Chapter 188: Is It Working?

Above District One, the sky was filled with dark purple clouds and screaming monsters. Swarms of winged void beasts poured out of the sky rift, diving straight toward the city streets below.

Silas Drake flew near the center formation, shooting bright spears of golden light from his hands to knock beasts out of the air. The guild master of Solar Crown shouted orders to his men, eager to show off for the military cameras.

Beside them, the real frontline was held by Apex. Amber flew through the wind with bright red wings of light, her twin sabers cutting down monsters with clean swings.

Below her, Zephyra moved like a blur of dark shadow, her whip-blade tearing through wings and claws while Walter and his forty-nine shield-bearers held an unbreakable line. Together, they’ve been able to manage the falling beasts from spreading into the city.

Suddenly, right in the middle of a swing, an icy shock ripped through Amber and Zephyra’s chests.

The warm connection they shared with Evren snapped completely. The familiar, subtle beat of his heart inside their thoughts vanished in a second, replaced by cold, empty silence.

Amber froze in mid-air, dropping one of her sabers in shock. She grabbed her chest, calling out his name into the empty bond: ’Evren?’

Beside her, Zephyra gasped, her whole body shaking as her eyes went wide with fear. ’Evren!’

"Sterling, Nightshade, what are you doing?" Silas Drake yelled over the tactical comms as he blasted an incoming beast. "A second wave is breaking through, hold your line!"

Zephyra did not care about Drake, Kincaid, or the battle in the sky.

Deep inside her thoughts, she felt the last faint thread of Evren’s life at the bottom of the western chasm. It was weak, freezing cold, and slipping away fast.

"Hold the line, Amber!" Zephyra shouted over the wind. "I’m going to him!"

Moving on pure panic and love, Zephyra pulled directly on their soul bond. Thick black shadows burst around her body in a fast, swirling cloud.

She used shadow teleportation, locking onto Evren’s fading location. With a loud snap in the air, she vanished completely from the capital sky.

A second later, Zephyra dropped onto the cracked stone floor at Depth 60.

The underground cave was falling apart. High above, the black singularity sphere spun with a loud roar, pulling giant rocks and stone pillars straight into its center.

Right in front of her on the floor lay Evren. His shirt was torn, his chest was bruised and cracked, and blood pooled beneath his head.

His skin was pale and cold to the touch. He was not breathing, and inside his chest, his heart had completely stopped.

In his limp left hand, his fingers were still locked tight around the glowing Level 80 Star-Diamond Void Core.

"No, no, no," Zephyra cried, dropping to her knees beside him as tears ran down her face. "Master, wake up, please don’t leave us!"

She pressed two shaking fingers against his neck, but there was no pulse at all. Without waiting another second, Zephyra placed both hands flat over his chest.

Through their mental link, Amber’s frantic voice cried out inside Zephyra’s mind: ’Zee, what is happening? Where is he?’

’His heart stopped, Amber!’ Zephyra sobbed through the connection. ’He took down the boss, but it must have taken all he had. He’s not breathing!’

’What do we do?’ Amber asked in panic. ’Can you save him?’

’I’m going to try and restart his heart!’ Zephyra replied. She locked both hands over his bruised chest, gathering her shadow mana alongside the recovery boost from their bond.

Taking a deep breath, Zephyra sent a sharp shock of concentrated energy straight through his ribs. Evren’s chest twitched slightly, but his body remained completely limp.

"Come on, please!" Zephyra begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. She pumped more mana into her palms and drove a second shock into his chest.

Nothing happened. High above them, the black singularity roared louder, but Evren’s heart stayed completely still.

’Zee, is it working?’ Amber’s panicked voice came in through the link.

’Not yet!’ Zephyra sobbed as she pressed down again. Gathering every bit of shadow mana she had left, she sent a third hard pulse through his chest.

Still, there was no breath and no pulse.

"You cannot leave us, Master!" Zephyra screamed, tears blinding her eyes. Slamming her palms down with everything she had, she forced a fourth, massive shock of mana straight into his heart.

THUMP.

Evren’s body gave a sudden jolt against the cold stone floor. He coughed up a dark clot of blood, his chest heaving as fresh air rushed back into his lungs.

His eyes snapped open.

"Master!" Zephyra wept, falling against his shoulder and hugging him with all her strength. "You’re alive, you’re alive!"

Evren coughed, every rib in his chest aching with sharp pain. He looked at the crying girl holding him, then slowly raised his left hand, showing her the glowing diamond core.

"Told you," Evren whispered with a faint smile. "I’d get her cure."

"You complete idiot!" Zephyra scolded through her tears, holding him tight. "You almost died!"

Before Evren could say anything else, a bright alert popped up in his vision:

[ASTRAL-CHASM RIFT SINGULARITY COLLAPSE: 00:00:45 REMAINING]

Forty-five seconds left. The stone platform beneath their feet cracked open, the edges breaking apart into the black hole above.

Evren tried to push himself up, but his arms shook and a sharp gasp tore from his lips. He barely had the strength to keep his head raised.

"Don’t move, I’ve got you," Zephyra said firmly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him tight against her chest.

Drawing on their soul bond, Zephyra triggered their shared shadow step. Turning into a blur of dark mist, she carried him upward just as the stone platform broke into dust.

She blinked them upward through the collapsing cave in quick bursts. Falling rocks crashed through the dark around them, but Zephyra held him close, racing the implosion up through all sixty underground levels.

With one final leap of power, she burst out of the canyon mouth just as the mountain walls caved in. A heavy rumble shook the ground behind them as the entire chasm collapsed and sealed forever.

Zephyra tumbled onto the green grass of the canyon ridge under the warm morning sun, carefully easing Evren down beside her.

Evren lay on his back, staring up at the blue sky and breathing hard while the transport pilot ran toward them in total shock.

Evren closed his eyes, feeling pure relief spread through his sore body. He reached into the telepathic link to share the good news.

’Amber, we’re out,’ Evren said quietly in his mind. ’We got Calista’s cure, and I’m alive.’

Across the distance, Amber’s voice answered right away, shaking with heavy tears.

’Thank the stars you’re alive,’ Amber cried in his thoughts in relief. ’I thought we lost you, so please just rest and let the medics look at you, and...’

Her words were cut off in an instant. A sickening, muffled grunt echoed through the link.

Before Evren could even ask what happened, a sharp wave of burning pain ripped across the soul bond straight into his chest.

And then, total silence fell as the link went completely dead.

Evren froze on the grass, his breath catching in his throat while Zephyra looked at him with wide, terrified eyes.

"Amber????"