Tolin and Evylin held each other and stepped on the ice gingerly. Although it was created through magic, it had every property of ice, which meant it was slippery. They could barely walk on it. How were they supposed to get away from the insects like this? Nassandra had to admit that was the one flaw. Her spell was extremely simple and quick to cast, because she did not need to care about power, area, range, or accuracy. She pointed and wherever her wand aimed, that area would be buried in ice. The flaw was that they had to walk on their own two feet, unlike before when she transported them with her spell. Being the only person who could walk, she grabbed Tolin and Evylin by the arms and started crossing the ice. Initially, they were slow and clumsy, since she had to focus on her spell at the same time, but they gradually grew faster. The threat of death was a good motivator.
Once they skated across the ice, they hit the ground running. The tunnels were dimly illuminated by the glowing trail, so they could see just enough. The boy and grandmother stumbled as they panted loudly. Their grip on each other tightened, as if to show they would never forsake the other. It was a beautiful show of family bond. Somehow, through a miracle or sheer force of will, they continued marching together. Nassandra was worried they might not make it, but they seemed to manage. Relief painted her face. Even though she was not in a position to worry about others, she still felt obligated to help them. That was the one thing she would not compromise on. When they got far enough, she cancelled her spell. The consumption of Magic Energy was large, but manageable.
Meanwhile, she had dedicated a portion of her mind to absorbing World Energy. She did not have a proper recovery spell like Protector Avin, so she was using her natural absorption ability as an Arcanist. Although her Core recovered at a snail's pace, it was better than nothing. Tolin shouted and she reacted. A blanket of ice emerged, covering another four bugs who appeared in a side passage. Like this, they continued to advance. Whenever an enemy appeared, she would cast her ice spell to immobilize them. The first handful of times, things went well. The insects moved in packs from a single direction, which allowed Nassandra to concentrate her ice. The low frequency allowed their party to move far before encountering another pack. Nobody got hurt, despite running past so many insects. It was a miracle. If things continued, they could escape without an injury. They had that glimmer of hope in their minds.
That hope was painfully crushed. Initially, there may have been twenty seconds between every pack. That went from fifteen then twelve then finally nine seconds. Nine seconds was ridiculously short, even for a fast magic caster like Nassandra. She had to locate the target, construct the Magic Circle, and cast her spell. When another enemy appeared, she had to dispel her previous spell and do everything over again. The rising interference strength meant it was necessary to consider how much Magic Energy to use. Not only that, but since she could only single cast spells, there were intervals when the insects could roam free. That interval might have been short… a few seconds at most, except, in that brief window, they were completely defenseless. Silk whizzed past their bodies and impaled the rock walls. One almost pierced through Evylin. Fear was etched on their faces. They were on a path of no return now. If anyone got hit, they would die!
Nassandra was getting lightheaded. There were so many things she needed to consider that her thoughts went awry. She could barely understand what was happening. Everything became a blur. World Energy was constantly entering her Channels, converting to Magic Energy, and depositing in her Core. At the same time, Magic Energy was constantly coursing out her Channels, pouring into Magic Circles, and conjuring ice. The strain accumulated on her Channels, burning her like fire. Despite the cold icy air, her body felt like it was submerged in an inferno. Ice flew everywhere, encasing entire hordes of insects. Sometimes, she would miss one or two, so she would have to recast her ice again. She needed to perform everything without pausing or mistakes. The pressure suffocated her.
She tripped and fell, hitting her nose and tearing her lip. A metallic taste filled her mouth. Tolin and Evylin lifted her up and gasped when they saw her. Her face must have been covered in blood. She probably looked terrifying. Because she tripped, her concentration broke and her ice disappeared. Insects swarmed in from every direction. Nassandra felt nauseous as her vision swam. Why did she had to suffer like this? What did she do to deserve this? Was it because she ran away without telling anyone? Was that why? The regret and guilt weighed on her mind. Even her wand felt heavy. It was fine to stop here. She had done enough. Nobody could blame her for giving up. Her consciousness started drifting along those thoughts. The darkness felt awfully alluring…
Someone's arms suddenly wrapped around her and shoved her down. Their warmth permeated her cold skin. Before Nassandra could see who it was, there was a splatter of red liquid followed by a harrowing scream. She turned to see Tolin roaring out in grief, which meant… Evylin was the person on top of her. But why? What happened? Her head was a mess, so she could not process the situation. All she knew was that something went terribly wrong. Blood dripped onto her face. It was not hers. No, it came from Evylin. Although it was dark and Nassandra could hardly see, she realized that the elderly woman had fresh wounds. They were likely caused by the silk projectiles from the insects. It became clear that when Nassandra stood in a daze, Evylin shielded her from the attacks by sacrificing herself.
Hordes approached from everywhere. There was nowhere to run. Tolin bravely wielded his dagger, as he stood in front of his grandmother to protect her. However, his arms and legs shook uncontrollably. He was obviously paralyzed by the fear. There was even a faint urine and fecal smell coming from his trousers. In spite of that, the young boy stood there against an army. His short back seemed so tall then. Evylin had sacrificed her body to protect Nassandra. Now, Tolin was the one putting his life on the line. One was an elderly woman who could barely walk. The other was a kid half Nassandra's height. In normal circumstances, they were helpless people that needed to be protected. Nassandra was the Ten Dawn here. Blessed with immense talent and abilities that people claimed was once-in-a-generation, she should have protected them. Instead… she was the one on the ground. They were the ones fighting in her stead.
Shame. That was the first thing she felt. Once upon a time, she criticized her brother's way of thinking. Always striving for more power, always running head-first into conflicts, always coming back injured or half-dead… The pain she felt to see her family on the path of self-destruction… It was really hard to describe. She never understood it. She never wanted to. That was why she stubbornly declared that she would get stronger too, so she could lighten her brother's burdens.
However, while it was certainly filial, it was ultimately shallow. It was a childish, rebellious reaction. What motivated Freon? What drove him to such extents? Why was he so desperate? She never understood… until now, when she saw Tolin and Evylin getting hurt. Freon probably saw this countless times, to see people he cared about getting hurt, but being powerless to help… That feeling was truly horrible. Waiting for someone else to help was foolish. There was nothing that convenient in this awful world. Hence, he needed strength, enough strength to protect himself and everyone he cared about. Were it not for the situation, Nassandra would have laughed. Everything became painfully obvious now. She finally understood. In the end, she and her brother were really alike. They came to the same conclusion!