The sounds of battle had become unbearable. Leye heard them all, even though it had been quite some time since he had withdrawn his consciousness from the battlefield. He had retreated to the quiet chamber where his rocky body rested.

  There, Vidul continued to care for Naya with all his strength, on the brink of collapse, yet steadfast, though the core suspected he had already lost all hope. The archer’s condition was dire, her skin completely pale and dark circles marking her eyes. It looked as though she might stop breathing at any moment.

  He is in love with her, Leye realized. It was the only reason he remained at her side instead of helping Nilu on the walls. Somehow, he must know that everything is lost, and he prefers to stay with her.

  He too had lost all hope. From the grotesque sounds of the Aneitan hammers, he knew they had already managed to bring down one of the side walls, and just as he had predicted, the inner corridors of the fortress had begun to swarm with enemies. Many would die to the traps he had built during the days when his mana was abundant, but many others, after navigating the intricate hallways and floors of the fortress, would reach the chamber.

  For the moment, only a few had infiltrated, as most were focused on the upper battlements, which were also infested with invaders.

  The core focused its attention on Nilu’s eyes, which, as a hero bound to him, he could use as a passive observer. The warrior was rising from the ground, exhausted. Right ahead, Yowo fought with fervor against the enormous enemy general, who looked like a human mountain beside her.

  The brute swept his greatsword at the warrior woman, who barely managed to evade the attacks with panther-like leaps. A few meters away, a blonde elf with a voluptuous figure held back the Aneitas trying to reach the warrior from behind with a shining sword, but there were more and more of them, and the core knew they would soon overpower her.

  This is the end, Leye thought as he transported his consciousness to Yowo’s perspective. The warrior continued dodging the giant Aneita’s powerful thrusts and even managed to land a few blows… but they bounced off his thick armor with a metallic clang. From the corner of her eye, the girl could see the Aneitas closing in, fully aware that she was completely surrounded, yet she kept fighting with fervor.

  Suddenly, the enormous adversary spoke.

  “For all the gods, surrender already, woman. You know I’m not going to kill you.”

  “Never! I’d rather die at the hands of your useless underlings than let myself be abducted by a bloodthirsty pig like you.”

  The brute let out a guttural laugh and continued fighting. Despite his words, he looked amused, his eyes brimming with bloodlust.

  Leye resolved to withdraw from Nilu’s eyes and returned to the chamber. Though he could no longer communicate with his allied heroes since Naya had fallen unconscious, he wanted to encourage Vidul, just a few meters from his body, desperately trying to revive his companion.

  But it was impossible. The archer was the only one who could communicate with him telepathically. He thought he would never speak to anyone again when suddenly an Aneitan soldier appeared before his eyes.

  For a moment, terror seized his rocky body, thinking the enemies had found a way to breach the fort’s defenses with astonishing speed, but then a greenish aura around the enemy’s armor revealed who it was. It was his mother.

  An instant later, the man transformed into a beautiful red-haired woman wrapped in a green dress. Her yellow eyes, with completely vertical pupils, looked at him with affection.

  “My son, we have been so close to succeeding. I thought I would be able to see you grow, but our paths cross no further than this.”

  Leye felt deeply saddened, to the point of being unable to respond.

  It was true, he realized. At one point, he had believed the invaders’ attack would fail, that the elaborate defenses his heroes had built, his abundant mana, and the arrival of the Ixtalite allies would change everything… but it was too late. For some strange reason, that powerful foreign army had found him just as he was on the verge of becoming a self-sufficient being, someone capable of controlling a city around him. If only a few more days had passed…

  But there was no point in regret. He decided to spend the final moments of his existence with forced happiness. Crying at a moment like this served no purpose.

  When he managed to compose himself, he replied mentally.

  “Thank you for giving me existence, mother. Seeing this world so green, these mana wells, and so much life… it has all been worth it.”

  She brought her personified female body closer to the rock and embraced it.

  “You will survive, my son, but I will no longer be here to guide you.”

  “What do you mean I will survive? Haven’t you seen what’s happening around us?”

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  “Yes, but the certainty you felt a short while ago regarding your salvation… is not false. I know because the gods can see time as a whole. My moment has arrived, but not yours. I must be the one to say goodbye, for you will not see me again in any of my forms… but I will be within you.”

  Leye felt profound sadness, unable to imagine the world without his mother. From the very first moment she had appeared before him, she had been an unconditional support amid uncertainty, amid the immobility that plagued him, that made him dependent on a host of strangers.

  “No, mother. Stay with me. It won’t be long before they destroy me. As I speak to you, I can see our enemies advancing toward this place, my allies dying. Let us fight together until the end.”

  She smiled.

  “From now on, you will see me in every decision you make, in every action you take. We will be like two symbiotic beings, though you will hold the reins. Still, you will perceive my consciousness within you, all of my power. Farewell, my son. Remember that I love you.”

  After saying this, the reptilian woman, still embracing his rocky body, slowly began to evaporate. The green rays into which her body transformed permeated his stone form, filling it with vigor and energy. His power began to increase at a staggering rate.

  Then he knew what he had to do.

  The enormous amount of energy he received was immediately sent to Vidul, who seemed on the verge of fainting. The mage’s skin regained its color in a matter of seconds, and the mana rays he was channeling into his companion intensified.

  Thank you, mother.

  She was no longer there, but he could feel her within him, just as she had said would happen.

  I must act quickly, he thought. He transported his consciousness to Yowo, who seemed about to collapse under the general aneita’s blows. Nilu and the elf continued fighting around her, holding the enemies at bay. Though at their limit, they endured. It was not entirely too late. Then he sent a large portion of the energy he had received from his mother to Yowo.

  I trust you, Aneita. I hope you do not betray me.

  Yowo seemed to read his mind, for she smiled as her body filled with vigor, transformed into adrenaline.

  Leye withdrew once more into his own mind to observe what would happen. The enormous armored enemy seemed to understand what was happening and began to fight with all his might. The decisive moment had arrived. What happened in that battle would determine his fate and that of generations to come.

  ***

  So the stone egg has finally decided to trust me, Yowo thought as she dodged the slashes of Hunn’s massive sword.

  She had to survive for just a few seconds while the immense quantities of mana sent by the core permeated every one of her cells. Her predatory feline eyes watched the giant mockingly. The enemy clearly understood what they were telling him.

  It’s too late, big guy.

  It was. Though more and more Aneitas surrounded her, and judging by the sounds nearby, many had already infiltrated the fortress, it would take them a long time to navigate the castle’s trap-filled corridors to reach the core. She would annihilate them long before that happened.

  When the brute seemed to need a breather, Yowo dared to speak.

  “I’ll give you just one chance to survive, brute. Surrender now, and I’ll let you live as my personal pack ox. With those enormous hands of yours, you can rebuild every building of my beautiful city that your men have destroyed. Otherwise, your hour has come.”

  While catching his breath, the brute smiled.

  “What the hell are you talking about, traitor? Haven’t you seen what’s around you? We have you surrounded. Even if, for some reason, you managed to defeat me—which won’t happen—your allies are surrounded. All of you will die. You chose the wrong side, little whore.”

  “Are you sure? If I were you, I’d look a little farther.”

  Yowo’s feline eyes had gained deep perception thanks to Leye’s energy. In the distance, at the edges of the ruined city, she spotted a figure she knew well: a perfect body wrapped in a feathered outfit, abundant red hair… Nava’rel had returned. And she was not alone.

  Hundreds of dark-skinned warriors wearing white trousers and tunics of the same color emerged from the undergrowth, mounted on medium-sized, agile-looking felines, crashing into the surprised Aneitas’ rear lines.

  So the legends were true, after all, the swordswoman thought with a smile as she saw the look of confusion on Hunn’s face. Stories across the continent of Naxtul spoke of a people lost deep within the southern jungles—the Nutch—who had isolated themselves from the rest of the world three hundred years earlier, during the height of the Elven Wars. Now they had returned, and judging by the fervor with which they fought alongside the harpy, they seemed to be on her side.

  “It’s over, big guy. Drop your sword on the ground, and that’s how I’ll know you’ll be my loyal pack ox. Otherwise—”

  “Never!” The aneita’s rage was now palpable. “You’ll go to hell with me! It’s a shame—you and I would have had many nights of pleasure, but that will no longer be.”

  He charged at her like an enraged bull. For a moment, doubt tried to invade her body, but the confidence granted by the energy Leye had sent her allowed her to react swiftly, dodging the brute’s rush as he slammed into one of the battlement walls.

  As the enemy general pursued her with sweeping strikes, Yowo began to read each of his movements like a scroll. The Aneitas were closing in, and Xyrna and Nilu were holding them back as best they could.

  I must awaken. Now!

  Yowo entered a light trance, and her flow state returned.

  Like a predator, she began to counterattack the Aneita giant, who for the first time since the battle began was forced to defend against her rapid strikes. Now she not only read and predicted her rival’s every move, but the battlefield around her as well. The Nutch from the deep jungle continued advancing, annihilating the Aneitas with short sabers and swift kicks that knocked their enemies to the ground. The harpy, too, reached enemy throats with her quick claws before the armored warriors could react with their hammers.

  Then a spear thrown from within the battlements struck Hunn’s helmet. The brute was distracted for a fraction of a second… but it was enough. Yowo landed a clean slash with her short sword across the enemy’s throat. With a pig-like groan, he clutched at the wound, trying to reverse the inevitable—his death.

  The man dropped to his knees and, after violent convulsions, collapsed to the ground, leaving a pool of blood behind him. Yowo’s interface filled with notifications.

  You have reached level 101! You may now access a new skill branch: Cursed Orbs. These floating orbs will deal black magic damage to your enemies as you fight.

  This is getting good. I just hope I get to try them out.

  Then she remembered that many enemies were advancing toward the chamber where Leye lay in his rocky body, and she ran toward the interior of the castle. As she entered through the battlements into a corridor leading deep into the fortress, however, something in the sky caught her attention. A powerful wingbeat, and a gigantic figure whose immense bulk blotted out the sun.

  By all the gods… a damned dragon.