For the first time in a long time, Nora was pushing herself to the limit.

Every muscle in her body was taut, her lungs burned with effort, and her boots slipped against the cave's rocky floor as she ran with Rian in her arms.

The damp, cold air stung her face, and the sound of her footsteps echoed in the darkness, mingling with the constant plop of water dripping into unseen puddles.

The cave's creaks, as if the walls themselves were shifting, blended with a deep, ominous hum that made her shudder.

But what terrified her most was the sound behind them: a hissing ssss, accompanied by the heavy scrape of something large slithering across the ground.

Nora hated this.

She hated having to push so hard, running for her life in a place where she couldn't see a thing, carrying Rian's weight and being chased by an unknown creature.

She'd always preferred taking things easy, enjoying life, cracking jokes, and avoiding any situation that demanded this much effort.

That's why she'd liked Rian from the start.

Among all the Cole clan's serious, exhausting, ambitious types, Rian seemed different.

He was laid-back, almost carefree, like her.

When she found out he was a Cole, her mind nearly exploded.

Every Cole she'd met was stiff, bitter, or, worse, saddled her with heavy, boring tasks that made her want to escape to the village for ice cream.

But Rian wasn't like that.

There was something about him that intrigued her—a mix of clumsiness and boldness that made her laugh.

From the first time she saw him lost, looking for the laundry room, to the time he ran through the rain like an idiot until a lightning bolt struck him, she thought he was a spectacle worth watching.

Not because he was impressive, but because he was entertaining, and she liked that.

Rian attracted weird situations, and though she found it amusing, she never imagined following him would lead to this: trapped in a dark cave, soaked, and running for her life from something that sounded like a giant snake.

'Damn it, Rian!' she thought, gritting her teeth and tightening her grip on him. 'Why did I have to follow you into this hellhole?'

Nora was scared, though she'd never admit it out loud.

The fall into the water had been the worst.

She, once called a genius for her rapid rise through the clan's ranks, had nearly drowned in such a pathetic way it embarrassed her to think about.

Her powers hadn't worked, and the feeling of her body paralyzed underwater still haunted her.

She never wanted to go through that again.

"Rian!" Nora shouted, her voice ragged as she ran, dodging invisible obstacles in the dark.

She could feel Rian trembling in her arms, probably still reeling from the pain that had doubled him over earlier.

"Don't you dare die on me now, damn it! Don't leave me alone with that thing!"

Charles let out a weak groan, but his voice came out clearer than Nora expected.

"Hang on… three minutes left," he said, sounding exhausted but determined. "I'll be fine… just hold on."

Nora bit her lip, a mix of frustration and panic surging through her.

"Three minutes?" she repeated, her tone dripping with disbelief. "That's pretty bold, Rian! You think I can keep running forever with that thing behind us?"

The creature's ssss grew louder, followed by a heavy THUMP!, like something massive had struck the ground.

Nora felt a chill run down her spine, her heart pounding so fast she thought it might give out.

She was using the faint air currents in the cave to navigate, moving by instinct to dodge rocks and puddles she could barely sense.

Each step was a gamble, and the absolute darkness made every move a risk.

She couldn't see anything, but she could feel the creature closing in, its movement vibrating the ground beneath her feet.

"Damn it…!" she shouted, swerving around what felt like a jutting rock, though she wasn't sure.

"If we get out of this, I swear I'm never following you anywhere again!"

Charles gave a weak laugh, the sound a small relief amidst the chaos.

"You… you bought the lanterns for both of us," he said, his tone trying to be teasing despite his exhaustion. "Don't pin this all on me."

Nora huffed but didn't have time to reply.

The ground suddenly sloped downward, a steep incline that threw her off balance.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, stumbling as she tried to keep Rian in her arms.

Her boots slipped on the wet rock, and for a moment, she thought they'd both fall.

With a desperate effort, she steadied herself, but the sudden movement loosened her grip, and Rian slipped from her arms.

"Rian!" Nora screamed, hearing his body tumble down the slope with a THUD! followed by a scrape against the rock.

"Shit… sorry!" she exclaimed, her heart in her throat.

The creature's ssss was closer now, and panic hit her like a wave.

Without thinking, she leaped after him, following the sound of his fall.

"I'm coming!" she shouted, though she wasn't sure if he could hear her.

The ground stayed sloped, and Nora felt her boots slip as she tried to control her descent.

The darkness was oppressive, and every sound seemed amplified: the rustle of her clothes against the rock, the drip of water, and the increasingly close ssss of the creature.

She didn't know how big the snake was, but from the sound, she was certain she didn't want to face it—not when her powers might fail again in this strange place.

'If I could just see…' Nora thought, a mix of frustration and fear.

But after what happened in the water, she wasn't sure of herself.

"Rian!" she called again, reaching the bottom of the slope.

Her hands fumbled in the dark, finally finding Rian's arm.

"You're alive…!" she said, her tone a mix of relief and exasperation.

She lifted him carefully, feeling him lean against her.

"You okay? Because if you're not, I swear I'll leave you here."

Charles let out a weak laugh, still trembling from the earlier pain.

"I'm… I'm fine," he said, his voice ragged. "Just one minute. I'm almost ready."

Nora frowned, though she knew he couldn't see it.

"Ready for what?" she asked, her tone thick with suspicion. "Rian, you're acting really weird. First you talk to yourself, then you double over in pain, and now you're 'ready.' What's going on with you?"

Before Charles could respond, the creature's ssss returned, so close now that Nora felt the air shift behind her.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, hoisting Rian with more force and starting to run again.

Charles took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pain still pulsing through his body.

The system's upgrade was starting to settle, and he could feel blue sparks coursing through his veins with more intensity than before.

His control level had increased, and though the process had been agonizing, he now felt he could channel his electric power with greater precision.

The blue system arrow still glowed in his vision, pointing somewhere ahead in the cave.

He didn't know what he'd find there, but it was his only guide.

"Trust me, Nora," he said, his tone firmer. "We just have to keep going. There's something here I need to find."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.