanted to push him away, to return to her comforting darkness. Yet, the pulsing magic in her chest kept her awake. She nodded.

“[Oath of Trust]” Irwys spoke as Jennifer felt the skill latch on to her.

“Do you swear, not to mention whatever this skill shows to you?” Irwys spoke, his voice resonating with an odd thrum reminiscent of mana-enhanced voice carrying spells. Jennifer stared at him for a moment.

“I swear,” she spoke, as words blossomed in front of her eyes.

[Boon: Royal Knight’s Oath of Trust] obtained!

“By the Fates, I call upon the three sisters. Please, Prince, lend me their strength,” Irwys spoke, his armored hands resting against her forehead.

[Boon: Touch of Anvyrin] obtained!

Strength coursed through her body, life flowing through her limbs once more. Her mana replenished itself faster than ever before, and Jennifer saw her wounds healing in front of her eyes. She looked up to stare wide-eyed at the man.

“You’re a-” she choked on her words as a chain tightened in her mind, preventing her from saying the words out loud, warning her.

A [Royal Knight].

Jennifer had heard of royals handing out the Royal designation to trusted generals and knights, loyal to them. It was a mark of trust, and a matter of great honor to receive one. Not something she’d ever expected to see in her lifetime.

Jennifer stared at Irwys, her eyes burning with questions.

“Who are you?” Jennifer asked, as the Boon slowly but surely returned strength to her body. “A knight of your stature… visiting my Master’s shop, getting in a fight with an orc and then running into the dungeon. None of this makes any sense!”

“There are a lot of things that I can’t explain right now. The dungeon break is still underway, and I need to get you to safety. Just- remember this. Things are going to be very different for you after tonight.” Irwys said and then mumbled something in a quieter tone. ‘If we survive.’

Jennifer suspected she wasn’t meant to hear the words. She stared at the knight and gave him a light nod.

With a nod of his own, the knight stood up, extending a hand forward.

Jennifer looked up blankly at the man before grabbing the offered hand as she pulled herself up. Standing with support from Irwys, she put some weight on her leg. There was still some pain, but it was far more manageable now.

What a ridiculous skill.

“Clean,” Irwys said, and light flashed across Irwys' armor, clearing the thick coat of blood.

She looked down at her own torn and bloody clothes, feeling a strange sense of envy and disappointed that the spell somehow didn’t extend beyond the armor and onto her.

“If you can move, then let’s head out,” Irwys said, walking ahead.

Jennifer stared at the man, unsure of what she wanted to do. Questions filled her mind, mixed with confusion. Her eyes turned towards the symbol on her hand. A dark blue diamond with three crescent moons around it, all intersecting at the diamond’s end. The Mark of time, the system prompt had mentioned. Just what was happening to her?

A tremor shaking the dungeon broke her out of her thoughts.

Even with her qualms with the things Irwys kept hidden from her, a [Royal Knight] would still be her best, and perhaps only way of ever getting back out. She could get her answers when she was back and not bleeding and injured inside the dungeon.

Making her way ahead, she eyed the knight. There hadn’t been any hints that he’d gotten a Mark like hers, and if he had, then she couldn't see it on him.

Jennifer put the thoughts away. She had to get back home first.

What will I tell mom and dad? How will I explain my injuries or this Mark? With a dungeon break going on... I hope they weren’t too worried. I swear to Sera, today has been a day.

Jennifer shuffled ahead, her gait turning more comfortable as the pain slowly but surely continued to fade from her leg. Soon, she was walking at a normal speed, with only a small limp to show for her injury.

The walls narrowed further ahead; the roof coming down low enough that she could touch them if she jumped. The structure of the walls and ceilings around them soon changed from the brick laid ruins into the familiar cavern walls of the dungeon.

The first sign of their escape was the disgusting stench of filthy water and muck. Jennifer grimaced, taking a second to prepare herself before she walked ahead.

The cavern walls melded into smoother stone walls, clearly molded by a [Geomancer], and then further worked on by craftsmen. She made her way through the narrow gap in the walls and splashed into the filthy water ahead of her. The disgusting area and the stench almost made her gag, but she fought the impulse.

Out from the jaws of death and into a river of filth. She called the dungeon location prompt once more.

The Great Dungeon of Lienmont.

Location: The Sewers

As expected, the system recognised the sewers as part of the dungeon even when the dungeon walls didn’t enclose the section. She’d read up on the Mana Sublimation theory for the location prompt people could call inside dungeons, but it still pleased her to confirm it for herself.

Jennifer waded through the filthy waters, each step stirring the green slushy liquid that had an almost mud like consistency. She desperately tried to find some sort of distraction to keep her mind off the stench lest she end up huddled in the corner emptying the contents of her stomach.

If only I could use one of my wind based spells.

Jennifer paused as an idea struck her. The mana links in that trial had been chained together, forming a cyclic flow through the spell matrix. What if she applied that to her spell?

Standing still for a moment, Jennifer formed the spell matrix for Agile Wind. “Agile Wind,” she muttered under her breath, mimicking the spell gesture just for better shaping control rather than any real need.

The spell matrix formed in her head, ready to be used. Jennifer paused and held the matrix in place. Normally, trying to modify a spell was a fool’s errand for any Mage that wasn’t at least at Tier-5 or higher, but since the spell matrix itself would remain identical in this scenario, Jennifer thought her chances of success fairly high.

Taking the spell matrix for Agile Wind, she tied the initial and final ends of the formation nodes together, making the spell loop upon itself endlessly without ever causing the spell burst it was originally intended to cause.

Seeing the spell matrix not dissolve into a mess of mana, she started to increase the speed of her loops, going faster and faster, being careful not to strain her recovering mana pathways too much. At last, she manifested the spell around her hand, prepared to cut it off instantly if anything went wrong.

She felt the wind stir around her hand, forming a sphere. She dissolved the spell, trying once more, and this time, extended the effect all over her body instead of just her palm. The wind stirred around her, sending the abhorrent smell further away from her face. Jennifer smiled, surprised at the sudden inspiration. Feeling marginally better at having picked up on a new trick, she renewed her trek through the filthy water of the sewer.

The area within the sewers quickly became pitch dark without the natural ambient light the dungeon let out to illuminate the area.

Something slimy under her feet had Jennifer slip. She barely prevented a disgusting bath in the mucky water, balancing herself against the wall. She pulled her feet up to see what had caused her sudden tussle.

A slime covered in filthy sewer water clung to her leg, wrapping itself around her feet. She kicked the creature away, disgusted, and rushed ahead swiftly to prevent more from jumping on her. Slimes that small weren’t a threat, but if they swarmed her, then there was a chance that they might drown her. She’d heard of new adventurers dying that way sometimes if they got really unlucky.

One of the worst ways to die.

Using a small amount of mana, she manifested a ball of light. A simple trick of mana manifestation instead of a real spell with a matrix. Or perhaps the simplest of all spell matrixes, just a ball of mana turning to light.

With some light to guide her path, she ran ahead, hearing the squelching sound of the slimes clinging to the various surfaces and doing whatever slimes did.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Irwys paused suddenly, turning to look at her. He pointed at the light, raising two fingers before gesturing for her to… drop the light?

It took Jennifer a moment to understand what he meant and she nodded, dimming the light ball’s intensity before splitting them in two and sending one up to Irwys.

Jennifer walked ahead in silence, as the noise of the clicks and taps started to fade away the further ahead they walked. Her little ball of light illuminated the dark caverns. The only noise that remained was the splashing water from her footsteps.

A strange desire to try and experiment with her new mana application method rose in her. She changed the flow of the mana, making the wind twirl in different directions.

I can manipulate the spell's internal workings. I thought you needed a Skill to do that?

A sudden tremor almost made her slip on the slimy ground as the sewers shook, dust falling down from the roof and mixing in the muddy water.

“What? Is it the dungeon again?” Jennifer asked, feeling the water at her feet trembling on the ground.

“No, this came from above,” Irwys replied, his eyes scanning the sewers. “We need to get out. Quickly.”

Jennifer didn’t raise any questions as she ran after him. Her leg hurt every time she stepped on it a bit too hard, but she ignored the pain. The [Boon] numbed the sensation enough to be tolerable. She just hoped the [Boon] lasted long enough to see her to safety.

The sound of Irwys' feet splashing in the water began to come faster and faster as the knight practically began to sprint ahead, making Jennifer struggle to keep up.

Why is he so unsettled? Because of that tremor?

Jennifer saw light shining up from ahead as she let her balls of light fade away. A small crack in the roof of the sewer was letting light in. Jennifer looked around in confusion, wondering how they would climb out without a ladder. The crack was high enough that she wouldn’t be able to climb out even with a good leg, much less an injured one.

Taking a step back, Irwys leapt up and grabbed onto the top of the opening. She stared as the swordsman pulled himself out, while still carrying a sword and donning his heavy looking armor. A moment later, Irwys turned around. “Grab my hand, tightly,” he said, leaning down through the gap.

Jennifer stared in surprise at the casual display of agility before she ran ahead and jumped to grab his hand. She felt herself being pulled up like a child. Kicking at the walls she pushed herself out, climbing up through the hole with effort.

Reached up, she grabbed the ledge for additional support as she seated herself on the crack’s edge. A look around saw a dark sky looming up above. Night time had descended onto the city, yet Jennifer found an odd light illuminating the streets.

Another tremor went through the ground shaking the area once more and she heard screams in the distance.

What's going on?

A strange smell assaulted her nose as Jennifer pulled herself to her feet. The distant screams began to come closer, as another loud explosion sent a shock wave throughout the city. Jennifer stumbled back from the explosion, her ears ringing. Her heart thundered as she pulled herself up again.

Walking a bit further ahead, she moved to the open streets and found the source of the tremors.

Fire burned like an inferno around her, and Jennifer stared at the streets feeling like a hole had torn itself in her gut. The walls of Lienmont lay crumbled and broken.

Her city was under attack.

Dark figures rushed through the smoke filled haze that covered the city. The screams of hundreds formed a grim song that covered the night, painting a nightmarish hellscape.

This can’t be real… this…

A powerful shock wave blasted Jennifer, flinging her onto the alley wall as a pillar of fire bloomed above the city. Her ears rang with a deafening intensity as the world spun around Jennifer, in a dizzying array of splashing colors. With a sudden tug, she felt herself being pulled to the side.

Irwys’ blurred out face came into her sight, his hands holding her tight. She noted his sword flashing, cutting through a dark figure that had leapt towards them. His lips moved in her vision, yet the sound didn’t reach her over the ringing of her ears.

Jennifer lifted her hands to her face in a daze, finding her fingers coated in blood. She stumbled back, pulling her arm free from Irwys’ hands. She felt like throwing up, yet for some reason her body refused to.

Her gaze shifted towards the burning walls, lying collapsed in a pile of rubble. She saw a giant beast walk out of the dust cloud, two massive tusks adorning its shimmering scaled body that reflected the burning city. She recognised them to be the famed war beasts of the Ostiri Desert. Vreliths.

The beast stood with leather covering its two large tusks, thrashing the area around it. A single kick from its massive legs brought down another dust cloud, as houses crumbled beneath it. Men rode its back, slinging powerful artillery spells at the walls and beyond, causing the flame pillars to rise up in the sky every so often.

Jennifer’s eyes swung around, facing the direction her home was in. She needed to find her family. She weaved an Agile Wind spell, mana burning in her throbbing circuits as she prepared to shoot off when a muscular arm grabbed her, pulling her back. She flailed her limbs trying to free herself, but Irwys held her in place. When her effort didn’t budge him, she looked up to glare at the man, kicking his legs as tears built up in her eyes. She needed to go to her family.

Irwys snapped his fingers in front of her eyes and Jennifer turned to look at his face. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she saw his lips moving, as if he were speaking something and a sudden realization dawned on her.

She couldn’t hear him. She couldn’t hear anything.

Irwys’ eyes went to her ears, and Jennifer saw him mutter something as she felt another wave of strength course through her body. Her ears popped, as sound returned with a tide of cold air. She felt hot blood dripping out from the inside of her ears and she shook the droplets out.

“You need to stop running away and focu—”

“My family. Mom and dad,” Jennifer interrupted Irwys. “Keith, Rumina… I need to go find them. Master? What happened to him? I need to go to—”

Irwys’s hands squeezed her face harder, facing her with a deathly cold expression.

Jennifer’s lips trembled as she stared at the swordsman, her heart sinking to her gut. No. They’re okay. They have to be.

“We need to go to the guild. You need to get to the guild. Calm down,” he said, a finality to his voice.

Jennifer took a shuddering breath, forcing her heart to settle down.

“The Ostiri tribes have invaded. I don't have time to explain. The city is under siege and other Marks are around. We need to get you to the guild before one of them finds you. Your family may have escaped as well and the only way to meet them is if you survive. Focus on surviving,” Irwys said, his voice steeled and cold.

Jennifer nodded, her chest heavy with emotions that she could barely process.

The swordsman let go of her shoulders and drew his weapon. The enchanted blade pulsed with magic as the knight walked ahead. “Follow behind, and be alert.”

Jennifer nodded, taking a couple more deep breaths to calm herself. She couldn’t let herself fall apart in a situation like this, she needed to stay calm.

They’re alright… Dad probably took everyone to a safe location as soon as he could, and Keith is old enough now. He can run. They’re okay Jenn, they’re okay.

Jennifer wiped tears from her eyes, as she followed behind Irwys.

Adventurers ran in droves, their weapons and blades out as the shouts of skills and spells filled the city. Jennifer took out her dagger, clutching it tight in her hand.

A group of adventurers stood ahead, fighting screeching abhorrent monsters that leapt at them with no regards for their lives. “[Summon: Flamewarden], [Power Shot], [Increased Volley],” the shouts filled the streets as attacks were flung around.

“Elphion damn me, is the guild sending support yet?! Take the civilians to the northern end now!” the adventurer screamed, holding back the tide of monsters.

She heard another explosion sound in the distance as flashes of red covered the sky. Her eyes turned towards the walls and she noted the barrage of attacks aiming for the Southern gate of the city, where the monsters seemed to be flooding in from.

Irwys grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back in as a dark blur passed in front of her face. His sword flashed with an abnormal blur, piercing a strange twisted monster that had leapt at Jennifer.

The bloated, dark skinned monster twitched as the blade impaled its chest. The creature raised its arms, which ended in blood-coated scythe blades of bone jutting outwards. It shivered, as if desperately trying to reach out for Jennifer. With a final shudder, it fell limp on the point of Irwys’ blade.

“W-what is that?”

“Demon. Slither Blades. We need to move,” Irwys said, pulling his sword free of the demon’s corpse.

Jennifer ran ahead in a daze, pulled along by Irwys as he carved through the tide of monsters. The outer section of the city was devoid of people by this point. All those who survived had run away, and those that didn’t littered the streets. If they were lucky, then their deaths had been swift.

The destruction around her felt like a bad nightmare as corpses lay all around the city of both people and monsters. Screams and groans of pain filled the streets as she watched the slaughter echo throughout. Wars were fought with soldiers, with armies on battlefields. This? This was a massacre.

Jennifer froze mid-step, spotting a lanky beast crouching further ahead. She felt the hair on her arms rise as a human face looked back at her, but its features were all wrong.

Three misshapen eyes, two that joined together at the base, eyelids connected into one. Red patches covering its face as a bulbous growth in its jaw created a bump in its cheek. The thing scraped its talons against the floor, crawling on all fours like a strange human spider. Bony rips peeked through the chitinous armor that covered its body.

The beast looked at them curiously, tilting its head, before it opened its maw to reveal tens of sharp fangs lining its jaw.

The monster shrieked, jumping at them. Irwys turned around, parrying its claws. She heard the clicking sound of claws coming from behind her. Jennifer turned around to see two similar abominations closing in on her.

“[Hidden Edge]!” Irwys shouted, his blade blurring as the monster was severed into two. “Run!” he shouted and dashed ahead.

Jennifer ran after him as the monsters gave chase.

Mist poured through the alley as silver swords cut through the demons behind them but for each one that fell, five more joined in the fray. There were few people around in this section, the adventurers retreating closer and closer to the city’s center, likely to form a perimeter that they could defend.

“Run towards the guild. If I’m not around, ask anyone to take you to prince Laiken and show him your Mark. His highness will keep you safe,” Irwys muttered as explosions continued to travel through the city.

Jennifer would’ve inquired about the ‘his Highness’ remark but her mind couldn’t process more than the bare minimum right now. Roaring thunder had Jennifer looking above and she noted a storm forming above the city. She was about to curse, thinking the monsters had been using weather spells when a figure blazing through the sky caught her eye.

A man flew high above the city, thunder covering his hand as bolts of lightning shot at the Vrelith, and the mages that shot artillery spells at the city from atop their backs.

Is that… guild head Zaress? The Storm Blight?

Jennifer could feel mana gathering in a massive torrent around Lienmont. She saw mana threads weaving all across the city as hope began to bud in her heart. The Adventurers guild was fighting back. She pulled her attention back to her surroundings and continued to run after Irwys, heading towards the guild halls. Tremors still shook the ground every few moments, mixed in with the sounds of battle cries.

Abruptly, Irwys froze in front of her. Swirling around, the knight raised his sword. “[Shield of Fate]!”

A burning bright shield of silver and gold appeared in front of the two, covering the area ahead.

“What are you-” Jennifer’s words cut off as she felt a faint presence in her mind. A moment later, a tidal wave of sand burst through the buildings, exploding onto the streets as it poured towards them.

Mana burned with fervor as Jennifer felt the sand pushing Irwys back, and a searing presence began to burn into her mind. An unfamiliar sensation coursed through Jennifer as she felt the Mark on her soul pulsate in response. It told her of the presence of another.

Spikes formed out of the sand, striking at the shield. Jennifer stumbled back as she felt Irwys’ aura flare, like a glowing silver sword, the aura cut through the haze, cleaving through the sand.

“Get to the guild!” Irwys shouted, mist flooding around him.

A massive arm of sand formed, swatting the knight aside and drowning him under sand. Another aura rose through the fire and sand, like a slithering viper, it coiled around her, tying her in place.

Jennifer fell, her mind screaming at her to run, but her legs refused to move.

A tidal wave of sand flowed around her as the presence came closer. A dark figure approached her, standing atop a wave of sand that swirled around his body. His skin was tanned, his hair tied into a tight knot behind his head.

The man turned towards to face her, as two dark green eyes peeked from within the hood he wore.

“Agile Wind!” Jennifer screamed, mana pouring through her sore mana pathways. The pain loosened the grip of the aura around her and she pulsed her spell harder, blasting the sand away. With a burst of wind, she shot off in the opposite direction.

Jennifer kicked at the harsh ground, dodging adventurers and monsters alike as she ran. The sand mage continued to pursue, his presence like a looming axe that chased her.

She rolled aside as spears of sand shot at where she ran, with the wind around her body barely deflecting the attacks. The sand flooded the city, taking out any, and all that came in the man’s way, be it monster or human.

Jennifer leapt to the right, as sand burst from underneath her. Rolling into a side alley, she hurriedly stumbled ahead, ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg. Sensing the presence close in she turned around and shot a mana bolt behind her in hopes of slowing down her pursuer.

Sand spikes burst through the ground near her feet, piercing her leg.

“Aargh!” she screamed, as her flesh pulled itself against the hardened sand, gushing with fresh blood. Spikes burst through the walls, lifting her up from the ground as they pierced her left shoulder. She felt the sand push, tearing through her body like spears as they impaled her and pinned her in place.

Flesh parted against the sand, bones cracking, as the brown spikes began to turn red from her blood.

Jennifer bit her tongue, killing the scream that threatened to rise out of her. She began to weave another mana bolt, drawing from her mana reserves but her pathways throbbed in protest as she drew empty. She was out of mana.

Her eyes widened in panic, as she saw the man fly through the streets, a hellscape of sand following him as he entered the side alley.

I-I need to-

The spike twisted, and another scream tore itself out of her throat. She grabbed the spike, the sand now red from her blood, and pushed. Like a hot knife being plunged into her nerves, pain spread through her body, and her hands turned limp.

Jennifer started helplessly as the man walked closer. His aura pushed down on her, like a mountain crushing her underneath itself. She felt her chest tighten, her lungs straining as the aura wrapped around her, suffocating her under its enormous pressure. She couldn’t breathe.

Tears pooled in her eyes as her gaze drifted towards the man, a dark Mark on his shoulder glowing brightly. She felt her Mark responding to the presence of his.

The man spoke something, but the words escaped her as his cold eyes stared at her with an icy gaze. She felt a chill crawl up her spine.

Jennifer’s heart thundered, her mind screaming at her to struggle, to fight against this monster, but her body refused to move. She was caught, a helpless prey at the mercy of her assailant.

She tried to lift her hand, but it was of no use. Her body felt like it was made of lead. I need to... I need to… run away.

Jennifer fought against her heavy limbs, grabbing Irwys’ dagger from her pouch with her one free hand. She lifted the blade, screaming as she swung it towards the man. Another spike shot through the ground, piercing her hand as it was impaled into the wall.

She screamed, louder than she believed she ever could, as the spikes pushed further in, her blade dropping from her hand with a metallic clank.

The man grabbed her by the throat, the sand spike pulling itself out from her shoulder, as he did.

Jennifer looked at the man, his eyes coldly regarding her, almost as if waiting for something. Her vision began to turn dark as air left her lungs. Jennifer grabbed the man’s hand, pushing and straining as her lungs strained to pull some air into them. She gasped, yet only dry, coarse sand entered her mouth.

Her skin shriveled as tears flowed down her cheek and were swallowed by the sand. Her lungs burned as her heart strained her chest. Pain blossomed through her body and she started to gasp for air once more, but found none pass through the man’s grasp upon her neck.

Jennifer called for her mana, as she strained her core to its limit. Her mana pool strained under her will before a shuddering crack spread through it. The pulse of agony tore a choked scream out of her mouth and her world turned dark for a moment.

[Class: Resourceful Enchanter] has reached level 16!

[Skill: Lesser Arcane Analysis] received!

Her mind snapped, consciousness rushing back in. She felt at her new skill, and at the level she had gained.

It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t nearly enough.

Sand crawled over her body, rising from her feet as she felt the man’s Mark burning in her mind. The sand rose to her torso, and she felt something draining from her body. Strength left her, as the mark on the man’s shoulder blazed, drinking in her life.

She kicked weakly, trying to free herself. A futile gesture.

“W-Why?” she croaked with the last breath that remained in her chest, her voice hoarse and broken.

Cold green eyes stared into hers. There was no reply.

The sand crawled up her neck as Jennifer’s skin withered. It cracked and crumbled apart turning to dust as if drained of every ounce of life. She stared with a dimming gaze into the unwavering green eyes as her last remaining strength faded.

Her Mark pulsed for one last time, burning with an intense flare as she found herself in the embrace of death. It pulled her in, beckoning her soul to an eternal afterlife, yet something held her in place.

A hand rose through the darkness and grabbed her soul. It dragged her through the void and called out to her. It had a single command.

Again.