My sister's screams pierce my eardrums. When the protective energy field is broken, everything around changes. A Dákama hits my chest with its huge cold hand. My world comes to a standstill without me being able to lift a single finger to stop it. I lose feeling in my limbs immediately. I am unable to move, I can't even breathe. Anger overcomes me as I watch this shameful defeat. This is my fault! Within seconds, my empty body falls in front of the creature. My soul begins to be dragged towards the dimensional edge.

With its bony beast fingers, the entity yanks my hands off. It eats them as if they were ripe grapes. Right after, it makes a crooked face that simulates a smile. On its bloody lips, I can read mockery and disdain. By destroying the Gildestrale marks on my palms, my body is nothing more than a useless shell. That corpse will disappear without a trace. By erasing the precious bond with the creator goddess of the worlds, my soul will never be able to bond to my body again. The only way back to it has just been destroyed.

I need to scream until all my vocal cords burst. Helplessness becomes the compass of my existence right now. I'm not afraid of death, but I am very afraid of everything that will happen after I'm gone. If the Dákama manages to absorb my essence, there will be no salvation for anyone. I want to cry with anger! I want to squirm! I want to go back in time! How could I have failed like that!? Damn!

My soul is about to come into direct contact with the dimensional threshold. If the creature touches me when the barrier blocks my path, it will be the end. Not only will I have failed as a Mánesvart warrior, which in itself is something very serious. The worst thing is that I will be the main culprit of great massacres both in this and the adjacent dimension. Trusting myself and not asking for help was the stupidest thing I could have done. Why did I disobey Commander Larson's orders!?

The entity's smile widens as it approaches me. The red of the blood stands out greatly on its pale face with androgynous features. It beats its numerous membrane wings non-stop and keeps looking at me with arrogance. The scarlet cloud in its hollow belly is spinning faster and faster. Its core is ready to receive my soul... It can't be! I should have killed myself before I let this happen to me! What an idiot!

However, as much as I want to stop the creature, it is impossible to do so in my condition. The trance to be absorbed begins. The force of attraction is overwhelming. I glance out of the corner of my eye at the iridescent glow of the dimensional boundary and prepare for the worst to happen. My essence is going to stop belonging to me. The will of this creature will also be mine. I will become destructive energy. "Dad, I failed you. I failed everyone... Please forgive me!" I try to articulate the words, but nothing in me responds. Imaginary tears well up in my eyes.

When my soul reaches the barrier, I regain sensations for a fleeting moment. The power of millions of volts surrounds me and... everything hurts too much! What kind of torture is this!? It's like I'm being burned alive! When is it going to end!? This pain is so unbearable that I scream at the top of my lungs, but the noise is only heard inside my head. I lose my vision from one moment to the next. The end must be very close... I want it to come now, out of pity... It hurts a lot, it's horrible, I can't take it one more second...

Unexpectedly, a strange vision sneaks into my mind. A bearded man whom I have never seen before watches me from a distance. He is standing several meters from where I am lying. I can't quite make out the expression on his face, but his clumsy movements suggest that he is scared. There is something large and dark next to him that looks a lot like a log. He starts to push it and, after much struggle, lets it fall straight towards me. Does he want to crush me!? I barely have time to turn to the side when I hear the impact on the ground. Unfortunately for me, the log rolls a little and hits me, stealing my breath.

I feel a terrible burning in both my chest and belly. It feels like I've been beaten and stabbed dozens of times. I look at myself out of the corner of my eye and discover rivers of blood soaking my clothes. Cold waves run through me from head to toe. The great weight of the log prevents me from breathing well. I try to move it with my arms, but my muscles are stiff. The little air I inhale is not enough for me. At this rate, if I don't bleed to death, I'm going to suffocate.

I close my eyes and clench my teeth... I must be hallucinating! But if I really am, why does everything feel so real? If I no longer possess a human body, why do I have so many sensations again? A wandering soul cannot drown or become cold, much less bleed. What is happening to me!? Panic overcomes me and I begin to shake. Please, wake me up from this nightmare now!

"Olivia, I'm here!"

I don't recognize the voice of whoever just screamed, but it sounds like a woman. I don't know why, but despite the hell I'm going through, hearing her say my name gives me a particle of calm. Maybe she can help me. I want to answer her something, anything, but I can barely open my eyes and keep them that way. When I am about to lose consciousness, an explosion resonates very close to where I am. I absolutely don't know what happened, but the man who threw the log at me growls. His harsh voice as he complains tells me he's furious. He holds his arm and curses loudly as he walks away.

A small lady approaches the hole shortly after. She breathes very quickly and has her arms raised at chest level. She holds a long artifact with both hands. It has a tube with a hole pointing towards the front. As soon as she sees me, she drops the device to the ground. She lets out a terrified screech, covers her mouth and begins to cry. Do I look that bad? Of course, I do. There is nothing left of me that isn't dirty, broken or bloody. I can't explain how I'm still breathing.

Shortly after, I hear quick footsteps along with several voices. I see many people running to the site. Some of them hug the lady and others give her affectionate squeezes. They must be her friends or allies. They exchange a lot of words in a rush. I almost don't understand them. After that, they depart in a hurry, leaving the woman behind. They are chasing the bearded man, or so I imagine, since they are going in the same direction that he went a few seconds ago.

As soon as she is alone, she throws herself into the hole where I am. She falls on her side, but stands up without problems. She immediately begins to pull the log with a lot of effort. She shrieks and shakes from the exertion, but she doesn't give up. The weight that oppresses me becomes less and less until it disappears completely. I can barely move my lips to mutter a "thank you" before my eyelids droop.

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An intermittent beep wakes me from sleep. I try to open my eyes to identify its origin, but I can't. I try moving my arms and get the same result. The heaviness throughout my body is overwhelming. What's wrong with me? Was I seriously injured during the last battle? They probably brought me to a reconstruction station and the process is not complete yet. That must be why I feel weak, sore. I'm so bruised I can't even open my eyelids.

I move my mouth to take a deeper breath, but it's useless. The pressure of something rigid on the middle of my face prevents me from stretching my jaw muscles properly. I feel like it's a little tight on the bridge of my nose as well. What do I have on me!? What are they doing to me!? Claustrophobia attacks me and my pulse speeds up in an instant. If I was having trouble breathing before, the effort is ten times worse now. I hate feeling trapped!

"Nurse! Please help! My daughter is hyperventilating!"

The voice I hear is the same as the woman who helped me before. Does she say I'm her daughter? Is she crazy!? Why would she tell a lie like that one? She is not my mother! Her hurried steps distract me. How noisy she is! A few seconds later, I feel the warmth of her hand on my shoulder. She squeezes me hard, but it doesn't hurt me at all. Shortly after, she starts humming. Hearing her, a strange feeling invades me. Although I don't recognize the melody, the sound brings back very vivid memories.

I see the faces of my family, my closest friends, and my battle companions. In just an instant, the smiles of all of them parade through my memory. I have a terrible desire to hug them until my limbs go numb. I long to kiss them many times, I want to feel their warmth and hear their voices once again... My temples are soaked with abundant tears while the stranger's song lulls me to sleep.

This woman has a wonderful voice. The peace that she manages to transmit to me in each note is manifested in my body's reactions. As she sings, my breathing becomes slower and slower. It's like I sprinkled a pain reliever on my chest. When the person she summoned arrives, the panic no longer dominates me. However, I remain on alert. My gut tells me something is wrong, but I still don't know what it is. I must find out soon. Ignorance is one of the most dangerous enemies of all.

"You must leave now, Mrs. Duncan."

"No! Please! Let me stay with Olivia! I need to do it!"

"The patient's condition is delicate. She has several weakened bones and ligaments, in addition to multiple bruises and cuts. She suffered from dehydration and has anemia. The blood loss was enormous. It's a miracle she survived so much damage. She needs to rest as much as possible."

"I promise not to make noise, I'm not going to bother her... Please let me be here!"

"It's not possible. I promise that I will inform you about your daughter's condition after examining her again. I will authorize your entry again when it is prudent. I request that you leave the room immediately. I don't want to force you to do it."

I hear a long sigh. The lady says a few sentences under her breath with a broken voice. The sound of her footsteps tells me that she is walking away. Then, the other woman clears her throat near me. The indifferent and stern tone of her voice makes me very uncomfortable. I don't want to be alone with her! I try to get up, but all I can do is make myself nauseous from the effort.

Unexpectedly, the stranger begins to touch different parts of my body. How does she dare!? Why didn't she ask my permission to do it!? Without warning, she places cold objects on my skin. A strong chill makes my skin crawl. She moves me as she pleases and I can't even complain. What is she doing to me!? I want her to stay away from me!

At that moment, my eyelids finally respond. When I open them, all I see here is white. The excessive light in this room hurts my pupils. I squint to get some relief. Despite the discomfort, I try to identify something about what surrounds me. Unfortunately for me, no matter how hard I try, I only make out patches of color. How frustrating! I had never had vision problems. What's wrong with me?

The stranger leans over to check my eyes. Although her face is very close to mine, I can't see her clearly. I try to tell her to go away, but the only thing that comes out of my throat is whimpers. I'm breathing too fast again! Perceiving this, the woman shakes her head. She takes my right arm and sticks something hard into it. I feel a painful, cold sting. What's going on!?

My moans of pain begin to lose volume until they stop. I lose mobility and mental clarity again. Everything inside my body is a huge chaos. I no longer know what is real and what is not. The strength to keep my eyes open again is running out. My breathing becomes very heavy. Against my will, I sink back into unconsciousness.