The ash storm raged and the embers within reignited. The fiery blizzard began to spiral out of control, with its walls of gust rippling like waves in a turbulent sea. From within, streams of fire spat out of the monsoon and burning rocks barraged the arena like hail. The master of the tempest stood in the middle with her arms raised and her every scream sent the tornado into a frenzy.

Rana and Alpheia hunkered down on all fours. They could do nothing. The wind made standing nearly impossible, let alone approaching the guardian monster. Fire rained above them and showers of burning stones crashed onto the platform. The petals below also released the scorching wave they held within, damaging them with an ‘Ash Burn’ burned twice as fast.

They had nowhere to go. No matter where she looked, Rana could only see fiery deaths awaiting them. Was this the end? No! She had to think. She could only think. The power of a marked one was weak, it only gave humans a chance to fight back. What separated the survivors from those who perished was those that managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. If she could not grasp it with brute force, then she would do so through her mind and her will.

Rana was an inquisitor. She stood on the razor’s edge every day, and many times one single mistake would’ve costed her life. Yet it never happened and it would never happen. She even managed to cheat death itself and she vowed she would never go back into the abyss.

There had to be a way to achieve victory. There existed no such thing as an unbeatable monster. If it walked then it could fall. There had to be something she could do. However, she shouldn’t rush. One step at a time. The firestorm was their current obstacle and the most urgent that needed taken care of. The barrage above was lethal, and even if none of the shooting flames landed the Ash Burn effect would eventually seal their fate. The skies were full of danger and the floor was only getting hotter.

That was it! Dungeons did not have infinite energy, as evidenced by the guardian monster's need to consume the petals below. If the Ash Burn effect was burning twice as fast and the petals were heating up, it meant that some form of energy was being channeled. The firestorm was not the Spell, it was a byproduct of it. The Spell must’ve been something related to the petals that were being given energy.

“Alpheia!” Rana called. She hurried and crawled towards her companion. “Take to the skies! We have to make it to the center!”

Alpheia did not hesitate and reached for Rana’s hand, pulling her up. She felt the crimson mana surge. The moon-kin was expending all of her mana to steady her flight. Rana trusted the moon-kin to guide them inside while doing her best to avoid the hazardous elements. She herself focused on guarding and swatting down rocks that went for them.

She didn’t know how they made it, but they were now right above the guardian monster. They were in the eye of the storm and it was calm. Now they had to wait. The guardian monster continued to scream, but when energy swirling in her arms reached the apex in a single point, the monster slammed her hands down. A shock wave cut through the platform and fiery flashes burst out of the silver petals. There was a wave of heat followed by a loud roar. The air beneath was consumed by smoke, and when the dust settled, the guardian monster knelt down in exhaustion.

Rana slipped off of Alpheia’s grip and slammed her staff on the monster’s head. Soon, her companion followed suit and drove her talons and plumes into the fatigued monster. Rana knew her damage was pitiful when compared to her companion’s, but every bit helps. She knew that this battle was a race against time.

The guardian did not suffer the assault in silence. It stomped the ground and unleashed a wave of heat, pushing the two assailants back. It then used her crescent bladed staff and swiped at them, every swing faster than the one before, and each slash reinvigorating the charred dirt and gave life to silver buds. They had to disengage before they were overwhelmed, and it was not like they could do damage when it stood upon the silver petals anyway.

The monster then returned to the Spell. Once again, Alpheia picked up Rana and aimed for the center. However, this time the monster did not let them do so quietly. The ash spilling out of its cracks began to form into blades and flew towards the duo. She felt chills slicing at her body, but also a warm liquid drizzling from above. Of course, the moon-kin was wounded. She had no doubt Alpheia was injured even before this, but the moon-kin did her best to take the brunt of the damage as her level was higher. Still, Rana hoped the moon-kin had gauged her limits accordingly.

They repeated the run several more times, and each time the firestorm became more ferocious, the ash blades flew quicker, and the guardian’s counter-attack became much more unrelenting. However, that was when she felt it, the guardian’s core. It was a familiar sensation. It was as if the hatred that powered its armor and strength was beginning to fall, revealing the source, the crystallization of its final moments when Jasmine Aodh was still alive.

It was a sad sight. The guardian was not fighting her enemies with strategy. It was simply venting its frustration, its anger, and its sadness.

“We’re almost there,” Rana said, as a means to boost her own morale. It was just a little bit more. She had to keep on pushing. Their health points would not be able to last another siege towards the eye of the storm. The crescent blade whirled faster. There was no opening between them. They had to fall back, but it would soon be finished, one way or the other. “One more!”

Alpheia and Rana took to the skies. It would be their last. They were battered and burned, but they had to continue. Dynamic Enhancement kept their odds alive in previous runs, but the effect would soon wear off and the moon-kin did not have enough mana for another. They soared and strafed. The goal was in front of them, and then blades of ash struck them from behind.

Rana felt the chill clip her spine and she fell. In the corner of her eye she saw the moon-kin struggle for a few moments then fall as well, the blade nearly tore off her arm. She fell to the ground with a thud. Then she saw it, the giant visage of the guardian. She had to get up. However, she could not. She was missing her lower body and one arm. They failed. They were so close, but it was not enough. No! She refused, Even if she only had one arm, she would still fight.

Rana gritted her teeth, using her only arm to pull her heavy body forward. She felt her body and bones scrape against the heating petals. Then, there was a thud, something fell to her side. It was an arm, one with wings and talons. Is that what she thought it was?

“Hurry, eat it!”

Rana thought she heard Alpheia yell something, but she could not register what her companion said. The only thing on her mind was the warm and succulent bag of meat before her. It smelled raw. It was unappetizing. It was wrong and she wanted it. It was a meat different than critters. It reminded her of human flesh. If she were to consume it, what would she became? Will there be a second chance if she were to cross the line, to allow herself to succumb to her undead nature? She didn’t know the answer, because before she knew it, the arm was already gone, consumed and converted into life essence.

Rana stood up. Her body was whole. Her heart did not beat but it pumped. Her veins were dry but power coursed through them. Her senses were dulled, marred by the undead state, but her mind was somehow clear. Then she felt it, a surge of crimson within her, and her mark cried out in triumph.

[System (notification): Lunar Sanctuary corrupted. Maturation enabled. Leveled up.]

Rana ignored the System. There were far more important matters. The guardian continued to scream, the energy within her arms was reaching the apex. There was far too little time before the Spell was unleashed. However, the time was enough. She did not know why, but she felt it. It was a feeling she could never forget. It was as if she returned to a time when she was still an inquisitor, when the Sapphire Order recruited her and trained her.

She closed her eyes. She drew the mana from within and began to construct a runic-pattern. She did not envelope it with a mana aura. She had no need for it because she knew she would succeed. In her mind, she chuckled. Who knew the truth could be this cruel? However, that didn’t matter. She was an inquisitor, and she would face that truth head-on.

The Spell formed in her palm. It was a brilliant blue.

Rana stuck out her palm towards the head of the remnant of Jasmine Aodh’s regret and sadness. She would put her to rest. She would bring her peace.

With a roar from her heart, she called out the Spell that she would reclaim.

“Astral Lance!”