Livia’s heart pounded in her chest as she was teleported into a barren, rocky landscape. The glass room where she had last seen Tyler was gone, replaced by the desolate expanse of a massive canyon, its walls rising steeply on either side. The ground beneath her feet was cracked and uneven, littered with sharp stones and patches of sparse vegetation. The air was dry and still, and the only sounds were the distant echoes of the canyon. Looking up, she noticed the strange curvature of the horizon. The land seemed to arc upwards in the distance, forming a massive ring. "We’re standing on the inside a giant ring," she realized, her eyes tracing the bizarre shape that encircled the sky above.

The terrain within the halo shifted dramatically, from rocky deserts to lush forests and icy tundras, all connected in a continuous loop. The stars above were eerily beautiful, a stark contrast to the unforgiving landscape. But there was no time to admire the view. Her confusion was abruptly interrupted by the voice that explained the challenge, cold and indifferent.

As her body regained mobility, Livia immediately moved to the canyon wall, her instincts screaming at her to stay hidden. "I need to find Tyler and the rest of the group," she thought, her mind racing as she assessed her situation. The oppressive silence of the canyon pressed down on her, every sound amplified by the narrow, winding passages. A shimmering shield surrounded her, a gift from Tyler that activated the moment the countdown ended. She was under no illusion that Tyler mana was infinite, but it gave her some comfort as she moved cautiously from rock to rock, trying to stay out of sight.

Her eyes scanned the towering canyon walls, searching for any sign of escape or potential threats. The emptiness around her made every shadow a potential danger. "I need to find a way out, somewhere I can climb out of this hole."

Determined, she darted from one cover to the next, her pulse quickening as she navigated the maze-like canyon. As she came around a bend in the canyon, she came face-to-face with someone she hadn’t expected.

It was Frost.

Her heart nearly stopped. The last time they had met, Tyler’s team had stripped them of their gear and left them with nothing. Now, here he was, battle-worn and armed once more.

Frost noticed her first, his eyes narrowing as he raised his staff to cast a spell. An ice lance shot from his staff with deadly precision. Instinctively, Livia braced herself, but the spell fizzled out against the shield Tyler had placed on her. Livia retaliated immediately, firing an ice bolt from her bow, but Frost’s mana shield absorbed it with ease.

“Oh, a pretty one,” Frost sneered, lowering his weapon slightly as he appraised her. “I’ll have to take my time with you.” His voice was filled with sinister malice, each word dripping with contempt as he looked her up and down with lust.

"He doesn’t recognize me." She thought as her bow was already drawn again, ready to send another bolt his way. “Stay back,” she warned, her voice steady despite the fear bubbling inside her.

Livia felt a chill run down her spine as he stepped closer, his intent now clear. “This guy is evil,” she realized. As long as Tyler’s shield holds, she had nothing to worry about, and she was fairly she could get away. But then, as if on cue, the shield shimmered and vanished, leaving her completely exposed.

Livia’s heart sank as the realization struck her like a blow. If her shield was gone, that meant either Tyler’s mana was depleted, or he was dead. Regardless, she and everyone else in the team was now defenceless. Fear clawed at her insides, but she refused to let it take hold.

“I guess time’s up,” Frost sneered, his voice dripping with malice as he raised his staff once more. A cruel smile curled his lips, and his eyes glinted with sadistic anticipation. “Call me old fashioned but I like woman’s body cold”

Her hand instinctively reached for the small bell tucked in her pack—the Echoing Bell. She rang it, sending out disorienting sound waves meant to suppress Frost, giving her a chance to escape. Without hesitation, Livia turned and bolted, her heart pounding in her chest like a drumbeat of survival.

“Running won’t save you, girl!” Frost called after her as he stood there holding his ears, trying to regain his balance as the bells wave echoed off the canyon walls. “You can’t escape me.”

Recognition began to dawn in his eyes. “That’s Flynn’s echoing bell,” Frost muttered, his voice cold as he picked up his staff again. “You’re one of the bastards who took our gear!”

His expression darkened, his grip tightening on his staff. “You and your friends took everything from us, everything!” he screamed, his voice raw with fury. He covered his face with one hand, pressing his fingers into his temples as if trying to push the rage away. After a moment, he lowered his hand, revealing a calm, sinister smile. “But now it’s just you, all alone. I wasn’t going to kill you at first, you know. Just make you do me a few favours. But now...” He let the implication hang in the air, his eyes gleaming with malice. “I’m going to make you suffer, you honourless bitch!”

“You know, there’s something truly satisfying about finishing what you start. And you—well, you and your friends left quite the mess behind.”

His footsteps slowly gained momentum as he stalked her through the narrow passages, firing lance after lance. There was nowhere for Livia to hide as she ran away, she did the only thing she could and used the Crystal of the Oracle, the only other magic item she had that didn’t use Tyler mana. It gave a short glimpse into the future, just enough to dodge the incoming ice lances but it had limited uses. He was gaining on her now, she could hear his footsteps growing louder, closer, the sound of inevitability. She zigzagged as she tried to get away, but Frost’s icy lances skimmed past her, close enough to freeze the air around her.

Desperate, she reached for the Echoing Bell again, her fingers trembling as she rang it. The disorienting sound waves spread out, but this time, nothing happened - Frost was ready. “That’s the problem with the bell you know. Pretty easy to counter the dam thing once you know about it.”

“I can’t outrun him… I need to find cover!" she thought frantically, her breath coming in ragged gasps. But there was nowhere to hide, no sanctuary among the canyon walls. The landscape was as barren as her options, and she could feel the icy chill of Frost’s magic creeping up her spine.

Frost’s voice rang out again, taunting and cold. “You know, it’s funny. We had everything planned out, everything perfect. Then you and your merry band of thieves came along and ruined it all. Months of work, gone in an instant. Do you have any idea what it’s like to crawl your way back up after that? To shovel shit just to afford the bare minimum of enchanted items to get back into the tower?” His voice hardened, filled with venomous hatred. “The things I had to do… you and your friends cost us everything.”

“You talk about shovelling shit to a slave!? Go fuck yourself, asshole!” Livia shouted her defiance, her voice reverberating against the canyon walls as she desperately searched for an escape route.

Then she saw it, a small, crooked path up and out of the canyon. Livia’s legs burned with the effort of running, but she couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when the end seemed so near. But then, out of nowhere, a massive ice wall shot up in front of her, cutting off any escape. Panic surged through her as she skidded to a halt, her mind racing. “I’m trapped...”

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Before she could react, an ice lance struck her legs, sending her crashing to the ground. Pain shot through her, but she gritted her teeth and reached for her bow. In pure desperation, Livia fired off a few mundane arrows towards Frost, knowing they wouldn’t do much but hoping to buy herself a few seconds.

Frost chuckled darkly as he slowly approached, batting away the arrows with a casual flick of his staff. “Pathetic. You’re nothing without your tricks and your magic. Just another weakling pretending to be a hero.” He pointed his staff directly at her, the tip glowing with icy blue light. “But don’t worry, I’ll make this quick. Consider it payback for all the trouble you caused.”

Livia braced herself for the end, her heart pounding in her ears as she watched the lethal energy build at the tip of Frost’s staff. But just as he was about to unleash the killing blow, something extraordinary happened.

Instead of the searing pain she expected, Livia felt a familiar warmth envelop her. A vibrant burning shield blazed to life around her, stopping Frost’s attack dead in its tracks. The force of the shield’s sudden activation sent Frost staggering back, a look of utter disbelief on his face.

“What the—?!” Frost’s voice faltered, his eyes wide with shock. He stared at the glowing barrier; his confidence shattered. “How... how is this possible?”

Livia looked up, equally stunned but filled with a renewed sense of hope. The shield was Tyler’s—his last desperate act of protection. She didn’t know how he’d managed it, but she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity. This was her chance, and she wasn’t about to let it slip away.

As the realization dawned on Frost, a dark fury twisted his features. “You think this changes anything?” he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “I’ll tear that shield down, and then I’ll finish what I started. You’re not getting away, not this time.”

But Livia was already moving, her determination burning brighter than ever. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. Not today.

Livia’s heart swelled with relief. Tyler’s shield had saved her, just in time.

----------------------------------------

Tyler’s consciousness returned slowly, the world around him coming into focus like a hazy dream sharpening into reality. His body ached with a deep, throbbing pain, and the metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. It hadn’t been a peaceful rest—his muscles screamed in protest as he forced himself to move. As his senses cleared, the memories hit him with the force of a freight train. Markus. The beastman. His failure.

He pushed himself upright, every motion a struggle, his heart sinking as he realized the protective shields he’d placed on his friends were gone. They were exposed, vulnerable, and it was his fault. Grief threatened to consume him, but Tyler shoved it aside, retreating inward to that cold, dark place where he buried all his trauma. Now was not the time to break down. Not when everything was at stake.

He needed control. He needed strength. Closing his eyes, he plunged into the depths of his mind, focusing on the one thing that could anchor him—his mana core.

It was a radiant sphere, glowing with a deep, rich violet that pulsed rhythmically, like the heartbeat of the universe. The core swirled with life and energy, shifting and undulating like a nebula in the vastness of space. Tendrils of light extended from it, connecting to everything that powered him—his spells, his runes, his weapons, and most critically, his teammates. This was the very essence of his being, the source of his strength. But as he watched, the mana flowed into the core too slowly, trickling in when he needed a torrent. He had to find a way to draw in more—faster.

His gaze followed the tendrils reaching out from his core, each one pulsing with energy. He counted four strong lines, and relief washed over him. His friends were still alive. But there was a void where Markus’s connection should have been, a cold emptiness that threatened to overwhelm him. The reality of his friend’s death hit him like a punch to the gut, but he buried it deep, locking away the grief alongside all the other scars. He didn’t have time to mourn. Not now.

Desperation clawed at Tyler as he frantically searched for a way to accelerate the flow of mana into his core. "I can't lose them. Not after Markus. Not after everything." He tried everything he could think of—pulling, pushing, willing the energy to move faster—but nothing worked. Each failed attempt only deepened his frustration, his heart pounding with mounting fear. "Come on, dammit! Move!"

Even though it felt like minutes dragged on like hours only moments passed outside of his inner sanctum. "There has to be a way. There’s always a way." But nothing he tried could speed up the flow of mana. His desperation grew, pushing him to the brink of despair. "If I can’t do this... if I can’t save them..." The thought of losing another friend, of failing again, was too much to bear.

Then, something caught his attention—a thicker line of mana, stronger than the others, flowing into him with a force that demanded notice. It pulsed with potential, like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. "What’s this?" His heart leaped with a spark of hope. Grasping for any advantage, Tyler mentally reached for it, grabbing hold with fierce determination. "This is it. This has to be it."

He tried to pull, but the mana line resisted. Frustration surged within him, and he begged silently, "Please... I need this. They need this. Just give me what I need." He pleaded with the energy, willing it to flow faster, to give him the strength to save his friends. But the line remained stubborn, the energy trickling in as if mocking his desperation. "Why isn’t this working?" Despair began to creep in, tightening like a vice around his chest. "No, no, no... I can’t lose them."

Tyler’s mind raced, his thoughts becoming more frantic. "I’m losing them. I’m going to lose them all if I don’t figure this out." He could almost feel their lives slipping away from him, their mana connections weakening as his own reserves dwindled. "Please... I can’t let this happen. Not again..."

His thoughts shifted from demands to outright desperation. He stopped trying to force the line and instead pleaded with it, his internal voice trembling with fear. "I’m begging you... I don’t care what it takes. Just give me the power. Help me save them." His silent plea echoed in his mind, a prayer to the universe, to whatever gods might be listening. "Please, don’t let them die because of me."

But the line still resisted. Fury boiled over within him, a deep, primal rage that obliterated his despair. "Damn it!" Tyler roared inside his mind, his anger igniting like wildfire. He grabbed the mana line with all his might and pulled with everything he had. "You’re going to give me what I need!"

And then, the line answered.

The mana surged in response, thickening as the flow intensified. "What...?" Relief washed over him as he felt the energy rushing into him, but it was a wild, untamed force, like a dam breaking. The line transformed from a stream into a raging river of energy that surged into his core with a powerful, relentless force. His mana began to rise rapidly, filling him with raw, almost overwhelming power. "It’s working... It’s really working!"

He didn’t waste a second. With the newfound surge of energy, he raised the shields on his friends, their protection and healing runes blazing with light as the mana shot through the connections to them. There was still hope.

But as he snapped back to reality, a cold dread settled over him—something was terribly wrong. His aura was ablaze, black and purple tendrils of energy lashing out around him, scorching the earth beneath his feet. "What the hell is happening?" The mana was pouring into him too quickly, overwhelming his core, which strained to contain it. The overflow was burning him from the inside out. "I’ve lost control. This... this is too much! I have to burn off some of this mana, or it’s going to tear me apart."

With a burst of speed, he was suddenly next to Markus’s body, the world around him blurring with the sheer force of his movement. The sight of his fallen friend sent a wave of fresh pain through him, but he forced himself to focus. "I’ll mourn you later my dear friend"

Tyler whispered; his voice filled with cold resolve. “For you and your family, I swear ... I’ll make them pay.”

He carefully stored Markus’s body in his inventory, a grim sense of duty pushing him forward. There was no time to linger. He needed to act.

Tyler turned his attention back to the tendrils of mana connecting him to his teammates, focusing on the one with the strongest pull. It tugged at him, almost urgently, pointing him in a clear direction. Without hesitation, he set off at full speed.

The world became a blur as he moved, the landscape whipping past him at a pace that defied comprehension. To someone standing still, it would have looked like a bolt of lightning streaking across the savanna, a blur of dark energy tearing through the grasslands with a ferocity that left the air crackling in its wake.

Everything around him was a rush of colours and shapes, but his focus was razor-sharp, locked onto the pull of mana that led him toward his next target. The power surging through him was both exhilarating and terrifying, a force that threatened to tear him apart even as it propelled him forward. He had to find his teammates, had to save them before it was too late.

Tyler’s resolve hardened. There was no room for failure. Not again. Not today.