"Selene!"
Rushing forward, Edifice raised both of her hands and manifested storms of Qi.
Dao Art -- Great Qi Hands!
One Great Qi hand smashed into the back of the hideous beast.
Groaning in pain, the hideous beast struggled fiercely, its strength had surged once again.
The other Great Qi Hand fell over the edge and down to the natural Spirit Spring.
Plunging into the murky silver of the mixing Heaven Qi and Earth Qi, the Great Qi Hand began to deteriorate, being overwhelmed and assimilated into the silver pool.
Using Immersion, Edifice was able to sense Selene, who was weakly struggling in the depths of the Spirit Spring.
She lowered the Great Qi Hand underneath Selene and gently brought her to the surface.
The hideous beast's struggles suddenly became more violent.
Roaring through a strained throat, it began to inch closer to the edge.
Pain. Heat. Danger.
All of these arose in the beast's mind.
But before they could intensify, the hideous beast flicked its tail.
Two objects were slapped out of Edifice's hands and shattered against the wall.
The Great Qi Hand holding the beast started to break down into wisps of Qi. Edifice could sense her other Great Qi Hand diminishing, as well.
Gritting her teeth, Edifice tried to retrieve two more Dao Art Mediums from her robes, but the beast didn't remain idle.
With newfound strength surging throughout its body, the hideous beast crawled to the edge in a frenzy.
Its demeanour was no longer reasonable; it fell completely into mania.
'Why is it so focused on Sister Selene!?'
'I can't let it take her, I won't! But this accursed tail keeps getting in my way!'
Edifice wanted to stop it, but its flailing tail prevented her from getting too close.
She wasn't able to catch it, let alone resist the impact; her Defensive Dao art had long since been broken.
The hideous beast cast itself over the cave's cliff and into the larger cave area, diving into the natural Spirit Spring.
...
Submerged in the thick Qi of the silver pool, Selene found it difficult to move.
Cold pervaded her entire body, and the chills reached as deep as her bones.
Weakness had claimed her, having suffered the brunt of an attack far beyond her level, she barely managed to survive due to her Defensive Dao Art.
Dao Art -- Four-Layered Protection.
The manifested armour had already broken apart, the thin pieces melting in the slurry of Heaven Qi and Earth Qi.
Selene's body felt like it was deteriorating, too.
Slivers of skin peeled off, and the murky silver pool seemed to violently react to the blood that leaked.
'Where... am I?'
An intense throbbing assaulted her head, and Selene's thoughts were slow to rise.
'My chest... It's so tight... I can't breathe... can't breathe... can't...'
The rhythm of her heartbeat was slow and low, yet loud in her ears.
She tried to move her arms, but they remained still.
'My stomach...'
Selene gagged internally.
Her stomach churned sickeningly. Could she will her body, she would hurl until her stomach was empty.
It was all a terrible experience, yet not one she was unfamiliar with.
The frailness of her body, a deathly illness that ravages her organs, and a violent cold which assaults her skin.
Did she not live like this usually?
She was all too familiar with living so lowly; the world itself seemed to be her enemy.
Of course, it wasn't pleasant at all.
'Cold...'
Selene's eyes were closed: she could only see darkness.
'Did I fall... into the Spirit Spring...?'
The silver pool shed a natural, gentle light. Yet her eyelids witheld all of that light.
If she opened her eyes, would she see the silver light?
'I need to move...'
Even if she were embraced by the light, would it warm her bones?
'I need to rise...'
Forever embraced by the darkness and the vanity of light, how else could she expect anything else besides coldness?
'I... I need to get out of here...!'
A myriad of thoughts spoke in her head, they were like the slow pitapata of droplets, accumulating slowly, falling, and bursting upon the ground.
Each droplet shook and burst as a sudden, violent turbulence crashed into Selene's body.
A current stormed through the Heaven Qi and Earth Qi, causing the mixture to throw Selene's body around.
The surrounding cold left her body numb, but a greater chill raked down her spine.
'Bubbles...? Groaning...? What is...?'
Before, the current pushed her body like a leaf in a storm; now it seemed to be calling her back.
Mind. Heart. Stomach.
Selene felt a faint tugging in these places, and weakness came forth.
What was she at this point? What was she at all?
She couldn't struggle.
She couldn't fight back.
She couldn't resist.
She could do nothing at all.
Merely a toy to these forces.
Helpless in the ebb and flow of the current, which vies to tear her apart.
Helpless to the Heaven Qi and Earth Qi, which drowns her in the slurry that will become her grave.
Helpless to the -- all too familiar -- cold which seeks to snuff the life of her body.
She was helpless.
Helpless.
'...'
'...'
'...'
When her stomach felt flat, when her beating heart soothed to a faint pulse, when the last of her thoughts began to rest, a thunderous sound shook the silvery pool.
Even though it was muffled by the thickness of the mixing Qi, the sound violently tore through the Qi, and the noise pained Selene's ears.
Currents surged violently, as if a storm was ravaging the Spirit Spring.
It was a terrible groan, one that was low, pained, and beastial.
'...'
'...'
'...?'
Something warm wrapped around her ribcage and pulled her.
'...Who...?'
Selene rose; she felt the pressure assaulting her wane, and warmth crept into her bones.
'...!'
Soon enough, Selene broke through the surface of the silvery pool.
Her hearing was coming back to her, and she was assaulted by the sounds of violent splashing.
Violent roars of pain echo throughout the dome-like cave.
Then, she felt something solid hit her back.
Selene was raised and propped against a stony ledge.
"S'...! L'k...'t... 'e!"
Her vision slowly returned, and the fuzzy figure of silver, brown, alabaster, black, and slivers of red was seen above her.
"Ca'... y' bre'the...?"
"Selene...!"
"...?"
'Who is calling my name...?'
'...'
'...'
"Edifice?"