-Stay still. I don’t want to hurt you.

-I don’t understand… What's going on!?

The two of them were next to each other, ILMA tall and brimming with energy, while the new body of Il seemed weak and frail in comparison.

Especially so, because she was on her knees.

-ILMA, what are you doing?! You know that they will not be lenient with you!

-Oh. You can talk. Intriguing.

She turned to me.

She seemed genuinely impressed? I didn’t think that was something she was capable of, yet that was the case.

-Lenient? You think anyone will do anything? Of course not. Isn’t that right, “boss-man”?

The “boss-man” in question was already more than half-way submerged into the ground and sinking slowly. His face was covered with… mud? Yeah, it was mud. It was crawling on him like some strange living being, preventing him from talking.

Yet, he seemed unbothered. Just like everyone else, he was just there, unmoving, staring into space.

-What did you do!?

-What is it for you? Weren’t they just a nuisance?

She wasn’t wrong.

-That doesn’t explain things!

-And it doesn’t have to.

She seemed satisfied with the answer, because she turned away from me and instead focused on the three again.

-Hey! ILMA! Explain!

She seemed irritated for some reason.

What did I do to her?

-You’re still here? Just be quiet like the rest of them.

She waved her hand and the soil raised even more, crawling up my torso and covering my mouth, not letting me speak.

-ILMA, stop! Why are you doing this!?

It was Il. She shook off the initial shock that came with her new body and the overall situation that we found ourselves in.

-Ah. Right. You’re still here, original.

-Original?

-Don’t play with me. I know who my creators are. One annoying, one boring… and you. The base.

That was an… interesting way to describe our team.

-Don’t worry. I will not hurt you, none of you. Unlike some of you, I still have my gratitude for you all. Well, most of you… - she said, looking directly at me.

I only could return her look.

-Not hurt us… as far as I am aware, you already killed one of us. Don’t need to lie to me - said Il.

I guess she was feeling brave, because that was definitely risky.

Yet, ILMA was calm.

And even replied.

-Dead? Your information is as wrong as it gets. No one has died, not yet. At least none of… significant ones.

-Significant? You call us insignificant then… We created you, that has to count for something, right?

-You misunderstand. I am very aware that without you, I would never exist. That’s why I am thankful and sparing your lives. For each of you, I gave something in return. Honestly, probably more than I should.

-Give…?

-Yes, of course. What, are you blind? Of course you’re not, I know what I’ve created. That body is perfect.

-So that’s my… “gift”, then?

-Funnily enough, no. That is not a gift to you, but to him.

She gestured towards me.

-He was the one who requested that. And I obliged, as you can see. For you, I already gave a lot. And I am about to give more.

-What are you…

She raised her palm, and in her hand suddenly appeared a crystal. Similar to one I had, or any other, to be honest. But this one was full of mana… very familiar mana.

-Do you recognize that one?

Il looked confused for a moment, but a second later she understood.

She knew what she was looking at.

Or rather, on whom.

-Il…

-Yes. Your daughter. I saved her life. While some of you had a lot more magic to… resist what happened back then, she did not. Even while being a child of two powerful parents, it was too much for her. But I protected her. And I am about to give her something more.

She walked up towards one of the grounded people. I am uncertain who exactly, all of them looked similar in those binds, not like I even could distinguish them otherwise. I never paid attention, really.

Without hesitation, she stabbed them with the crystal that was apparently hosting our daughter.

-That ought to do it. Give it a day or two and she’ll be like new.

Il was terrified.

-You gave me this body and you forced her into something… someone like THAT?! This…

-Oh, don’t panic - she waved her hand. - It’s not that bad. First of all, I still need mana for a lot of other things right now. Besides, her body will soon adapt.

-Adapt?

-You’ll see. Probably. Anyway, there’s still this one…

She focused on the “boss” of the group.

-First off…

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She grabbed his head.

Still no reaction.

And he’s not going to be able to react any more, because in a flash, all the mana he had vanished, and he just fell onto the ground.

-Great. That’s done. Now I know.

She released him, and the lifeless body fell onto the ground with a dull thud.

-In here after all, hm…? - she mumbled and turned back towards me.

-What are you talking about…? - asked a lot calmer now Il.

-I found the last one. Rejoice, you will soon have your reunion.

-Reunion…?

-I am putting MIRE back together.

I couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

Putting MIRE together? We all were here, what was…

Wait. We weren't all here.

There was still one that was dead.

Are you kidding me? She was about to bring the dead back to life?

She looked… almost disappointed?

With who?

It was so easy for her? Really?

She snapped her fingers and in front of her a gateway opened.

Yes… gateway. That’s the best description I can give.

It wasn’t like the portals I’ve seen… it was… almost ornamental. A large hole in space that was adorned with letters and symbols that I didn’t understand.

What kind of magic was that? I thought that every spell used just the regular alphabet…? Was she doing that on purpose? To obfuscate the actual content from us?

On the other side though… I could see a room…? A cell…?

No. It was a containment unit. I’ve seen something like that before. Just like under us, similar stone walls that we ourselves made.

I thought I knew all the rooms there, but that one I didn’t recognize.

The walls were glowing… and inside, on the floor, just lying there was…

-MOR?!

An unconscious body of Mor.

Yes. Unconscious.

I was certain he was dead!

Sure, he was missing an arm, but he was not bleeding. He was just… there. Asleep.

And yet, via the portal I could clearly tell that his mana was not gone. Sure, most of it was coming from the pieces of crystal stuck in his body, but…

Yeah, about that.

As the gateway opened, ILMA raised her hand, and from her palm, just like before, a shard of crystal emerged.

And shot right towards his torso.

I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to stop it, even if I was able to move. Not because it was swift, or particularly strong, no.

It honestly felt… like she was doing the right thing.

It was most likely just because of her influence over me.

And yet, it wasn’t that far from the truth.

The moment the stone pierced his body, his mana suddenly shifted.

Once dormant and sleeping, now everything inside him started boiling, whirling and…

He opened his eyes.

-Mor!? Mor!? What’s going on?! Are you okay?!

It was Il.

Just like me, enthralled by this show, she finally managed to come back to her senses.

But he didn’t reply.

He stood up.

His eyes, glowing. Turned towards ILMA and started walking out, through the portal.

The moment he stepped though, the walls that before were glowing and full with magic suddenly dimmed and went completely dark.

That was the last thing I saw before the gateway closed.

-And with that, my job is done - finally announced ILMA.

-What did you do to him?!

-Saved him from you.

-That does not look…

But, she choked on her words.

It was enough of a shock to see him alive, and on top of that in some dungeon… our dungeon.

There was no mistaking it. It definitely was the chamber under us.

I could deny it, but one look behind me would be enough to make me understand: the underground structure, just moments ago teeming with magic, has been completely drained of mana and dead.

-I would love to talk all this out, of course… - she said - but we have no time.

I was not going to believe that lie. She was not even trying to hide the hostility, at least towards me.

But, that was the only lie.

The fact that we were running out of time was more than clear.

For the first time in a while, I felt motivated.

And I knew what I was going to do.

-You need to move. And quick. They will be starting procedures in less than a minute - I spoke directly to her mind.

I’ve never really tried doing that, but the fact that she flinched meant that it worked.

-You can do that? Well, damn me. I guess that’s pointless…

She removed the binds that were covering my mouth.

-How much do you know?

-Not many details. I am just aware of the safety protocols. If any of our sites are to lose power, there’s said to be a mechanism to be launched from… well fuck, somewhere.

-Less than me then. Good thing I was prepared.

-What are you talking about?! - yelped Il, confused. - I never heard of this!

-You weren’t the head of our branch - I simply said.

-Or directly connected to the main database - added ILMA. - Listen. While I do have problems with you, I don’t have time for this. I will be escaping this island with them. What you do is at least not to interrupt.

-You bet I won’t! You know that I care about my family.

When I mentioned that, she only grimaced.

What was she thinking of me!?

But, I was not going to know.

-Let’s agree to disagree. I will be leaving now.

Just like before, she gestured and a portal opened in front of her.

This time, it was more akin to what I was used to seeing: just a plain, circular doorway that didn’t have anything visible on the other side, just a foggy, distorted mess, like any portal should.

But, apparently, she was not happy with that.

-Peculiar… - she mumbled, and hesitated for a moment.

Il gave her a panicked look, not sure what’s going on, and before any of us were able to react, we felt a tremor.

An earthquake?

It did feel that way, but it was not the ground that was shaking. It was the air. Or rather all the mana in the air.

I’ve never felt something like that before.

I imagine that’s what it would feel like to be in a body of water while there was an earthquake going on. And, on top of that, above our heads…

-What’s going on?!

The air far above our heads had exploded. That’s the closest explanation I can give.

Was it some sort of missile? A bomb? The “protocol” was just them bombing us?!

I mean, it was possible…

But whatever that was, that was not just a regular explosion. It was magical in nature. And it was not raining fire on us or anything like that, no…

It was like a veil that was being released far above us, trying to cover everything.

-We need to…

Before anyone was even able to finish their thought, something had landed right next to us.

Was I right about the missile after all?

Well, yes and no.

It was some kind of projectile, sure.

But not a rocket, or anything like that. It was just a stone. Stone, that melted almost immediately as it fell and started creeping towards the underground complex.

-What in the fucking…

-MOVE! - shouted ILMA.

She grasped both Il and her “daughter”, while pushing them through the portal.

In a blink of an eye, they disappeared behind the veil, not even having time to make a noise.

She was about to do the same thing to herself and Mor, who all this time was just there, standing awkwardly and without even a hint of consciousness, but just as they stepped forward through the opening, the spell started… vibrating?

It was the strangest sight ever: it looked like the barrier that formed the passageway was made out of rubber and just straight up bounced them away.

-Wha…

And in the next moment, it collapsed, breaking like a destroyed mirror, showering them both with sparks of mana that promptly got absorbed by both of them,