The ancient hall was silent, save for the echoes of their footsteps as the cohort cautiously approached Blank, who was still kneeling on the cold stone floor. Her breath was labored, her body visibly worn out from the battle she had just fought. The cohort stood behind her, their eyes scanning for any further threats.
Flo asked, "Are you alright? You look like you've been through hell," his expression showing a mix of concern and curiosity.
Blank nodded, her eyes dull with exhaustion. She was clearly struggling to stay upright, so she turned to the side, facing a wall with her back leaning against it while sitting.
Jamila, still shaken by the Domain and the Warrior, couldn't hold back her curiosity. "How did you know the Domain would appear before the Gate showed up? And who is that warrior? Why did you fight him?" she asked, her voice tinged with fear.
Blank took a deep breath, gathering her strength before answering. "I felt it… the energy. Thanks to my Ability, I sensed the shift in the air, the build-up of power. The Warrior was the last thing I sensed coming out of it. His presence was fearsome and dangerous."
Tamara, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, pressed further. "Sensing him is one thing, but how did you beat him? That was no ordinary warrior, from the looks of it."
Blank hesitated for a moment, her face showing no signs of emotion. Slowly, she raised her hand. A faint, glowing orb materialized in her palm, hovering just above her skin. The orb was small, but the power it radiated was unmistakable. "With energy," Blank said nonchalantly. "I can use it to enhance myself, to make me faster, stronger… or I can project it like this." She gestured toward the orb, which pulsed with a gentle light.
Jamila raised her brow in confusion, glancing at the orb. Before she could say anything, Bakir interrupted, his voice tinged with wariness and suspicion. "If that's how you fought him, then what about the explosions we heard? How did that happen?"
Blank's expression didn't change. The orb flickered before dissipating. "I didn't control the energy. I let it run wild, and it caused the explosions. It's dangerous when it gets out of hand and is a last resort."
Jamila reached out, her hands glowing with healing energy. "You're clearly exhausted. Let me heal you, at least. You need to be at full strength if we're going to survive this place."
But Blank shook her head, raising a hand to stop her. "No, it won't work on me."
Jamila insisted and moved closer to Blank, trying to heal her. But it didn't work, just as she had said. She wanted to ask how she knew it, but decided not to press further for now and let her rest.
Gazo, his mind still reeling from everything they had just witnessed, took a step forward, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "What is this place, exactly? And what was that voice we all heard? Normally, you only hear something like that when the System gives you something, but this was different."
Bruno, who had been silent, surveying the surroundings with a wary eye, finally spoke up. " You're right. The voice we heard... it's the same one you hear when you receive something from the Spell. But this is no ordinary place. We're inside a Fallen Domain. It's similar to a Gate in appearance, but the energy and the aura are entirely different. And they're far more dangerous."
The cohort exchanged uneasy glances, the weight of Bruno's words settling over them like a shroud. Tamara crossed her arms, her gaze distant as she recalled a memory from her past. "I met someone once… someone who survived a Fallen Domain. He barely made it out alive, but what he told me was incredible."
The group leaned in closer, their curiosity piqued. Tamara continued, her voice low and serious. "Conquering a Fallen Domain can reward you with unimaginable gits. I'm talking about mythical weapons, soul bound artifacts from ancient times with immense power. Some people inherit the lineage or techniques of legends, some evolve their Talents or degrade the curses that plague them. Others gain skills, or even remove their curses altogether."
Gazo's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying… that you can remove your curse completely? And that's not even the best reward?"
Tamara nodded with a faint smile. "It's true. The most valuable reward is gaining control of the Domain itself. Those who conquer a Fallen Domain can summon it anywhere they choose, it becomes their domain. Each one is unique, with powers that are stronger and more unpredictable than any Talent. It's not just a place, it's an extension of their power, something that covers a whole area and changes the rules of reality within it."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "Domains are different. Some Domains change the area to ice, some enhance the owner, and some give them new Talents or skills that weakens their weaknesses. A Domain's possibilities are based on the Domain itself. This one might give you a vast array of weapons to control or enhance your physical might. It might even help you achieve clarity, but that makes it just harder to survive, the better the rewards, the greater the challenge."
Jamila shook her head, a grim smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "So, in short, we're doomed. This doesn't look good for us, does it?"
Flo, usually the optimist of the group, remained silent, his mind racing as he processed what Tamara had said. The implications were terrifying. They were trapped in a place that was beyond anything they had encountered before, and the odds of surviving, let alone conquering it, seemed impossibly slim.
Jamila took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Alright, listen. We're all in the same boat now, and if we want to survive, we need to know what we're capable of. I suggest we all share our Talents with each other, what we can do, what our strengths and weaknesses are. We need to work together if we're going to get out of here."
The others nodded in agreement, understanding the necessity of the suggestion.
Tamara looked around at the group, her expression serious. "I'll go first. Most of you already know some of my Talent, but I'll explain them fully, so we're all on the same page."
The cohort gathered closer, forming a tight circle as they prepared to share their Talents. The vast hall around them loomed ominously, a reminder of the dangerous path ahead. They were trapped in a Fallen Domain, a place of legends and nightmares, and the only way out was to conquer it together, or perish within its depths.