Calm down… Calm down… She repeated in her head. I can do this! Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind and created a thick sheet of ice around them. That ice wall might have been brittle, but it offered a powerful sense of security. Nassandra finally released the turbid breath in her mouth. The small boy and old lady were naturally very surprised seeing the ice wall. They did not know who Nassandra was, or the fact she was an Arcanist. Therefore, this mysterious event brought more terror than comfort.
"Relax…" Nassandra tried to comfort them, as best she could. "This is my magic. You don't have to be afraid. What's your names?"
"I'm Evylin and this is my grandson Tolin."
"Evylin and Tolin, right? My name is Nassandra Adnire. I'm a Ten Dawn."
"You're that Ten Dawn Nassandra!?" Evylin was stunned. Even Tolin stopped crying.
"I am. My friends are nearby. I promise we're going to get you out of here. Do you trust me?"
"…We do."
"Okay, here's my idea. That monster must have a way to move in and out of these caves, so it must be using the largest tunnel. I can use my magic to create an ice sphere around us that protects us. Then we'll move as fast as possible to my friends."
"We can't. My grandmother can't run," Tolin was quick to deny.
"I have a solution for that," Nassandra smiled. "My magic will carry the three of us."
"You can do that?"
"That's right. Other people can't do it, but I'm a Condensed Drop Arcanist! I have plenty of Magic Energy!"
"But won't this quickly exhaust you?" Evylin frowned and pointed out.
"It shouldn't be a problem, provided we can get to my friends fast enough."
"And how far away are they?"
"That…" She showed a difficult expression, which revealed the answer already.
Evylin sighed. "Alright, we'll leave it in your hands then."
"I won't let you down. Tolin, keep an eye on your grandmother. If you spot anything, yell!"
She concentrated, letting the ice wall collapse and reform into a large dome around them. The back wall curled inside to create seats. Nassandra first sat down to test the strength of her ice. As expected, there was a quiet crack. She quickly amended it and increased the ice density. This time, it was strong enough. Evylin and Tolin gingerly experimented the seats themselves, seemingly in disbelief that it had sprung into existence like that. It broke their minds a little. However, Nassandra knew it was not that simple. Her Magic Circles were already approaching the limit of what she could handle! She could have opted for thinner ice on nonessential areas or kept the top and bottom open. This would have made her spell more manageable, but… after seeing what that monster did to those cocoons, she decided not to. It was better to be safe than sorry.
The trio sat on the seats, instantly multiplying the Magic Energy drain on her Core. Nassandra sucked in a cold breath. Although she half-expected it, she did not think it would jump this much! It was absurd! This was because spells used Magic Energy to create and sustain their effects. The more complex a spell was, the more the world would resist the change, and the higher the Magic Energy cost. This was the world's restorative force, also known as interference. When Nassandra and the others sat on the ice, they were deforming it from its intended shape, which was, in a sense, a form of interference. Nassandra's spell had to resist the weight of three people! It was no wonder the spell became so 'heavy'! Fortunately, like she said, she was a Low Condensed Drop Arcanist. Her Core could handle it. Her ability to concentrate was the limiting factor.
She exhaled. Somehow, she made it to this step without a blunder. This was enough to make her proud! Next, they uncovered the glowing rocks, allowing the light to shine through the ice. Nassandra squinted. The rocks were not very bright to begin with, so she could barely see outside her spell, but it was the best they could do. After shutting her eyes, she focused on Freon's Magic Aura. It became her guiding light. The big ice ball shifted forward like a snail with them in it. It moved slowly at first as she got used to the spell. Things seemed to be going well, therefore Nassandra accelerated from a crawl to a jog. Compared to before, when they were too scared to make a noise, it was night and day. They charged through the caves! Keeping to the main tunnel, sometimes they went left or right, up or down, even in a spiral. It finally dawned on them how vast and sophisticated this cave system was, which instilled a sense of despair in them.
The frown on Nassandra's face deepened. Large waves of World Energy continued to spread out from Elizabeth's group. It was clear they were fighting with everything they had! Except… Elizabeth, Benedict, Shirley, and Freon were not exactly weak. Neither were the Grand and Arcane Knights. Whatever they were fighting against must be strong! This made her worried and nervous. Faster! She needed to get there faster! When they made it halfway, she sensed Elizabeth's final attack. That was when the monster howled and summoned her children to help! Although Nassandra had no way of knowing this, she had a bad feeling. Instantly, the desolate caves came to life. Hundreds to thousands of scurrying noises entered Nassandra, Tolin, and Evylin's ears, making them pale. They could not see it, but from the darkness, insects swarmed out from the side passages and funnelled into the main tunnel right towards Nassandra's group!
Nassandra was quick to act, as she threw her spell at the nearest wall. They covered the lights, quieted down, and held hands tightly. Her Magic Energy continued to pour out, but there was no way she was going to stop her spell now! She felt a heavy sense of fatigue plaguing her mind. It was not easy to maintain such a complex spell for so long. Her condition was deteriorating. Not to mention… the interference strength was becoming a problem too. The more she used her spell, the harder it would push her. Since it was dark, they did not see the insect army march through, which might have been a good thing. Nassandra might have lost control of her spell, had she known what was around them.
There was an explosion in the distance, followed by an extremely powerful wave of Magic Energy. It shocked Nassandra to the core. She could recognize that aura anywhere. It was Freon! But… it was so grand, so high and mighty, that it was almost foreign to her. She was not present in the Xingyuu Empire during the war, so she did not see how strong her brother was. This was Freon's true strength! Boom! The shockwave from the explosion travelled in and shook the entire cavern, including Nassandra's spell. Rocks and boulders fell from the ceiling. Thankfully, under Nassandra's spell, they were well-protected. After a few intense moments, the earthquake subsided.
"What was that?" Evylin whispered.
"That was my brother…" Nassandra replied haggardly. "Something… isn't right. We should hurry…" She gulped, trying to catch her breath. Sweat had formed on her brow, as her arms ached. Her wand weighed heavily in her hand. Even her chest was starting to hurt. She felt miserable.
After noticing her condition, the woman said with a gentle voice, "You should rest for a while. We'll be safe here." She sounded so convincing that Nassandra instinctively listened to her.
"Maybe for a few seconds then…"
Her Magic Circle came undone and the dome of ice shattered into nothing. Losing that burden made her relax and slump against the cave wall. She casted that spell for around two minutes, and it consumed forty percent of her Low Condensed Drop Core. It was a substantial amount! Like Nassandra said, if she was not a Ten Dawn, it would have been impossible to sustain her spell this long, but it was clear that she had reached her limit. It was good in a way though. They did not run into any trouble, and she had gotten a better idea of her shortcomings. The reason why she elected to join this trip was to gain battle experience and develop her combat system. So, from this point of view, she did gain something, albeit in an unexpected manner. Good times did not last long, because a massive earthquake came their way!