“It’s coming.” Snow worded with a hiss, she saw the intricate pattern of the electric field coming together as each, and every one of them started to power up.

“What’s coming?” Mike asked, a bit confused at what she was saying.

“They are coming!” Snow yelled; she saw the flow of energy enlarging to the point where it mesmerized her. Was the barrier going to be able to stay up without breaking? She didn’t want to find out, she knew it was powerful, but whatever was down in the lake was just as powerful.

Every single one of the monsters gaped with mouths opened as they fired a blast of energy into the barrier itself. It was an extraordinary sight. If Snow wasn’t there being attacked and just watching the fireworks, she would have marveled and watched.

“Can they even come through?” Mike asked, looking at her, hoping that whatever was happening wouldn’t happen.

“I-” Snow wasn’t sure, all she could do was momentarily watch as her mind went blank.

“What are we doing? Keep attacking!” Dairen shouted at the two, realizing the fate that they were going to be in if the barrier fell.

Mike snapped out of it as he rushed to others, shouting at the guild members and the other guilds leaders to attack. Dairen kept firing, leaving Snow behind.

Snow too snapped out from her stupor.

A feeling of unrest bubbled in her heart, making Snow antsy. Maybe it was a feeling of excitement or hope, she wasn’t quite sure. But she knew she was going to ride the wave of this heightened feeling, allowing it to wash over and let it empower her. Her heart palpitated, sweat started to douse her very back, causing her armor to feel a little bit sticky, but she didn’t care.

She wanted a taste of victory.

Yes, that’s what she wanted.

Victory and blood.

The ability to live on her own accord and not the dungeon’s damnable rules. This was her life. Cowering in fear, something she didn’t want anymore. Every day, the amount of accumulated stress would eat her silently alive as Falcon had reminded her. Maybe the Black Box that Heather gave her was the push and the confidence that she needed to move forward, or perhaps it was just to hide away the facade of fear itself.

At that moment, the world seemed to become silent as her mind blocked out all the noise of shouts. She took a deep breath then letting the air go. The wash of peace flowed inside, allowing her to relax with a clear mind.

For the first time in a long time, she felt her heart lighten and free.

How long has it been since she felt like this?

In the past, Snow wasn’t the type to let stress dictate her life. She would effortlessly go through

the projects and handle everything else with ease. Was it because she was thrown into a life and death situation that her mind was muddy? The answer in her heart and soul screamed yes. She let such feelings fester in her mind for too long.

No more.

A calm wave of strength invades into her very body, allowing the fresh wind to cool her. Swirling around her, the magic coiled into a tight knot until eventually the tug of power let go. This allowed her more control of her magic that she didn’t think that she had. She didn’t realize that this was her problem in the beginning, her mind blocked out her usage of better control of magic. Now it flowed through her, without disrupting the flow.

She remembered what Mr. Everrett had said about getting better control of her magical power that bubbled inside of her. It was like she was allowed to breathe much more quickly in this dungeon.

In the past, if she took off the magical amulet that Heather gave her, she would have choked from the mana pressure. Now, she didn’t feel as stifling as before. It was like she could breathe again.

Her hand went across her necklace that Heather gave. Grabbing it, she yanked it off her chest.

With a snap, the round beads broke apart, falling onto the very ground. Snow could feel the magical flow from the necklace dissipate, but that didn’t bother her at all.

She felt sane. Alive.

“Thank you, Heather.” Snow whispered. She brought it up to her forehead. Its metallic cold bead touched warmed her, giving her a sense of peace. She closed her eyes. Silently, taking in the energy that was leftover as she felt her friend’s energy still residing in it.

Opening her eyes, she placed the necklace away.

It took a moment for her to stretch, letting her muscle loose. She was getting ready for the fight that was going to come. She didn’t want to stay behind the walls and hide in it forever. She wanted to go out.

Already, she was feeling the jitters of excitement that she couldn’t contain.

Once again, she took a good look at the field before her. The destruction of the monsters were

apparent, but they didn’t stop as they rushed towards the gate in fever. But, what made her enjoy the moment and reveal in her sense of present was just being there.

She clasped her hand in a quick, silent prayer of gratitude to both the god of Light and Darkness and the will to protect her best friend: a purpose.

With a giant leap, she jumped down to the bottom of the stairs. Her gaze brightens as the world around her seems to sharpen. She could hear the boom and the crackle of the electric energy that sizzled on the barrier.

The Players and Hunters were running back-and-forth, bringing up the extra-large shells for the mechanized canons. They grunted and huffed, moving it with great care. Their fingers quickly punched in the codes, opening up the very top, allowing them to slide it into the cannon itself. With a loud clunk, it closes with a whirl and aims towards the direction of the shooting Gem Beasts.

A heavy stank of gunpowder went off, firing the bomb into a beautiful arc while spitting out the shell. It splashed into the crystal walls, which it blew up with roaring fires.

The mechanized cannon kept going off in its own little beat, while the Players shot arrows, magic and even threw whatever they could to stop the attack. Each time the cannon went off and killed a dozen of monsters, the Players cheered.

But it wasn’t enough. New monsters took its place from behind the fogs, replenishing the ones that had fallen. Eventually, the three guild leaders decided to engage head-on, knowing full well that this could be the end.

Snow headed straight for the gate, where hundreds of Players were waiting to be let out. So far, there weren’t any outside the very walls. They were all waiting for the call.

She knew that this wasn’t the time to dilly dally, the barrier energy was depleting fast and hoping that the barrier wouldn’t fall.

“Hey Ms. Snow.” Tommy spoke from behind her with a big smile on his face, happy to see Snow near him.

Snow glanced up at his bulky body, she always felt small under his height. Almost like a shadow. Even his large, bulky weapon that he now had strapped to his back made him even more significant.

“Tommy, glad to see you here,” Snow replied. She took a good look at him and realized that she felt him grow a lot stronger than the last time she had seen him. It has been over a few weeks as they were busy playing their own part in this war that they barely even got to say hi.

“Hi, Ms. Snow,” said Tamaki.

Snow noticed Tamaki had two swords. One of his swords was a lot longer than usual, she couldn’t help but realize that Tamaki had changed and grown. There was a silent ferocity behind their gazes, giving them a predatory feel.

“Hey, Tamaki,” Snow acknowledged. “Good to see you here as well.”

“You as well,” said Tamaki. “I was waiting for the gates to open to try out my new sword.”

“An upgrade?” Snow asked, “Though it seems a bit long for a katana.”

Tamaki gently patted the hilt of his sword. A wide grin appeared with a confident gaze that roared with life and excitement. “Yes, it’s something I wanted to try since I came here. What better time to work on my sword techniques.”

Snow wasn’t sure this was the perfect time to be practicing sword techniques, mostly because this was a life or death battle. She didn’t understand Tamaki and Tommy’s battle-ready mind, but she knew the feeling of getting better and growing to one’s potential.

“Don’t worry, Ms. Snow. I’ll be okay.” Tamaki assured her, but Snow couldn’t let worry bother her.

Tommy moved in, almost pushing both Tamaki and Snow forward into the crowd.

“Where are the two boys?” Tommy asked, he scanned around but couldn’t find the two.

“Boys?” Snow caught herself before she went headfirst into someone’s shoulder. She

straightened up.

“Dairen and Mike.”

“Ah, them. They are up on the wall.” Snow motioned her head up to the wall. Where Dairen and Mike were directing their groups in a long-range attack.

The gate groaned open, allowing everyone to rush out with vigor.

“Good hunting, Snow,” Tommy replied with a boisterous laugh that echoed with glee. He was excited to go outside the walls and kill some more monsters.

“You as well.” Snow shouted back. She saw both of them squeezed to the front, leaving her in the back.

The crowd roared with excitement, raising their weapons in the air as they crashed into the Gem Beasts. It was a bloodbath.

Snow couldn’t help but be pulled by the excitement of the Player’s vigor. She too roared alongside them. Her blood was pumping, getting her into an adrenaline high. Her helmet slink on.

She was ready to kill.