Taken By Storm

With every step they trudge through the snowy ground, Darcel and Aniela were finally beginning to see why these Misty Haze Pits are so infamous.

A subtle, powerful suppression steadily increased on their souls every time they took even one further step.

Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey was finding it significantly harder to withstand the suppression by the time they reached the fifth-mile threshold.

Yet none of them stopped or complained and continued to trudge through.

Their speed had vastly decreased since they first started running through the hail storms. Minutes just seemed to blend into hours as the group grueling forced themselves past the soul suppression.

And after who knows how long, the group of six all made it to the tenth-mile threshold!

Although no one there was excited or joyful.

Fruna, Robert, Reynay, and Hurey were all violently gnashing their teeth together as evident pain filled their eyes.

Even now, Darcel and Aniela's faces turned deadly serious.

For Fruna and her group, their souls got crushingly suppressed to the paint of giving them stinging pain.

While Darcel and Aniela felt a noticeably uncomfortable suppression.

The six of them abruptly stopped moving then. Fruna took a deep breath and began to ask, "Is-Is everyone still good to go?" Amazingly enough, she forced down the stinging pain caused by her soul to talk to everyone.

"We're good."

Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all spoke at the same time and then quickly shut up after.

The stinging pain coursing their bodies nearly made them want to spit out vile blood from the back of their throat. Yet they all held on and pushed the feeling down.

"Just don't get overzealous now! We're also good." From the back, Aniela spoke the loudest to reassure them.

"She's right, you know. Soul suppression pressure can lead to irreversible damages." Darcel also spoke up in concern to them.

"O-oh….would you look at this? Heh….we're the one that is supposed to be saying that to our young members. Hah…." Fruna was the only one that managed to crack a painful smile and lightly joke.

Although, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey acted like they didn't hear the concerns at all. They simply focus on trying to stabilize the pain running through their bodies.

"Hehe~, you should call it when we should go again, Fruna,"

Aniela suggested while also not minding the men's lack of reaction. Darcel also didn't mind it, but he had paid attention to it.

Once again, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey didn't speak up. Though their eyes did travel to Fruna as in a silent agreement. She was the one that appeared to have the most tolerance against soul suppression.

Fruna herself tried to remain as steady as possible. Since the duo suggested it and her members were giving the silent agreement, she decided to take up the responsibility.

"Ok….on three. One….two….three!"

Far slower than the flying speeds they had when first coming here, all six of them began running through the snow in sync.

The hail fiercely smashed against their soul barrier as if it was trying to shatter it.

Everything became nearly impossible to see, and the soul suppression for Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey only became more grueling.

After what seemed like hours, the group finally made it to the twentieth-mile threshold!

"So-so-so c-cold!" Robert's body was quivering nonstop from sheer freezing temperatures. He, Fruna, Reyney, and Hurey all forcibly stopped as their bodies trembled from unbearable shivers.

The icy shiver crazily trickles up their spines as if their bodies were going to freeze internally. This, combined with a soul suppression that made it difficult to breathe, made the experience nearly torturous for Fruna's group.

Darcel and Aniela as well weren't spared from the cold or powerful soul suppression.

Now even they find it difficult to move any part of their bodies. Their souls nearly got entirely suppressed, and freezing chills ran down their spines.

"Aniela! The link!"

Finally, Darcel decided he had enough of the soul suppression and called out to Aniela.

"Alright!" Aniela responded in kind, and using their other hands, they tightly clasped each other's hands.

"What are those….?!?"

Reyney was quietly muttering to himself as he, Robbery, Hurey, and Fruna all heard the duo's mighty shouts. Yet no one knew what the hell they were going to do.

That is until they all abruptly widen their eyes akin to saucers.

The power of Darcel and Aniela's Darkness soul link quickly erupted into Fruna! And through Fruna, the whole group felt a tremendous surge of power course in their soul barrier.

However, even with the boost of power, it didn't mean the situation just automatically become better.

"Even….even with this….I don't know how long any one of us can keep on going." Hurey struggles to say in between panted breaths.

The suppression on their souls before already neared them to the point of collapsing. And all Darcel and Aniela Darkness's soul link did for the group was energize them just to stay up for a few extra minutes.

"Still! With this, we can't just give up here! I feel the pendant getting more intense; we must be close! Let's keep moving!" Fruna, feeling the full brunt of Darcel and Aniela's Darkness Soul link, managed to shout at the three men explosively.

And encouraged by her words, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey all grit their teeth shouting, "Fine!" right back at her.

All the while, Darcel and Aniela felt the soul suppression lessen for them. Though it was still a notable pressure encompassing their bodies.

"Then let's not wait, let's make haste!" Darcel roared from the back this time, feeling his Darkness soul link powers course in his veins.

And on his words, the whole group of six began moving again!

Their pace now became a light jog. The soul suppression of Fruna's group was steadily overpowering Darcel and Aniela's Darkness Soul link with every step taken now.

It already was putting them back on the verge of collapsing with each step they took now.

At this point, Darcel and Aniela were about to attempt something they just decided against hours ago. But, against this soul suppression, they wanted to see the absolute peak they could go before going all out.

For two more grueling miles, somehow, the group of six all manage to trudge through the soul suppression!

Fruna tightly clenched her soul pendant, feeling the rumbles on it get intense. It deluded her into thinking they may be right next to the treasure.

However, right then, the six of them all came to a screeching halt once again. Only this time, their ears picked up on a fierce gush of wind roaring to them like a thunderous storm!

"I-I-I can't move!!"

Robert shrieked with utter despair feeling his whole body completely lock up now. Fruna, Reyney, and Hurey also felt their bodies entirely freeze.

Now ten of miles deep in the Misty Haze Pits, their souls were utterly suppressed in every way! The freezing cold as well penetrated into the bones causing shivering piercing pain that none of them could try and solve.

Only Darcel and Aniela could still move, but their souls were at the absolute peak of suppression. And hearing the gushes of winds storming around them, the duo knew they couldn't help Fruna's group anymore.

The two exchanged a glance at each other. Their eyes detailing they have no chance but to go all out for themselves.

Yet when they were right about to do that, the storm of winds began to directly affect everyone's clothes.

Despite the radiant white soul barrier shielding them, all six of them felt their clothes and hair crazily rustle under extreme winds.

Nobody could tell just what was happening until a colossal force came blasting towards them.

"Ah….Ahh!!"

Suddenly Darcel and Aniela felt chaotic storms of winds penetrate right inside their soul barrier while hearing Fruna's group shriek. The duo also felt Fruna flew from their grasps.

They themselves weren't flung by the wind because of their tremendous souls' powers, but it didn't help lessen the situation.

Darcel tightly clenched Aniela's hand, and his eyes didn't try to glance at Fruna's group.

Instead, his eyes picked up on the soul pendant floating in midair right in front of his face. Quickly, Darcel snatched up the pendant before it could get flung by the wind, causing a white shine to enrich his and Aniela's body.

Simultaneously, Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey couldn't even tell what was happening. Their bodies were like ragdolls, getting violently tossed around by the chaotic winds.

They still couldn't move on their own, yet they were helpless under this fierce wind strike.

And once they were thrown several meters into the air, Fruna's group all felt the air pressure suddenly become even more intense!

'Bang!'

Without a chance to resist, the chaotic winds collided with Fruna, Robert, Reyney, and Hurey, blasting them backward into the stormy hail. Their bodies became mere specks in their distance as they got savagely flung back.

Darcel and Aniela couldn't even pay attention to this.

While Fruna's group got flung, the duo had then fully unleashed their Darkness Soul link full power!

'Chi!'

The luminous white glow shrouding Darcel and Aniela became brighter and more pronounced. Their bodies stayed rooted to the ground, and their souls were able to destroy some of the soul suppression weighing on them.

However, the full might of their Darkness soul link still wasn't enough to get a completely free reign of their bodies.

"Fuuu….it seems like it's only us in here now, Darcy. I know we literally just promised hours ago to not do it. But for this place….we need to go all out!"

"I….can't deny you there. In any case, this place must have some sort of field around it protecting itself. Let's do it." Darcel quickly relented and agreed with Aniela.

If even their Darkness soul link full power couldn't destroy the suppression, they would stand no chance for traversing deeper.

Both Darcel and Aniela closed their eyes then. Against the roaring chaotic winds trying to sweep them up in a storm, the duo put all of their focus on touching upon the latent power of their souls.

Seconds slowly dripped by, and Darcel and Aniela became as still as statues.

Streaks of hypnotic Darkness radiance started to randomly burst from Darcel. And streaks of bright white Light began to randomly spew from Aniela.

Their streaks of Darkness and white Light quickly became more intense until,

'Chi!'

A massive burst of Darkness and white Light blasted from Darcel and Aniela, painting the hail storm world in a magical Darkness and Light blend.

Their luminous white glowing soul barrier transformed into a Darkness-Light radiant soul barrier!

Darcel and Aniela flung their eyes open at the same time. Tremendous power course through their veins, making them feel like they were on cloud nine.

There was zero soul suppression weighing on their bodies, giving them free rein of their bodies.

Darcel and Aniela both vividly remember every detail of their death-defying fight in the Woods. And most vividly, they recalled the latent massive power surge that burst from their souls and out of their chest.

Darcel and Aniela couldn't use the full extent of what they burst with from the woods but what they could use now was enough.

As well the duo clearly felt the presence of Sari swimming in their souls, basically confirming the words of the horrid looking man when he said she had marked them.

"Fuuu….our soul power surge brings about a completely different feeling than our bloodline state! I feel a huge rush of excitement in my veins using my bloodline, but with my souls, it's… .it's…."

"Like steady sereness, right?" Darcel finished Aniela's sentence for her.

To which she rapidly nodded her head and then said, "Mnh! It's probably the most calm I've ever been too! Soo….where do we go from now?"

Darcel gently caressed the soul pendant in his hand, hearing her question.

Throughout this whole time, the soul pendant was still continuously rumbling. And in Darcel's soul, he could feel where the pendant wanted them to go.

Before answering Aniela, Darcel tossed his eyes around the hail storming place. He couldn't see any of the other three pendants, concluding they must've run out of power and got swept by the storm.

"This pendent….I can feel where it wants us to go. Now that we don't have to limit ourselves, our progress will be swift."

Darcel explained to Aniela while running his thumb over the back of her hand.

It caused soothing warmth to course between the duo, further adding to fight off the shivering coldness. Aniela didn't respond to Darcel but simply nodded her head and tensed up her body.

'Hua!'

And in a beautiful streak of Darkness and white Light, Darcel and Aniela blasted off, tearing through the hail storm!

Their speed was immense, far surpassing the likes they had with Fruna's group.

The hard-hitting hail was merely shredded by the duo full power Darkness-Light soul barrier. They were unhindered in this place now, and in only a minute, they made god-like progress.

To them, it felt like they already crossed several miles!

And no matter how deep they went, the force trying to suppress their souls couldn't affect them at all.

It took a few minutes, but it was then Darcel felt as if they were about to reach some sort of dead end.

And as he thought of it, he and Aniela witnessed it. Both Darcel and Aniela briefly pause as they came upon an odd bright blue sight.