"Oli, please!" Gregory sobbed as he cradled his friend's lifeless head on his lap.

"Check his pulse!" Bethany's words rushed out.

Gregory pressed his ear against Oliver's chest. His voice trembled as he uttered, "...I hear nothing!"

"Check again!" Sarrah's voice quivered with fear, clenching her fists.

"No heartbeat!" Gregory cried out.

"What!?" Edgar's eyes widened in horror as his voice cracked.

"A-are you sure!?" Sophia hurried forward, dropping to her knees and placing her ears against Oliver's unmoving chest. Tears welled up in her eyes as she whimpered. "...No..."

"No!" Gregory's desperation intensified as he placed both hands on his friend's chest and began rapid compressions. "No!!"

Bethany frowned as she looked down. But, as she glimpsed the lake on the horizon, a sudden realization forced her jaw to drop. "Guys!? The lake!" she pointed at the lake.

     The surface of the lake transforms into a seething cauldron. The ominous hole, serving as the entrance for the Pyrovoidians' lair, engulfs nearly half the body of water. The whirlpool expands with an insatiable hunger, drawing in the surrounding liquid with an irresistible force.

     The remaining fluids erupt into the sky with a violent display of power. The lake unleashes a torrent of thousands of water jets. Water streams into the atmosphere every passing second.

"Guys, we should leave!" Sarrah insisted.

"No! I can't give up!" Gregory yelled as he persisted in his desperate attempts to revive his friend.

"Greg, please! We can't stay here!" Edgar's voice trembled with fear.

"We have to go!" Sophia shouted.

     Everyone turned around and dashed across the grassland. As everyone sprinted together towards the city, Sophia's ears caught the absence of a familiar set of footsteps. She abruptly halted and glanced back, seeing Gregory remaining next to Oliver.

     The rest stopped. Their eyes met in confusion. Edgar, Sarrah, and Bethany exchanged puzzled glances before their attention shifted towards the lake that seemed to churn and boil more violently.

     Meanwhile, Sophia swiftly retraces her steps, closing the distance between herself and Gregory. She places a hand on his back. Locking eyes with her friend, she seeks to calm his racing thoughts. With a firm grasp, she attempts to pull him in her direction, unwilling to leave him behind.

"Greg, please! Greg!" she pleaded, trying to pull him.

"No, I'm not leaving without Oliver!" Gregory cried as he continued pressing his hands onto his friend's chest, clinging to his futile efforts to revive his friend.

"Greg!"

"No!"

Sophia reached out and firmly grabbed Gregory's hand. "Greg..." she cried.

     Gregory can feel the weight of his heart pulling him down, mirroring the tears that stream down his face, leaving tracks of grief on his cheeks. With each passing second, the wind tousles his hair, and he exerts every ounce of strength into his trembling knees, even as they threaten to buckle beneath him. Through sheer determination, Gregory rises to his feet, turning away from his presumably lifeless friend, Oliver, lying motionless on the ground.

     As Sophia and Gregory catch up with the rest of their friends, a unified sense of urgency hastens the group forward. Their strides quicken as their breaths become strained. The distant city wall is their beacon, but exhaustion looms over them. Nevertheless, they push themselves to run as fast as their exhausted bodies can.

     Suddenly, the lake crumbled before everyone's eyes. The central abyss birthed a powerful shockwave that hurtled everything in its path through the air. The explosion assaulted their ears with a blaring, ringing sound.

     Shako caps on the ground transformed into debris, launching into the sky. The forceful gusts of wind lifted Sophia, Gregory, Edgar, Sarrah and Bethany into the air, trapping them in space. The element carried them into the clouds as their shoes bid farewell to the soil.

"Whoa! Aargh!!"

     Everyone screams in surprise as they glide down from the sky. They curl their bodies tight into a ball, bracing for impact. Others extend their hands forward to catch their body before landing. With a loud thud, Sophia, Gregory, Edgar, Sarrah and Bethany fall back to the ground, rolling across the sharp grass.

Sophia shook her head and looked back at the lake. Her eyes and mouth widened slowly. "...Aaaghh!!" she screamed in fear as she crawled backwards.

     An enormous monster, towering high above the clouds, appears from the lake. Water droplets drip from its colossal wings, hooked with massive claws. Taking slow, steady steps with immense feet that can fit entire residences, it emerges from the lake's depth and paces into the grassland. Snarling and smirking, it gazes at the stranded men and women, revealing hundreds of razor-sharp teeth.

     The creature moves forward. As it strides, it causes the ground to quake violently, rendering everyone unable to stand. Slowly, it lowers its massive horned head and glares at the frightened men and women. While growling, an ominous grin spreads across its face—and it can bring instant death to anyone who dares to lock eyes with it.

     Struggling to maintain their balance on the trembling land, Sophia, Gregory, Edgar, Sarrah, and Bethany crawl through the grass, avoiding averting their gaze from the approaching behemoth. They yelp and pant as they huddle together in the middle of the grassland. Like snakes, they slither towards one another, embracing tightly as they whimper in fear.

     The monster lowers its head, inching closer to the group while growling and grinning. However, unexpectedly, a brilliant white object swiftly hovers towards its chin, catching its attention. The whitish particle explodes like dynamite upon contact with the creature's underbelly, causing it to recoil and shake its head.

     Beneath the colossal creature stands Oliver, who has miraculously revived. He stands firmly on his two feet, creating a noticeable gap between them. He removes his shako cap and tosses it to the ground, glaring at the monster with his fiery gaze.

     Seething with anger, the creature inhales deeply. Its chest expands as it opens its jaws. Then, it unleashes a violet flame towards Oliver.

     Swiftly, Oliver extends his right arm towards his frightened friends, manipulating the soil around them to elevate into a protective dome. Oliver raises his arms as if lifting a boulder, and his palms radiate pure white light, beaming towards the sky. His element collides with the monster's violet flames, and he growls, summoning even more power.

     Slowly, Oliver witnesses his white beam overpowering the violet flames. He yells as sweat drips from his forehead. He groans, releasing every energy he possesses until his element reaches the monster's mouth. Suddenly, everything becomes an aching display of bright white light.