A wave of energy surged through them, and in an instant, they felt themselves being pulled away, their surroundings blurring as the monolith's magic transported them to the next region.
Just as the last of the team disappeared into the monolith, Seraphina caught sight of them from the corner of her eye. A small smile played at the edges of her lips. They'd made it—her mission was complete.
Now, it was her turn.
With a final glance at the Eldergrove, she took a deep breath, then sprinted toward the monolith, her heart pounding in her chest.
The guardian roared, sensing her intention, and lashed out, but Seraphina was too fast. She leapt over a vine that attempted to ensnare her, her gaze fixed solely on the monolith.
Reaching out, she touched its surface just as the guardian's massive hand swiped inches from her back.
A flash of light engulfed her, and in the next instant, she was gone, leaving the guardian alone, its fury echoing through the now-empty forest.
As Seraphina's vision cleared, she found herself reunited with her team in the new region, a harsh desert stretching out before them.
The relief in their eyes was evident, and for a brief, precious mont, they shared a laugh of victory.
"We did it!"
"We made it out!"
"I can't believe we actually survived that thing."
Fiora looked over her shoulder, the echoes of the fight still fresh in her mind. "Probably thanks to that stranger back there. If he hadn't touched the monolith, we wouldn't have figured out how to get here."
It was only then that the group took a mont to reflect on the stranger—Horizon—and his sudden appearance.
"That guy definitely used us as bait," Aria snapped, her brows knitted in irritation. "The nerve of him. Doesn't he know who he's dealing with?"
"If I ever see that man again, I'll cut him to pieces," Velvet added, her eyes narrowing. "Nobody disrespects our guild like that and gets away with it."
"B-but . . . didn't he sort of save our lives by showing us the way?" Fiora stamred, hesitating as the others turned to glare at her.
"Save us?" Velvet's gaze was sharp as a blade. "If anything, he used us to do his dirty work."
Aria shook her head, clearly not convinced. "He put us in danger, Fiora. We were lucky, not saved."
Fiora pressed her lips together, choosing not to press the point. She couldn't deny that Horizon's actions had been self-serving, but without him, they'd still be stuck.
"Enough of that," Seraphina interjected, stepping between them. "This isn't the ti for grudges. What matters now is that we keep moving. The faster we get to the next monolith, the better our chances are."
They nodded, even as a lingering resentnt hung in the air. With one last look at where they had appeared, they pressed forward into the desolate dessert.
=== ===
anwhile, far away in the blistering desert, Horizon and his team trudged under the relentless sun.
The desolation stretched endlessly, an unbroken sea of sand with no shade or life in sight. Even Nyx, who was usually a spirited guide, had grown quiet, perched on Horizon's shoulder as if conserving her energy.
"Are we really going the right way, Nyx?" Horizon asked, squinting against the sun's harsh glare.
Nyx's head snapped up. "Of course we are! Are you questioning —a great wyrm?"
Horizon shrugged. "It's just . . . we've been walking for hours, and we still haven't seen a sign of the monolith. Not to ntion, there's no sign of any other players. Sothing feels off."
Nyx scanned the desert, her eyes narrowing. "It is strange. There's nothing here—no landmarks, no life. Just sand as far as the eye can see. It's like a void."
"Are you sure this monolith is in this direction? I'm not exactly thrilled about wandering aimlessly out here," Horizon said, looking at Damon, David, and Ford who were seed to be moving slow.
Their corpses were even rotting at a fast pace under this intense heat, so Horizon had to supply them a steady stream of mana more than usual.
Nyx, shifting uncomfortably, peered into the distance. "Maybe there's magic at work here. So kind of enchantnt keeping us from seeing what we're looking for."
"You can't sense it?" Horizon asked.
Nyx scoffed. "And you can? I don't have my full power rember? I only have like an ounce of power of what I originally have."
Horizon rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "Maybe this place is ant to trap players—leaving them lost with no food, no water, no hope."
Nyx let out a dark chuckle. "If that's true, that would be a twisted way to die. Oh, definitely twisted. The perfect trap if you want to weed out the weak."
She tilted her head, her ears twitching as she glanced to the right. "But look! Over there—I see movent."
Horizon squinted, following Nyx's gaze, and sure enough, there was a group of figures off in the distance, blurred by the heat haze.
"Players," he confird, a hint of relief coloring his voice. "Let's head over; and see if they find sothing."
The group changed course, making their way toward the distant figures, keeping a wary eye on the desert around them.
The sun was relentless, beating down on them as they trudged forward, and every step felt like it took twice as much energy as it should.
As they drew closer, the figures in the distance sharpened into view—a group of players, clustered together.
At first, Horizon felt a flicker of relief at the sight of others in this bleak wasteland. But that hope twisted into unease as the details beca clearer.
These weren't living, breathing players—they were dried, desiccated corpses, frozen in twisted poses, their skin cracked and bleached by the relentless sun.
The bodies looked eerily preserved, as though they'd been flash-dried by so unholy force. Their armor and weapons had faded, but hints of a shared insignia were barely visible on their cloaks, marking them as mbers of the sa guild.
"What happened here?"
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