BLACK ROOM
Within the BLACK ROOM, time doesn't pass. What can be an hour long conversation could last one second.
"I can help you out, Dan." Jon said
"Well... Why don't you?" Dan replied
"If you can grow by yourself you wouldn't need help, would you?"
"I think regardless, you need help."
"Pssh... You need a spell that can level the playing field, right?" Jon assumes
"That would be good, Jon." Dan replied impatiently
"Shadow Hold." Jon said the name of the spell Dan requires
"How do I do that?" Dan asks
"Extend your shadow. Cover your enemies' shadows. Take a hold of them." Jon explains how the spell works vaguely
"That sounds cool but how do I do that?" Dan grew even more impatient
"Cast arm gauntlets, clap, and press the ground, while also releasing the condensed mana. Then continuously release mana within the space. Take a good look at your surroundings. Their landscape. Cover the surface. Choose who can and cannot move." Jon explained further
The beasts then start running at them. Dan followed Jon's directions. He casts "Black Envelope: Arm Gauntlets" and puts his hand together. He was charging a great amount of dark mana. Then he smashes the ground. He covered the surface of the basement and successfully extended his shadow.
Every beast that was running at Dan suddenly stopped. Some beasts stopped midair. Dan's heartbeat then raced dramatically. His muscles were tensing. His breathing stutters. He was suffocating. Sweat ran down his face. His eyes were red.
"Dan, are you okay?" Laura worries
"GO!" Dan screams
Sam and Laura were worried looking at him. So they both waited no longer and struck down a lot of beasts. They took out most of the level ones and twos. Then working their way to level threes and fours.
Performing "Shadow Hold" on a big scale first try can be lethal to the sorcerer. Their shadow became one and Dan was the owner. Dan has to buckle the collective weight of every shadow he's combined as one. He was buckiling down, in this particular case, about thirty-five beasts that are medium-sized and five big ones. The collective weight would be 1 ton.
"If you don't let go, you'll die." Jon stated
"I CAN TAKE IT!" Dan yell aloud
The average non-sorcerer would pass out when subjected to five to six units of G-force—which essentially means, they had their weight suddenly multiplied by five or six times. Dan weighs fifty kilograms. That would be twenty units of G-force. Since he's a sorcerer, he can buckle two and possibly three units for a few hours without passing out. He was already losing consciousness. And if he doesn't dispel "Shadow Hold", he would be crushed to death.
"If you don't let go now, you will die." Jon repeated
"What... Makes... You say... That?" Dan struggling to say word for word
"If you lose consciousness while performing a spell, the spell could still be active and uncontrollable. So, you'll die." Jon answered
Dan was stubborn. But he knew he had to. It was just the maniacal beast and its clones left. Dan then lets go. He starts coughing up blood and collapses on the ground. He was slowly blacking out.
Sam was quickly overwhelmed by the two clones. While Laura fought the real one. Laura tries to slash the beast vertically, but it caught her sword. The beast uses it against her and stabs her in her right Mid-clavicle. The wound was deep.
For sure, they were all going to die. Sam overwhelmed, Volta out of mana, Dan was already down, and Laura badly wounded. The beast was a maniacal level 5. The four were out of their league.
Then suddenly, mist filled the basement. The beast and its clones paused. Looking around, feeling threatened. Then the clones melted and perished. The beast started conjuring spells and prepared its laser beam to attack. From the bottom of its feet up to its knees were frozen still. Then they shattered. The beast lost its two legs and dropped to the ground on its back. The last thing the beast saw was a block of ice with spikes hitting its head, crushing it.
The four students then disappeared and reappeared at the penthouse in their respective rooms. Cathy appeared in Dan and Laura's room. Cathy patches up Laura temporarily. She doesn't have any healing crystal on her so she needs to get it from the school first.
Laura felt excruciating pain, she couldn't move her right hand without feeling great pain. Laura just sat on the floor, her back facing the end of the bed.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
Dan wakes up. His head hurts but he was fine. He got up, he realized he wasn't wearing his jacket. He looked around the room and saw it was being hung behind the door.
Laura was still on the end of the bed. He could hear her whine about how much she was hurting.
Dan got off the bed and walks to her. He sits down in front of her.
"Are you okay, Laura?" Dan gasped
"It hurts." She chuckled
"Fuck. If I hadn't passed out..." Dan regrets
"It wasn't your fault, Dan. We all nearly died. Luckily, Cathy was back in time." She reassures him
"Oh, Cathy finished it?"
"Yeah."
"You didn't get it healed?"
"I want to but... I need help."
"With... What?"
"Nevermind."
"Should I get Cathy?"
"No. Her, Sam, and Volta are out right now."
"You really need to get that healed."
"Can you help?"
"Yeah, what do you need?"
"Help me take off my shirt."
Dan was stunned for a second. His face turned red. "W-why?" He ask
"I have a healing crystal, but I can't use it through my clothes. And I can't take off my shirt alone." She said
"F-fine, we'll just make it quick." Dan replied
She straightens her sitting position. She raised her left hand up.
"Please make it quick." She requested
He nods.
She raises her right hand. She moans in pain. Dan then quickly grabs the base of her shirt and drags it all the way up. Pass through her head and all the way. Dan was looking away. His face was red and he was nervous. Luckily she was wearing a tank top—and just a bra. She quickly uses the healing crystal. She has to first peel off Cathy's temporary treatment.
"Dan, can you help me, again?" She asks
"What is it?" Dan ask in reply
"Just peel this off." She referred to bandage that was applied to her wound
Dan then breathes deep and turns to her. He focuses his eyes to her wound. He peels off the bandage slowly to make it not hurt as much. He also didn't want to worsen her wound. After he was done, he pulls back and looks down. He realized what he was looking and threw his eyes away.
Laura then finally uses the healing crystal. She charges the crystal with mana and shines a light through it. Her wound quickly close and heals.
The healing crystal was pure white when it was new, after Laura uses it, it turns greyish black. It meant that it had run out of healing.
"Thanks, Dan." She thanked
"N-no problem." He blushes
Laura then went to grab her shirt and intended to wear it.
"You probably shouldn't wear that, it's dirty. I'll find something." Dan said
He goes to the closet and found a shirt that would fit her. The closet only had two options; a crop top fitted t-shirt or a slightly over-sized button shirt. He chose the latter.
He grabs the shirt and walks to Laura. He lends a hand to Laura. She grabs his hand firmly. Dan pulled her up. Too strong he pulled her. She hits Dan's chest and out of panic, she grabbed his shirt. Dan knew he made a mistake. The two were too close together. Their faces were only an inch away from each other. Dan can feel her chest up against his.
Then, by bad luck, their door bursts open. Banging the wall.
"We're back!" Sam announced
Cathy and Sam were the ones that wanted to enter. Of course, Sam was the one that burst opened the door. The four then stared at each other awkwardly. Sam opens his mouth. He inhales. Preparing the most annoying commentary he could think of. Then Cathy covered his mouth with her hand and grabs him. Then she starts dragging him out of the room
"Sorry to interrupt." Cathy apologized
She drags him out then shuts the door quietly.
Laura then lets go of Dan's shirt and Dan lets go of her hand. Dan chuckles. Laura then started chuckling nervously herself. Dan then rests his right hand on her left shoulder. He then slides his hand off gently.
"I'll handle that later. And if he makes a joke about it. Don't worry, okay? He doesn't mean it."
Dan then jumped in bed and fell asleep. Laura was feeling tired too but she didn't want to sleep after what just happened. So she left the room and felt like eating.
Walking out meeting Sam and Cathy immediately.
"Heyy..." Sam had the biggest grin on his face
"So, you've healed up, right?" Cathy asks
"Huh? Oh yeah, I have." Laura replied
"I didn't know you and Dan were a thing." Sam's grin got bigger, somehow
"A thing? Uh... No! You've got it all wrong!" She denies
"Don't worry, only Cathy and I will know. Volta too maybe." Sam replied
"Shut up, Sam." Cathy said
"Yup, sorry."