A loud crash shook through the ground as Nimora, Rylan, and Rowan were still descending deep underground in the lift.
"What was that?" Nimora asked.
"Probably Aethonia's power. Arthur can't possibly hold her off," Rylan replied.
Right in the middle of their conversation, the lift suddenly malfunctioned, dropping straight down.
The three of them panicked—there was nothing to grab onto. The ground was only a few meters away.
"Rylan, do something!" Nimora shouted.
"I don't know—I don't know what to do!" he yelled back.
"Hold on! I'll try something!" Rowan said.
The boy set his violin bow against the strings and started playing. But the notes came out messy and broken—nothing happened.
The lift was seconds away from crashing. Rowan forced himself to focus, steadying his body despite the panic, trying to play the melody properly.
Finally, he managed it. A bubble made from sound waves rose up, lifting the three of them into the air. It was his ability, Bubble Melody.
The lift slammed into the ground below, but they weren't shaken nearly as hard—Rowan had saved them.
They survived, but were trapped inside. They shouted, hoping someone outside might hear.
"Rylan, can't you use your Feral Transformation?" Rowan asked.
"That's for fighting. I'm not wasting that much energy just to get out of here. There's got to be another way," Rylan answered.
"Feral Transformation? What's that?" Nimora asked.
"He can turn into a massive bear. I'm pretty sure he could smash open this old lift door."
Nimora shot Rylan a sharp look. "Then what are you waiting for? You gonna sit here until we run out of oxygen and you're the only one left alive?"
Rylan didn't want to argue anymore. He gave in and transformed into a bear, ramming the door over and over. But contrary to what they expected, even though the lift was ancient, its door was still tough and wouldn't budge.
Time dragged on as they stayed trapped. Rylan kept trying to break it open, while Nimora and Rowan were already pale from lack of oxygen. Rylan's hands were bleeding, his strength running out.
He paused for a moment, looking at his bloody arms, exhausted. But when he saw Nimora and Rowan barely hanging on, that stubborn refusal to let them die came back. He pushed himself harder.
"Claw Swipe," Rylan growled in his bear's voice.
His claws extended, sharper than before. He slashed at the door rapidly, striking again and again with all his might.
Moments later, the door finally gave way. He slowly reverted back to his human form—then collapsed unconscious.
Nimora's blurred vision slowly cleared as fresh oxygen filled her lungs again. The first thing she did was check on Rowan.
"I'm fine. I just need to rest. Go check Rylan—he passed out," Rowan said weakly.
Nimora rushed to Rylan. His hands were bruised, and she started tending to them. But before she could finish, she heard something growling from the lab's main hall.
Her eyes shifted forward. A shadow loomed closer—strange creatures heading their way.
Sure enough, three orcs much larger than Nimora approached her.
Not wanting to rely on Rowan or the unconscious Rylan, she knew it was her turn to protect them.
"Rowan, don't move! I'll handle them first," Nimora ordered.
"Handle who?" Rowan asked.
•••
That afternoon, Astraea was practicing with a wooden sword while Gala trained with a spear.
Astraea was pushing herself hard—she didn't want to rely too much on her magic when it came to facing Kali. Especially now, when her powers were unstable and hard to control. Thankfully, Gala had come prepared with a temporary remedy crafted by Dr. Thrain.
Gala blocked a few of her strikes, then spotted an opening at her waist. She struck Astraea's side and followed with a kick that sent her tumbling to the ground.
"Damn, you're good," Astraea admitted.
"It's not that I'm good. You're just careless. You left your waist wide open." Gala extended her hand to help Astraea up.
"Alright, that's enough. Time for a break," she said after pulling Astraea to her feet, turning her back as she started to walk away.
Astraea smirked, then suddenly rushed at her from behind. But Gala reacted quickly, parrying the attack with ease.
The wooden sword fell from Astraea's grip as Gala spun her spear, pointing the tip right at her throat.
"I said rest. You haven't taken your medicine again, and I don't want to hurt you while Kali still has influence over you," Gala warned.
"Fine. But next time, I'll beat you," Astraea shot back.
They decided to rest, heading back to the Crystal Cave—the only place that felt truly safe for now.
Sitting by the campfire, they roasted rabbit meat they'd hunted earlier before returning from training.
Astraea admitted she wasn't sure if she could defeat Kali with her current unstable powers. Sometimes she felt disoriented, and she was convinced it was the lingering effect of Kali's poison.
No matter what, Gala had promised Dr. Thrain she would protect and support her. She urged Astraea to believe that her sister, Nimora, would succeed in finding the cure.
"She's not a fighter, Gal. She can't even wield a sword or a spear like you. All she has is a dagger. What good is a dagger in a world like this?" Astraea argued.
"Any weapon is deadly in the right hands. If someone truly masters it, they can defeat whoever stands in front of them," Gala replied calmly.
"It's not that I don't believe in her. But, Gal… I need to go to Mythren. I can't just sit here while my sister's out there."
Gala immediately objected. Astraea, who had been determined to face Kali, was suddenly set on chasing after her sister instead. She couldn't let that happen—especially since Tenebrous Village was extremely wary of fire mages. Their home had once been nearly destroyed by a woman with fire magic, and they hadn't forgotten.
"You need to stand firm, As. If you really want to defeat Kali, you have to keep training while you wait for your sister. If you run to Mythren now, you'll just end up being a burden when the time comes. But if your sister makes it out alive… she'll be far stronger than you can imagine," Gala said firmly.
Astraea couldn't deny she was right. She decided to stay and keep training.
But then, in the middle of their conversation, the snap of a branch echoed from the mouth of the cave. Both of them instantly stood, weapons at the ready, prepared to strike if it was an enemy.