As Zane prepared for his return, a nightmare far worse than before descended upon the battlefield Jasmine and the others had fought so hard to protect.
They had just barely managed to kill one—the Scarbone-Savage Beast ranked C Gemini, a monster whose strength pushed them to their limits. Bloodied, exhausted, they stood in the aftermath of battle, thinking it was over.
But it wasn't.
A new threat of Geminis emerged from the portal the Whisperkin had left behind. Fifteen, maybe more. Each one towering, pulsating with otherworldly auras. Each one stronger. Meaner. Hungrier. Even the weakest among them radiated more power than the Scarbone they'd just killed.
Ariel's heart dropped as she watched the emerging Geminis, her hair fluttering like a golden flame in the breeze. Her eyes widened, locking onto the Geminis as they spread out like wolves circling prey. When the last Geminis emerged, the portal closed as if sealing their fate.
There would be no retreat.
It was kill or be killed.
"I don't have time for this," Ariel muttered through gritted teeth. Her fists clenched at her sides, knuckles white with tension. Her breathing steadied, but her mind roared with urgency. "Zane…"
She looked east, toward the distant range, as if trying to visualize her older brother. She had to get to him. But now? She was trapped with no way out but to fight.
"Open Status," she commanded.
A soft chime echoed in her mind as the translucent System screen materialized before her eyes, flickering in front of the burning skyline.
[System Status]
Player Name: Ariel Walker
Username: [Right to choose has been revoked. Analysis of player is incomplete.]
Rank: Primordial
Title: First Guardian of Earth
Mana Points: 8,200
Special Abilities:
Protector – Boosts ally defense by 150%, reduces enemy defense by 300%. (Cooldown: 5min)
Submission – Immobilizes enemies for 3 seconds.
(Cooldown: 5min)
Second Life – Revive once upon death (Cooldown: 7 days)
Copy – Able to mimic the abilities of players with a lower rank.
Copied Abilities:
Fire Domain: C
Terra Domain: C
Water Domain: C
Enhancement Attribute: C
Healing Attributes: C
As a Primordial, no one may view your status without your permission.
I've got enough mana points for maybe two domain attacks, she calculated grimly, sweat rolling down her temple. Healing spells… I can manage five at most. Submission might buy me a few seconds, but it's got a five-minute cooldown.
She swallowed hard.
There's too many of them…
The sky above darkened further, clouds swirling like an angry sea. The ground beneath the Geminis cracked and withered under their feet. A low growl echoed from one of them—a grotesque beast covered in bone-like armor and molten-red eyes. Then another. And another. Their snarls merged into a haunting chorus that sent tremors through the air.
The students behind Ariel began to panic. One collapsed to their knees, hyperventilating. Another backed away, tears blurring their vision.
Jasmine stepped forward, arms trembling but raised. "Ariel… what do we do?"
Ariel's hands curled into fists. She was barely past her teenage years, her face still too smooth, her features too young for a battlefield like this. But her eyes were sharp and calculating.
Because deep down, Ariel was smarter than most people twice her age.
Behind her, Malric let out a shaky breath and stepped back, sweat trickling down his brow despite the cold fear sinking into his bones.
"Damn it…" he cursed under his breath, eyes wide with terror. "I always thought I'd marry a French woman… have three kids—one boy, two girls. Die of old age, surrounded by love, peace. Not—not like this. Not torn apart by some grotesque freak show before I even get the chance to lose my virginity."
The attempt at humor died on his lips. No one laughed.
Celine stood beside him, her arms wrapped around herself, eyes darting around the smoking wreckage like a caged animal searching for a way out. Her breaths came shallow, rapid.
Ariel finally spoke, her tone as calm as ice but heavy with command. "Listen to me—all of you. I'll hold them off. You run. Head to the nearest Zone and get reinforcements."
Jasmine stared at her. "Are you sure?"
Ariel nodded. "It's the only way."
Jasmine swallowed hard and turned to the others. "She's right. Move. Now!"
There was no time for hesitation. The ground trembled beneath them—closer now. The Geminis were coming.
The students scrambled toward the broken ruins that marked the edge of the zone. Dust clouded their path.
Ariel's thoughts were already elsewhere.
She had been suspicious the moment she arrived.
Zane wasn't here. She had assigned Jasmine to provide for him.
Why wasn't he with her?
At first, she had given her the benefit of the doubt—maybe they got separated during the chaos. That was understandable… believable.
But then, when she asked about him, Mario—one of the students—began to say something. Jasmine cut him off. Abrupt. Almost panicked.
That wasn't normal. It was almost as if she was guilty of something. Ariel had pretended not to have caught on.
And then came the Whisperkin. A monster unlike the others—intelligent, articulate, even smug. It knew Zane. Spoke his name. Told Ariel to return to the school.
That wasn't random.
That wasn't coincidence.
They left him behind.
And to confirm her suspicion, Ariel had offered herself as a decoy.
They didn't argue. Didn't hesitate.
They accepted too quickly.
As if they'd already done something like this before.
So they're willing to leave people to die. Even him.
The only reason Ariel made this gamble was because of her Second Life.
Even if she died, she'd return.
But the truth weighed heavy.
Her gut twisted with rage.
She wanted to kill every single one of them for betraying her brother.
But right now… it was only theory.
She needed to hear the truth from Zane himself.
"Wait!"
A voice broke through the fog.
Ariel turned just as Celine stopped in her tracks, facing Jasmine and the others already halfway up the slope.
"You guys go on ahead," Celine said, her voice strong and steady. "I'm staying."
Jasmine's brows shot up. "What? No—Celine, don't be stupid."
Ever since they left Zane behind, Celine had been suffocating in guilt.
Standing by while he was bullied was one thing—she had never been the type to interfere in someone else's problems. But abandoning him to die? That was different. That wasn't something she could live with.
And now, here stood Zane's little sister, preparing to face a horde of monsters alone.
No matter how strong Ariel was, she was still a child.
A deafening roar shattered the tense silence—the Reaper's cry tore through the air like a thunderclap, shaking the crumbling walls around them.
"Tch. Suit yourself, idiot," Mario muttered as he turned his back and ran after the others.
Jasmine hesitated. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something—but she said nothing. She simply turned and followed Mario and the others into the shadows. She felt a pang of guilt but didn't stop running.
"You should go too," Ariel said without turning to Celine. Her tone was calm, but firm. "I can't fight and protect you at the same time."
But Celine stepped closer instead.
"Don't worry about me," she said quietly, her eyes steady. "I won't be dead weight. I'll support you… with distance healing and buffs."
Ariel glanced at her, surprised—but there was no time to argue. The Geminis stood eerily still, their silence more menacing than any roar. They clustered together like vultures watching from above. Apart from the occasional groan or wet snarl, they hadn't made a single move. Not even when the others fled. They all had their sight on her. It was as if they wanted her to make the first move.
They were waiting.
Watching, and calculating.
"Fine," Ariel muttered. Her hands clenched into fists. "If you're too scared to move—then here I come!"
Without another word, she shot forward like a streak of light, charging straight at the Gemini horde.
Celine ducked into one of the broken buildings, pressing her back against a cracked stone wall. Her heart thundered. Dust drifted from above as the ceiling trembled from the roar of energy outside.
She wasn't as brave as she had acted. She was probably the most scared of all but she wouldn't be able to live with herself if abandoned his sister too. She bit her lip, then whispered the words under her breath.
"A hundred miles, a hundred more,
With tireless steps on every floor.
Breath holds firm, limbs don't fall,
Stamina flows—unbroken at all.
Each task taken, with effort halved,
Yet strength remains, forever carved.
Let vigor surge, let weakness cease—
Boost Domain: Broken Leash!"
A soft green light shimmered in the air, then streamed toward Ariel like a gentle wind. It wrapped around her in translucent waves—her breathing calmed, her muscles loosened, and her body felt weightless.
She nearly stumbled at first, surprised by the sudden burst of speed and balance. It was as if all restrictions on her body had been broken. She was free.
Then she grinned.
And with a flash of silver light, she charged into battle.