The Weight of Emotions

Veil and Alynia stood ready, muscles tensed, breath short. One of the Sylvoïds stepped forward, its gnarled branches twitching in a sinister motion, as if sizing up its prey. Behind it, the other creatures advanced slowly, their massive silhouettes casting eerie shadows across the leaf-covered ground.

"Alynia… maybe we should run, yeah?" Veil asked, worried.

He glanced toward the depths of the artificial forest, but Alynia shook her head, her expression resolute.

"No, Little Wolf. If we want to move forward, we have to fight," Alynia replied firmly.

Without waiting a second longer, she leapt toward the nearest Sylvoïd, claws ready to strike. Her claws skimmed the creature's bark, leaving a shallow gash. Yet the monster didn't react, as if it hadn't felt anything at all. Alynia gritted her teeth and quickly retreated to Veil's side.

"They're tougher than I thought… Try using magic, I'll distract them!" she shouted, frowning.

Veil nodded, hastily sheathing his dagger to channel his mana. Alynia dove back into the fray, nimbly dodging the thick branches that tried to grab her.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his energy. The nearby stream was plentiful—a good source to draw from. He held out his hands, forming a sizable orb of water, its shimmering surface reflecting the filtered light through the trees.

"Will this be enough?" Veil murmured, uncertain.

He tried to infuse it with wind, hoping to sharpen the attack. But no matter how hard he tried, the water remained liquid, refusing to combine with his mana the way he wanted.

Meanwhile, Alynia fought to keep the creatures at bay. They were slow, but their numbers and resilience made them oppressive. She narrowly dodged a branch that slashed through the air with terrifying force, her breathing growing faster.

"Veil, hurry! I can't hold them forever!" Alynia yelled.

Veil bit his lip, his concentration wavering under the pressure. Images from his nightmare flashed through his mind—that voice reminding him of his weakness, his doubts… He shook his head, frustrated.

"Why am I still thinking about that? Focus, dammit!" Veil growled.

He took a deep breath and launched his water orb, which burst into a useless splash against a Sylvoïd's trunk. The bark soaked through, but the creature didn't react. No mark. No weakness.

"Nothing… It's useless!" he snapped, gritting his teeth.

Alynia retreated, breathless, her ears pinned back from the effort.

"Take my place. I'll give it a try," Alynia ordered curtly.

Without waiting for his answer, she stepped in front of him, taking a deep breath. Her eyes glowed with fierce resolve as she reached toward the stream.

"He doesn't know how to manifest the elements yet… I'll have to show him," Alynia muttered.

Veil stepped back, letting her take over. His eyes followed her, watching as she closed hers, trying to command the water with a control he hadn't yet mastered. He looked on with admiration… and a sting of frustration.

The nearest Sylvoïd creaked ominously, stepping closer—ready to strike at any moment.

"I have to do it… There's no other choice," Veil said to himself, determined.

He launched himself at the nearest Sylvoïd, muscles straining, trying to hold the creature back while Alynia prepared her attack. His gaze was locked on the movement of those gnarled branches, ready to dodge the next strike.

Alynia inhaled deeply, extending her hand toward the stream. The water responded to her call, swirling into a sphere far larger than the one Veil had conjured earlier. Vibrations rippled through the surface, stretching out slowly until it formed into a crystalline arrow—dense and razor-sharp.

"It's our only chance…" Alynia whispered, still focused.

Veil, facing her, struggled to dodge the relentless blows of the Sylvoïds, their massive branches smashing into the ground with brutal force. He held his dagger tightly, striking whenever an opening appeared, but each hit only tore away small splinters of bark. The monster remained unfazed, advancing steadily.

"Nothing… They don't feel anything!" Veil spat, frustrated.

A loud crack echoed as a branch barely grazed his shoulder. Alynia called his name, her voice laced with urgency.

"Little Wolf, move!"

Without thinking, Veil dove to the side, feeling a violent gust rush past his back. Instantly, Alynia released her water arrow with all the strength she could muster. The impact was fierce. The arrow pierced through the Sylvoïd, blowing a gaping hole in its center. Veil quickly got back on his feet, a flicker of a smile crossing his lips.

But his expression froze as he saw the monster slowly rise again, as if nothing had happened. Its branches twisted together, the wooden fibers rejoining until the wound sealed completely.

"They regenerate… Seriously?" Veil muttered in disbelief.

Alynia clenched her jaw, frustration etched on her face. A bead of sweat slid down her temple as she tried to catch her breath, her mana fading after channeling such a powerful attack.

"If only we had a fire mage…" she grumbled to herself.

Water, she knew, wasn't ideal for enemies like this. But it was all they had for now. She searched desperately for a solution, her mind racing.

"They heal too fast… And our attacks are worthless…" Alynia growled through her teeth.

Veil returned to her side, panting, his hand gripping his injured arm. The pain had returned, throbbing despite Alynia's earlier treatment. His leg trembled slightly, but he didn't want her to see how worn out he was.

"Hope you've got a better plan, 'cause I'm fresh out of ideas…" Veil said, breathless, trying to joke.

Alynia gave him a worried look, noting his condition.

"Catch your breath. I'll try to destroy one. We need to find their weakness," Alynia replied firmly.

She turned her gaze back to the Sylvoïds, her breathing ragged, trying to understand how they worked.

"You sure there's no riddle here like on the previous floors?" Veil asked, frowning.

Alynia shook her head, her tone unwavering.

"No. This time, it's not a test… It's pure combat. If we want to move forward, we have to beat them," she said seriously, determined.

Veil sighed, realizing that this time, logic wouldn't save them. Just strength—and endurance.

"We're so screwed…" he murmured, anxious.

The Sylvoïds advanced again, their steps heavy and relentless. Alynia's gaze darkened, her breath short as she searched for a weak spot. Beside her, Veil gripped his dagger with almost desperate strength, bracing for the next charge.

Alynia skillfully dodged an incoming strike, leaping backward with feline grace. Veil watched her, his heart pounding. He felt powerless.

"I'm not fast enough… Not strong enough…" he said bitterly.

Alynia pushed off a nearby tree trunk, launching herself at the closest Sylvoïd with blinding speed. Her claws extended with a sharp metallic hiss, slicing deep into the creature's twisted bark. But to her shock, the wooden beast showed no reaction.

"Still nothing…" she muttered, tense.

She tried to pull her claws back, but they were stuck—trapped by bark that seemed to close around them, as if the creature were trying to engulf her. Her gaze lifted to the other Sylvoïds, now slowly surrounding her, their gnarled branches stretching like living snares.

"Damn it…" she muttered, panic rising in her voice.

Across the battlefield, Veil stared at the scene, his chest tightening more and more with every second. The helplessness was eating him alive. Alynia's speed, her strength—none of it was his to wield. He could hear the words from his nightmare again: Useless. Weak.

"Why am I so weak? Why can't I do anything?" Veil growled, his voice dark.

His mind faltered, and everything around him vanished into black. In that total darkness, one face appeared—Alynia. Her crooked smile, her piercing eyes… But she was drifting away, slowly swallowed by shadow.

Meanwhile, Alynia kept struggling to free her claws, but it was no use. Then suddenly, a cold shiver ran down her spine. The wind had changed. A freezing gust swept across the clearing, lifting droplets from the nearby stream. A fine crystalline mist spread around her.

Her ears shot upright. Something was wrong.

She turned and saw Veil, standing still. His eyes had changed. A bright blue glow, almost unnatural, burned in his vacant gaze. A terrifying aura pulsed around him, making the air itself tremble.

"Little Wolf! Stop that right now!" Alynia yelled, panic overtaking her.

But he didn't react. He couldn't even hear her.

Tears welled in Alynia's eyes, her heart pounding violently in her chest. She thrashed, screaming louder.

"Little Wolf, please, stop! You're going to burn yourself out!" she pleaded, desperation in her voice.

But Veil remained frozen in that state, unaware of everything around him. The wind swirling around him grew stronger, amplifying the cold. The fine mist turned into an icy fog, and every breath Alynia took burned her throat.

Veil's mana was leaking out uncontrollably, saturating the air with a heavy, stifling pressure. The atmosphere thickened, nearly suffocating.

"This isn't normal… He's completely losing control," she said through clenched teeth, panicking.

She grit her teeth and kept pulling at her claws trapped in the bark. If she couldn't break free now, he might collapse—or worse.

The Sylvoids, meanwhile, hesitated. The cold was clearly affecting them, slowing their movements. The fog veiled their silhouettes in a ghostly haze. Still, they kept advancing, relentless.

Alynia looked up at Veil, her ears pressed flat against her skull in panic.

"Little Wolf… come back to me," Alynia whispered, her voice pleading.

The air churned, and the stream began to freeze, a fine layer of frost creeping across the blades of grass. Veil, trapped in his mind, was pushing beyond his limits without even realizing it.

The Sylvoïds began to hesitate. The cold seemed to affect them, slowing their movements, their forms becoming faint silhouettes cloaked in the spectral fog. And yet, they kept coming.

Alynia's eyes locked onto Veil, her ears flattened with fear.

The wind howled one final time before a freezing explosion tore through the area with a deafening roar. The air surged outward in a violent blast, flattening branches, kicking up dust, and scattering everything in its path. The stream froze over instantly, forming a perfect sheet of ice that spread across the entire clearing.

Where lush greenery once stood, only a silent, snow-covered wasteland remained. The Sylvoïds, caught in the wave of frost, stood frozen in place. Their once-sturdy bark was now glazed with a thin coat of ice. In their hollow eye sockets, a pale light flickered—like something trying to escape but now sealed beneath an unforgiving shell of frost.

Alynia, still in shock, felt something strange: she wasn't shivering. A warm presence surrounded her, like an invisible shield against the cold. She looked down at her trembling hands, confusion flooding her thoughts.

"Why… why don't I feel the cold? Is it… because of him?" she whispered, stunned.

She furrowed her brow, pushing away the tangled thoughts to focus on what mattered most: her claws. Under the freezing effect, the wood trapping them cracked loudly. She pulled harder, and with a sharp yank, tore her claws free from the frozen bark, shattering the Sylvoid into pieces. Its body crumbled like shattered glass, the fragments hitting the ground with a crystalline chime.

"It's now or never…" Alynia whispered, determined.

Without wasting a second, she leapt forward, taking advantage of the unexpected opening. Every strike from her claws reduced the Sylvoids to shards of ice, her breathing growing heavier with each movement. Fatigue weighed down on her shoulders, but she couldn't stop.

Her eyes briefly landed on Veil, still standing motionless. The strange blue glow in his eyes flickered weakly, like a dying flame.

"Hold on, Little Wolf…" she muttered aloud, worried.

She slashed down the last Sylvoid, shattering it into a cloud of frost. The ground around her was littered with sparkling debris, a reflection of their temporary victory.

She spun toward Veil, heart pounding in her chest. The eerie light in his eyes flickered once more—then extinguished entirely.

"LITTLE WOLF!" she screamed, gripped by panic.

He collapsed, his body dropping limply onto the frozen ground.

Without thinking, Alynia rushed to him, nearly slipping on the icy floor. The biting cold, which moments ago she hadn't felt, quickly wrapped around her now that she was away from Veil's protective aura.

She dropped to her knees beside him, her chest rising and falling rapidly with panic. Her trembling hands reached out to feel for his breath. A wave of relief washed over her when she felt the steady warmth of it against her palm.

"He's alive…" she breathed out, relieved.

She gently brushed her hand over his frozen forehead, her gaze wavering between concern and relief. But his face remained tense, etched with the exhaustion and strain of what he had just unleashed.

"He drained himself completely… Why does he always do this?" she muttered, frustration creeping in.

She shook her head lightly, brushing snow from his hair. Her eyes scanned the now silent clearing before returning to Veil.

"Come on, get some rest… I'll watch over you, Little Wolf," she said softly.

She settled in beside him, resting his head on her lap, one hand on his shoulder, her gaze fixed on the frozen horizon. The Sylvoids were defeated, but she knew this was only a moment of peace. The dungeon still held countless trials ahead.

And this time, she had no idea how they were going to make it through.