Sophia felt her magic nearly drained and clenched her teeth.

Cross the entrance—only to be surrounded by brown bears?

Hold this ground—and be crushed by stone giants?

Retreat deeper into the dungeon—to be devoured alongside this battered remnant by far worse horrors?

Trapped with no escape. Every choice before Sophia led only to death.

Hum—

One stone giant, weary of monotonous pounding, shot a crimson beam from its glowing red eyes. Layer after layer of water barriers evaporated instantly under its heat.

The second giant followed suit.

Under their combined assault, Sophia’s water barrier shattered. Twin red beams slammed into the mages’ defensive spells.

Fragile magic crumbled in seconds.

Sweeping beams decapitated adventurers before they could flinch.

A beam slashed toward Sophia. Gritting her teeth against exhaustion, she thrust her wand tip straight into its path.

Boom—

Impact. A violent explosion erupted where beam met dragon-scale tip. The shockwave hurled Sophia backward.

She crashed hard against the stone wall.

Struggling upright, she glanced at her wand hand. Fresh cuts split the webbing between thumb and forefinger.

Dragon scales were tough—this attack couldn’t breach them.

She looked up. Adventurers fell like helpless infants beneath the rampaging giants.

Each fist swing, each crimson sweep, snuffed out lives.

Amid the slaughter, some broke. Screaming, they fled toward the first-floor entrance.

Moments later, corpses—freshly slashed—were flung back.

Blood and torn flesh paved the ground. A scene from hell.

Sophia’s eyes burned red. Leaning on her wand, she rose. Staying meant death.

Her gaze locked onto a cliff edge.

She rushed over. Across the chasm lay another platform. Below yawned the eerie, bottomless Abyss.

Reach it—and escape the giants.

She frowned upward. Stalactites and jagged rocks clung to the cavern ceiling.

“Water Rope!”

Her dragon-scale wand glowed. A rope of condensed water shot out, coiling tightly around a ceiling rock.

She tugged. Sturdy. Enough to swing across. A slight sigh of relief escaped her.

Only slight. Roars and screams reminded her: danger remained.

Others noticed her. At first confused. Some thought she’d jump to end it.

Then—seeing her grip the rope—they understood. No shame, only desperation. They scrambled toward her.

They wanted to live too.

The giants gave no quarter. Fists fell. Beams swept. Hope died mid-stride.

“Sophia, help me!” Windsor, spotting Sophia’s radiant magic, sprinted toward her.

Sophia shifted her water barrier toward the girl.

She had to protect this innocent soul.

But Windsor’s cry drew a giant’s attention. An arm rose—then crashed down.

“Watch out!” Sophia yelled.

Windsor froze. Shadow swallowed her small frame. Despair filled her eyes.

“Ah!”

Boom—

A deafening crash. No pain.

She blinked. A thick water barrier stood firm before her.

“Run!” Sophia gritted out, channeling her last magic. Her wand hand trembled.

Blood seeped from reopened cuts, dripping onto stone.

Windsor scrambled up and ran.

The barrier shattered. The giant’s arm slammed the ground. Shockwave knocked her off balance.

Sophia coughed. One hand gripped the rope. The other stretched desperately.

*If I catch her hand—we’ll make it.*

Windsor ran closer. Fingers reaching. Hope brightening in both their eyes.

Closer…

Closer…

Then—a crimson sweep. Blood sprayed.

Sophia stared, stunned, at the severed hand hanging midair. Windsor’s twisted face of agony burned into her sight.

“WINDSOR!!!”

She lunged forward—but pain had already felled the girl.

Windsor lay helpless, stump outstretched, too broken even to cry.

Cold dread swallowed her whole.

The giants hummed. Not dead yet? One massive fist descended.

Sophia’s eyes widened in horror. Empty magic. No strength left. Not even for a droplet.

“No!!!”

A heart-wrenching wail tore from her throat—but stone giants heed no pleas.

Whoosh—

The fist fell.

Boom—

Impact hurled the stunned Sophia backward.

And behind her…

lay the Abyss.