The private domain vanished instantly, and the gnome seemed to suffer from the backlash—its soul-wrenching scream quickly died out. It looked like the young deity had completely lost focus, likely experiencing such a blow for the first time.

I could sympathize. Despite all my experience, I wasn’t in great shape either. My *fortress* was shattered, having lost about a third of its mass. Its restoration would require significant effort, but that wasn’t the main issue. My energy reserves were utterly depleted, save for the raw energy still awaiting processing. While I still had enough necrotic reserves to last a while, I was effectively powerless for the next couple of minutes.

"Vulkan, are you alive over there?" came Dima’s voice as he took over control. He hadn’t escaped unscathed himself, but to his credit, he was still standing.

"Alive," I croaked. "Get out of here."

There was no need to repeat myself. The kid had already realized that lingering would be a bad idea. Choosing a nearby room at random, he darted inside and headed straight for the window.

There was no time to admire the view, but I still managed to note a few things. Snow blanketed everything outside, and there wasn’t a soul in sight—a detail unsurprising given the blizzard raging outside. It was also still dark, the dead of night.

Not exactly ideal weather for an escape, especially without any warm clothing. The guards didn’t seem to venture outside often, as it was warm enough indoors, and the uniform I’d taken wasn’t winter-ready.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Brrr," Dima’s chattering teeth confirmed my thoughts.

While I struggled to regain my composure, Dima had already opened the window and was pounding on the simple steel bars outside. After all, this was the first floor—cheap and secure!

With each blow, the barrier bent but didn’t give way. He began to panic but then remembered: he wasn’t just an ordinary weakling anymore—he was a mage now.

Without hesitation, Dima activated his second core, the one with the *pressure gift*. It was a simple ability but one that had saved my life more than once in the past. The gift increased the strength and durability of the body not just several times but exponentially—though only for applying pressure. It couldn’t enhance a normal strike, but it could slowly crush or penetrate an opponent. Unsurprisingly, it was most effective against stone focal points of roughly my level.

Bracing his shoulder against the barrier, Dima began to apply steady pressure. Sure enough, it worked. One of the gift’s features was that the slower the movement, the stronger and more reliable it became. The rods anchoring the bars to the wall couldn’t withstand the force and gave way.

Unfortunately, while he was working, the alarm in the medical facility started blaring at full volume. He hadn’t been wrong—there really was a security system.

Jumping out the window, we quickly assessed our surroundings. As expected, the building was surrounded by a tall fence, one Dima was in no condition to climb. Outrunning pursuit on foot seemed equally unlikely. Moreover, given our current state, even mild hypothermia could become a serious threat.

One piece of good news: after a couple of minutes to catch my breath, I was starting to recover. Losing a third of my focal point hadn’t been as devastating as it might seem. My control area and energy transmission capacity had been halved, but no more. This wasn’t my first injury—or my hundredth, or even my thousandth.

"We need a car," Dima said seriously, clearly addressing me. "There’s a parking lot ahead, and I think I have a plan. Tell me—can you possess one of the guards, even for just a minute?"

I liked his attitude! Proof yet again that the best cure for gloom is a good fight.

"Hard to say for sure, but probably," I replied, estimating my strength.

Even before the injury, I’d been at the level of a minor demon, and now I was even weaker. Possessing someone as strong as a Journeyman would be a challenge, let alone someone stronger. But from what I’d seen earlier, there weren’t many formidable opponents here.

"Perfect," my body-sharer nodded. "Here’s the plan: we grab a car, make a key, open the gates, and get out of here!"