Inside the Crystal Cave, the ice's shimmer reflected Freya's beautiful golden hair.

Freya: "Finally, I've found you useless ones!"

Eldrick and Aric quickly get into a defensive stance, ready to attack.

Eldrick: "Quick, let's do the same as with the spider. Distract her, and I'll finish her with a single blow."

Freya, perplexed, raises an eyebrow and watches them with disbelief.

Freya: "Huh? You think you're going to attack me? You two? Hmm… After all this time waiting for you, is this how we meet?"

Aric and Eldrick exchange bewildered glances.

Aric: "You were waiting for us? What for? Are you planning to steal our minerals?" – he asks, on guard, with a mix of distrust and confusion.

Freya sighs with a tired smile, lowering her arms in surrender.

Freya: "Do I look like a thief to you?"

Eldrick, trying to ease the tension, steps forward.

Eldrick: "Let's skip the arguments. Can you explain everything to us, please?"

Freya, seeing the chance to clarify things, crosses her arms.

Freya: "Basically, someone told me to wait for you. I don't know exactly why, but I'll follow you even if you don't want me to. So, we're a team now." Her tone shifts from distrust to confidence, ending with a self-assured smile.

Eldrick and Aric exclaim in unison, surprised by Freya's sudden decision.

At the Tavern in Sector 10 – Adventurers' Zone

Freya: "Hand over your mission, and let's go. You can stay at my place; I have another room where you can stay."

Aric, still somewhat suspicious but seeing the practical side, comments with a slightly mocking tone.

Aric: "Looks like you might be useful after all."

Freya, frowning, responds quickly.

Freya: "If you don't shut up, I'll shut you up myself."

Aric: "What did you say?!"

Eldrick intervenes before things escalate.

Eldrick: "Stop arguing. Let's finish the mission; it didn't bring much gold or honor."

Aric, changing the subject, smiles with satisfaction.

Aric: "But we got the minerals, haha. You'll be impressed with my new gear in the next battle."

Freya, now calmer, nods.

Freya: "Alright, let's go. I need to tell you something."

At Freya's House

Freya: "Well, we're here."

Eldrick, not wasting any time, asks.

Eldrick: "What did you need to tell us?"

Freya takes a breath before speaking.

Freya: "Hey, take it easy. Well, two years ago, something told me you'd arrive, and that I'd have to wait for you."

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Aric, curious, raises an eyebrow.

Aric: "'Something'? What does that mean?"

Freya: "You'll think I'm crazy, but it was like the very galaxies contained within a being. To be honest, it's the first time I've seen something like that."

Aric, surprised, leans forward.

Aric: "Wait… I saw that too. It was like a human, but with galaxies and stars inside. I saw it two years ago at the coliseum."

Freya, visibly relieved, smiles.

Freya: "Really? I thought I was crazy."

Eldrick, intrigued, scratches his chin.

Eldrick: "Interesting… Is there a library? I'll research it."

Freya nods, but with some reservation.

Freya: "Yes, there is one, but only in Sector 7. As you can see, we're quite limited. Even as adventurers, we're not as free as we'd like."

Suddenly, an explosion is heard outside Sector 10.

Freya, Eldrick, and Aric exclaim in unison.

Freya, Eldrick, and Aric: "What was that?!"

Freya, determined, stands up.

Freya: "Let's go, everyone. We need to see what it is."

They all run to check out the explosion. When they reach the gate of Sector 10, they find something incredible: an angel.

Eldrick, shocked, murmurs.

Eldrick: "What's going on? According to the books, the few remaining angels are peaceful."

In the distance, Nyra arrives running with a small group of adventurers.

Nyra, worried, greets them.

Nyra: "Hi, Eldrick, Aric. What's happening?"

Aric, keeping his eyes on the angel, responds.

Aric: "I'm not sure, but get ready. We might not make it out alive."

Everyone prepares to fight the angel.

Freya, seriously, addresses the others.

Freya: "Alright. I've guided the civilians. We just need to contain this. I've also sent an alert for adventurers from higher sectors to come."

The angel observes everyone intently, but upon seeing Aric, its madness erupts and it begins to attack.

Freya, alert, shouts.

Freya: "Everyone get ready, here it comes!"

Freya casts a spell to strengthen everyone while Aric creates a powerful black and red armor for himself and a staff for Eldrick.

Aric, full of determination, shouts.

Aric: "I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

Aric and Freya move to attack the angel, dodging the golden spears it throws. The spears emanate an overwhelming presence, a power some call divine.

Eldrick, focused, turns to Nyra.

Eldrick: "Let's combine our attack, Nyra. Focus on freezing the water projectile I'll launch and immobilizing its feet."

Nyra, firmly, replies.

Nyra: "I'll handle it."

The angel, which had been toying with them, launches its first serious attack with a speed that even human eyes can't catch, heading straight for Aric.

Freya, desperate, shouts.

Freya: "Watch out, Aric, protect yourself!"

At the last moment, Aric creates layers of shields using the materials obtained in the cave, managing to save himself from losing half his torso, but he is gravely injured, unable to continue the battle.

Aric, spitting blood, laments.

Aric: "Ugh… Damn it, I couldn't do anything again…"

Suddenly, without anyone noticing, the angel disappears.

Nyra, confused, asks.

Nyra: "What happened? Did it get tired and leave? We won, right?"

Eldrick, still alert, shouts.

Eldrick: "Don't be hasty, it's in the sky!"

The angel had been creating a magic circle on its back, which begins to shoot beams of light.

Eldrick, seeing the danger, quickly creates a powerful earth barrier and adds a layer of ice behind it to increase its resistance.

Eldrick, straining, shouts.

Eldrick: "I can't hold out much longer, it's too powerful…"

The wall falls, leaving Eldrick exposed. A beam of light heads straight for his chest.

Aric, desperate, shouts.

Aric: "Dodge, Eldrick, it will kill you!"

Freya, also alarmed, exclaims.

Freya: "Eldrick!"

Suddenly, before the beam hits, Nyra appears out of nowhere.

Nyra: "I won't let you die."

With a final sacrifice, Nyra uses the Body Substitution technique, swapping places with Eldrick and taking the impact in his place.

Eldrick, horrified, shouts.

Eldrick: "Nyra, no!"

Nyra falls, with a hole in her chest but still with a determined expression. Despite her fear, she protected her friend.

Eldrick runs to her, holding her in his arms.

Eldrick, crying, asks.

Eldrick: "Why? Why did you do it? I should have been the one to die, not you… Why, Nyra?"

Nyra, with her last strength, places a hand on Eldrick's face, wiping his tears.

Nyra, with a weak voice, responds.

Nyra: "Since I was little, I read superhero books, and there was always a character who sacrificed themselves for someone else… to be honest, I never wanted to be that kind of character. I wanted to be the heroine who saved everyone, but I did it… because you were my first and only friend. Don't stop fighting. I want to see the world through your eyes, so don't give up."

Nyra closes her eyes slowly as Eldrick mourns the loss of his friend.

Angel, with disdain in its voice and no attempt to hide its contempt: "How boring… what a pathetic death. I'm tired now, there's no one here who really entertains me. And that little speech… it makes me sick. Goodbye, we'll meet again."

The angel disappears in a flash of light, leaving behind a deathly silence.

Our protagonists, devastated and wounded both physically and emotionally, realize a harsh truth: real life is not a fairy tale. They have learned, in the cruelest way, that they must fight with all their might to protect those they love.

Chapter 6 End