Isaac

A quick glance at the room Ice King had entered yields nothing. Judging by my earlier observation of the room's sealed state, he's probably unaware of what is currently going on out here. This means I am on my own.

Turning back to face my assailants, I discover that in the brief moment I had looked away, they had vanished. Upon making that discovery, a single thought pops into my head: one of them can use illusions. The skills of the various Major and Minor courts are something the Laen strives to keep secret, but that doesn't stop the Erhaz from trying to recreate them with mixed degrees of success. It seems one of my assailants is one such person. Either that or he managed to acquire the necessary knowledge from someone else.

Acting fast, I use Leap to teleport through a hole to the floor below, then I start running. As I do so, I spread out my Uua and will, using them instead of my senses to perceive my environment. A picture of my surroundings begins to form in my mind, and with it, I am able to locate my assailants. Three are chasing me, though I can neither see nor hear them, and one remains standing on the floor I just left. Most likely, the one that is alone is the Illusionist.

First target acquired. Using the telekinetic noer to give me a boost, I leap into the air as I turn around, then I open my third eye. I hurriedly convert the Eani gushing towards me into Uua, while at the same time activating all the Uua I had released earlier. I use it to summon Hilla's barrier around my three pursuers, before supplementing it with the Uua I had just created. That should keep them out of the fight for a few seconds, just enough time for me to begin going after my true target, the Illusionist.

I use Leap multiple times to quickly traverse to where I had sensed the Illusionist. Then, making sure not to get too close since I had used up my Uua earlier and couldn't sense anything, I unleash a punch amplified and transported by the telekinetic noer. It flies and connects, slamming someone into a wall, and the next moment my assailants reappear. Looking at the Illusionist lying slumped against a wall, I can't help but think that I might have amplified that punch a bit too much.

That's the problem with people who specialize in Illusions; a lot of them don't focus enough on improving their attack power and defenses, which leads to situations like these where they can be easily taken down. Still, in the right place, with the right group, Illusionists can be terrifying since they can quickly make a person doubt their senses. Something that can easily prove disastrous since fighting a fight where you can't trust anything you see, hear, smell, or even touch is a surefire way to lose. That's why I decided to take him out first, even though he's not as skilled as those in the Laen.

Suddenly, the floor beneath me gives way. As I fall, I see one of my three pursuers swing his arm and unleash an arc of Uua aimed at my torso. I have no time to be surprised; if I don't react fast to this threat, then I am going to die. Raising an arm, I unleash a blast of telekinesis that pushes me to the side. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough distance between me and the attack to give me time to move completely out of its way. The arc missed my torso but not my outstretched arm.

It cuts almost bone-deep before I manage to focus enough Uua around my arm to get rid of the arc. I hit the ground heavily and reflexively try to use my arms to brace myself when I am hit by an all-consuming pain. My mouth drops open as I struggle to breathe, but my lungs refuse to work. The outer sides of my vision darken rapidly and threaten to cover everything. Some unconscious part of me knows what to do and moves my injured arm. The pain reduces, and I slump to the ground, panting as tears form in my eyes.

From the corner of my vision, I see one of my assailants punch air. My heart chills. Despite me lying incapacitated and not having severely injured any of them, they still choose to attack. That can only mean one thing: they intend to kill me and clearly do not care about the consequences like others might have.

I barely have time to create a barrier when an invisible force slams into it and shatters it. My hasty barrier couldn't stop it, but it weakened it enough that what reached me just pushes me back against a wall. Through it all, they keep moving and are almost on me.

This is not the time to hesitate. I can't die here. I open my third eye. The pain in my arm turns into a dull ache.

I use telekinesis to raise my body into the air, then I raise my good hand. Without hesitation, I use up all my Uua while simultaneously transforming all Eani near me into Uua and use all that to unleash a flood of uncontrolled force. There is a loud roar as the force tears apart everything in front of me, blasting away everything in its path.

I turn off my third eye and sink to the ground, staring at the destruction in front of me. There is a large trench in the ground in front of me as well as a massive hole in the side of the building I was facing, where the force had hit.

Cradling my injured arm, I rest on the wall behind me and begin to control my breathing in a futile attempt to reduce the pain. Feeling exhausted, I want nothing more than to curl up and close my eyes, but I can't afford to do that. I have no idea if my last attack had truly taken out my assailants. And if it hadn't and I let my guard down, well… goodbye, Drew.

An unknown amount of time passes as I sit there, trying not to let the pain overwhelm me. When the floor above me explodes, I flinch, instinctively summoning Hilla's Barrier before looking up. Ice King flies over my head before landing on the ground not far from me. He straightens just as Ascendant lands in front of him.

Ice King glances at me, and his eyes narrow as he notices my state. Then his expression turns cold as he turns to face Ascendant. "Last chance, back down!"

In response, Ascendant attacks. Four dark tendrils of energy grow from his back and lash out at Ice King, and upon seeing that, I realize who we are dealing with. Isaac. He is a fairly popular Ascendant and easily recognizable by his fighting style: four dark tentacles and some mastery over gravity. While it doesn't sound like much, those tentacles are terrifying weapons. Each one has superhuman strength, can be used as conduits for his Uua, and is extremely durable. Offense, defense, range, they provide it all.

My heart clenched when one of the tentacles struck Ice King's stomach. However, my anxiety eased as Ice King shattered into shards of ice. His voice whispered in my ears, "Don't intervene; I've got this." He reappeared behind Isaac, wielding a sword. Clad in Laen robes, his bangs parted to reveal a gem on his forehead glowing with a faint red light.