We moved almost without stopping. I saw how each jump was becoming harder for Rhine. Between the jumps, Narem disappeared from my sight.
Cries of people began to carry through the air. The monsters were slowly crawling through the city. Their numbers were still under control, but they were already everywhere. And if the dark mages were rushing toward the inner walls, the monsters attacked indiscriminately—houses, streets, everything that stood in their way.
"Narem?" I asked when we made a short halt.
"Most likely fighting," Rhine answered.
I noticed how the small, brittle mana crystals on his armor had dimmed. At the beginning of the journey they had shone like bright stars in the sky, and now they resembled lights in the fog.
"Are you all right?" I asked hesitantly, though I myself was already in near-constant agony.
"Yes," Rhine replied firmly. "Don't worry about us. How are you? Do you feel the poison?"
"Yes." I took a swallow of water. "It has crawled through almost my entire body."
"We're very close," he said, listening to the noise and screams around us. "We'll try to make it in three jumps."
I nodded. I had no strength left to speak—everything inside was devouring me.
"Roger," I called.
But I didn't manage to say anything else before I fell into the shadow again. I burst out of it and immediately another jump with Rhine. Three times in a row.
At the last landing, the nausea had already weakened, but my head was spinning. The path had been long, but it seemed we had made it in time.
We were standing by the river. Along the perimeter, mages and soldiers were already holding back the dark mages. They kept stubbornly seeping through.
"We need to secure the children," I shouted with my last strength.
"You need to be delivered to Solemir first," Roger reminded me.
"No. The children." I stared at the river and at the wall.
Somewhere there, a stone had fallen. We could protect it, but which one exactly remained a mystery.
"Rhine, send her to the academy. I'm going for Solemir and Nimor," Roger threw over his shoulder and vanished.
Rhine, not letting go of me, made a jump.
We found ourselves in a beautiful marble hall with dim, darkened light. Inside there were many children and professors. The air trembled with tension.
Rhine seated me by the far wall.
"Shout if you notice anyone," he ordered.
He didn't step away until I nodded in response.
After that, he went over to the professors and, quickly coordinating with them, directed all the children closer to me. There were too many of them—forty, fifty.
From fragments of conversations, I understood: the senior students had already begun creating temporary protective stones around the academy, but it required time. Some of them were fighting monsters.
Roger stepped straight out of the wall. Behind him appeared Solemir in his chair, carefully moving forward, gently parting the children.
Solemir barely touched me, and warmth spread through my body. It was soft, cautious, but the poison inside rebelled at once, responding with a sharp flash of pain.
"Stop," burst from me.
Solemir froze. His palms trembled.
"Bian?" Roger stepped closer. "What's happening?"
It was hard for me to breathe. The heat rose in waves, burning from within, but right now that was not the main thing.
"Beyond the wall…" I struggled to focus my gaze. "One stone needs to be restored there. If it's returned—everything will change. The protection will fall back into place."
Roger straightened sharply.
"We don't know which one exactly," Rhine shook his head. "And it's dangerous."
He swore through his teeth and waved Rhine closer, calling him in.
"Listen. If she's right," Roger spoke quickly, but his voice remained low and calm.
"This is suicide. We don't know which stone fell."
"And that's exactly why," I swallowed, "only Solemir can do it."
All eyes turned to him.
"He's the only one," I continued. "True magic. He can restore any element."
"No," Rhine cut in harshly. "You are the priority. We heal you first."
"Listen to me," my voice broke. "My life is not more important than the lives of the children."
The heat surged stronger. My legs cramped, and I dug my fingers into the edge of Solemir's chair.
"Please," I no longer held back. "I beg you. Before there are too many dark ones, we have a chance. A small one, but it exists."
I didn't feel tears. Only fire under my skin and fear.
"Bian…" Roger looked away.
"No," I shook my head. "Please."
The silence lasted a second. Then Roger exhaled.
"All right. Until we bring Nimor, Solemir will stabilize you a little. Then Nimor will begin the cleansing. And only after that will we try."
He looked straight at me.
"But we still don't know which stone."
"I most likely know," I said quietly.
They tensed.
"The rarest magic in the capital is earth and plants." The words came with difficulty. "If a stone fell… then it's that element."
"There could be several," Rhine objected.
Solemir nodded.
"About twenty around the perimeter. But there's no time to check each one."
"I know where to go," I whispered.
And I closed my eyes.
"When I came to… in unconsciousness… I was drawn to the river. To where the water exits the wall, to the arch. I didn't understand why. Everything was instinctive. And now I understand—there's a breach there. Most likely, that's exactly where."
Blake told me to believe in myself. And now this is precisely that. I believe I chose the right place.
"Are you sure?" Roger looked intently.
"We have to try. We are obliged to."
They exchanged glances.
"There really are three stones there," Solemir confirmed. "Water. Earth. Fire. There is a probability."
Roger nodded once.
"All right. Wait for me."
He vanished.
Rhine was already speaking with the professors. Solemir directed his hands toward me and continued healing. A hum rolled through the hall, anxious and growing. Somewhere outside, something crashed so hard that the walls shook.
The children screamed.
"We have almost no time left," one of the professors said.
One of them stepped forward and raised a barrier in front of the children. The others tensed, ready for battle.
Another crash. Closer.
I closed my eyes, clenching my teeth, and thought of only one thing:
that the nightmare from the alley would not repeat itself today.
Solemir's light grew denser, deeper. I felt the pain slowly recede—not leaving, but weakening. It became easier to breathe. The heat went out, as if covered by a thick layer of ash.
What remained was numbness. Dull, heavy, spreading through the entire body.
Beyond the wall, everything continued. Dull blows, cracking, distant screams. The children pressed closer to the wall, almost merging into one trembling mass. Solemir's light grew sharper.
Rhine appeared and disappeared. Again and again. One time he returned with a child in his arms; he had barely set him on the floor when the child was immediately retching. Rhine only held him by the shoulders, said something short, and vanished again.
Each time he returned to the hall, the first thing he did was search for me with his eyes. Seeing Solemir beside me, he vanished again.
After some time, Roger stepped out of the wall. Nimor followed him.
"I warned Narem," Roger said quickly. "He'll take the arch from the outside. He'll hold the defense there."
Nimor was already beside me, assessing me with his gaze, not touching. Rhine returned as well.
"I won't be able to get through there with the chair," Solemir said calmly. "Just take me like this. I don't care where I sit."
"Even better," Rhine replied. "On the ground, you'll feel it faster."
Solemir gave a short nod.
"Do you know where the stones are?" Rhine asked.
"Transfer me there. I'll find them."
And they vanished.
The next moment, a shockwave swept over the hall. The glass burst all at once, raining down. I reflexively clutched Roger.
Nimor held me by the shoulders.
"How are you?"
"Easier…" I breathed out. "But everything is numb."
"Liquid poison?" he asked without looking.
"We're sure it is," Roger answered.
Nimor pressed his lips together.
"Then this will take a long time. The main thing is not to stop the support. At least until Solemir finds the problematic stone."
Another wave struck harder. People were thrown back. Professors and children fell to the floor, screamed.
Roger pulled me into the shadow for a moment and immediately returned me back. I felt sharp relief.
"Roger…" I clutched his hand. "Could I… at least my leg… into the shadow?"
"A wound," he understood immediately.
He opened a small funnel in the shadow on the floor; it lay like a fracture. I lowered my leg, and it disappeared into the darkness up to the knee.
"That will do. But no deeper. Under no circumstances. Do you hear?"
"And if anything—shout."
He vanished. Returned almost at once.
"They're close. Very."
"How are Rhine and Solemir?" I asked.
"I can't go far. It's dangerous."
"I'll be fine," I looked straight at him. "I'm under protection."
"That protection will fall in an instant if an Avodonis comes."
I grabbed him. In jerks. Without thinking. Without feeling pain.
"Then stay. Protect the children. I'll survive. I know it. Just… protect them."
He looked at me in shock. Then leaned closer.
"Calm down. I'll do everything."
The shadows burst in like a wave.
The professors met them at once. White light flashed in sharp blows, cutting through the darkness. Fire burst up in pillars, water shattered into whipping lashes. The shadows twisted, tore apart, gathered again, and attacked.
Roger vanished and returned. Took someone into the shadow, returned alone. Again. And again. His movements grew sharper. The mask slipped, revealing part of his face. He adjusted it and stepped forward again.
I saw how his movements slowed. He had spent too much strength today. It was dangerous.
One of them lunged at the barrier, and it cracked.
I froze. Nimor, paying no attention to anything around him, continued to heal me.
The children around us, about six to nine years old, clustered together. Those who were taller stepped forward, shielding the younger ones. They took a combat stance.
I knew that posture.
I had seen it on that cursed day.
And again—danger.
And again—I was a burden to everyone.
A helpless girl.
The one they are trying to turn into a "Savior" according to the prophecy.
I will not allow this to happen again.
I looked around and noticed a small door.
"Where does that door lead?" I shouted to Roger.
"To the corridors!" he shouted back between deflecting blows.
"We need to take the children away!" I screamed.
There was no answer. But I saw the professors and teachers begin to shift, gradually covering the flanks.
I interrupted Nimor and, leaning against the wall, made my way to the door. I opened it—inside there was darkness, only faint lights stretched along the wall.
"There are no windows there," I added.
"It's risky," one of the teachers replied, stepping closer.
"We need to take the children away. We need to," I kept shouting.
A new surge of dark shadows slammed into the barrier. A crack ran along the entire perimeter.
One more push—and everything would fall.
At that moment, Rhine appeared.
"Teachers and professors, take the children away. We'll hold the defense from this side," he commanded.
"Damn you!" Roger roared and, grabbing two dark mages at once, hurled them into his shadows.
His eyes twisted with pain, but he stood straight.
"Leave immediately," Rhine said harshly.
The teacher went in first. The children and the remaining professors followed. I reached to close the door.
"Go with them," Roger ordered.
"No. I'll stay here."
"Shit," he cursed again.
A new wave poured in.
Rhine bared his blades and, leaping across the hall, snatched the dark ones. As soon as he caught them, he cut mercilessly—slashed, severed heads, leaving no chance.
The shadows began gathering again at a single point, moving toward the barrier.
"Nimor!" my voice broke. "Put a barrier on the door!"
He looked at me doubtfully, not understanding.
"But then the poison will start spreading through your body again," he said, reaching his hands toward me.
I gently took them in my palms.
"I beg you," tears rose in my eyes. "I beg you…"
I repeated it again and again, trying to make him disobey Blake's order.
With sorrow on his face, he stood in front of the door, facing the dark ones, and began to recite a spell, arms extended.
The black torrent surged—and the last barrier fell.
Nothing restrained the dark shadows anymore. They rushed freely through the hall, breaking apart and gathering again, periodically taking on human outlines and attacking Roger and Rhine.
They noticed me almost immediately. They understood—I was without protection.
One of them lunged at me, but Rhine was faster. He grabbed me and transferred me to another point in the hall.
"You need to leave this place," he said…, trying to concentrate.
But the dark ones did not give him a single second.
Again and again Roger himself fell into his own shadows. He was at his limit.
Rhine also moved more slowly. His strikes became rarer, he missed more and more often.
A black tentacle wrapped around my leg. I fell, hitting my head on the stone. The world swayed for a moment.
But Roger immediately pulled me into the shadow and threw me out beside Nimor.
Agony pierced straight through me. My legs failed, and I realized I was falling again.
But soft, living branches—warm, resilient, like palms—caught me, not letting me strike the cold stone. I struggled to focus my gaze.
Gort. And several more mages. They burst into the hall and began pushing the dark ones away from the door.
For a moment it seemed to me that the advantage was on our side.
But the dark streams only intensified.
A chill ran through my entire body. A whisper rose in my ears.
"She is here… she… the chosen one is here…"
I looked around, not understanding where the sound was coming from. I could no longer feel my legs. It hurt to keep my eyes open.
"Damn it, the Avodonis is close!" Roger shouted.
Three rushed at him at once. Black magic pierced his body. He desperately pulled all of them into his shadow—and fell in with them himself.
No.
No…
He couldn't…
I couldn't even allow that thought. I couldn't.
The hall shuddered. The blow struck the center. Gort and the other mages were thrown aside. Stone fragments rained down on Nimor and me. One large piece struck him on the head.
The barrier went out.
Nimor fell.
A ringing filled my ears. I barely understood what was happening. Breaking free of the branches, I crawled toward him and began shaking him.
There was a pulse.
But the blow had been strong.
And again—a strike. Stones flew throughout the hall. I didn't understand what was hitting with such force. Another fragment struck me on the head.
I was holding on to consciousness with the last of my strength. With one hand, blindly, I tried to shake Nimor.
Gort's scream—ferocious, full of rage and power—rolled through the hall. I felt the earth shudder beneath me.
"Nimor, wake up…" I whispered.
"Bian…" I heard Rhine's voice very close.
Opening my swollen eyes slightly, I saw one of the dark mages throwing his wounded, battered body aside.
"Nimor…" I kept pleading, but it was all in vain.
I no longer felt my body—neither from within nor without. The poison had completely immobilized me. Blood from the blow of the stone ran down my face.
All I could do was watch as Gort crushed the dark ones with branches, as the earth rose through the thick stone of the building, breaking it apart.
That's it…
This is war.
"Roger…" I tried to say. Or perhaps I only imagined it.
I no longer understood. I no longer felt myself.
A warm current of wind lifted me above the ground, and hope tore into my chest.
"Blake…" I whispered, not knowing whether aloud or only in my thoughts.
Nimor's body rose into the air.
Before me appeared a blurred but recognizable face—Blake. He had come.
"The children…" I still clung to that word.
"I will take care of it," he said quietly and kissed my forehead. "This time, I will not allow it."
It seemed he was holding me in his arms, but I no longer felt anything. A sharp pain struck my chest.
The earth continued to shudder, not letting me lose consciousness completely.
Someone else bent over Nimor, trying to bring him to his senses. And he finally opened his eyes.
"Nimor," Blake's voice was calm, without a trace of command. "She needs to be healed. She's already completely cold."
Nimor, swaying, approached me and directed his glowing palms toward me.
Blake held me with currents of wind and fought at the same time, not moving far away. I sensed it only in fragments—in shifts of air, in rare jolts.
But the darkness and the old pain were pulling me deeper and deeper down. I tried to keep my eyes open, but there was almost nothing left to see.
The earth shuddered again.
That was the only thing that still let me know I was conscious.
Blake had come.
He made it in time.
He would protect them.
I felt calm.
The earth trembled.
I…
I couldn't anymore.
The pain drove straight into my heart.
The trembling of the earth.
And the darkness took me.