One by one, the enemies were engulfed by darkness as they disappeared completely. The air fell silent, but it wasn't peace that followed, it was unease. Without a word, everyone began to move. They all knew what they had to do next, regroup. None of them needed to say it aloud; the thought ran through every mind like a shared instinct.
The battles had drained them, and many were injured or exhausted, but there was no time to rest. The ruins had grown colder, the ground trembling faintly beneath their feet. Each group began their return, navigating through their terrain toward the same goal, to reunite and face whatever came next.
And then, suddenly, a deafening sound ripped through the air, a huge blast, echoing across every terrain. Everyone froze for a brief moment, looking toward the direction the sound came from. There was no discussion, no hesitation. They all knew. That was where they needed to go. Each group began moving toward the source of the explosion, though the path ahead would not make it easy.
---
First Terrain
Being the closest to the sound, Lila, Iria, Diego, Anya, Darius were the first to react. The terrain around them was simple, stone pathways, shattered walls, and the ruins of what once seemed to be a grand courtyard near the mansion. Still, the air felt heavy, filled with lingering traces of corrupted energy.
Darius led the charge, her expression focused. "Let's move fast. That blast is not a good news at all" he said, glancing back at rest of the team.
Lila, despite a bruised shoulder, grinned faintly. "I just hope everyone else is doing fine and we meet them again soon."
"Less talk, more speed," Deigo muttered, keeping his sword ready. His tone was calm but his eyes darted around carefully.
Iria ran slightly behind them, her hands glowing faintly as she cleared the lingering fog with her spell. "The air is still filled with traces of dark magic. Stay alert, the beasts might not be gone completely."
Anya kept to the rear, scanning the surroundings, ready to strike if anything appeared.
They moved quickly through the broken courtyard, hopping over collapsed debris and broken tiles. Occasionally, small tendrils of darkness crawled from the cracks, but Iria's barrier spell kept them at bay.
As they neared the open plains beyond the mansion, the air suddenly shifted, a faint vibration rippled through the ground. In the distance, they could see a faint shimmering wall of light, a barrier.
"That must be it," Darius said. "This is what we are looking for."
They increased their pace. Lila was the first to arrive, followed closely by Iria and Darius. The barrier was massive, almost invisible but slightly shimmering like glass under moonlight. Iria touched it, feeling the resistance. "This is strong. Not natural either. Someone put this up recently."
"Can we break it?" Diego asked.
"Maybe," Darius replied, placing his palm against it. "But not alone."
Lila nodded, tightening her grip on her weapon. "Then we wait for the others. They'll come."
---
Second Terrain
The garden which was filled with bones was quiet now, but the ground was littered with pale remains and statues made of bone. The mist hung thick, obscuring vision beyond a few feet.
Caelus wiped sweat from his forehead, breathing slowly. "We need to move. That explosion wasn't natural," he said, his voice steady but low.
Elric adjusted himself. "No kidding. Half the place shook like it was about to fall apart."
Rosa moved beside him, scanning the fog ahead. "There's a pulse of energy coming from that direction," she pointed east, the same direction of the blast.
"Then let's not waste time," Hugo said, drawing his bow and lighting an arrow with faint fire to guide their way through the fog.
Their steps echoed as they moved through the grave-like terrain, bones crunching under their boots. Every few moments, something would creak in the fog, but nothing emerged. Still, they remained cautious.
As they walked, Caelus began feeling the faint pull of the spirit energy again. The ruins themselves seemed to whisper, guiding him. "We're close," he murmured. "I can feel the same resonance as before."
After a few more minutes, they reached the end of the bone field, where the land flattened and the mist cleared slightly. In the distance, they could see the faint barrier light glimmering.
"There it is," Elric said. "Someone is there"
They walked the rest of the way cautiously, their pace quickening with each step. When they arrived, they saw Lila, Iria, Diego, Anya, Darius already there.
Caelus approached Darius and Iria, exchanging a quick nod. "We'll need to work together to break that,"Darius said, placing his palm on the barrier. The others quickly understood, the real challenge had just begun.
---
Third Terrain
The forest was dense and warped. Even the trees seemed alive, their twisted roots pulsing faintly with red veins of corruption. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the faint echoes of whispers could be heard from nowhere.
Lucien led the group carefully through, slashing away the black vines that tried to coil around them. "Stay close. The forest isn't stable yet," he warned.
Lunis moved silently beside Lucien, using her magic to burn away corrupted roots.
Adriana swung her hammer to clear fallen trunks. "If this forest had a will, I'd say it's trying to keep us here," she muttered.
Adrian nodded. "Then let's keep moving before it traps us."
The deeper they went, the more the forest seemed to resist. Shadows shifted between the trees, faint movements seen just beyond vision. But together, they forced their way through. After a grueling half-hour, they reached the forest edge. The moment Lucien stepped out, he felt the shift, clean air, open sky, and in the distance, a faint glowing dome.
They hurried forward, branches snapping underfoot. When they arrived, they saw Caelus, Darius, Elric and Iria already channeling energy at the barrier. Without a word, Lucien and Lunis joined them, synchronizing their power.
---
Fourth Terrain
The terrain near the pond was peaceful now, deceptively peaceful. The once-raging waters had gone still, reflecting the dim light of the sky above. Alex's group gathered their breath for a moment before Alex spoke.
"That explosion wasn't small. Something big's happening," he said, glancing toward the far side of the ruins.
Roland nodded. "We'll move along the pond's edge. It'll be the fastest way."
Sera was quiet, still slightly shaken from the earlier fight. She looked at her reflection in the water, her mind uneasy. "The energy… it feels wrong. Like something inside the ruins just woke up."
Fizzle, gave a nervous laugh. "Well, if it's awake, we'll just put it back to sleep!"
Despite the small humor, everyone knew the tension hadn't eased. They followed the curve of the pond, moving quickly but carefully. The water rippled unnaturally as if reacting to their presence, and shadows darted beneath the surface, though nothing emerged.
When they reached the far bank, they saw it, he shimmering barrier that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.
Alex stepped forward. "They're already here." as he felt some familiar presence. They took a round around the barrier, and after a while they saw others.
Clara's eyes glowed faintly as she examined it. "This is a sealed containment field. Powerful, we'll need several energy types to break it."
Sera nodded. "Then let's not waste time.Let's join them."
The group hurried forward, joining the others who were already focusing their strength.
---
Fifth Terrain
The open field stretched endlessly, covered in faint scorch marks and torn soil from their earlier battle. The wind was harsh, carrying dust across the land.
Rok rested his crowbar on his shoulder, exhaling. "Man, that fight took a lot outta me."
"You can rest later," Gepa said firmly. "We need to regroup."
Tovern adjusted his gauntlets. "The blast came from the central direction. We'll head there, full pace."
The five of them started running across the field. The distance was long, and fatigue weighed on them, but they didn't slow down. The land ahead began to tremble faintly, the pulse of magic getting stronger as they neared the barrier's location. But since it was a open field there wasn't any obstacle for them.
When they finally saw the faint shimmer of the dome, Doran let out a short breath. "We made it."
Movern, calm as always, nodded. "And just in time."
They arrived to find multiple groups already there, channeling energy toward the barrier. Gepa immediately stepped forward, joining others who were focusing power to break it.
---
By now, almost everyone had arrived. Eleven stood at the center, Iria, Darius, Caelus, Elric, Gepa, Alex, Clara, Sera, Roland, Lucien, and Lunis, channeling their energy together, combining multiple elemental flows. The rest stood guard around them, weapons drawn, watching for any sign of danger.
The ground glowed faintly under their feet as symbols formed, the pattern of the barrier's seal reacting to their energy. The air grew heavy, humming with pressure.
"Keep steady!" Lucien shouted, his eyes glowing faintly. "It's almost giving way!"
The light began to crack, small fractures spreading across the invisible wall like spiderwebs.
"Push harder!" Iria said, her voice strained.
A burst of energy flared. The barrier groaned, and then, a flash. A small opening tore through, large enough for them to pass.
"Go!" Darius shouted.
One by one, everyone ran through the opening. The moment the last person crossed, the barrier sealed shut behind them, reforming completely.
They stopped to catch their breath, the new terrain ahead darker, colder.
Sera suddenly froze. Her body stiffened as a chill ran down her spine. Her eyes widened, and her voice trembled.
"E–Everyone…" she whispered, looking around at the group. "Where is… Drakar?"
Silence. Everyone turned, realizing, he wasn't there. Something was very, very wrong.