Liora fought like a storm unleashed.
Her mana swords sliced through the air, cutting down bee after bee without rcy. The sky was filled with the screech of dying insects, the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground, and the sharp crackle of elental powers bursting all around her.
Yet inside her heart, a cold shadow had begun to spread. Just minutes ago, she had lost control of herself.
The mory twisted her stomach into knots. She rembered the feeling too clearly—the rush of power flooding through her veins, the terrifying surge that had felt too big for her body to contain. In that mont, she had felt invincible. With that overwhelming strength, she had wiped out almost a hundred insects on her own.
But afterward... there had been a cost.
Her mind had blurred. Her chest had tightened until she could barely breathe. Her vision had spun wildly, dark and ssy at the edges. For a few terrifying monts, she had not even recognized herself. She had thought of nothing but killing, destroying, crushing everything around her until there was nothing left.
Was that her true self? Or was it the power taking over her?
Gritting her teeth, Liora swung her swords again, slicing through two more bees in one sweeping arc. Another crisp notification rang inside her mind.
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 1 Bee]
[Reward gained: 32 Agility, 65 Endurance, 1 Energy Bar]
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 2 Bee]
[Reward gained: 47 Strength, 80 Health, 1 Grenade]
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 1 Bee]
[Reward gained: 25 Endurance, 50 Stamina, dical Spray]
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 2 Bee]
[Reward gained: 55 Intelligence, 30 Endurance, Pack of Pistol Bullets]
The constant ringing of rewards almost numbed her thoughts, but deep down, Liora knew the real danger was not the monsters outside.
This power... it was unique. There was no doubt about that.
But it ca with questions she could not answer.
Why could she collect the souls of the things she killed? Why were they stored inside her soul realm instead of simply disappearing like normal?
Was it because her ability was incomplete? Or was it because her soul realm was still too weak to handle them properly?
Maybe she had misused the power. Maybe she had used too much of it at once, and that was why she had almost lost her mind. She did not know the truth.
And the not knowing... it scared her.
Would the power continue to obey her?
Or would it one day control her completely?
Would she beco sothing worse than the monsters she was fighting now?
Liora’s blades tore through another group of bees as she forced herself to stay focused on the battle. The fight was not over yet.
Still, even as she fought, her mind spun uncontrollably.
What was the use of keeping those souls?
Would she just store them endlessly until they rotted inside her soul realm?
Would they drag her down into madness?
No answers ca. Only the endless buzzing of bees and the flashing of system notifications in her mind.
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 2 Bee]
[Reward gained: 60 Strength, 1 Strength Potion, 1 Shotgun Shells Pack]
[Successfully killed Mutated Level 1 Bee]
[Reward gained: 20 Stamina, 50 Health, 1 Antidote, Pack of Canned Food]
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the last bee fell from the sky with a sharp screech. Its crystalized core glittered faintly on the ground before Liang Zihan quickly harvested it, stuffing it into their supplies bag without hesitation.
Everyone was panting heavily, blood and thick ichor splattered across their clothes and weapons.
Finally, the swarm was ended.
Liora wiped her blade clean and leaned heavily against the humr, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to catch her breath. Around her, the others moved quickly, gathering crystals from the corpses and patching up minor wounds.
Inside the humr, little Eli had been peeking through the window the entire ti.
He clutched his snack pack tightly to his chest, wide-eyed as he watched his "pretty sister" cutting down bees with terrifying calmness and ferocity. Tears welled up in his eyes once again as the realization dawned on him.
He had found her.
After searching for so long, after wandering for a whole month alone, he had finally found her.
But...
His small gaze dimd when he rembered sothing painful.
That unfamiliar look she had given him when they first t.
It had cut deeper than anything else.
Daddy had been right.
"She does not rember ," Eli whispered weakly, his tiny fingers tightening around the snack pack until the plastic crinkled under the pressure.
But then, a small, stubborn smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
She had called him Eli.
She had rembered his na, even if she did not understand why.
That ant sothing, right?
One day, he was sure, she would rember everything.
One day, she would hold him again and call him her little baby, just like before.
Eli sniffled and wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand, a small spark of excitent glowing stubbornly inside his tiny heart.
But before he could drift further into his hopeful thoughts, a new sound gained his attention. His head that was weakly leaned against the car window suddenly snapped towards the source, but there was nothing there.
But he knew his senses were not wrong. Even though it did not appear in their line of sight, the thing was heading in their direction, probably attracted from all the noise.
Every instinct inside him was screaming danger. His wide eyes narrowed seriously as he stared into the distance.
The bees from before had been terrifying.
But whatever was coming now... it was sothing much worse.
His bubbly expression disappeared, replaced with a deep frown.
He could feel it, the powerful aura that was heading towards their direction.
He glanced back at Liora and the others, who were still gathering crystals, unaware of the new threat that was rushing toward them at terrifying speed.
Panic clutched his small heart tightly.
Would his pretty sister be alright?
Would she be strong enough to face what was coming?
No... not yet. She was still too weak compared to the thing he could sense.
Eli bit his lip hard until he tasted blood.
Daddy had taught him never to reveal his powers unless absolutely necessary. Last ti was already enough for him. But now... Daddy said he could, only if a family mber or a trusted guard was present.
But his pretty sister was here.
She was family.
Maybe... just maybe, it would be alright if he helped this once.
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