After giving a curt nod to Prometheus, Vivian proceeded to flank the right side of the broken forest. She searched between the scattered trees and under splintered wood, but found nothing.
She had been seen by the healers after arriving back at the town. The lacerations and deep cuts on her body had been mended by their affinity, but even they explained that they hadn't reached a stage where healing brought full and immediate recovery.
She was going to have to rest over time if she wanted it to take full effect.
The great fatigue that had plagued her body had now become a subtle throb at the back of her head, one that only ached whenever she walked.
Far at the edge of the decimated landscape, she noticed the twisted roots of a singular tree. From afar, its bark looked spiral and old. Its dark roots, protruding from the soil like defiant beings, created a form of low coverage.
Vivian walked towards it, her steps slow and measured. She unsheathed her rapier and held it by her side. Even though she wasn't in peak condition, walking into a dark hole unarmed felt unnerving.
Finally reaching the tree, she saw that up close, the twisted roots and spiral bark looked less like something formed by nature and more like a gruesome man-made architecture.
She bent low and peeked into the hollow. Darkness stretched as far as her eyes could see. Her fingertips brushed against the soil beneath the protruding roots, it felt wet.
But most importantly, there wasn't a body hidden within it.
She stepped out from the murky darkness and into the moonlight. A glance at her palm showed dark, wet soil stained with a shallow crimson tint.
The sword saint had been here.
And she was bleeding.
She turned her back to the tree, her eyes scanning the field for Prometheus. They weren't going to find anything else here. It was better to continue forward.
She called out to him, gaining his attention and motioning for him to come over.
It didn't take long for him to arrive. She shared what she had found and watched his expression shift from calm and reserved to visible worry.
"How long do you think it has been since she left here?" he asked.
"It's hard to give an estimate. We only have two paths forward—straight to the river, or deeper into the forest," she replied.
Both weighed the options. The signs pointed towards the river. Heading deeper into the forest didn't guarantee anything.
"Let's search along the riverbank. If we don't find her or any sign of where she went, we'll go deeper into the forest," Vivian suggested.
Prometheus nodded, and before long, both of them began making their way down to the river.
Halfway through their search, the air around them shifted with palpable force.
A surge of mana, unrestrained, unyielding, spiked violently, overwhelming their senses.
They both glanced at each other for a split second before rushing towards the source.
Even without her affinity activated, Vivian could tell something was wrong. The mana spike felt compressed—unstable, as if it could no longer be contained. It was collapsing inward despite the pressure forcing it together.
This wasn't an attack… it was a detonating core.
One look at Prometheus's expression told her he had reached the same conclusion.
They ran faster. Her half-healed wounds strained under the sudden exertion, but she didn't stop.
The river wasn't far now. A stark blue light began to overshadow the moon's glow.
They reached the bank and immediately saw a silhouette break through the water's surface, swimming towards them.
Elaine.
Prometheus roared at the top of his lungs, urging her to move faster.
None of them knew how much time was left before the core detonated.
She needed to hurry.
For the first time, Prometheus hated his short stature. He could see it clearly, her movements were slowing, her strength fading. But he was too small to reach her.
Vivian wasn't in any better condition. The sprint had already strained her injuries.
All they could do was stand there… and hope.
Within seconds, she had covered half the distance. Only a few more strokes separated her from them.
They both reached out, hands hovering just above the water.
She was close.
The core still hadn't detonated.
The panic in their eyes began to settle, replaced by a fragile hope.
All that remained… was to pull her out.
Their hands stretched forward—
Then they heard it.
The sharp crack of shattered glass.
The blue light behind her turned blinding.
A wave of freezing force exploded outward.
Prometheus and Vivian were thrown back violently, their hands missing hers by inches.
The detonation roared like thunder—deafening, destructive.
Prometheus crashed into the ground, the impact sending web-like cracks spreading beneath him.
He pushed himself up immediately, his vision consumed by blinding light.
"NO!!" he roared, his voice tearing through his throat.
Elaine was still in the water.
"ELAINE!!"
He rushed back to the riverbank. The entire surface had frozen solid.
He jumped down, his feet landing on ice.
The river had become a frozen grave.
And she was trapped within it.
Prometheus released all the mana in his body in a blazing blue inferno. Determination burned in his eyes as fiercely as the flames that engulfed him.
The fire licked at his skin and spread across the riverbank. Ice melted rapidly under the heat as he forced his way through.
His body plunged into the freezing water, flames still burning, sustained purely by his mana.
He searched desperately.
She had to be here.
The flames tore through the ice surrounding her in seconds. He grabbed her body and pulled her into his arms, then swam upward with everything he had left.
They broke through the surface.
He carried her to the frozen bank and laid her down gently.
His eyes were red, filled with tears he desperately tried to hold back.
Her body was cold, pale.
He pushed his flames into her, trying to warm her, nothing changed.
He couldn't feel her mana.
Her core… the presence that had always been there, even when empty, was gone.
He placed a hand over her chest.
No warmth. No heartbeat.
The emotions he had held back finally broke through. Tears streamed down his face without restraint.
Elaine was… dead.