Kyrie looked at the adventurers. Everyone was lying down. Everyone was tired. The trial of endurance was really the trial of endurance. It took a lot out of everyone, even her. She messaged her arm. She had not shot so many arrows so fast in her life. Not even during any demonic invasions. Here she had to do to ensure the survival of her teammates.

“Water?” someone inquired beside her. Kyrie recognized who it was.

Kyrie rolled her eyes at Selena as she said, “There is a pool in the cavern, which for some reason is increasing in size. Water is trickling into the cavern from somewhere and not flowing out at a fast rate. I absorb water. I drink potions.”

“So, can you drink water or not? And do you want to drink the water? I was simply offering. No need to be rude”, said Selena.

Kyrie sighed and said, “I was not being rude. I was being…” she stopped at the look on Selena’s face and said, “Jerk.”

Selena laughed. Kyrie did not take the water from Selena. She would be taking a dip in the pool later. It would refresh her. It was a natural water source after all, away from the residential towns, villages or cities.

Kyrie checked her notifications. She had gained 10,000 experience points. She had killed some of the enemies and helped in killing many of them and also the death knight, and she got such measly experience. It seemed that killing demons was more lucrative.

She had leveled up once with the experience she had received. She put both her points in dexterity.

The adventurers rested that evening. No one did any exercises or light sparring either.

The next morning was the time for the sixth trial. The sixth trial was the Trial of Memory.

Kyrie muttered, “Great! It is going to be a stupid game of sorts. I tell you.”

Kyrie was right. It was a game. An aspect of the labyrinth arrived and had a screen in front of the adventurers. The screen showed 50 by 50 square tiles about a couple of inches long. If you touched one, it flipped and showed the image of a creature or a piece of equipment. Touching another tile flipped the second tile showing another image. The two images had to match. That kept their tiles turned permanently. Each adventurer was given a minute to solve the game. You had to be fast and have a good memory to finish the game.

Tamara went first. She managed to upturn 30 tiles before her timer ran up. Then Tanniv tried. He managed 24 tiles. The images changed position between tries. You could not rely on the positions as per the last try. That was frustrating.

After Tanniv, Vladimir tried, and he got 20 tiles. Then Clio tried and got 46 tiles. She was so close. Selena tried and got 48 tiles. She was just going to touch the last two tiles when her timer ran out. She swore a lot.

After Selena, Kenirath tried and got 40 tiles. Ivan got 22 tiles. It was Tim who finally solved it. And he did it with 10 seconds to spare. Everyone cheered as the aspect disappeared and plinth appeared again. Tanniv confirmed again, the seventh trial was the next day.

The team of adventurers played a game that day. It was a simple game, a game of tag but everyone enjoyed it. Initially they had a rule that they would not be using spells or any other abilities that would give them an edge over other adventurers. Over the course of the games, the rule was forgotten and there was chaos and pandemonium. Tamara seemed to enjoy this chaos the most. Kyrie enjoyed the game too.

The next day dawned, and it was time for a new trial. This was getting boring for Kyrie. The trials, the quest for the spell, killing all the enemies was good and all, but she yearned for a good fight against another adventurer. She was starting to miss the arena. She wanted to get out of the cavern and go back to Chargrine. She wanted to fight in the new bracket of level 50 to 60. Maybe she could consider an alternative. Her fight with Marcus on Atop hill gave her an idea. She would consider it later.

The seventh trial was the Trial of Wisdom. Now what new hell would this unleash?

This time a sphinx appeared in the cavern.

Garama the Sphinx

Level 275, Health ??? / ???

Tamara approached the sphinx.

“Welcome adventurers”, said Garama, “You have faced many trials in the labyrinth. However, this might be the toughest for you. You face me and I ask you a question. You answer right, you survive. You answer wrong. You die. You can choose not to answer but then you shall receive a curse from me which would last till the end of the trials. Who wishes to take the trial first?”

Tamara asked, “If one of us passes then the trial is over?”

Garama shook her head, “It is not that simple. Each one of you needs to take this trial. Answer right, wrong or give no answer. Only after each one of you has undergone the trial, will the trial be complete.”

Selena said besides Kyrie, “Ooh, this does not look good.”

Kyrie said, “I hope Tamara does not do anything stupid like attack the sphinx directly. I mean I cannot even see the health points.”

Mikhail said, “Tamara is not that stupid. I hope. She enjoys chaos but she does choose her battles carefully.”

“An apt analysis, I think”, said Shania.

The others were muttering too when Tanniv shouted, “Quiet please. We are each going to take the sphinx’s trial. Get ready. Tamara is going first. You can go as you like, or we could form a queue.”

“No one is forming a gorking queue, you gorking arsehead”, said Kenirath.

Tanniv simply shook his head and gave a deep sigh. A queue made sense to Kyrie, but no one was interested in the prospect of the queue. So, they waited as Tamara went first. The sphinx asked her something which the others could not hear. The minutes passed as Tamara simply stood there, thinking. Finally, she gave an answer.

Garama nodded and said out loud, “Correct. Next adventurer please.”

Tanniv went up to Garama as Tamara came to the rest of the adventurers. They asked her what the sphinx had asked but Tamara said, “It’s a personal question. I don’t want to share it. You will have your turn. Answer truthfully and you will be alright.”

Kyrie frowned at that. Personal question. Trial of wisdom. Was this some sort of a test where you have to dig your internal feelings and answer with your heart and soul or something like that. It could be a bit irritating, if not problematic.

Kyrie watched Tanniv but she could not hear what was being said. It seemed that the question or the riddle of the sphinx was for that adventurer alone who was giving the trial. The others would not be able to hear what was going on.

Kyrie went fifth. She really wanted to get this over with and waiting was not her forte.

Garama said, “Kyrie Shiningstar. The only adventuring water nymph. Answer this question right and you pass your trial.”

Kyrie nodded, “Go ahead.”

“Kyrie Shiningstar”, said Garama in a serious tone, “Why do you fight? Think well and answer.”

Kyrie replied, “A question before I answer. How would you judge the right answer? I mean I can just say I fight because I like it and it is an answer. Do you think it is right? Or is there some other criteria for judging the answer?”

“The answer that comes from the depths of your soul is the right answer.”

“But wouldn’t that be subjective? Will you be able to judge fairly because of that?”

Garama had a deadly glint in its eyes as it spoke, “My judgement is fair. Do not question it. Now, are you going to answer or not? Why do you fight, Kyrie Shiningstar?”

Kyrie did not even need to dig deep to tell the answer. She looked dead into Garama’s eyes and said, “Because I can.”

“That is a part of the answer.”

Kyrie said, “And I like to be the best.”

“Short and sweet. And correct. It seems that you have introspected yourself well.”

“All nymphs do”, said Kyrie, “It is our rite to adulthood.”

Kyrie walked away from Garama and went to the pool. She somehow felt angry. She needed to cool off in the pool before interacting with anyone else otherwise she was afraid that she would snap at them.

Kyrie came out after all the adventurers were finished with the trial. She walked up to Tamara. She had decided. She was going along with her plan.

“Hey Tamara”, said Kyrie, “Can I talk with you for a second?”

Tamara said, “What is it, Kyrie?”

“Want to fight me? A friendly match. Not till death. But the loser will be the one who gets five hits first. Or one who gives up first. What do you say?”

Tamara snorted and said, “You want to fight me?”

“Yes.”

“Are you mad?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“There is no adventurer versus adventurer in the labyrinth.”

Tamara started to laugh. She said, “Your health is low. I can kill you in single hit.”

“I was thinking you could fight with a handicap. You do not use your sword. Just your shield”, said Kyrie.

Tamara was thoughtful. Then she said, “Okay.”

The news spread fast. A part of the cavern was cleared for the two adventurers so that they could fight. Tanniv and Shania drew a long line in the floor of the cavern making it the border of the fighting area. If Kyrie or Tamara crossed this line, they would lose.

Kyrie and Tamara readied themselves. They both took positions in the temporary fighting arena. Kyrie readied her bow and looked at Tamara who had her shield raised. Tamara was grinning. Kyrie smiled too. This feeling. Fighting another adventurer. It was exhilarating.

Tanniv shouted, “Begin.”

Tamara exploded into motion. She held her shield up as she charged Kyrie. Kyrie waited patiently. She knew if she shot an arrow now she would not hit Tamara. Then she observed something, and she grinned.

Kyrie nocked an arrow and shot it at Tamara’s feet. The charging elf didn't even realize the arrow hitting her legs. She did not even stumble but kept charging forwards.

However, Tanniv shouted, “One point to Kyrie.”

Tamara ignored it and kept on charging. She came up to Kyrie and punched her. Kyrie jumped over Tamara, shooting arrows while doing so. Even though Tamara had been attacking, she moved fast, her shield blocking each of Kyrie’s shot arrows. Kyrie landed and Tamara turned and punched her again. This time the punch connected.

Kyrie was thrown back. She lost 150 points of health. She held up her hand and said, “Wait.”

Tamara waited, confused. Kyrie downed a health potion and said, “Can you hit less? I mean, that punch took away 150 points of my health.”

Tamara said, “What is hit less? I will try to reign in my punches but considering my statistics, I have a feeling that the damage each time would be in that range. A better strategy would be to not get hit.”

Kyrie thought about it. Okay. She simply had to roll with it.

Tanniv asked, “Are you okay to continue?”

Kyrie nodded. Tamara said yes. Tanniv said, “Continue then.”

Tamara charged again; her shield raised up. Kyrie started to run backwards, shooting arrows at Tamara’s legs. However, Tamara was aware about that, and she used her shield effectively to block it. Kyrie needed an opening.

Kyrie stopped and cast [Power Shot]. It took her 2 seconds to cast it while Tamara closed in the distance. The [Power Shot] arrow was released. It hit Tamara’s shield. The shield wobbled a bit. Tamara stumbled and Kyrie shot another arrow hitting Tamara. Then she dodged Tamara’s attack and started to run again.

Tamara swore and ran after Kyrie. And so started a game of cat and mouse. Kyrie ran and shot arrows which were defended by Tamara with her shield. Tamara tried to close in the distance and get a hit. Kyrie could see that Tamara was getting frustrated. She also knew that if Tamara would get pissed off and cast a spell, she could one shot Kyrie. And so Tamara had to hold back. Even then it was still tough for Kyrie to fight Tamara.

Kyrie found herself against the cavern wall soon. Tamara closed in and punched her. Kyrie dodged at the last moment and shot an arrow at Tamara’s hand. The arrow hit but Kyrie could not dodge Tamara’s hand in time as it hit her. She was again thrown back.

The fight paused as Kyrie had to drink another health potion. The score was now Tamara at 2 hits and Kyrie at 3 hits. This was fun for Kyrie.

They began again. This time Tamara changed her strategy. She jumped high in the air and brought her shield down. Kyrie attacked but Tamara blocked all the arrows. The shield slammed into the ground and the tremor shook Kyrie. Tamara took this opportunity to get near Kyrie and punch her.

Kyrie however regained her footing and twirled away from the attack. She raised her bow and shot Tamara right in the head. But she received a kick from Tamara, damaging her again. Kyrie downed another health potion and the fight continued.

Kyrie now only needed one point to win while Tamara needed two. Tamara threw a small rock at Kyrie which hit her for about 50 points of damage. Kyrie was so surprised at this she had not even dodged it.

Tamara laughed as Kyrie now shot arrow after arrow at Tamara. The score was tied. Kyrie wanted to win. Tamara now advanced again. As she got close, Tamara threw her shield towards Kyrie. Kyrie avoided the shield, but Tamara had come right up to her. Kyrie saw the punch slowly coming towards her face. She knew she would not be able to right herself in time to dodge it. She closed her eyes as she got punched.

It was over. Kyrie had lost. She grinned as she drowned another potion.

Kyrie said, “Thank you for the fight. That was fun and educational.”

Tamara said, “Oh, I wish you level up fast. I really want to fight you now at max level.”

Kyrie said, “We have a deal then. When I get to max level and you are still adventuring around, we shall have a proper fight.”

Tamara laughed at that. The other adventurers soon gathered around them discussing the fight. They were impressed with how Kyrie held against Tamara, considering their level difference.

That evening, the adventurers were still talking about the fight as if it was the most exciting thing that they had ever seen. Kyrie was feeling satisfied now. She would get Tamara back. She just had to level up. Maybe she should fight Tanniv next if he agrees.

Inspired by Kyrie and Tamara’s fight, the other adventurers held similar fights. However, Tanniv explained that there would not be many fights that day and they needed to stop on time so as to rest of the trial next day.

Kyrie enjoyed watching the others fight. Tanniv did not let any adventurer have more than one fight, but it was okay. Kyrie slept satisfied that night.

The next morning dawned and with it came the eight trial, the Trial of Patience. Five adventurers had to meditate for five hours straight to pass the trial. Tanniv, Mikhail, Vladimir, Ivan and Victor underwent the trial while the other adventurers simply passed the time.

After the trial, there were more fights and that day Kyrie fought against Selena and won this time. Selena looked grumpy after their fight. She came around by dinner time though.

Selena asked Kyrie during dinner, “How is your health potion supply? You did use some of them during your fight against Tamara and me.”

Kyrie checked her stock and said, “I am well covered. Marcus always makes me buy excessive stock. He says that if we are going on a long expedition then we should have a stock of items which is double the requirement of that expedition.”

Selena thought for some time and said, “He is always well prepared, isn’t he?”

“Yes he is.”

“Not prepared for everything though.”

“Yes, not prepared for everything though. He did tell me that it was impossible to be prepared for everything. But it would be good to be prepared for things which have a high probability of occurring.”

They ate in silence after that. The next day brought the ninth trial, the Trial of Charisma. This, according to Kyrie, was the most amusing trial of all. The aspect of labyrinth had come for the trial. In this trial, the adventurers had to convince the aspect to let them pass the trial. They could use any means necessary except for violence.

Kyrie watched as several of her teammates tried to convince the aspect to pass the trial. They all failed. Some offered bribes, some threatened the aspect, some tried to make deals and some even tried to seduce the aspect. It was entertaining to watch.

Kyrie did not participate in the trial. She was not sure she would be able to convince the aspect. She wondered if Marcus would have been able to do so.

Finally, the Bloody Hounds together went up to the aspect and started whispering something to it. No one could catch what they were saying. If someone tried to approach, Mikhail waved them back.

Some time later they straightened up and the aspect said, “You have passed the trial.”

The aspect of the labyrinth disappeared. Everyone asked the Bloody Hounds what they had talked about.

Ivan simply said, “We do not kiss and tell.”

And that was that. They got no more answers from the Bloody Hounds.

The next day dawned. It was the day of the final trial. Everyone waited with bated breath as Tamara approached the plinth.

“It is the Trial of Absurdity”, said Tamara with a frown.

“What the gork does that mean?” asked Selena. Others had similar reactions.

The next moment the space around Kyrie distorted. One moment she had been standing in the cavern, the next she found herself standing in an area filled with colors. The colors were moving and there were many. She felt a bit nauseous looking at them.

Kyrie looked around. She wondered what she had to do. A path opened up. It felt like a path as it was black in all of the colors. She followed it. She checked her notifications as she walked. It read,

Clear the Trial of Absurdity

That was all. She did not like it. She walked for some time but could see no end. She looked back. The blackness had disappeared. It was all color. She tried to go back but could not pass through the colors.

What was she supposed to do? Just walk the black path?

Kyrie looked at the colors. They were now moving in a wavy pattern. She then looked at the black color. It was going straight, cutting through the wavy colors. Kyrie groaned and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened them. Nothing had changed. She decided to walk on the black path. That was her only option for now.

After walking for some time she found a fork in the black path.

She groaned, “This is absurd. Oh! The trial name. Makes sense now.”

She thought of what to do. Should she take the left black path or the right black path? She shot an arrow in both the paths. Nothing happened. The arrows disappeared.

Kyrie looked back. The path back was still missing. She wondered what to do. Then she had an idea. She shot arrows at the colors. Nothing happened. The colors still continued to swirl and wave. They still had the nauseating effect on Kyrie.

Kyrie finally took the left black path. It opened into more blackness and soon the colors had disappeared. Now she was walking in blackness. There was nothing except the blackness.

Kyrie groaned. She did not sign up for this. She just wanted to get out of this. She started to walk and she hit something. She fell down. Okay. What now?

A blue path appeared. Then a green path. Then a red path. Then a yellow path and finally an orange path. They shone brightly in the darkness. Kyrie looked at the colorful paths originating around her and disappearing into the blackness.

Kyrie thought hard. There had to be something which would help her pass the trial. This was the trial of absurdity. Maybe an absurd solution would help. Kyrie thought about it. What could be an absurd solution in this case?

Kyrie decided to close her eyes. She spun around and just started to walk. She did not care if she was walking on a color or not. She just kept walking till there was a light so bright that even with closed eyes she could feel it.

So, Kyrie did the most absurd thing that she could think of at that moment. She started to walk away from the light. Her eyes were still closed. She started to hop and skip as she walked.

Suddenly she stumbled and she fell down. She felt a rock beneath her. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in the cavern. She looked around the cavern to see Tamara and Tanniv standing. They walked up to her.

“Are you alright”, said Tanniv offering his paw.

Kyrie took it and stood up. She said, “I am fine. What was that trial?”

“The trial of absurdity”, replied Tamara.

“I know”, said Kyrie, “but it was a ridiculous trial.”

“Hence the name.”

Kyrie looked around. She could see no other adventurer.

“No one else seems to have passed”, said Tamara, “I was the first. Then Tanniv and now you. I am impressed. You passed it fast.”

“Thank you”, Kyrie did not know whether Tamara was complimenting her or not. Her tone seemed a bit off to Kyrie.

They waited. It took quite some time for other adventurers to pass the trial. Whenever someone passed, they simply appeared in the cavern. Tamara and Tanniv checked up on each one of them. Kyrie thought that those two were really good.

It took about five hours after Kyrie had passed the trial for the rest of the adventurers to pass the trial. Tim was the last to pass it. He looked really frustrated when he appeared.

It was done now. They had completed all the ten trials. The plinth disappeared and the aspect of labyrinth appeared.

The aspect said, “Congratulations adventurers on passing the trial. The way forward is open to you.”

The wall behind the pool split open revealing a door. They all walked up to it. The pool water was shallow for everyone to walk through. Tamara opened the door. There was a narrow passage in which a maximum of two people could walk abreast comfortably.

They walked through the passage and entered a room with a resurrection stone, a fountain with green liquid and a pool with blue water. A room for resting. All of them set their respawn points at the resurrection stone. The green liquid healed them and refreshed them. The blue liquid restored their mana and gave a faint buzz of energy. Kyrie knew the purpose of the room. They were going to face a tough enemy in the next room.

The adventurers rested for some time in the room before deciding to go forward. They knew that they would be facing a guardian in the next room. They had to be ready for a tough fight.

The adventurers hardly talked. The atmosphere was tense. Kyrie could feel the nervousness of the others.

Tamara stood up and said, “It is time guys. Let’s go smash this guardian shall we?”

A chorus of cheers sounded in the group and they all stood up. Tamara opened the door and they walked into the room.

The room was another huge cavern. It was circular in shape and filled with water. There was ground near the walls about six feet long surrounding the water. There was a short path from the entrance which led to another circular ground in the middle of the water. The second circle in the center was about ten feet in diameter. This was going to be a water fight. Good for Kyrie but she was not sure about the others.

Tamara said, “Spread out. Keep your eyes peeled.”

The adventurers split themselves and started walking on the ground near the walls, keeping away from the water. Tamara and Tanniv walked in the middle, towards the central circular platform. Kyrie remained where she was, near the water, her bow ready for any threats. The other adventurers had their weapons out too.

When Tamara and Tanniv reached the platform, a shape rose out of the water and splashed itself on the platform. Tamara and Tanniv stepped back, out of the way of the deluge.

Kyrie examined the Guardian.

Water Elemental

Guardian Level 180

Health 150,000 / 150,000

“This is so good”, said Kyrie to herself. This was a fight made for her if she had been a higher level adventurer. But, she was only level 56.

The water elemental looked like a human from the top and had the body of a thick snake from the waist down. The arms of the elemental were long and spindly while the face contained only one hollow spot which was in the center of the face.

Tamara and Tanniv charged. They slashed at the elemental and hardly did any damage. This was not surprising. This was a water elemental. Hitting its form would not do much damage. You had to damage the core.

Kyrie searched for it. There. Near the waist where the tail started. The core was multi-surfaced with spikes pulsating out of it. It was slightly more bluish than the elemental and you had to carefully look at it to identify it as the core. Kyrie looked around, wanting to draw the attention of others towards the core. But, they all seemed to be focused on the elemental. Kyrie tried to shout but her shout was drowned out by Tamara’s cry of “Attack!”

Only somehow Selena heard Kyrie and she looked at her. Kyrie pointed towards the core and shouted, “Attack the core.”

Kyrie and Selena both nocked arrows and shot at the core. Their arrows were stopped by the water around the core.

Kyrie cast [Power Shot] and shot another arrow. This time, the arrow struck the core. This made the elemental lose 200 points of damage. The second arrow from Selena also struck, making the elemental lose 500 points of damage.

Tanniv looked towards them. Kyrie and Selena both pointed and shouted, “The core!”

Tanniv seemed to get the message. He attacked the core while Tamara defended herself from the elemental’s attack, getting wet in the process.

Soon the message was passed to the other adventurers. They started attacking the core. It was difficult because of the water surrounding it and the elemental trying to kill them but the adventurers persevered.

Slowly and steadily, they began to attack the core and reduce the elemental’s health. Kyrie attacked too but she did not do much damage. However, she helped in another way. She observed that the other adventurers were falling in the water and it was taking some time for them to get back on the ground. That led them exposed to the elemental’s attacks and also the adventurers in water led to lost opportunities to attack the elemental.

So, Kyrie unequipped all her gear and dived in the water. She took her water form and every time an adventurer fell into the water, she swam for them fast, lifted them up and put them on the ground. She did not attack but helped everyone in this way. She was fast and she managed to dodge all of the elemental’s attacks.

The elemental soon realized what Kyrie was doing. It dove in the water and lashed at Kyrie. Kyrie swam towards the bottom but realized it was very deep. Moreover, going to the bottom would not help. So, she dodged another of the elemental’s attacks and swam towards the surface. She could feel the elemental following her because of the difference in the water around her. The water elemental controlled felt different than normal water. That did not mean the elemental was not able to control the normal water, but it did have its separate water which nourished it.

Kyrie broke out of the water and she flew over Tamara and Tanniv. She shouted, “Incoming”, as the water elemental came after her. Tanniv slashed at the core with a powerful attack causing the elemental to stagger and stop chasing Kyrie.

Half of the elemental’s health was gone and it was now at 74,576 points of health. It screamed from the hollow on its face, a howl so loud that the cavern shook and the water splashed all around drenching everybody.

The temperature started to drop and Kyrie could see that the water was turning to ice. The elemental also changed, its body hardening from water to ice. Kyrie jumped out of the water and equipped everything back. She shot arrow after arrow at the core but it was proving ineffective. She was shivering. The others were too.

That was when Tamara cast the spell. Her sword caught fire. It was not a normal fire. It was blue and it burnt with such intensity that even from a distance Kyrie could feel its intensity. She stepped back. A regeneration spell was cast on her. She had not even realized that the flame, even at such a distance, was damaging her.

Tamara charged and cut through the ice, cut through the core and landed on the other side. She had done about 50,000 points of damage with just one shot. The ice melted. The water elemental screamed again and tendrils of water shot from it. The tendrils grabbed each of the adventurers and pinned them to the cavern wall. They all squirmed but none was able to get out. Kyrie was the only one who managed to slip out of the attack.

Kyrie watched in horror as at the beginning of the tendril a sharp ice spike began to form. It was mere moments away from shooting straight at the adventurers. Kyrie observed something. The elemental was manipulating normal water to form the ice. Kyrie gritted her teeth and unequipped her equipment. Then she dove into the water. If it was water manipulation, then she was going to battle against the elemental.

Kyrie closed her eyes and focused, her awareness and her body slipping into the water. She soon became one with the water. She did not know where Kyrie ended and where the water began. She sensed the water being collected by the elemental. She felt the ice being formed. She willed the water to stop and it stopped. The ice continued to form with the water that had been gathered.

Kyrie sensed the elemental’s confusion. Then it howled when it realized what had happened. Kyrie felt the tug of the elemental’s will and there was a struggle of the wills. The elemental fought to absorb the water while Kyrie fought to keep it in the pool itself. Their struggle caused the water to rise and fall in the pool. The icicles had already been well developed and they could cause much damage. Kyrie could sense the elemental’s will to launch them into the struggling adventurers.

Kyrie focused again and called to the icicles. Slowly and steadily, they began to turn till they were facing the elemental’s core. Kyrie was being stretched out. Here she was, fighting a battle for the control of water, the control of the icicle and maintaining a form so that she did not dissipate into water. She knew the risks of becoming one with the water. If she was not careful then she would become a part of the water forever. Not dead. Just water.

Kyrie put all her mind into the icicles and she shot them towards the core. Each of the icicles penetrated the core, cracking it. A sharp whistling sound filled the cavern and then the core shattered. The elemental was dead.

The adventurers fell down from the cavern walls that they were pinned to. She had done it. She had saved them. She had killed the adventurers. But this had taken a toll on her. She was slipping away. Wisps of her essence were floating away from her.

Kyrie focused but she was tired. She felt the call of the water, her warm embrace soothing her, telling her to rest.

As more of her essence floated away she thought she heard voices calling her. She did not know who would call her. She was merely water after all.

Her last thought as she drifted away was, I am one with the water.