Chapter 164: The Trial (20)
[Undergoing editing.]
The Paralyth let out another unearthly shriek, its serpent-like form twisting and distorting the very mist around it. As Isolde’s spear withdrew, the wound quickly mended, threads of starlight knitting the flesh back together like it had barely been touched. Its eyes pulsed again—this time faster, more agitated—as if realizing these three were not as easily broken as the others who came before.
Vivienne, still trembling, struggled to keep Dreamtide stable. The shimmering veil of dreamlike energy wavered as the pressure mounted again. "I-I can’t hold it much longer!" she cried, voice breaking.
"You’re doing great, Vivienne. Just a bit more!" Verena encouraged, despite her own heart hammering inside her chest. The suffocating force was relentless, like unseen hands constantly trying to pull her into paralysis. But she refused to stop.
Isolde darted forward once more, spear slicing through the mist like a lightning bolt. Every movement she made was crisp and calculated, an elegant dance that barely seemed human. "It regenerates too quickly!" she shouted, gritting her teeth as she leapt back to avoid a lash of the beast’s tail. "We need to hit its core!"
Verena’s eyes darted across the beast’s twisting body. That was the problem—it was both everywhere and nowhere, constantly shifting its shape, its signs flickering rapidly along its body. But then she noticed something—small gaps in its movement, almost like hesitation, whenever its Libra sigil appeared along its spine.
’Balance,’ Verena realized. ’It’s built on maintaining balance—and we’re destabilizing it.’
"It’s vulnerable when Libra appears!" Verena shouted. "That’s its anchor point! Disrupt its balance and the entire structure will collapse!"
Isolde’s eyes narrowed in acknowledgment. "Then we strike together."
Verena inhaled sharply, her mind racing. This wasn’t just about brute force. The Paralyth was a manifestation of everything she’d struggled with since the beginning—the fear of being stuck, of losing everything, of watching all her efforts vanish like dust. This creature was her struggle given form.
’Not again. I won’t fall again.’