Over the past few days, Zashirmiq and Amina had continued hunting Hollowed Humans. Each battle honed their coordination. His teleport flanks and her ranged bursts flowed in sync. Their confidence had grown.
That evening, with the sun dipping low, they turned toward home. That's when a sharp crack echoed in the distance.
Then another. They froze mid-step. The day had worn long. Their armor was streaked with soot, limbs heavy with fatigue. But now, the air felt different. Tense. Electric.
A third impact rattled the silence, followed by chaotic clashes, screams, and overlapping bursts of raw energy. The kind of sound only a full-scale battle could produce.
Zashirmiq narrowed his eyes.
"That rhythm... I've heard it before."
Recognition lit his features.
"It's her. Ayesha. That's her Chaos attack pattern."
Without hesitation, he bolted. Amina matched his speed, conjuring fire in one palm and lightning in the other.
They turned two corners, vaulted a half-collapsed wall, and then froze.
They reached a wide, broken street. Buildings stood half-toppled. Debris was strewn across cracked roads. Corpses of Hollowed Humans littered the area.
And in the middle of it all stood Ayesha.
Her dark indigo jacket was in tatters. One sleeve had been torn clean off, and the hem was scorched and flapping unevenly. Her fitted leggings clung to one leg while the other dragged stiffly behind her. Blood stained her clothes in streaks, though it was hard to tell how much was hers. Her gloves hung loose, fingers twitching weakly. From where they stood, she looked like a shadow on the verge of collapse. Barely holding the line through sheer will.
A barely stable dome of violet chaos energy pulsed around her. Her Instability Shield flickered violently.
Dozens, maybe over a hundred, Hollowed Humans surrounded her, pounding at the shield with feral shrieks and broken claws. Their numbers filled the street, a tide of death.
And still, Ayesha fought.
Her movements were shaky but unrelenting. With each breath, she cast Catastrophic Blasts, weaving Chaos Infusion into every strike. Occasionally, her figure shimmered, momentarily confusing enemy senses. A clear use of Perception Shifting.
Every Hollowed that breached the edge of her flickering shield was struck down in a heartbeat. But for each one that fell, more clawed their way forward.
"She's not going to last," Amina said, her voice low.
Zashirmiq gave a grim nod.
"We go."
Amina raised both arms. One fireball, one lightning bolt. She hurled them into the mass.
The blasts crashed into the horde. They didn't kill many, but that wasn't the goal. Her aim was disruption. She targeted clusters, trying to scatter the groups and pull their focus away from Ayesha.
Several Hollowed turned, distracted. Amina kept firing, sending wave after wave of flame and sparks into the crowd, trying to split them up.
Zashirmiq vanished.
He reappeared at Ayesha's side, slicing clean through a Hollowed's skull. Ayesha, barely glancing, raised her hand and released a raw, point-blank Catastrophic Blast. It disintegrated another enemy.
They moved together, back to back for a few seconds, covering each other in a desperate last stand.
It wasn't enough.
New enemies surged in.
As another Hollowed lunged, Zashirmiq stepped forward and cut it down. Ayesha dealt with another on the opposite side.
At the five-second mark, he wrapped an arm around her waist.
And teleported.
They landed roughly outside the encirclement. Ayesha's legs buckled the moment they hit the ground. Her body trembled from exhaustion.
Zashirmiq exhaled sharply. A slight strain tightened his jaw. It was his first time teleporting with someone else, and even though it had only been a few seconds, he felt it.
He caught Ayesha before she fully collapsed.
"She's barely conscious," he said, breath still uneven. "Running on will alone."
Amina sprinted into view.
"They're on us."
Zashirmiq didn't wait. He lifted Ayesha and took off running, with Amina covering their retreat in bursts of fire and lightning.
They weaved through alleyways. As the tide gained on them, Zashirmiq skidded to a stop near a collapsed apartment block. He reached out, grabbed Amina's wrist, held Ayesha tight.
And teleported again.
The three landed on a rooftop.
Zashirmiq dropped to one knee, chest heaving. His fingers twitched.
The double teleport had taken more out of him than expected.
He steadied his breath.
"Still standing," he muttered. "Good enough."
Ayesha slumped down, finally unconscious.
Zashirmiq laid her down gently. Up close, the extent of her injuries was staggering. Her jacket hung open on one side, revealing deep, jagged gashes carved across her ribs. Blood streaked her arms and thighs. Her left leg was soaked through, the wound so severe the flesh barely clung together. Each breath was a shallow rasp. Her lips were cracked and drained of color. Her body trembled faintly, even in unconsciousness.
"She's critical," Amina said, kneeling beside them. "She should've collapsed long ago."
Zashirmiq opened the system mall immediately.
Nexium Coins: -1000
Revitalization Potion (Grade-1) received.
He uncorked the vial and poured the glowing liquid into Ayesha's mouth. At first, nothing.
Then her chest rose. A deeper breath. A faint tremble.
Color returned to her face. Her body stopped shaking.
She didn't wake. But the worst had passed.
Below, the Hollowed horde came to a confused stop. With no prey in sight, they began to disperse.
The sun was nearly down now. It painted the ruined city in shades of deep orange and crimson. Night would fall soon.
They waited in silence, watching the Hollowed Humans eventually scatter into the shadows.
They returned under cover of darkness. The streets had quieted. But the silence was tense, like a breath held.
At Amina's house, Zashirmiq carried Ayesha into the room and gently laid her down on the bed. Blood from her wounds had soaked through his clothes and caked onto his hands. He didn't notice until he stepped back.
Amina placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'll take care of her," she said firmly.
He hesitated. His eyes lingered on Ayesha's face. So still, yet no longer trembling. Her breathing had steadied. The tension in her body had faded. The potion had done its work.
Still, that didn't ease the tightness in his chest.
Amina followed his gaze, then looked down at his hands.
"You're covered in her blood," she said more softly this time. "Go. Wash up. Let me handle this."
He gave a small nod and stepped into the hallway without a word. The door closed behind him.
Outside, he stood there for a long moment, staring at his stained hands.
That was too close.
He rinsed off quickly in the washroom sink, scrubbing the drying blood from his fingers and wrists.
A few minutes later, Amina opened the bedroom door.
"She's clean, dressed, and resting."
Zashirmiq stepped in, quieter now.
Ayesha lay under a blanket. Her bandages were neat. Her face was clean. The pale stillness remained, but the signs of collapse were gone. Her breaths were full. Her body at rest.
He sat beside the bed, careful not to disturb her.
"You didn't give up," he said quietly. "You should've been dead, but you didn't stop."
Amina stood at the doorway, arms folded.
"She fought with everything. And kept fighting when there was nothing left." Her voice had softened. "Honestly, I don't know if I could've done the same."
Zashirmiq didn't answer right away. His fists were clenched again. Knuckles white.
"I need to be stronger," he said finally.
"She'll wake up," Amina said. "But she'll remember. She'll remember what it took to survive."
He gave one last look at Ayesha, then stood.
"I'll come tomorrow."
Zashirmiq stepped out and left quietly.
Back at his place, he sat in silence, staring down at his hands.
"I won't let that happen again," he whispered.
Not just a promise.
Ayesha had nearly died. She had fought through impossible odds. Alone, wounded, outnumbered. And still lived.
And he had barely been fast enough to save her.
A truth burned into his bones.
He closed his eyes.
It was no longer about leveling up. No longer about numbers or ranks.
It was about not being strong enough when it mattered.
And that was something he could never accept.
From this moment on, he would change that.
He would rise. He would push. He would fight. Whatever it took, he would gain the strength to protect those he loved.
Not someday.
Now.