He created an earth barrier around himself. I couldn't see inside, and I had no idea what that crazy bastard was doing in there...
Not that it really mattered. I just needed to call the teachers, and they would handle him. As I turned to leave, a terrifying thought struck me—what if he got out? What if he slaughtered everyone? Lucy, Adam, Lumine, William... all dead. It wasn't just a possibility—it was likely.
Aghhh... Why the hell did this bastard have to show up here? Why was his mind so weak that he lost control, even though his affinity matched his spiritual creature?
I wanted to run. I wanted to call for help. But if I left now, he might leave and massacre everyone. Worse, he could escape entirely. Finding those "caring" teachers would take time, time I might not have. I had no choice—I had to stay. I had to stop him.
Half an hour passed. Nothing. No movement from inside the barrier. I regretted staying. If I had left earlier, I could have already returned with reinforcements... but now? It was too late to change my mind.
An hour crawled by. My eyelids grew heavy. Just as I was about to lose focus, the barrier cracked. A jagged spike of earth shot out—fast. Too fast. Before I could react, it tore through my left leg, the force nearly knocking me off my feet. Blood gushed from the wound, and a wave of pain crashed over me.
The barrier crumbled, and he stepped out.
My vision blurred. I could barely stand. My breathing grew ragged. My consciousness wavered. But one thing was clear—he was approaching me.
Panic surged through my chest. I was too injured to fight, too slow to escape. My chances of survival were vanishing by the second. He stood before me, his presence a looming shadow of death.
Then, a flash of movement—a coil of tail wrapped around him. Lucy!
She constricted him, her powerful form squeezing tighter, but then—
[User is in danger. High chance of death. Forceful awakening of an exclusive skill.]
Chrysalization
Level: S
Description: In moments of imminent death, the User is encased in ice energy, forming a protective iceberg. During Chrysalization, all injuries are healed. Like a mantis molting, the User emerges stronger, gaining an additional 1% fusion with the Orchid Ice Mantis. This process cannot be interrupted or destroyed. Chrysalization cannot be activated again until sufficient spiritual energy has been accumulated.
Rank: Unique (Exclusive to the User. No one else in the world can replicate or use this ability.)
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[Lucy's POV]
I had the best sleep of my life—warm, peaceful, perfect. But when I opened my eyes, the scene before me shattered that peace instantly.
A massive barrier loomed ahead. Lucius sat before it, watching. I was about to greet him when—
A spike shot out, piercing his leg.
Blood splattered across the ground. My body froze. My mind blanked. By the time I snapped out of it, that bastard was already standing over Lucius, ready to strike again.
Something inside me snapped.
I lunged forward, wrapping myself around the attacker, crushing him with every ounce of strength I had. He struggled, but I refused to let go. Then—
A sudden chill filled the air.
An iceberg formed before me, crystal-clear, encasing Lucius in a cocoon of shimmering ice. My heart skipped a beat. He looked... breathtaking. His white hair, the way his body was frozen in perfect stillness—it was like something out of a fairytale. A Sleeping Prince. My Sleeping Prince.
I was lost in the sight of him when the bastard in my grasp thrashed, snapping me back to reality. My fury reignited. He made my Sleeping Prince bleed. He would pay.
I considered many ways to end him, but one stood out above the rest—burning him alive.
My body ignited with heat, flames licking my skin as I prepared to activate Flare Body. With him trapped in my coils, it would be perfect. He wouldn't be able to escape as I roasted him from the inside out.
But before I could, a surge of earth energy erupted from him. The same strange barrier formed, and in an instant, I was flung back, thrown aside like a ragdoll while he retreated into his fortress.
I clenched my fists. Now I understood why Lucius had stood before that barrier for so long. Now, I was the one trapped outside, waiting.
I turned to Lucius once more, my breath hitching.
The iceberg glowed softly, casting a serene light over his transformed figure. His once-dark hair was now a pristine white. His face, more refined, held an air of cunning elegance. His body had changed—taller, leaner, yet undeniably stronger. He was radiating an aura of untouchable grace, as if he was meant to be admired but never touched.
It only made me want him more.
He was mine. My Sleeping Prince.
And no one—no one—would take him from me.