Collision - Second Part.

Zayn was gasping heavily, sprawled on the ground. Every part of his body ached, and he didn't even bother to move away from the snake's corpse; he lay next to it.

Moments later, Zayn saw someone standing over him. It was Mr. Nahil. With a casual air, Mr. Nahil pulled his sword out of the serpent's eye and said, "See? I told you it wouldn't be that hard."

Zayn didn't waste the effort to respond to his friend's sarcasm and remained silent, still catching his breath.

Mr. Nahil leaned against the serpent's corpse, gazing out the nearby window. "You should see this," he said. "The snow is back."

It was good news for both of them; it meant the rest of the group would be able to enter the palace.

With effort, Zayn asked, "Are... are you sure, Nahil?"

"Of course," Mr. Nahil replied. "The ground's white, the sky is cloudy, and white stuff is falling from it. Yep, I'm pretty sure that's snow."

Zayn's voice carried a hint of irritation. "I'm not talking about the snow, you idiot. I meant the plan!"

Mr. Nahil chuckled softly before responding, "I know what you meant, Zayn. But come on, can't I joke a little? Besides, you broke my heart with that tone of yours." He paused, and his expression turned serious. "Believe me, Zayn. We've tried everything. But now… now we finally have a real chance to break free. Sure, I hate that people will die because of us, but really, what else can we do?"

Zayn considered his friend's words. The second part of the plan was crucial. According to Nahil, the group was going to attack the palace soon. In previous attempts, both Zayn and Nahil had joined the battle alongside them, only to lose every time. But this time, Nahil's plan was different: the group would enter the palace without their help. Many would die, yes, but this way, the spellcaster of the group wouldn't have the chance to escape as they had in the past.

As Nahil had explained, every time the group had infiltrated the palace, Commander Clive and his second in command, Damon, had tried to flee, leading to the deaths of everyone, including themselves. This time, the plan was to force all the spellcasters to stay and fight. It was their only chance.

"So… what now?" Zayn asked.

"Now, we wait," Mr. Nahil replied.

Commander Clive's Point of View:

The weather was getting colder. Snow was now falling heavily, and visibility had grown worse. But Commander Clive's decision was clear: today would be the day the mission was completed.

He walked at the front of the group. As the leader, he had to show courage for the others to follow.

From his right, a man approached, wearing the same black cloak as the rest of the squad. He was striking, with brown hair and brown eyes, standing tall and confident. It was his deputy, Damon.

Damon walked up beside him and spoke in a steady voice, "Commander, there's something important I need to tell you."

As second-in-command, Damon's role was to keep Clive informed of any significant matters.

"Then speak," Clive replied.

There was a slight hesitation as Damon spoke, "It'll sound strange, and I don't have proof... but sir, there's something off about that girl—Layla. I can't explain it, but I felt it was my duty to tell you what I think."

Clive stopped walking and turned to him, his expression stern. "Listen closely, Damon, and what I say now is an order. Don't involve yourself in anything concerning that girl. You have no idea who you're dealing with. Understood?"

There was a look of defiance on Damon's face. Maybe he wasn't used to being spoken to that way by his commander, or maybe he truly believed he was right about Layla. But that didn't matter. Layla held a special position in the group—perhaps even more important than Clive himself.

"UNDERSTOOD?" Clive repeated.

Damon responded reluctantly, "Yes, sir."

Clive resumed walking as the group caught up to him. "Any signs of the location?" he asked as he moved forward.

Damon, now walking behind him, replied, "Nothing yet. We were sure of it just a few hours ago, but now the trail's gone cold."

It was strange. Just a short while ago, they'd been right behind the two scouts who had gone ahead. Now, their trail had vanished, as if they'd been wiped off the face of the earth. Even the supposed location of the wizard's house… There was nothing there now.

"What the hell!?" Damon said with suspicion in his voice.

Clive's eyes widened. Despite the blizzard and poor visibility, he was sure he saw something; a large structure had appeared to the west. 'Could we really have missed that?' he thought.

"Damon, tell the group to prepare," Clive ordered.

"Yes, sir," Damon said as he moved back to alert the group.

Clive could hear Damon's voice rallying the others. Strong and respected, he had the admiration of the entire squad. 'He'll be in my position soon enough,' Clive thought.

Moments later, Layla was at Clive's side. He glanced left at her. She gave only a small nod, then turned her gaze westward toward the structure. Layla was a woman of few words, rarely speaking unless necessary. Despite Damon's suspicions, even Clive himself wasn't sure what to think of her. She wasn't like the others chosen for the mission, no, she'd been sent directly by the highest authority in the kingdom: the Revered Shams herself.

Suddenly, Clive sensed movement to his right. It was Damon again. "Everyone's ready, sir."

Clive paused for a moment, then said, "Let's move."

They finally arrived at the site. Clive studied the massive palace; if nothing else, it was huge. What caught his attention most, however, were the ornate statues at every corner, and the black stone from which the building was made.

"No signs of life, Commander," Damon said beside him.

Clive turned to the group and shouted, "Archers! Prepare to fire at the windows and exposed openings!"

Nearly half the group readied their bows; the rest were not archers.

Clive knew this wouldn't kill the wizard, but the goal was to provoke him into coming out. A battle outside the palace was preferable to one within.

Clive looked at the palace again. This time, swords floated out from behind his back, swirling around him. At first, there were only a few, but within seconds, hundreds spun in the air. It was a powerful second-tier ability, ideal for ranged combat.

But then he noticed another set of swords rising, ones that weren't his. They belonged to Layla, who had the power of replication. She could copy abilities and even physical objects. Clive already knew of her power, but seeing someone else wield what looked like his ability still unsettled him.

She was looking at him. He understood, she was waiting for his command.

"Fire!" Clive shouted.

Arrows soared toward the palace from all directions. Some smashed through windows, others missed their mark. At the same time, the flying swords entered through every opening. Unlike the arrows, they didn't stop; they darted deeper into the building. Clive had ordered the swords to attack every corner. Layla's copies did the same.

There was some noise from inside... but still, no sign of the enemy.

"Sir, should we try again?" Damon asked from beside him.

Clive knew it would be useless. The wizard had prepared for battle inside the palace.

"No need. We're going in," Clive replied.

He noticed Damon's hesitation. It was clear the deputy didn't like the decision.

"What's your opinion?" Clive asked.

"I think it's a mistake to send everyone in," Damon said. "What if there's a trap? We should be certain first."

"We already tried," Clive said. "The two scouts I sent haven't returned."

"Yes, but sir, we don't know if they found this place or just lost their way," Damon countered. He paused, then added, "Besides, I'll go in with the first squad."

Sending a small team ahead was one thing; having Damon go with them was another. Clive trusted him. Though sending the entire squad would give them the upper hand, it could also lead to disaster.

"Very well. Choose your team and move out," Clive replied.

Damon nodded and stepped back, quickly gathering five members. The six of them moved toward the palace after Damon informed Clive.

Clive watched as Damon's hands and legs began turning black. He drew his sword, which also turned pitch black.

That was his ability: Hardening. He could harden his entire body, useful for both offense and defense in short-range combat.

It didn't take long for the six to enter the palace. Seconds passed. Then minutes. Clive began to doubt.

He looked toward his group. Layla was leaning on her sword, staring at him. She didn't move or speak.

Clive began to feel anxious. Being a commander wasn't easy. His decisions meant life or death.

Then, suddenly, a loud crash shattered his thoughts. The sound came from the palace.

Clive looked toward it. He had made up his mind, a decision he would later regret.

But now, he gave the order:

"We're all going in."