Nyk's heart raced, adrenaline surging through his veins as he slid down the slick, monstrous face of Garoth. The beast's jaw hung open, its razor-sharp teeth reflecting the dim light of the cave.
As he landed on the floor, Nyk realized the gravity of his situation. His sword remained lodged in one of Garoth's colossal eyes. His belt, once full, hung empty and useless at his side.
Nyk had exhausted all his resources to lure the creature away from Syn, who now lay unconscious a few meters behind the beast. In his heart, Nyk knew this was it - the end.
Think before you act. Syn's words echoed in his mind, a lesson he had never quite mastered. He had always known, deep down, that he would never hold a Green card, let alone a Purple card, and he deeply regretted having dragged her here.
Guilt washed all over him, it seemed selfish, but he was happy to see his best friend in this final moment and proud to have fought to defend her.
Knowing his fate, he locked eyes with Garoth, then lowered his gaze, accepting the inevitable. But to his shock, the moment he broke eye contact, Garoth leaped back, retreating.
Nyk stared at Garoth, stunned to be alive. The creature simply observed him, offering no explanation for its sudden reluctance to attack—
"Nyyyk!" Syn's voice cut through the air like a lifeline, and Nyk's heart soared with relief. Syn is alive!
Garoth still watched them, its rage burning in its eyes, but now they did not glow red but with a faint orange tint. He looked past Garoth and saw Syn, who was still on the floor.
Nyk made a split-second decision and ran toward Syn, leaving Garoth behind. Syn looked confused as he approached, her gaze flicking between Nyk and the beast.
Syn's face, who was now scrambling to her feet, contorted from confusion to terror, and she jumped towards him, hand outstretched.
Instead of the tight embrace he anticipated, Syn tackled him with full force, sending them both hurtling through the air. He heard a loud crash behind them, and his stomach churned as the ground disappeared beneath them.
Are we... flying? Nyk's face twisted with confusion. Since when can she fly?
As the cave exit drew near, he turned to look at Syn's face, finding a look of horror on it. He followed her gaze and noticed Garoth. Murderous rage blazing in its eyes as he lunged toward the entrance.
Nyk's heart pounded in his chest; they needed to change course, but how? He had nothing left.
Desperation set in as he realized he was gripping something in his hand. Without a second thought, he removed his belt and hurled one end toward the cavern wall. As he did, Syn's whip-sword extended, its metallic tip wrapping around a protruding rock and pulling them toward it.
In an instant, their trajectory changed, and they spiraled toward the wall. Syn looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise, and vaulted midair. Her legs kicked off the wall with tremendous force.
Syn's impulse, combined with the whip-sword propelled them back towards the wall, and Nyk released his grip just in time. They flew away from Garoth's reach and straight for the wall.
Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted them upward, and Nyk spotted a narrow crack near the ceiling. Syn's eyes flashed with determination, and he clung to her tightly.
Their bodies scraped painfully against the jagged edges of the crack as they squeezed through, but they had made it and left Garoth behind.
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As they neared the ground on the other side of the wall, Nyk felt how Syn wrapped her arms and legs around Nyk, cushioning the impact and taking the brunt of the landing.
The echo of their crash filled the cave as they stumbled onto the ground. Nyk's head swirled, yet he swiftly rolled away from her grip upon realizing Syn's lifeless body.
"Syn! Syn! Are you okay?!" Nyk's voice quivered with fear as he shook her unresponsive form, trying to wake her up. Cuts and bruises adorned her body, and her damaged leg bled profusely.
Nyk immediately turned, waiting for Garoth to chase them, ready to attempt again to somehow lure it away. He fully expected the beast to follow them, but nothing happened.
His gaze checked back on Syn, but she just lay limp on the ground, her body battered and bruised.
Still expecting Garoth to come, he frantically looked for options, scanning the cave for weapons, an exit or herbs to create a healing salve.
Where the heck are we? he thought as he looked around.
The cave walls shimmered with countless glistening prisms. Hexagonal crystals surrounded them, casting a kaleidoscope of colors in the dim light, the cave itself taking on a polygonal shape. In the center, a robed skeleton lay on the floor. Its gender was indiscernible, but the pristine white robes with swirling blue stripes seemed eerily untouched by time.
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There was no time to dwell on the mystery.
There were no exits, but maybe the skeleton could have weapons with him, but it felt wro—
His eyes spotted a patch of herbs growing on the other side of the chamber, away from the crystal-encrusted walls. With no time to waste, Nyk darted across the room to check them up, careful not to touch the robed figure.
Suddenly, a magical array activated beneath his feet.
Symbols materialized out of nowhere, humming with energy as they formed a hexagon around the figure. The air crackled with electricity, and a power pulse reverberated through the chamber. One-quarter of the previously blue symbols shifted to red, and hexagonal light beams shot toward Nyk.
The lights followed him across the room, and he felt the sting of each beam that hit him, the majority bringing a sense of ease while a few inflicted searing pain and fresh wounds.
His gaze flicked to Syn, concerned for her safety. Considerably fewer beams were targeting her, and though they struck her, her face bore a serene smile as if the light brought her comfort instead of pain.
As he looked back at the skeleton, a hexagonal shield expanded rapidly from its center. Nyk tried to step back, but the shield slammed into him, briefly halting its growth.
He tried to move, and his heart raced as he realized he was floating, suspended in midair as magical rays bombarded him from every angle. The intensity of the beams increased, as did their number.
A blue screen etched with runic symbols appeared before him, displaying message after message.
> Full Body Scan Initialized
> Analyzing Body Development...
> Evaluating Luck...
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Strength...
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Agility...
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Dexterity...
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Intelligence...
>
> * Insufficient.
An onslaught of messages flooded Nyk's vision, each appearing and scrolling relentlessly in front of him. Meanwhile, the shield continuously generated new beams of light, releasing bursts of energy as they struck his body.
With each hit, a power surge swelled within Nyk's chest, filling him with newfound strength. But accompanying this feeling, he felt pain unlike he'd ever felt before.
He tried to cry out but found himself overwhelmed by an attack so fierce and unyielding that he lacked the breath to do so.
After what felt like an eternity, the shield resumed its expansion, passing through him. Nyk gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, straining with pain but determined to keep up with the rapidly disappearing text.
> Adjusting Wisdom...
>
> * Time remaining unknown.
> Adjusting Constitution...
>
> * Time remaining unknown.
> Body Adjustments Initiated.
>
> * Total time remaining unknown.
> Inner Array Scan Initialized
> Analyzing Inner Development...
> Evaluating Natural Order Comprehension
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Magical Alignment
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Open Mana Pathways
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Body impurities
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Core Status
>
> * Insufficient.
> Evaluating Bonded Card(s)
>
> * Insufficient.
> Initiating Correction of Inner Array...
> Opening Mana Pathways
>
> * Time remaining unknown.
> Cleansing Impurities
>
> * Time remaining unknown.
> Generating Core
>
> * Time remaining unknown.
Nyk shuddered as an icy sensation crept through his limbs, immediately followed by a searing heat that surged through his body. His veins felt like they were on fire, while his extremities remained numb and cold.
Nyk turned his gaze to Syn. A similar onslaught of lights was also bombarding her, but the lights were mostly attracted to her limbs. Nyk noticed, surprised, that her leg was no longer mangled, countless trails of light tending to her and striking across her convulsing body. Her face was placid and, unlike him, didn't appear to be in pain.
He heard cracks as he tightened his already clenched teeth, doing his best to focus on remaining conscious despite the lack of air. He fought hard the urge to succumb to the pain that threatened to overwhelm him.
The assaulting lights suddenly stopped moving, and Nyk's body relaxed.
Still floating and unable to move, Nyk's gaze looked past the screen. The array had expanded to cover the entire room.
He looked into the blue screen once more and noticed that the endlessly scrolling blue window had frozen all of a sudden, and it was slightly dimming out.
> Primeval Wellspring Detected...
> Primal directive activated.
>
> * Prioritizing recovery of Primeval Being
> * Recovery is not possible.
> * Recovery is not possible.
> * Recovery is not possible.
> Diverting all unnecessary activities.
> Transfering activities to Nucleus.
>
> * Insufficient mana available.
> Gathering ambient mana...
> Consolidating ambient mana into:
> 4. Card
The screen seemed to wane for a fleeting moment before recovering. It commenced a rhythmic dance of phasing, vanishing in and out of existence only to reappear again.
All of a sudden, the screen returned with an ever-brighter glow, engulfed in sparks of magic. The beam assault immediately resumed, pain returning with tremendous force.
> Mind Card (Red Quality) generated.
> Mind Card (Red Quality) obtained.
> Bonding with Mind Card (Red Quality)...
R-red Qualit-ty? W-what is t-that!? he stammered in pain, gritting his teeth tightly, his fists clenched white.
His mind fell into turmoil. Confused and lacking air, Nyk could no longer maintain his grip on reality. As messages continued to stream past him in a relentless torrent, his vision blurred, and everything faded to black.