Elsewhere—
Another corridor.
Another team.
And no time to hesitate.
The human girl with sealed mana had already gone ahead—careful, deliberate—testing each step.
Nothing.
No trigger.
No shift.
No hidden strike.
Which confirmed what they already feared.
The traps weren't keyed to movement.
They were keyed to collars.
To those whose mana had been unsealed.
And that changed everything.
Seryna stood still for a brief moment, eyes scanning the endless stretch of corridor ahead.
The walls.
The floor.
The ceiling.
All quiet—for now.
But not for long.
Because if they walked slowly…
If they tried to test every inch…
They would be shredded the moment one of them slipped.
Or simply run out of time.
Kaelira clicked her tongue, tail flicking sharply.
"…This is stupid."
She rolled one shoulder, mana beginning to coil faintly around her limbs.
"…We don't need to outthink it."
Her grin sharpened—predatory.
"…We break through."
The mage they had recruited stiffened. A young man with pale hair and narrow eyes, still tense even now.
"…That's insane," he muttered.
"…There could be dozens layered ahead—"
"There *are*," Kaelira cut in flatly.
"…That's why we move faster than they can kill us."
Seryna's gaze shifted to her.
Then to Lucien's sister.
Then forward again.
Calculating.
Lucien's sister stepped forward slightly—calm, collected—but even she knew this was a gamble.
"…She's right," she said quietly.
Her hand lifted as a faint current stirred around her fingers.
"…If we keep hesitating, we're only delaying the end."
The mage swallowed hard. Still afraid. Still uncertain.
But he nodded.
Barely.
Seryna exhaled once.
Then lightning cracked.
Blue-white arcs snapped around her body, running along her arms, across her shoulders, and spilling into the air itself.
The corridor dimmed beneath the sudden brilliance.
Her eyes sharpened—cold, focused.
"…Fine."
Her voice was steady.
Certain.
"…We go now."
Kaelira grinned wider.
Mana flared around her instantly—unrestrained, dense, and violent. It wrapped over her like a second skin, amplifying every muscle, every nerve, every instinct.
She no longer looked like someone advancing cautiously through a death corridor.
She looked like something that had decided death would have to move first.
Lucien's sister closed her eyes briefly.
Then spoke softly.
"…Aelion."
The air shifted.
Not visibly—but undeniably.
A pressure gathered at her side, as though the world itself had acknowledged the command.
The wind spirit responded.
Unseen.
Silent.
Present.
Her hair lifted slightly as currents curled around her body, stabilizing her steps, guiding her motion, supporting her balance.
Behind them, the mage raised both hands.
Mana surged outward.
A barrier formed—translucent, layered, a half-dome of shimmering geometric light wrapping all four of them.
It trembled immediately under its own strain.
"…It won't hold forever," he said through clenched teeth.
"…Move."
They did.
Seryna moved first.
Lightning burst beneath her feet and launched her forward like a living bolt.
Kaelira followed instantly—blurred motion, explosive acceleration, cutting through space with brute refinement.
Lucien's sister ran between them, Aelion's currents lifting and guiding her, lightening her steps, sharpening her turns.
The mage came last—maintaining the barrier as he sprinted, sweat already forming at his brow.
Then—
The first trap triggered.
Magic circles ignited beneath them like waking eyes.
The walls lit up.
The floor fractured with glowing sigils.
**BOOM.**
A lance of fire erupted from the wall.
Seryna's hand snapped up instantly.
Lightning collided with it mid-flight, shredding the spell before it could fully form.
Sparks scattered like dying embers.
Kaelira leapt.
A blade of condensed mana surged from below, aiming to bisect her midair.
She twisted sharply, tail snapping for balance, and landed running along the wall without breaking pace.
Another trigger followed immediately.
**THOOM.**
A crushing wave of force slammed into the barrier.
The mage choked, blood slipping from the corner of his mouth.
"…Keep… moving…!"
Lucien's sister lifted her hand.
"…Aelion."
The wind responded.
Invisible currents collided with the incoming force, diverting it just enough to prevent collapse.
The barrier held.
Barely.
Now the corridor was fully awake.
Traps triggered in cascading sequence.
Explosions.
Stone spears.
Walls of fire.
Blades of compressed force cutting through empty air.
But they didn't slow.
They pushed through it.
Seryna at the front—lightning carving temporary openings.
Kaelira tearing through debris, reinforcing her body with raw mana as she shattered obstacles with brute force.
Lucien's sister bending airflow around them, redirecting lethal trajectories just enough to keep them alive.
And the mage—holding the barrier together through sheer strain, forcing it to absorb what the others could not avoid.
The exit appeared ahead.
Still far.
Still distant.
Still not enough.
But visible.
Behind them, the corridor collapsed into ruin.
Still they ran.
Because stopping meant death.
They burst through the exit not gracefully—but violently, like survivors thrown from a collapsing grave.
Seryna hit the stone first, sliding before catching herself, lightning still flickering along her arms.
Kaelira landed harder, boots grinding against the floor as she skidded to a stop, mana still rippling around her like heat haze.
Lucien's sister stumbled once, then steadied, breathing heavier now as Aelion's currents faded back into silence.
The mage dropped instantly to one knee.
The barrier shattered the moment he crossed the threshold.
It broke apart into shards of light that evaporated midair.
He gasped for breath, hands trembling uncontrollably.
Behind them—
**BOOOOOOM.**
The corridor detonated inward.
Stone folded.
Flames roared.
Dust surged outward in a violent wave.
Then—
Silence.
Not complete.
But enough.
Enough for them to hear something else.
A wet sound.
Slow.
Dripping.
Their eyes lifted.
And froze.
Ahead—
Not far from where they stood—
What remained of the girl who had gone first.
No.
Not even that.
What remained of her *attempt*.
Her body was scattered across the stone in broken, meaningless pieces.
Blood smeared across the floor in long, uneven streaks.
An arm twisted against the wall.
Her torso crushed flat beneath fractured stone and torn cloth.
Her head lay half-caved in—eyes still open, still staring, empty.
The mage went pale instantly.
"…No…"
Kaelira's ears flicked once.
Her expression hardened.
Not pity.
Assessment.
Because beside the corpse—
Something was still standing.
Massive.
Still.
Watching.