Chapter 7: Come Back, Ephraim

"Whoa! Why is everything on fire?!"

Flames blazed through the walls and spread across the whole room, while heat distorted the air ahead of Lydia.

"Waaaaaah!!"

Lydia screamed as she almost fell into the depth of the abyss when the floor beneath her feet cracked and gave way. Had she been late to jump away by a mere second, she’d be a goner for sure.

She spun around and ran as fast as she could, desperately trying to keep her balance as the floor tilted beneath her. With every passing second, more of it broke apart and collapsed downward.

The ground continued falling into what appeared to be a massive ravine. But when Lydia glanced down, her blood ran cold.

"Are you kidding me? Why does the ravine have a gigantic mouth with sharp teeth?!

Its enormous jaws stretched open beneath her, rows of monstrous teeth filling the darkness. Then a crimson eye blinked at Lydia from deep inside.

Lydia pushed herself forward, refusing to look down again. Her legs were already beginning to weaken, and her breathing grew heavier with every step but she kept running.

"My guide power is weakening."

Lydia pressed a hand against her temple. "The mental power I amplified is fading. Everything’s spinning."

She stumbled.

A sharp pain throbbed inside her skull. It felt like her head might burst at any moment.

"Yeah... I’m an F-Rank Guide, after all. Amplifying my guide power doesn’t magically turn me into some powerful Guide. If only things were that easy."

The lion cub was still there. It was as if it was waiting for Lydia. Despite everything happening around her, it remained strangely calm.

"Damn it... The backlash is catching up to me."

She forced herself forward through the scorching heat and finally managed to get close enough to reach the cub.

The moment her fingers touched its fur, Lydia recoiled.

"Ouch!! Why is this little cute lion burning hot?!"

Before Lydia could figure out what was happening, the cub’s tiny body suddenly began to shift.

It grew larger as its limbs lengthened and golden fur spread across its expanding frame, transforming the harmless little cub into a full-grown lion.

Lydia barely had time to react before the lion’s golden fur vanished, its body twisting and reshaping into a human form.

"Ephraim...?"

Suddenly, his body convulsed as though every change was tearing him apart from the inside. Flames erupted across his body, swallowing Ephraim whole.

His scream tore through the room, raw and agonizing, as if Ephraim were being burned alive.

Before Lydia could reach him, thousands of locks and chains appeared around his body, wrapping around his arms, legs, chest, and neck and binding him from every direction.

Ephraim’s eyes were completely black, hazy and dull, as though whatever remained inside him was slowly disappearing.

"Ephraim!"

Lydia tried to reach him, but the restraints tightened and multiplied, piling into an enormous mountain of locks and chains with Ephraim trapped at the very top.

"So... this is what Sentinels have to endure."

Thank God I was born as a Guide.

Lydia honestly wasn’t sure she could survive something like this.

"No. I can’t let him suffer like this."

He was far too gone. There was no other way but to keep going.

"Hold on, Ephraim. I’m coming."

Lydia grabbed the nearest chain and pulled herself upward. The scorching metal burned her palms as she climbed toward the top of the mountain but she kept pushing herself.

WHOOSH!

Countless chains shot toward her without warning.

Lydia ducked, but one wrapped around her arm before another caught her waist and a third coiled around her leg.

"What the—?!"

She grabbed the nearest chain and pulled with all her strength but it wouldn’t budge.

Gritting her teeth, Lydia channeled her mental power and sent warm Guiding energy into the chains. But they still wouldn’t break.

Lydia barely noticed it when something warm dripped from her nose.

"Nosebleed? This is bad."

After wiping away the blood, Lydia forced herself upward against the chains pulling her backward.

"At least I managed to loosen the chains with my Guide power. Hold on, Ephraim. I’m coming."

The chains tightened with every pull, but Lydia kept climbing.

Ephraim’s unconscious body was suspended by chains and locks several feet above the ground. His head lowered lifelessly as though every ounce of strength had already left him.

The dark energy surrounding him was dangerous enough to kill a human.

It twisted through the air like raging serpents before rushing toward him from every direction.

Within seconds, the darkness swallowed his whole body and spread across the room.

Something about the thick miasma made this whole place feel much colder.

"No. I have to help Ephraim. Whatever happens between us, I won’t abandon him."

More blood ran from her nose, but Lydia pushed forward until her hand touched Ephraim’s chest. She poured more of her amplified spiritual power into him.

Her veins felt like they were ready to burst apart when all of the miasma suddenly surged toward Lydia’s chest.

"Aaaaahhh!!"

All the corruption was being pulled into her body. Pain tore through every inch of her body as if something were ripping Lydia apart from the inside.

Blood filled her mouth as her head throbbed violently. Lydia coughed and spilled blood onto the ground, but her grip on Ephraim never loosened.

Despite the blood running down her chin, Lydia smiled weakly and took a long, shaky breath.

Gathering the last of her strength, she amplified her mental power.

Silvery-white energy streamed from her hands and flowed into Ephraim’s chest, guiding him.

"Come back, Ephraim."

One by one, the locks and chains that were wrapped around Ephraim’s wrists, ankles and waist loosened before crumbling into black ash.

The thick miasma inside her gradually dissolved into countless tiny black particles before disappearing completely.

Looking at Ephraim, who was finally free from the chains that had imprisoned him and had opened his eyes, Lydia couldn’t help but to smile weakly.

"I... actually did... it."

His eyes had returned to their usual crimson, but thin trails of crimson fire still streamed from the corners, like flames leaking from within.

Then, as if nothing had happened, the entire room returned to white.

Lydia’s strength finally gave out. She slumped forward, but Ephraim quickly caught her in his arms.

"Lydia? What happened to you?"

Her breathing came in ragged gasps, blood staining her lips. Before Lydia could answer, something danced above them.

A single butterfly gently drifted down from the endless white space.

It fluttered down through the sky as gentle as falling snow before landing on Ephraim’s nose.

"What is this? A blue butterfly?"

He slowly raised his hand to touch it. The moment his finger brushed the butterfly, it burst into millions of blue butterflies.

They filled his entire field of vision.

Their delicate wings swirled around him in a beautiful blue sea until there was nothing else left to see.

Everything was blue.

Even Ephraim couldn’t help but to admire them.

They were... mesmerizing.

Slowly, when the last butterfly faded, Ephraim realized that he was in a quiet forest with Lydia still cradled in his arms.

The breathtaking scenery left him speechless.

"Where are we?"