The entrance to Echo Canyon stretched before them like the throat of some massive creature, its stone walls worn smooth by centuries of wind and dimensional energies. Unlike the chaotic visual distortions of the Temple of Veiled Sight, this trial ground's nature revealed itself through sound—even at the threshold, their footsteps produced echoes that lingered unnaturally, tones shifting in ways that defied acoustic principles.
Knight-Commander Serala held up her hand, silencing their approach as she studied the canyon with focused intensity. The silver of her armor seemed to catch harmonics invisible to normal perception, subtle vibrations rippling across its surface in response to the dimensional energies flowing through the trial ground.
"It's worse than I expected," she said, her voice carrying the weight of decades of Order experience. "The dimensional frequencies have been deliberately separated."
"Is that even possible?" Lysander asked, his aristocratic composure momentarily slipping. "These trial grounds were established by masters of dimensional manipulation centuries ago."
"Evidently it is," Serala replied grimly, producing a specialized Order device that projected a three-dimensional map of the canyon's energy flows. "Look here—the natural harmonic separation has been exaggerated to create distinct paths through the trial area."
The projection showed what had once been intertwined energy streams now forcibly separated into four distinct channels, each resonating at a different dimensional frequency. Where they should have gently flowed alongside one another, allowing gradual transition between perceptual states, they now existed in isolation, barriers of dissonant energy preventing any crossing between paths.
Edwin studied the projection with analytical precision, absently turning the silver ring on his right hand as he processed the implications. It was a simple band with a small blue stone that occasionally caught the light, and Marcus had noticed his roommate's habit of fidgeting with it whenever faced with complex problems.
"She's using the trial ground's own principles against it," Edwin observed. "Echo Canyon was designed to test perception through sound—she's simply pushed the harmonic separation to its logical extreme."
"The result is essentially four separate sub-areas, each locked to a specific frequency," Tanis added, her Order training evident in how quickly she grasped the tactical implications. "My readings indicate active energy extraction occurring in at least two locations simultaneously."
"She's not alone," Coltan concluded, his tribal markings pulsing with agitated energy. "Multiple harvesters. Multiple targets."
The revelation landed heavily. Their mysterious adversary had allies—other dimensional manipulators capable of performing the same extraction technique that had collapsed the first trial ground.
Serala's expression hardened as she made her decision. "We need to investigate all four frequencies simultaneously. If she's extracting multiple aspects of the trial ground's essence, stopping just one operation won't preserve the site's integrity."
"Split up?" Lia suggested, though her enhancement crystals flared with obvious concern at the idea.
"I don't see an alternative," Serala replied. "These separated frequencies haven't just created conceptual divisions—they've manifested as actual physical barriers between the sub-areas. My readings indicate each stream only permits entry to energy signatures that match its particular resonance."
"Like locks with specific keys," Edwin observed, analytical mind immediately grasping the concept. His fingers unconsciously found his ring again, rotating it once fully around his finger—a gesture Marcus had noticed increasingly as their journey progressed.
"Precisely." Serala turned to Marcus. "Your Guardian Awareness should allow you to perceive which energy signature matches each person's natural resonance. We need to form four teams based on compatibility with the different frequencies."
Marcus focused his enhanced perception on the separated streams, then on each member of their group. The connections weren't immediately obvious—more complex than simple color-matching or tonal harmony.
"It's not just about magical signature," he realized. "It's about... consciousness patterns? Something deeper than technique or ability."
Coltan nodded, his tribal markings pulsing. "Trial tests inner nature, not outer skill. Must match soul-rhythm to path-rhythm."
After several minutes of careful assessment, the patterns finally clarified. "I can see it now," Marcus announced. "Four distinct harmonic streams, each resonating with different aspects of consciousness."
As Marcus explained the resonance patterns he perceived, Tanis moved closer, her professional demeanor softening slightly.
"Your perception abilities are developing faster than expected," she noted quietly. "Most guardians required months of trial ground exposure before achieving this level of dimensional discernment."
"Just adapting to necessity," Marcus replied modestly.
Tanis studied him with unexpected thoughtfulness. "That's what separates successful guardians from failed ones, you know. Adaptation versus rigid adherence to established protocols." She hesitated, then added, "The Order's historical records show that guardians who maintained flexibility of approach consistently outperformed those with greater raw power but fixed methodologies."
This personal insight from the typically reserved knight surprised Marcus. "Sounds like you've studied guardian records extensively."
"My specialization within the Order," Tanis acknowledged with a slight nod. "Dimensional Boundary Enforcement requires understanding how guardians have approached convergence events historically. Your integrated combat approach caught my attention immediately—it's reminiscent of techniques employed during the Third Era convergence, though with innovations I haven't seen documented."
The professional respect in her tone was unmistakable, offering validation that Marcus hadn't realized he'd been seeking. Before he could respond, Serala called them back to the immediate task.
"Based on Marcus's assessment, our teams are clear," she announced. "Edwin and Knight Tanis will investigate the analytical stream. Coltan will take the instinctive path. Marcus and Lia will follow the adaptive frequency. Lysander and I will handle the authority stream."
"What about Professor Voss?" Lia asked.
"She remains at the sanctuary with the other Order members," Tanis explained. "They can provide backup if needed, though reaching us would take time even using the ancient pathways."
"Maintain awareness of dimensional stability," Serala instructed as they prepared to separate. "If extraction activities trigger collapse like at the first trial ground, prioritize immediate evacuation over intervention. We need information more than we need heroics."
As they moved toward their respective entry points, Edwin suddenly froze, his expression shifting to alarm. His hand went to his finger where the silver ring had been, finding it bare.
"My ring," he said, panic rising in his normally composed voice. "It's gone."
The entire group immediately stopped, their mission momentarily forgotten in the face of Edwin's obvious distress.
"When did you last have it?" Lia asked, already scanning the ground around them.
"Just moments ago," Edwin replied, his typically measured tone cracking slightly as he turned in place, eyes desperately searching the stone beneath their feet. "I was adjusting my pack and then..."
Marcus had never seen his roommate so thoroughly shaken. The ring clearly held significance far beyond its apparent value—a reaction all the more striking coming from someone who typically maintained such careful emotional reserve.
"Everyone spread out," Marcus directed. "Check where we've been standing for the last few minutes."
They immediately began searching the area, even Knight-Commander Serala joining the effort despite the urgency of their mission. The silver ring had apparently slipped off without Edwin noticing, possibly while he'd been rotating it in his habitual gesture.
"There!" Coltan's sharp eyes spotted it first—a glint of silver between two rocks several meters back along their path. The ring had apparently rolled after falling, coming to rest in a small crevice where it caught the filtered canyon light.
Edwin retrieved it with visible relief, examining it carefully for damage before securing it in an inner pocket rather than returning it to his finger.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "It's not particularly valuable, but—"
"Important," Coltan finished simply, understanding evident in his expression.
Edwin nodded, his composure gradually returning. "It was a gift from my brother when I left for Eldavia. The only time he acknowledged that my approach to magic might have value." He adjusted his glasses, a gesture that seemed to help him reset emotionally. "Sentimental value only."
The moment passed, but Marcus filed away this rare glimpse into his roommate's personal history. The brother who had cast such a long shadow over Edwin's development had, perhaps, shown more understanding than Edwin himself believed.
With the ring secured, they returned to their mission. The dimensional barrier's influence strengthened as they approached the four separate entry points, each energy stream becoming more distinct and isolated from the others.
"Communication between streams will likely be limited or impossible," Serala warned. "Rendezvous at the canyon entrance in two hours regardless of findings. If you encounter the extraction operation, assess and report if possible, but do not engage superior forces without backup."
With final nods of acknowledgment, they separated, each team approaching their resonant energy stream. The dimensional barriers shimmered as they passed through, subtle resistance giving way as their consciousness patterns aligned with their respective frequencies.
The adaptive stream welcomed Marcus and Lia with subtle resonance, crimson-tinged energy flowing around them like a river recognizing its natural course. Unlike the visual distortions of the first trial ground, these changes affected physical reality itself—pathways narrowing then widening, stone formations shifting like slow-moving liquid while maintaining solid form.
"This is wild," Lia whispered, her enhancement crystals pulsing as they matched the stream's fluctuating patterns. "It's like the canyon is breathing."
"Adapting to our presence," Marcus agreed. "Testing our ability to adjust alongside it."
As they proceeded deeper, sound became increasingly significant. Their footsteps produced echoes that evolved into complex harmonics, each resonance revealing different aspects of their surroundings. When Marcus focused on specific tonal patterns, hidden passages became visible. When Lia experimented with different walking rhythms, the stone responded by revealing glyphs that had previously appeared to be natural textures.
The trial ground taught while it tested—showing how adaptation revealed perception options that remained hidden to fixed viewpoints. Occasionally, Marcus would detect what seemed like distant voices carried on the echoes—fragments of conversations or instructions that faded before becoming fully intelligible.
After navigating several chambers of increasing complexity, they emerged into a small amphitheater-like space. The walls curved inward, creating perfect acoustic properties that amplified even their breathing into musical tones. At the center stood a crystalline structure, pulsing with the same crimson energy that flowed through the stream they'd been following.
"That must be the adaptive stream's focal point," Marcus said, approaching carefully.
"No signs of extraction activity here," Lia noted, scanning the chamber. "Looks untouched actually."
Marcus studied the crystal with his enhanced perception. Unlike the chaotic energy patterns at the first trial ground, this focal point maintained stable resonance, its dimensional signature undisturbed by external manipulation.
"She hasn't reached this stream yet," he concluded. "Probably focused on the others first."
"Lucky break for us," Lia grinned. "So what do we do with it? Stand guard until the others report back?"
Before Marcus could respond, he noticed something unusual about the crystalline structure—a smaller secondary crystal extending from its base, matching the exact shade of crimson that appeared in his status interface. While the main crystal pulsed with energy aligned to the trial ground itself, this smaller formation seemed to resonate specifically with his guardian signature.
"There's something here meant for guardians specifically," he said, moving closer to examine the secondary crystal.
"Careful," Lia cautioned. "After what happened at the first trial ground, anything could be booby-trapped."
Marcus extended his perception further, searching for signs of tampering or manipulation. The crystal appeared pristine, its resonance patterns maintaining the same harmonious relationship with the larger structure that had likely existed for centuries.
"I think it's safe," he decided. "It feels like... a key of some kind. Something designed to interact specifically with guardian energies."
Following instinct rather than calculated decision, Marcus reached out and touched the secondary crystal. The moment his fingers made contact, a harmonic resonance cascaded through the chamber, echoes multiplying and layering into complex patterns that seemed to penetrate his very consciousness.
Then pain—sharp and unexpected—as energy surged from the crystal directly into his system interface. The crimson patterns that normally appeared as controlled manifestations of his guardian abilities flared wildly, consuming his field of vision with chaotic pulses.
"Marcus!" Lia's voice seemed distant as his perception fractured. He was vaguely aware of falling to his knees, hands pressed against his temples as information flooded his consciousness at overwhelming speed.
His status interface flickered erratically before him:
[SYS//TEM ERROR] [UNEX//PECTED HARM//ONIC CONVER//GENCE] [GUARD//IAN PROTOC//OLS MIS//ALIGNED] [INI//TIATING EMER//GENCY RECON//FIGURATION] [PLEASE ST//AND BY...] [ACCE//SSING HIST//ORICAL DATA//BASE] [REALI//GNING GUARD//IAN PARAM//ETERS]
The pain intensified as the system attempted to process whatever data transfer had been initiated by contact with the crystal. Images flashed through Marcus's mind—previous guardians facing challenges, wielding abilities he'd glimpsed only in fragments before, confronting dimensional threats across centuries of cycles.
"Marcus! Can you hear me?" Lia had moved closer, her enhancement capabilities probably the only reason she could approach through the crimson energy now swirling around him. "What's happening?"
He couldn't answer, his consciousness splintering between immediate physical reality and the cascade of information flowing through his system. The echoing chamber amplified whatever process was occurring, sound patterns reinforcing the data transfer as the trial ground's essence interacted with his guardian connection.
After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, the chaotic energy began to stabilize. The interface flickered one final time before displaying a new message:
[SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE] [GUARDIAN ARCHIVE ACCESS: ESTABLISHED] [APPRAISAL FUNCTIONALITY: ONLINE] [LEGACY SKILL ACQUISITION: ENABLED] [REBOOT COMPLETE]
The pain receded, leaving Marcus gasping on the chamber floor as his perception gradually returned to normal. Lia knelt beside him, her enhancement crystals glowing brightly as she maintained a protective field around them both.
"Marcus? Are you back with me?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Yeah," he managed, throat feeling raw as though he'd been screaming, though he had no memory of doing so. "That was... intense."
"Understatement of the century," Lia replied, helping him to a sitting position. "You were surrounded by crimson energy for almost five minutes. Your eyes were glowing, and you were speaking in languages I couldn't understand."
Marcus checked his status interface, which had stabilized into a new configuration:
[Status Update] [Name: Marcus Phoenix] [Age: 15 years, 3 months, 17 days] [Level: 85] [EXP: 2,000/15,000] [HP: 550/550] [MP: 915/915] [Class Placement: Advanced Class, A-Rank] [Right Arm: Missing] [Guardian Awareness: 30 (INCREASED)] [Guardian Archive Access: Level 1] [S-Rank Evaluation Progress: 74% Complete] [Estimated Time to S-Rank Eligibility: 2 months, 2 weeks] [Current Objective: Prevent Extraction of Second Trial Ground Essence]
Below his standard status information appeared a new interface section:
[GUARDIAN ARCHIVE] [Access Level: Initiate] [Previous Guardians Available for Skill Reference: 3]
Elian Brightsword (Fourth Cycle, Specialization: Dimensional Sealing)Kira Voidwalker (Seventh Cycle, Specialization: Entity Perception)Thorne Ashenmark (Twelfth Cycle, Specialization: Boundary Reinforcement) [Legacy Skill Points Available: 2]
Another new section appeared beneath this:
[APPRAISAL] [Function: Analyze entities, objects, and phenomena to determine true nature and capabilities] [Activation: Focus attention and silently command 'Appraise'] [Energy Cost: 20 MP per use] [Current Level: 1 - Basic information only]
"Something happened to my system," Marcus explained, still processing the changes himself. "The crystal was like a key that unlocked functions that were dormant before."
"Good changes or bad?" Lia asked pragmatically.
"Good, I think. I have access to some kind of archive containing information about previous guardians—specific individuals rather than just general knowledge fragments. And a new ability to analyze things more deeply than before."
Marcus turned his attention back to the crystalline structure, activating his new appraisal ability for the first time.
[Appraisal: Harmonic Nexus Crystal] [Function: Transfer point for guardian knowledge between cycles] [Age: Approximately 870 years] [Creator: Guardian Elian Brightsword, Fourth Cycle] [Status: Active, 1/4 guardian connections established] [Additional Information: Designed to provide controlled access to predecessor knowledge without requiring full memory integration. Prevents mental instability from unregulated memory transfer.]
"It's a safeguard," Marcus realized. "A way for guardians to access knowledge from previous cycles without suffering the random memory episodes I've been experiencing."
"So the crystal helped regulate what was already happening to you," Lia concluded. "Organized the chaos."
"Exactly." Marcus stood carefully, his energy gradually stabilizing. "The memory episodes were dangerous—uncontrolled information that could potentially overwhelm my consciousness. This provides structured access instead."
Before they could discuss further implications, a distant sound caught their attention—not the natural echoes of the canyon, but something sharper. The distinct clash of combat.
"That came from the instinctive stream," Lia said, enhancement crystals flaring as they boosted her perception. "Where Coltan went."
Marcus focused his newly enhanced senses, catching fragments of sound carried on dimensional currents. The deep resonance of Coltan's tribal techniques, the sharper tones of conventional combat, and beneath them, a harmonic disruption suggesting dimensional manipulation.
"He's engaged the enemy," Marcus concluded. "We need to find a way to reach him."
Meanwhile, in the instinctive stream, Coltan faced an increasingly desperate situation. The environment here manifested his tribal knowledge in physical form—stone formations resembling ancient totems, air thick with primal energies that resonated with gut feelings rather than intellectual understanding. Such surroundings should have amplified his earth-drawing techniques, yet he found himself steadily losing ground against two opponents.
The attackers wielded what appeared to be crystallized sound itself, shaping harmonics into deadly weapons that shattered his earthen barriers with increasing effectiveness. One opponent—a muscular woman with vibration runes tattooed across her arms—focused on containment, creating harmonic barriers that limited his movement options. The other—a thin man whose very presence seemed to bend sound waves around him—launched precision attacks that exploited weaknesses in Coltan's defensive techniques.
Though outnumbered, the Valkarien warrior held his own through sheer determination and tribal battle-wisdom. Earth responded to his will, stone formations rising to intercept attacks while tribal markings pulsed with ancient power drawn directly from the ground beneath him.
Beyond this battle, near what appeared to be another crystalline focal point, a more significant confrontation unfolded. Knight Tanis engaged with a third opponent—the silver-haired woman from the first trial ground. Their combat moved at extraordinary speed, Tanis's Order training evident in her disciplined counters to the woman's dimensional manipulations.
"Your Order training is impressive," the silver-haired woman acknowledged as she deflected another of Tanis's precision strikes. "Few can maintain combat coherence in the presence of harmonic distortion."
"The Order prepares its knights for all dimensional threats," Tanis replied tersely, her weapon reconfiguring to match her opponent's changing techniques. "Including those who disrupt trial grounds."
The woman smiled, those unsettling violet-crimson eyes assessing Tanis with clinical interest. "Such dedication to a failing system. Nine hundred years of guardians, nine hundred years of barely contained convergences. Yet the Order blindly perpetuates the same approach, expecting different results."
"Our approach has preserved dimensional stability for centuries," Tanis countered, launching another precisely calculated attack that nearly breached her opponent's defenses. "Your extraction methods risk catastrophic boundary collapse."
"Short-term disruption for long-term resolution," the woman replied, shifting dimensional frequencies to avoid Tanis's strike. "The traditional guardian system treats symptoms while ignoring the disease. I'm pursuing an actual cure."
Their battle intensified, Tanis's silver weapon leaving trails of anti-dimensional energy with each movement while the woman's harmonic manipulations bent reality itself to counter. Behind them, the crystalline focal point pulsed with unstable patterns as extraction devices steadily separated its essence from its anchor.
Coltan, noticing this activity despite his own struggle, redoubled his efforts to break through his opponents' containment. His tribal markings flared with desperate power, earth responding with increasingly violent force as he sacrificed control for raw effect.
One such attack—a stone formation that erupted beneath the feet of the muscular woman—finally connected, sending her staggering backward with a grunt of pain. The momentary advantage allowed Coltan to advance, tribal battle-cry resonating with the canyon's natural harmonics as he prepared a follow-up strike.
Before he could complete the movement, the thin man made a slashing gesture with both hands. The air itself seemed to solidify along that path, harmonic energies condensing into a blade-like projection that caught Coltan mid-charge. Blood sprayed as the harmonic cutting edge sliced through tribal protection markings, opening a deep wound across the Valkarien's chest.
Despite the severity of his injury, Coltan remained standing, tribal resilience allowing him to convert pain into focused power. His markings pulsed with renewed intensity, drawing energy directly from the stone beneath him to temporarily reinforce his failing body.
Across the chamber, Tanis momentarily sensed her ally's predicament. Though maintaining perfect combat discipline against her own opponent, she managed to call out: "Status, tribal warrior?"
"Still standing," Coltan replied through gritted teeth, blood soaking his clothing as he maintained defensive stance against his approaching opponents. "But not for long."
In the adaptive stream, Marcus and Lia desperately searched for any connection point between the separated frequencies. The canyon's nature had seemed fluid earlier, but now they found only solid barriers where the different streams divided the space.
"These walls weren't so impenetrable when we entered," Lia observed, testing one barrier with her enhanced strength. "It's like they've hardened specifically to keep us separated now that we're inside."
Marcus studied the barriers with his Crimson Perception, looking for weaknesses or resonance patterns that might allow passage. None were immediately apparent—the frequency separation appeared complete.
"We need to think like the trial ground," he said, remembering its adaptive nature. "This place tests flexibility of perception. The barriers appear solid because we're perceiving them conventionally."
Following instinct, Marcus focused on the echoes still reverberating throughout their section. Certain harmonics seemed to interact with the barrier differently, causing subtle fluctuations in its dimensional signature. When he aligned his own energy with these specific frequencies, the barrier's apparent solidity wavered.
"There," he indicated a point where the adaptive stream and instinctive stream flowed closest to each other. "If we match the harmonic point between frequencies, we might be able to cross over."
Using his newly regulated guardian abilities, Marcus generated a crimson resonance pattern that bridged the gap between the two streams. The barrier shimmered, partially phasing out of conventional reality as the harmonics aligned.
"Now!" he called to Lia, who immediately activated her enhancement to maximum capacity. Together, they pushed through the temporarily weakened barrier, the dimensional frequencies washing over them like opposing currents before they emerged into the instinctive stream's territory.
The sounds of combat grew louder as they raced deeper into this section. Rounding a massive stone formation shaped like a crouching beast, they finally located the source—and immediately understood the severity of their situation.
Coltan was barely standing, blood flowing freely from a massive wound across his chest as he maintained a desperate defense against two attackers. Beyond him, Knight Tanis engaged in high-speed combat with the silver-haired woman near a crystalline focal point similar to the one they'd found in their own section.
"Tanis needs help more than Coltan," Marcus assessed quickly. "Her opponent is attempting to extract the focal point's essence while fighting."
"I'll help Coltan," Lia decided immediately. "My enhancement can counter their harmonic weapons better than your abilities."
"Agreed. I'll try to assist Tanis and disrupt the extraction."
They separated, Lia charging toward Coltan with her enhancement crystals flaring to combat configuration while Marcus circled toward where Tanis battled the silver-haired woman.
Using his newly regulated crimson abilities, Marcus manifested his arsenal with greater precision than before, each construct feeling more stable and requiring less conscious maintenance. The guardian archive's influence was already apparent—the techniques flowed more naturally, as though guided by accumulated experience beyond his own.
Tanis noticed his approach first, her Order training including comprehensive situational awareness despite the intensity of her combat. She created momentary space between herself and her opponent with a precise counter-strike, calling to Marcus as he closed distance.
"The focal crystal! She's already begun the extraction process!"
Indeed, the crystalline structure behind the silver-haired woman pulsed with unstable energy, dimensional patterns rippling outward as something within it was gradually separated from its natural configuration. Unlike the first trial ground's chaotic collapse, this extraction appeared more controlled—a surgical removal rather than destructive absorption.
The woman turned, those shifting violet-crimson eyes assessing Marcus with cold calculation. "The guardian arrives, though not where expected." Her tone carried the same unsettling harmonics he remembered from their first encounter. "Your perception is improving. Perhaps you're not completely hopeless after all."
"Step away from the focal point," Marcus demanded, manifesting additional crimson weapons around him. "Whatever you're trying to accomplish, it's destabilizing dimensional boundaries that protect everyone."
"Such limited understanding," she sighed, though her guard remained perfect. "I'm not destabilizing boundaries—I'm restructuring them. The current configuration has failed repeatedly across centuries. A new approach is long overdue."
Tanis used the momentary distraction to launch another attack, her silver weapon reconfiguring mid-strike to bypass the woman's defensive harmonics. The blow nearly connected—only a last-moment dimensional shift allowing the woman to avoid critical impact.
"Impressive, Knight Tanis," the woman acknowledged, a thin line of blood appearing on her cheek where the attack had grazed her. "The Order trains its enforcers well. But enforcement without understanding is merely controlled ignorance."
Marcus used his appraisal ability on the woman herself:
[Appraisal: Unknown Dimensional Specialist] [Threat Level: S] [Specialization: Harmonic Extraction, Reality Manipulation] [Weakness: Information Insufficient for Analysis] [Current Status: 76% Energy Reserves, Maintaining Multiple Operations]
The threat assessment confirmed his suspicions—she operated at S-Rank capabilities despite not wearing any academy or Order insignia that would denote such classification. More concerning was the "maintaining multiple operations" status, suggesting she was indeed coordinating the activities across different sections of the trial ground simultaneously.
Tanis and Marcus coordinated their attacks, his arsenal creating openings that she exploited with precision strikes. For several exchanges, they managed to push the woman onto the defensive, forcing her to divert energy from the extraction process to combat.
Then came a blood-curdling cry from where Lia and Coltan fought—a sound of pain that carried distinctive tribal harmonics. Coltan was down.
The momentary distraction proved catastrophic. The woman capitalized instantly, her harmonic manipulation creating a dimensional shear that caught Tanis in mid-movement. The attack bypassed conventional defense, manipulating the space the knight occupied rather than striking her directly.
Blood bloomed across Tanis's silver armor, the dimensional shear having passed through protective enchantments as though they didn't exist. She staggered but remained standing, combat discipline allowing her to maintain defensive posture despite the severity of her injury.
"Knight Tanis!" Marcus moved to support her, crimson constructs forming a protective barrier between them and the woman.
Tanis's face had gone pale, but her eyes remained focused with the determination of a trained knight. Blood seeped steadily from the dimensional wound, and Marcus could see the injury was far beyond what conventional healing could address. The shear had damaged not just physical tissue but the fundamental pattern of Tanis's existence.
The silver-haired woman studied them both, those unsettling eyes showing neither triumph nor remorse—only cold assessment.
"A knight's sacrifice," she observed dispassionately. "Noble but ultimately futile." She gestured toward the focal crystal, which pulsed with increasing instability as the extraction process neared completion. "The instinctive essence is nearly mine. You've failed this trial ground as you failed the first."
Tanis straightened despite her wound, silver weapon reconfiguring into its most aggressive form. "Guardian," she said, her voice steady through obvious pain, "the mission takes priority over individual survival."
Before Marcus could stop her, Tanis launched herself at the woman with extraordinary speed, silver armor trailing dimensional energy that disrupted the harmonic patterns around them. It was a suicide attack—all offense with no defense, the desperate gambit of a knight who knew her life was already forfeit.
The woman's eyes widened in genuine surprise at the ferocity of the assault, forced to abandon her control of the extraction process to counter this final, desperate attack.
"TANIS, NO!" Marcus cried out, racing forward as harmonic energies built to catastrophic levels between the combatants.
The chamber erupted in blinding light as Tanis's weapon connected with the woman's defensive barrier, dimensional frequencies colliding with explosive force that sent shock waves rippling through the canyon's very foundations...