/Selene? Can you hear me? Selene?/
/…./
/Aria? Aria? Can you hear me? Aria!!!/
/…./
Panic began to rise within Victor as he desperately tried to reach out.
The telepathic connection was still active, but for some inexplicable reason, there was no response.
His heart raced, and his breaths grew shallow… With no available option, ƒrēewebnovel.com
/Helena?/
/…./
/Helena… Can you hear me? It’s me, Aether… I’m telepathically reaching out to you… Are you there?/
/…. A… Aether?/
A wave of relief washed over Victor as Helena’s voice finally echoed in his mind. He let out a long, exhausted breath and slumped beside Ashara, his legs feeling like they were made of lead.
The sheer tension of the moment had drained him, and he leaned his head against her shoulder, his body trembling slightly from the adrenaline crash.
Ashara glanced at him, her eyes wide with surprise. Feeling the warmth of his head resting on her shoulder, a blush crept up her cheeks.
[+200 AP]
Meanwhile,
/H-How are you talking to me?!/ Helena’s voice carried a mix of confusion and awe.
Victor couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly. /Well, maybe it’s the power of love or something like that./
[+9000 AP]
/W-W-What are you talking about? There’s no such thing!/
Helena’s voice took on a cute, flustered tone, her confusion evident even through the mental connection.
Victor’s spirits lifted a bit more, the light banter calming his frayed nerves. But his expression soon grew serious again as he asked her for more details.
/What have you encountered so far?/
/Well, I only had to deal with a few lizards, nothing too challenging. After that, I entered the door and met up with Aqualina, Jack, Vesperine, and two others.
/….. How’s Aqualina?/ Victor asked, his concern deepening.
/She’s fine, though she got wounded a bit. But I healed her up in no time./ Helena’s voice held a note of pride, clearly pleased with her abilities.
Victor sighed, feeling a mix of relief and worry. Even though they were managing, the oddness of the situation gnawed at him.
Everyone seemed to have aged, yet they were unaware of how much time had passed. Something was very wrong. After telling Helena to stay cautious and to contact him if anything happened, Victor turned his attention back to Nyx Shadowfall and Ashara Nightfire.
“What exactly happened?” he asked, his tone serious.
Nyx responded first, her expression annoyed. “We’ve been trapped in some kind of loop, walking and fighting for nearly a year now.”
Ashara nodded, her voice soft as she elaborated, “Just like you, we entered the door. But instead of finding a way out, we faced a high-level monster. We defeated it, but then another pair of white doors appeared, leading to yet another challenge. This cycle has continued over and over… Eventually, I ran into Nyx during one of my loops, and we’ve been travelling together since then.”
“So, the door allows two people to enter at a time… I see,” Victor muttered, frowning as he processed the information. His gaze shifted to Nyx, who was nonchalantly polishing her nails, seemingly unbothered by the situation.
Just as he was about to question her further, a familiar voice interrupted his thoughts,
/Aether?/
Victor’s eyes widened in surprise.
/Selene? Are you alright? Did anything happen to you?/
Selene’s soft, relieved voice answered him, /I’m fine Aether. Nothing happened to me… I should be the one asking if you’re okay. Do you know how worried I was about you?/
/Then why didn’t you answer me before? I called you a few minutes ago!/
/Hmm? I just heard you calling me now,/ Selene replied, her confusion mirroring his own.
Victor’s expression darkened, his mind racing. /What do you mean? I’ve been trying to reach you for a while now./
/That’s strange… I only just heard you./ Selene’s voice was calm, but Victor could sense the unease beneath her words.
Time!
Something was seriously wrong with the time here!!
As he listened to Selene recount her experiences, it became clear that she, unlike Ashara and the others, had been here for a week, though to her it felt like only a few days had passed. She had tried to contact him earlier but received no response, which had left her in a state of panic.
‘Time is messed up here…’ Aether thought, his mind working to piece together the bizarre puzzle.
And it seems Selene encountered Raven, Kai, Kyra and Thalia.
He reassured Selene, telling her to stay safe and to contact him every ten minutes. The situation was growing more dire by the second.
The only one he hadn’t heard from yet was Aria. Though she was strong enough to hold her ground, Victor couldn’t help but worry about her too.
He glanced at the now slender and weary forms of Ashara and Nyx. Despite their ability to stabilize their hunger and health with Arcane energy, a year in this place had taken its toll on them. If they didn’t find a way out soon, the strain could be fatal.
“Should we move now?” Victor asked, his voice laced with urgency.
Ashara hesitated, her expression awkward as she replied, “You can go if you want.” Her tone was strained, and Victor could see the conflict in her eyes.
Victor studied Ashara for a moment, sensing there was more to her reluctance. He wasn’t heartless, and leaving them behind wasn’t an option. Ashara noticed his concern and, with a sigh, awkwardly pointed towards Nyx’s leg. The lower part of her leg was wounded and had turned a worrying shade of black, indicating some kind of infection.
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Realizing the gravity of the situation, Victor turned his gaze to Nyx. Her face was stern, yet there was an underlying frustration. “What? If you want to go, leave me here. I’ll be fine!” she snapped.
Victor ignored her defiance and turned back to Ashara. “Ashara, do you think you can keep up with me?”
Ashara’s brows furrowed as she considered the question. “Well… I might be able to,” she nodded after a moment of deep contemplation.
Without further delay, Victor moved swiftly, scooping Nyx up like a sack of potatoes.
“H-hey!! BASTARD, LET ME GO!!” Nyx shrieked, slamming her fists against Victor’s back. Despite her protests, her strength was drained from the previous battles, and her resistance was weak. Victor ignored her outburst, nodding at Ashara before he stomped on the ground…
Ssssshhhhh
He shot forward at incredible speed, moving like a blur. Ashara’s eyes widened in shock, but she pushed herself to keep pace with him, her determination outweighing her exhaustion.
Nyx continued to struggle, her body weakened from previous battles. Just as two kobolds appeared in their path,
“V-Victor, I’ll take down the one on the right—” Ashara began, but before she could finish, Aether kicked them both with such force that they slammed against the wall, bursting like balloons.
“Did you say something?” Victor asked, an amused grin tugging at his lips. Ashara’s lips twitched, suppressing a smile, though a hint of amusement sparkled in her eyes.
As they reached a door, Victor pushed it open and entered, Ashara close behind. But he didn’t slow down; he kept running, his mind focused solely on his mission, on the hope that he might find Aria and Lia at the end of this frantic chase.
He continued to run…. run… run….
“-Ha-Ha- I-Ha I think this isn’t working…” Ashara panted heavily, her breaths ragged as sweat poured down her face. She was struggling to keep up, her body nearing its limit.
Victor sighed, realizing she wouldn’t last much longer at this pace. Without a word, he slowed down and,
“KYAAA!”
With a swift motion, he tossed Ashara over his shoulder like a towel, catching her with ease. Before she could voice any objection,
“V-Victor… Wait! I can ruuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!”
But Victor didn’t listen. He stomped on the ground again, moving at an insane speed that left both girls in shock. The speed was so intense that sparks flew from the ground as he raced forward.
As they approached a group of ten monsters blocking their path,
“V-Victor, we need to work as a team before—” Ashara tried to warn him, but before she could finish, Victor hurled the girls into the air with ease.
and…
Slckk
Slckk
BOOMM!
Slcckk
In a flurry of motion, Victor finished them off, catching Ashara and Nyx just as they began to fall.
He pushed through the door ahead, leaving both women stunned by his sheer power and determination.
But then, as they entered the next area, Victor’s eyes widened in surprise as he felt himself falling.
Thud!
“OUCH!” Ashara hit the stony surface hard.
Thud!
“Arrhh!” Nyx landed beside her, groaning in pain.
“V-Victor?” Ashara called out, her voice trembling as she tried to locate him in the darkness. But before she could find him,
Snnnggg
[Welcome to the Peace, Ladies~!]
White words appeared, glowing faintly against the backdrop of a huge wall itched with the peace symbol.
Ashara frowned.
Meanwhile, Nyx, looked at her healed leg…. it was perfectly healed. “How?” she whispered to herself, disbelief clear in her voice.
…..
….
Meanwhile, Victor away from the ladies… stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief as he stared down at a lifeless body.
His body trembling…
“L-Leon?”