Beyond Phantasia

I made my way to the center of the geyser.

“I’m starting to see a trend of bad ideas from you.”

“Shush. I need to focus,” It said.

Chakakaka! The Ablians entered the cavern. Eight—no, ten. Let’s go with ten — they were surrounding us.

“Any second now…” I said.

“Stall. Do not leave the circle.”

Tsk.

The Ablians closed in, forming a tight circle around me. I could feel the tension building, their stingers twitching and their mouths foaming. I planted my feet firmly in the center, my eyes darting from one creature to the next.

Hoooo…

Alright, let’s focus.

One lunged at me from the left. I sidestepped, barely evading its stinger, then immediately ducked as another swiped at my head. The air crackled with each near miss. I twisted and spun, staying low as I dodged a third attack aimed straight for my chest. My heart pounded, but I kept my body light, trying to react to every movement.

A stinger shot toward my leg — I jumped, narrowly avoiding the strike. Another came from behind, but I pivoted, feeling the tip of the stinger graze past me. I was sweating. I leaned back as a pair of fangs snapped near my face, swaying just in time to avoid the bite. They kept coming, faster now, but I stayed in the center, dodging with every ounce of agility I had.

“A little bit more, human. Keep stalling.”

“Got it!”

Another Ablian lunged from the right, its stinger aimed at my ribs. I twisted my torso, feeling the rush of air as it sliced past. I dropped to a crouch as two more darted in, one from each side. Their fangs snapped, and their claws reached for me. I slightly rolled forward, barely clearing their attacks, coming up on one knee, breathing heavily.

The Ablians grew more aggressive, their movements faster and more menacing. One leaped into the air, diving straight toward me. I threw myself backward, hitting the ground hard as its stinger plunged into the dirt where I had just stood. I scrambled back to my feet, narrowly dodging another set of claws swiping at my legs.

My muscles burned, but I couldn’t stop. I shifted to the left, dodging two stingers at once, then sprang upward to avoid a low strike from an Ablians on the ground. I continued to hold my ground, my eyes sharp, focusing only on these hideous creatures.

“Finish. Human, I hope you’re ready,” the socrix said, its voice steady and ominous.

“I’ve been re—.”

POOSH! The ground beneath me rumbled, and before I could react, the geyser erupted violently. Scalding steam and water shot beneath my feet, launching me into the air. My body flew upward, the cavern walls blurring as I rocketed toward the surface. The pressure was extremely overwhelming.

“FUCCCKK!”

I’m being cooked alive!

My body hurled out of the cave and into the open sky above, and my consciousness began to fade.

"This has been happening a lot, huh?" I muttered to myself before blacking out.

<><><><><>

Iris’s POV

“Let’s go, Fifi! Novy needs our help!” I called, as a small rabbit followed close behind me.

Thank goodness I was able to form a bond. It took like forever, but it was totally worth it. She’s just so cute! But right now, I need to focus. Novy needed my help.

“H-Hey, wait! Fifi, where are you going?”

Fifi darted off to the right, heading in a completely different direction. I had no choice but to chase after her. She was easy to form a bond with, but she like doesn’t like to listen!

“Wait for me Fifi!”

I kept chasing after Fifi until we ended up somewhere deep in the jungle. Ugh, it was so humid here, and this armor did not compliment me at all! I am so ready to get out of here.

“Over here, Iris!” The bunny called out.

I ran over.

“What is it, Fifi?” I said. “You know we don’t have time for this! Novy needs our help.”

There, lying on the ground, was a boy with black hair. Fifi was lying on top of him like a pillow, completely at ease. She seemed calm, almost as if she didn’t want to leave.

“"Lucien? Fifi, get off of him!" I exclaimed, rushing over to move her.

What was he doing out here in the middle of nowhere, just sleeping? I couldn’t understand this guy at all.

“Fifi, medical check,” I said, watching as the little rabbit immediately began to assess Lucien's condition by licking his face.

<><><><><>

Hnnggg…

Lick! Lick!

Wet…What?

Lick! Lick!

I opened my eyes. My vision slowly started to clear, coming back into focus. There was a rabbit on me, licking my face.

“What.”

As I turned to look around my vicinity, there was a girl crouched next to me, poking my face.

“...Who?” I said. “...Iris…?”

“Oh, so you remembered my name,” she said with a smirk. “Maybe I should punch you for good measure.”

I sat up.

“I’ll pass.”

I checked my body — everything was intact. No damage, no scratches, no burns, absolutely nothing. How was this possible?

I looked around.

Where is he?

The little snake was gone.

“Hey.”

Could he be the reason…

“Hey.”

No, even the smallest socrix harbors dark intentions. I need a socrix that’s more manageable.

“HEY!”

I turned my head.

“W-why do you always ignore me! I’m so, like, sick of it!” Iris said.

Wait a minute, Iris isn’t with Novian like she usually is.

“Where’s Novian?” I asked.

“H-Hey, you're ignoring the question!” Iris exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

“This is more important right now.”

Iris looked at me for a moment.

“There were, like, explosions, and it sounded like there was a monster off in the distance. He went to check out the situation,” she explained.

Damn it. I finally remembered who the boss was. It was in my notes, but I couldn’t recall the specifics — a destruction-corrupted Sloakard. It’s the tutorial boss that all new players complained about during their first run.

Theoretically, Lucien should be able to defeat it, but he needs everyone present to play their part, including Iris. However, I wasn’t there to control Novian or the other characters. This is bad.

“Iris, lead me to Novian right now. He could be in potential danger.”

“What do you mean danger? Novian’s the strongest in our grade and even some of the upperclassmen. He should be fine.”

“Iris, you need to trust me on this one. My intuition is telling me something is wrong.”

“Fine, but we’ll, like, continue our conversation later.”

Iris waited for me to get up, and together we sprinted back to Novian’s general location.

I hope I’m not too late.