BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the desert, shattering the silence of the night. A massive shockwave rippled in every direction, hurling both Alex and the demon through the air.
Alex flew several meters forward before slamming into the ground with force. His body rolled across the sand until it finally came to a stop in a cloud of dust. He tried to catch his breath, but a searing pain in his back immediately paralyzed him. Every muscle in his body throbbed from the impact, and his limbs trembled with exhaustion.
The backpack he had worn just moments earlier was now nothing more than scraps of cloth, its contents scattered around him. Yet one piece stood out—a small scrap of fabric emitting a pale blue glow.
It was his rune. The same one he had copied from the large boulder.
Alex's thoughts spun as he realized what had happened. When the demon attacked him, its claws had torn into the backpack instead of his body. The rune hidden inside had absorbed the force of the strike, activating at the last moment. But the powerful energy it unleashed had caused the explosion, throwing both him and the monster aside.
Alex groaned, trying to rise. His hands trembled, and every movement was torture. But he knew he couldn't stay where he was. With effort, he lifted his head and looked around.
The demon had also been thrown and now lay several meters away. Its body convulsed in unnatural spasms, and the dark aura around it flickered erratically. The explosion had clearly weakened it—but not killed it.
Ahead of him, Alex saw the magical barrier.
Without thinking, he rolled toward it and crossed to the other side. Just as he passed through, one of the demons landed where he had been moments before, slamming into the sand and raising a cloud of dust.
That was close... he thought, his heart pounding like a hammer.
Lyra was already running toward him, her face filled with pure panic.
— Alex! Are you okay?! What happened?!
Alex couldn't answer right away. His breath was shallow, and his entire body shook from exhaustion.
Meanwhile, all the nearby demons had converged on their location, surrounding them from every side. Their twisted, shadowy forms thrashed against the invisible protective wall, roaring and clawing at it in a desperate attempt to break through.
But the barrier that shielded them held firm.
None of them could cross.
Poisoned Pain
Lyra knelt beside Alex, her hands trembling as she carefully placed them on his shoulders.
— Alex, look at me! Are you alright? What was that?! Her voice was filled with concern, and her eyes shone with tension.
Alex looked up, and despite the pain and exhaustion, a spark of satisfaction lit his face.
— It was the rune. The one I copied. he said with a faint smile, though each breath came with pain.
— What?! But how?! Lyra recoiled slightly, her eyebrows lifting in shock. That shouldn't have worked. We've tried that so many times!
Alex managed to lift a trembling hand and point beyond the barrier.
— Look there.
Lyra followed his gesture. Beyond the protective line, amid the sand, a soft pale blue light shimmered.
The pulsing rune still sparked with magical energy, its glow illuminating the darkness around it.
Lyra stood frozen, unable to tear her eyes away. Her heart pounded, and her thoughts raced.
This shouldn't have happened. And yet… the rune worked.
Alex tried to sit up, but immediately winced in pain.
A sudden spasm tore through his back, followed by something worse—a burning, ripping pain that made him lose control of his body for a brief second.
Lyra was at his side in an instant.
— Your back! she said sharply, seeing his body trembling from the effort.
Alex gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up again, but the pain was like hot iron pressed against his skin. When the demon had struck, its claws hadn't just shredded the backpack—they had also torn through the skin on his back.
At first, he hadn't felt it—maybe because of the adrenaline, maybe because of the explosion. But now... now his back was burning, as if something inside was trying to rip him apart.
Deep, jagged wounds stretched from his left shoulder blade down to his hip. Under normal circumstances, they would've been just claw marks—brutal, but still "normal" injuries.
But these were different.
Their edges didn't bleed the way they should. Instead, a faint, dark mist hovered around them, as if something within still pulsed with dark energy. The skin around the cuts had taken on an unnatural hue—darkened and cracked, like parched earth. When Alex moved, a dim glow escaped from the wounds—a dark, bluish light, like the echo of the demon's power.
Lyra bit her lip.
— That... is not normal, she whispered.
Alex took a shallow breath and forced himself to move. Every motion felt like knives stabbing into his back, but he couldn't afford to show weakness now.
— What matters is—we're still alive, he said quietly.
He wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure her or himself.
Only now did they take in their surroundings.
Before them stretched an oasis.
A few trees grew from the dry earth, their leaves swaying gently in the warm breeze. Between them stood low bushes, and in the center lay a pool of water—small, but real. The surface shimmered in the moonlight, reflecting the stars like a mirror.
Lyra held her breath.
— Is that really water?
Despite the pain, Alex gave a faint smile.
— If it's a mirage... it's a very convincing one.