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Burst walked aimlessly.
The muffled sound of his footsteps echoed through the underground galleries, blending with the distant murmur of water running between the rocks.
He had just spoken with his sister through the communicator, but neither had any idea where the other was — only one thing was certain: there hadn't been another teleport.
He sighed.
That mission had escalated far too quickly.
It all seemed simple at first: clear the area, stabilize the energy, and let Merlin use the temple to evolve. But now…
Burst snapped his fingers.
A miniature tornado of fire swirled before him and, with a muffled hiss, burned the spirit ahead to ethereal ash.
'I can't sense anyone else nearby… not even my sister's mana. We must be far. Very far.'
He kept walking, taking down spirits along the way — always using as little energy as possible.
Minutes later, he found something unexpected: a vast open area where the ceiling rose in stone arches covered in moss and glowing green crystals.
Below, an underground river shimmered in translucent shades of emerald, winding like a living vein beneath the earth.
Burst descended carefully to the riverbank. The air there was purer — almost fresh. He touched the water, and a shiver ran through him.
It was as if the vitality of the world itself flowed through that current.
'It's like the water's been charged by the Tree of Fantasy… incredible.'
That spring must have been there for centuries. He wondered if anyone on the continent even knew it existed.
The energy emanating from the lake was so concentrated that merely touching it made his body feel revitalized.
But the moment of peace ended quickly.
The ground began to tremble — first softly, then like an underground thunderclap.
The stones vibrated, the water rippled, and Burst straightened immediately, fists tightening.
Then he saw a familiar glow coming from one of the tunnels.
A small lilac sphere was flying at high speed, leaving a shimmering trail behind it.
"[Careful! Move now!]" — Merlin's speech bubble appeared in the air, flashing in red tones.
"What—?"
No time for explanations — Merlin used her power to pull him aside.
At that exact moment, the ground exploded — a colossal worm of earth and stone burst out, swallowing half the bank where he'd been standing.
The roar that followed made the air itself vibrate.
The creature dove back underground, shaking the ground behind them.
Burst sprinted through the tunnels as fast as he could, Merlin floating beside him, glowing nervously.
"What the hell is that thing?! Is it a spirit?"
Another bubble appeared:
"[No. It's more complex… A monster possessed by a spirit. That's what's spreading the corruption.]"
"A spirit possessing a monster?" — he dodged a falling rock — "That's even possible?!"
"[When the teleport happened, I was sent deeper below,]" — the next bubble flickered as she moved — "[That worm feeds on the Tree's magical roots. When it got possessed, its mana was corrupted… now everything it touches becomes tainted.]"
Burst pieced it together.
The Tree itself wasn't corrupted — it was the leaking mana from that creature that was creating those twisted spirits.
"Then we have to kill it. If the body dies, the mana fades — and so does the corruption."
"[Yes… but I tried before,]" — her bubble blinked blue, almost sad — "[My attacks don't work. It's been exposed to mana for so long it evolved. It's like a natural predator now.]"
"So magical attacks don't work… great."
Burst grumbled, pulling out his communicator.
He explained the situation quickly.
Jane's response came almost instantly, her voice sharp and impatient:
"Keep running! Don't fight that thing until I talk to the expedition leader!"
"Easy for you to say! You're not the one with a giant worm chasing you!" — he shouted, dodging a wave of dust.
"Just run!" — Jane ended the transmission.
The ground rumbled harder.
The worm was moving directly toward Merlin — the sphere of light was a living beacon of energy, impossible to hide.
"[It's coming for me… I can't conceal my mana like you can.]"
The tunnel ahead forked.
The creature was closing in fast. Merlin hesitated for an instant — then her next bubble appeared, trembling:
"[Maybe… I should separate from you. It's coming after me. If I go another way, you might escape.]"
Burst didn't stop — but he looked at her.
His expression changed. The usual light, teasing tone was gone.
"Don't even think about it."
His voice came out firm — almost cold.
"If we get cornered, I'll protect you. One way or another. So don't even think of going off alone."
Merlin's glow dimmed slightly, as if lost for words.
The next bubble took a moment to appear:
"[…You're really kind, Burst.]"
He gave a half-smile, flames curling around his fist again.
"And you talk too much for a little dot of light. Now move, before that giant worm decides to make us dinner."
The monster's roar echoed through the tunnels — a deep, distorted sound that made the rocks vibrate.
Merlin accelerated, floating beside him, and the two disappeared into the tunnel's darkness.
The ground trembled again — but this time, the sound seemed farther away.
The worm's roar echoed faintly through the passages, fading into the depths below.
Burst and Merlin ran until the tunnel opened into a vast natural chamber.
Luminescent stones covered the ceiling, reflecting a soft green glow across the space.
Burst stopped for a moment, panting, sweat dripping down his neck.
He glanced back — nothing but darkness and the muffled sound of sliding rocks.
"I think… we lost it."
Merlin hovered a few meters above him, her aura trembling softly, almost like she was breathing.
A new bubble appeared in pale blue:
"[It doesn't have eyes. It sees through mana around it. If we get far from this area… it won't sense me anymore.]"
Burst nodded, taking a deep breath.
"So it's a living mana sensor."
He ran a hand through his hair, still on alert.
"If it detects energy, then… we need to leave fast. These crystals might draw it back."
The creature roared one last time in the distance, and the sound was swallowed by the deep silence of the underground.
Stillness returned — thick, heavy, as if the air itself was afraid to move.
They kept walking, exhausted.
The tunnel split into multiple paths, but one on the right seemed wider.
"This way," Burst said, taking the lead.
After a few minutes, they began to hear voices.
First distant — confused echoes lost against the stone walls. Then closer: shouting, arguing, laughter that sounded far too wrong to be human.
"[There seem to be other adventurers… but there's something strange about their aura.]"
Burst felt it too.
The air's energy wavered — unstable, like a flame about to die.
It was the feeling of people who had spent too long surrounded by corruption.
When they emerged from a side corridor, they saw the group — eight people.
Their clothes were torn, skin pale, eyes sunken and unfocused.
Two of them laughed to themselves, staring into nothing. Another muttered nonsense to the wall.
But in the center stood a different man — a tall warrior clad in darkened armor with a tattered cloak over his shoulders.
His stance was still steady, but his eyes… betrayed the exhaustion of someone who had already lost everything.
He raised a hand in greeting.
"You came from above?"
Burst nodded.
"Yeah. Running from a giant worm that tried to swallow us whole."
Some of the adventurers exchanged uneasy glances.
One whispered something incomprehensible, and the leader motioned for silence.
"We've heard about it through the communicator," the man said, voice rough and low.
"That monster is the core of the corruption. It's starving. It seeks a source of energy strong enough to stabilize its own existence."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Merlin.
The small lilac sphere glowed softly, like a living flame — and soon, all eyes turned to her.
"[Burst… I'm not feeling comfortable here,]" her bubble appeared, trembling faintly.
Burst noticed their hands — slowly reaching for weapons: swords, spears, staves — all with that feverish look born of desperation.
The leader took a step forward, eyes locked on Merlin.
"She's made of pure mana, isn't she?"
"A spiritual creature," added another, smiling a broken smile.
"If we offer her to the worm… maybe all this will end."
Burst understood their twisted logic.
Merlin was a living source of energy — maybe if the monster devoured her, it would calm down or even purge the corruption.
But that didn't matter.
The air froze.
Merlin drifted back, her light flickering like a candle in the wind.
"[What… are they talking about?]"
Burst stepped forward, placing himself between her and the group.
His expression hardened.
His hand rested on the sword hilt — slow, deliberate.
"I suggest none of you move.
Take one step toward her… and I'll strike."
The silence that followed was sharp — heavy as iron.
The adventurers hesitated, some trembling.
The leader exhaled, weary, and drew his blade, metal scraping against the sheath.
"So that's how it is… You'll protect her? Even knowing what she is? You'd place a spirit above human lives?"
"You're overreacting," another sneered.
"Our group's Class (A)."
Burst didn't answer.
He simply clenched his fists — and fire danced around them, a warm, living light in the cold darkness of the underground.
Merlin hovered behind him, her glow reflecting off the stone.
Two against seven.
One of them barely standing.
But Burst had already decided.
The tunnel filled with the metallic sound of blades being drawn.
And then — the world seemed to hold its breath.
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