After I had abandoned my friend to his fate and ran away, my thoughts were suddenly intruded upon by a haunting vision of the past. I was back to the moment I realized that I was trapped in Spirotree, and would never see my home again. Despite the death-defying retreat that I had just survived, my entire body felt cold. I felt no fear, just an absolute hollowness that could never be filled. I turned to my brother seeking solidarity, but what I in him was exhilaration and contentment. And now years later, with that thought of my impetuous little brother, Farore, who had led us into this forsaken place with his insatiable lust for danger, that feeling of emptiness had just grown larger.

Farore, much like a moth drawn to a deadly flame, had always been captivated by danger. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't deter him from plunging into perilous situations. And when he discovered a mysterious portal, his curiosity knew no bounds. Like a loyal shadow, I followed him, only to find ourselves stranded, the portal guarded by sinister Grimms who refused to let us leave. Farore's curiosity had once again plunged us into darkness, and it was up to me to protect him from the consequences of his own actions.

Our journey through this forsaken land was fraught with the stuff of nightmares, and hope seemed a distant, fleeting memory. It wasn't long before my brother caught the attention of Slime, an especially cunning and malevolent Grimm. This vile creature ensnared Farore in its clutches, using him as a pawn to bend me to its will. Desperation gnawed at my very being, leaving me no choice but to betray the humans I had come to call friends.

As I teetered on the brink of this dreadful choice, I felt torn between my responsibility to Farore and the loyalty I owed the Faraday Kids. My heart bled, burdened by the knowledge that no matter which path I took, a part of me would be left behind. And so, I trod a delicate path, a marionette to Slime's sinister whims, praying that somehow, my friends would be able to defeat whatever machinations I had unwittingly put into motion.

The memories swirling in my mind clung to Lyn, my little heroine. I would save her, even if I knew I didn't deserve her friendship. She wasn’t a coward like me, but she also was nothing like Farore either. When I offered to run away with her, her heart wavered. She was a lost little human girl, separated from her mother, but she conquered that fear and the resulting fire in her eyes as she rallied Geddes and Jade to survive and leave Spirotree, was enough for me to dream as well. Her zeal was unwavering, a beacon of hope amidst the darkness. But I could never go with her, because it was me who had separated her from her mother in the first place.

Just days earlier, Slime had summoned me amidst my foraging for materials to bolster my hideout. Its command was clear: seek out a hidden pocket dimension at the fringes of its realm, where I would find two humans. My task was to teleport the golden-haired girl into the Grimm's territory, ensure the pocket dimension would withstand for several days, and then guide her to the Faraday Kids.

The puzzle laid before me resembled a tangled web of mismatched pieces, none fitting seamlessly together. The Grimm's scheme appeared no more sinister than a mischievous prank. Abducting a girl merely to release her unscathed? And the pocket dimension—was it a cage for the other human? How could it be, absent a seal to confine her? Confusion reigned, but one truth emerged: I had committed a grave error. The girl I had deceived had evolved from a trusted friend to an unwavering ally. She had even risked her life for mine, and she would never pardon my actions. Nor did I merit her forgiveness.

Soaring over the border of Spike's domain, I found myself above the crumbled remains of a fallen human tower. Below, a labyrinth of debris teemed with monstrous life, a thriving ecosystem of danger. I had constructed a hideaway within the tower, relying on the creatures below to deter any unwanted visitors. The thought of abandoning my brother and fleeing to my refuge crossed my mind, but the sounds of movement from the labyrinth below, no doubt the beginnings of a monster rotation, drove me onward to Slime's market.

As I crossed an unseen boundary, a chilling sensation slithered into my consciousness, forcing an involuntary shudder. The voice of the Grimm echoed within my thoughts—its sentences simple and unadorned, but each word carrying an implicit warning that commands must be obeyed without hesitation.

[Come now, Frisa.]

The stark, commanding words resonated deep within my mind.

[One more task remains.]

An icy shiver raced down my spine. The voice felt alien, intrusive, heightening my unease. The Grimm's command was vague, yet the threat lurking behind it left no room for doubt or defiance. Silencing my fears, I acquiesced to its authority, bound to comply.

***

"Alright, listen up." Jade's voice was firm as she drew a line through the edge of a circle with a piece of chalk. "The null spot is here." She pointed at the circle. "Our objective is to sprint from this point to this one. It's a straight shot—just 400 meters. If we're lucky, we'll reach the other side without any trouble." She said, completely jinxing us.

“And if we’re not lucky?” I asked, a mischievous grin tugging at my lips.

"We run like hell. Weren't you paying attention?" Jade retorted playfully. "The thing is, we're venturing into Slime's territory, and for all we know, it’s waiting for us."

My mind raced back to my previous encounter with the enigmatic Grimm. I had never actually gotten a look at it, but I'd witnessed its handiwork—a projectile of corrosive substance that had melted through a couch like hot magma through butter. Was Slime akin to a sniper, lying in wait to ambush intruders within its null spot?

“What even is this thing?” I asked bluntly.

"To be honest, I don't have a fucking clue," Jade admitted. "Us survivors stopped trying to actually fight the Grimm ages ago. Maybe ten or more years ago, when I was a kid, the adults tried everything—bombs, missiles, you name it. Nothing worked. I’ve never even seen one before, but I’ve heard them, and I have seen what they can do.”

It was a good thing we didn’t need to fight, but why even go through the null spot anyway?

“If things go south, we can escape by heading directly into the burbs." She gestured to our right, then tapped the outer edge of the circle. "But we'd rather avoid that if we can."

“You’d rather avoid the path that doesn’t have a Grimm in it?”

"There’s a shit ton of monsters in the burbs," Jade sighed. "Trust me, it's better if we can just sprint through the null spot and reach the other side. I’ve done it many times, without any trouble, but I’m feeling a bit unlucky today, so I thought I should at least mention it. After we get to the other end of this street, just 400 meters, it's smooth sailing to the overpass." She clapped a hand on my shoulder and exhaled sharply. "Are you ready, Lyn?"

I nodded as mana coursed through my veins, flooding my limbs with newfound strength and agility. A surge of confidence swelled within me. "Just try to keep up, big sis," I teased, giving her a wink.

Without another word, we burst through the alleyway, racing past a series of ominous warning signs that marked the boundary of the null spot, my lips curling into an adrenaline-fueled smile.

As we dashed into the null spot, the atmosphere shifted abruptly. What little color existed under faint starlight above seemed to disappear from our surroundings, leaving behind a lifeless, monochromatic world. The air thickened, stifling our breaths, and an oppressive silence fell, amplifying the pounding of our feet on the cracked pavement.

Jade's breaths came in quick, shallow gasps as we raced through the crumbling landscape, and I could almost feel the weight of her anxiety. "Stay on your toes, Lyn," she murmured, her hushed words charged with tension.

My mana sight flared to life instinctively, revealing a dazzling tapestry of colors and intricate patterns that seemed to emanate from the heart of the null spot. My eyes remained locked on the path ahead, as I easily matched Jade's breakneck pace.

Suddenly, an unsettling pattern flickered across Jade's shirt. It danced erratically before fixing into place. In a split second, I lunged toward her, pulling her out of harm's way as a bottle-sized glob of corrosive slime hurtled past us. The sinister substance struck a nearby wall, dissolving brick and mortar with a menacing hiss.

“I’ve got this, keep running!” I shouted to Jade, who quickly regained her balance, not even bothering to look back to where the projectile had landed. We continued forward, my mana sight enabling me to perceive the intricate patterns and magic circles that materialized on the targets just moments before the acidic slime struck. Quickly, the world around us became a mosaic of ever-shifting colors and lines, allowing me to predict the path of the deadly projectiles.

We zigzagged through the desolate landscape, hearts thundering like war drums, as I guided Jade through the lines and spirals of mana that marked the path of Slime’s projectiles. Gradually, I started to make some sense out of the chaos. The trajectory of the missiles was being guided and adjusted while in flight, the patterns of mana-like lines of flow in a wind tunnel. I started to see a path forward, and we managed to stay one step ahead of the deadly onslaught.

For a fleeting moment, it seemed as if we might reach the edge of the null spot unscathed. But then, as if sensing our hope, countless rays of mana emerged in our direction, and like a sudden bloom of deadly flowers, we were covered in the kaleidoscopic pattern that marked certain death.

"Jade, take cover!" I shouted, tugging her arm and diving behind the crumbling remains of a building. The acidic projectiles rained down like a venomous hailstorm, gnawing at the structures around us. The air grew thick with the acrid scent of dissolving stone and metal.

Huddled in the shadows, Jade's eyes flickered like wildfire between the deadly projectiles and the burbs' beckoning sanctuary. Resolve carved into her face, she clenched her jaw, the words barely escaping her lips over the cacophony. "We can't stay here. Dammit! We’re making a break for the burbs. It's our only shot."

"Alright, big sis," I replied, a wry grin sneaking onto my face amidst the peril. "You know the way."

Hearts thundering, we drew in a deep breath, steeling our resolve before dashing headlong toward the burbs. Weaving through the shower of acidic projectiles, our newfound determination fueled our flight.

We burst through the gap in the storefronts, never daring to look back.

As we crossed into the burbs, I exhaled a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Way to jinx us back there, big sis!" I managed between gasps, a lopsided grin stretching across my face.

The burbs, a teeming, chaotic tangle of crumbled apartments that lie beneath a toppled skyscraper, were a far cry from the eerie stillness of the null spot. Steel beams jutted from the ground like the fangs of some immense, slumbering beast, whose groans and creaking were a sobering reminder of the precarious nature of our refuge.

Jade, doubled over and gasping, looked up at me with a blend of relief and exhaustion. Despite the situation, I couldn't help but chuckle. "You should run more, big sis," I teased, prodding her gently in the shoulder. Truth be told, she was in fantastic shape, easily outlasting Tai-Tai in endurance. But her running form? That left something to be desired.

"Shut it!" she wheezed, a breathless chuckle escaping her lips. "Ya damn Petal Puff."