Miria struggled with all her strength against the intrusion. Suddenly, images from the past assaulted her brutally.
She saw herself chained. A man with short blue hair stood a few meters away from her, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Please… no… Don't do this… I beg you…" she whimpered in the memory, tears in her eyes.
The man approached.
"Shhh, my love… Don't worry. Just let me do this… Once I obtain your powers, I will be the master of this world."
The images followed one after another, brutal.
The man raising his hand, a black aura escaping from it.
The aura penetrating her.
Her screams of pain.
Her resisting, growing weaker.
Her eyes turning completely white.
Then a devastating shockwave bursting from her, destroying everything around.
Miria snapped back to reality, trembling with terror at the thought that this event could happen again.
*No… No… I have to resist… It must not happen again…* she thought.
She fought on, but her strength was failing her. She dropped to one knee.
Vareck, seeing her weakness, smiled and raised his second hand to reinforce the attack.
Miria collapsed onto both knees, screaming in pain.
*No… No… I have to resist… I have to resist… It must not happen again… But I won't be able to hold on much longer… What am I going to do…?* she thought again, tears in her eyes, on the verge of exhaustion.
Just as she was about to faint, Asher regained consciousness.
Seeing Miria in danger, he tried to get up. But he was too weakened. He concentrated what little magic he had left into an attack and launched it with all his strength at Vareck.
The attack struck Vareck full force and propelled him to the other side of the room.
The impact caused a violent tremor. The ceiling began to give way.
Miria, despite her weakness, staggered to her feet. She shook Bryan, Eiden, and Axel, who managed to get up as best they could.
Eiden and Axel supported Asher while Bryan slipped an arm under Miria's to hold her up.
As they prepared to leave the room, Miria cast one last look at Vareck, still unconscious on the floor.
Debris was already falling. One of Vareck's henchmen burst in through another entrance and dragged him out of danger just before the ceiling completely collapsed.
Dust rose in an opaque cloud.
When they turned around, the entrance to the room was completely blocked.