Alex and Iris collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted, their breaths short and ragged as they fought to draw in any trace of clean air. Fatigue clung to them like a heavy mist. The exhaustion hit Alex the hardest; after his shield shattered, his mana leaked out of his body like water escaping a cracked vessel. The sudden depletion left him barely able to move a single limb.
As for Iris, the immense effort she had poured into transporting them across such an enormous distance while dodging layers upon layers of danger had left her body trembling. A tight cramp twisted through her muscles, and her magical energy felt thin—frayed. She too could no longer endure, her body sprawled across the ground, hardly capable of twitching a finger.
A thick silence settled over the place, broken only by the uneven, labored sounds of their breathing. After several minutes, Iris finally began to feel a faint return of mana. Just a few droplets—like cold dew on a parched earth—but enough to stir her consciousness and allow a sliver of motion back into her limbs.
Alex pushed himself up on his elbow with great difficulty, and though his body protested, he managed to sit upright. He exchanged a weary yet alert glance with Iris. The first thing he did was check on her, ensuring she was at least stable. Then he turned toward the object that was both their danger and their prize: the strange metallic core floating a few feet above the ground, glowing faintly with a muted yet potent light.
Alex broke the silence with a practical, grounded question.
"What are we going to do with that thing?"
Iris didn't respond with words—she answered with action. She steadied her breathing and focused her remaining energy. Her gaze fixed on the three magical butterflies hovering above her like an instinctive protective halo. With a forceful command of will, the butterflies shifted in a sudden, fluid burst of light, merging into something akin to a dense sphere of energy.
The dim, shadowy orb drifted forward with precision, enveloping the metallic core and sealing it completely. It resembled a ball of tangible darkness—absorbing the light around it and hiding the core from view entirely.
"This core emits a type of attracting energy," Iris explained, her eyes locked on the encapsulated sphere. "It pulls in the savage creatures from far away. I'm certain they'll pursue us the moment their fight ends. Garak and the others would never let such a treasure fall into anyone's hands—least of all humans. But don't worry. We've got a few minutes to catch our breath. Their battle isn't ending anytime soon."
Her tone carried both confidence and warning.
Alex listened carefully, sensing she knew more than she had revealed. He studied her expression, then asked,
"You seem to know a lot about these creatures… even their strange names. Who exactly is this Garak?"
Iris exhaled deeply, a sigh that carried the weight of memories—dark and heavy.
"He's one of the strongest evolved goblin monsters humanity has encountered on this continent. A military leader among their kind. He's vicious—merciless. He takes pleasure in torturing his opponents… especially the weak ones."
A chill ran through Alex at the brutality of her words. He kept staring at her, lost in thoughts of what sort of world would spawn such nightmares.
Iris continued, her eyes drifting toward the distant horizon as if reliving old battles.
"The beasts and savage tribes like the Feral are spread across the forests. We've struggled for years—so many challenges, so many losses—just to keep them at bay and to protect the little territory we have left."
She sat up as she spoke, her posture reflecting years of hidden exhaustion.
"So much blood… so many lives were given just to preserve the tiny piece of land we still hold."
Alex picked up on a particular detail in her words:
"Now."
He echoed it mentally, sensing a deeper history.
"You said your world has had mana for a long time. My world barely got it recently… I'm guessing it arrived only after I came through the gate?"
Iris looked at him directly, offering a faint, bitter smile.
"Yes. You're extremely unlucky, Alex. Your entry coincided with the emergence of mana in your world… and your arrival in ours. And it seems the gate you came from has vanished." She shook her head.
"Sure, there are temporary gates that appear and disappear, but I've never heard of one forming and vanishing in mere seconds as you described."
She sighed again, deeper this time.
"Yes… the gates first appeared on this planet twenty years ago."
Alex inhaled sharply as if the sheer weight of those years pressed on his chest.
Twenty years…
They've been dealing with monsters and mana and chaos… for twenty years.
That was a lifetime of war.
Iris suddenly snapped him back to reality with a firm tone.
"Come on, Alex. We need to rest and get out of here before Garak decides to come after us. We don't have time to talk. I'll explain everything once we're safe."
Alex glanced at the shadowy sphere covering the metallic core.
"And what are we doing with it?"
His voice was serious—devoid of humor.
Inside, he wrestled with distrust. He couldn't fully trust Iris—not now that they were out of immediate danger. That core was a treasure worth killing for. Trusting a stranger, even one who'd fought beside him, was either brilliant… or utterly foolish.
And Iris was clearly drained, her mana recovery slow and unstable.
She caught the suspicion in his eyes instantly. Straightening her posture, she answered with firm clarity:
"The core can be used by more than one person, depending on its size. This one in particular… can empower four, maybe five individuals. We're heading to a hidden shelter I've used for years. We'll absorb its energy there, then head to the city for protection and planning."
Alex considered her plan. He didn't trust her fully—but he had no better option. The tension between them thickened, filled with mutual caution.
"Fine," he said at last. "We'll follow your plan."
Iris nodded, then suddenly asked,
"What happened to your octopus? Can you summon it again?"
"Yes," Alex answered, "but I need time to gather more energy."
He immediately sat cross-legged, closing his eyes and directing his consciousness inward. He began pulling mana from the environment, funneling it toward the True Name of the armored octopus—an essence bound to him—which needed to be reconstructed from scratch. Reassembling it after its destruction required profound effort, and with his depleted mana, it would take several minutes.
Even as he focused, part of his awareness remained fixed on Iris… just in case.
"Hurry," Iris urged. "We don't have time to waste."
Ten minutes passed. Alex continued drawing mana, piecing the octopus together thought by thought. Even Iris grew anxious, scanning the surroundings nervously—knowing they weren't far from the battlefield and fearing the wasp king might track them down with its incredible flight speed.
But the fear didn't materialize—yet.
Alex finally summoned the transparent armored octopus, forming it first as a protective shell around him before its structure solidified into a sturdy, gleaming form. His eyes opened, glowing with a faint but powerful blue mana.
Iris stared in open astonishment.
Alex wasn't extraordinarily handsome, but he wasn't plain either. He wore simple black pants and a long-sleeved white shirt, his short black hair slightly disheveled, and his brown eyes sharp and intense. His appearance was average… yet what impressed Iris wasn't his looks.
It was the glow in his eyes—
A spark of overwhelming confidit she had never felt before…