Two bodies lay at Syrce's feet. A third person was up against the stone wall.

Syrce was shaking him.

"Wake up!"

Noble hurried to her friend's side, touching her arm gently.

"He's dead. They all are," Child of Promise was allowed to say those words.

For whatever reason, the mist monster did not find them threatening. Maybe it wanted her to breathe in more of its dew.

Syrce looked at her in disbelief.

"How? I sent them on patrol to look for the best place to refill our water supply. They have no wounds!"

Noble opened her mouth to expose the monster. The grip on her soul became subtly stronger. Tendrils of mist pulled at the corners of her lips, and she coughed.

She summoned her Xiphos and flashed it in front of her face. The tendrils dissipated, giving her the freedom to speak temporarily.

"The mist is a monster!" Her words felt dampened by the air around her, but Syrce still heard them. Flint nodded, unable to speak himself.

"There's always been mist…" The Saint furrowed her brow. "It's been like a friendly spirit to us for centuries."

"Well…it's…not anymore!" Noble felt more misty fingers tightening around her. They were no longer doing just soul damage. Each wisp of vapor that coiled like a snake sapped her of her physical strength.

She swung the sword again in front of her body. The Zenith sliced through the mist, cutting the physical ties with a hiss.

Grabbing Syrce's hand, Noble pulled on her to get her moving. But the Saint pulled away and lifted the three dead soldiers. Her Transcendent strength was weakened, but she still managed the feat with a determined scowl.

"They are coming too."

Noble didn't have the time or energy to argue. She nodded, and the three of them began to slog through the vapor.

Feeling her movements getting heavier, Noble used the power left in her soul to make her body lighter. While it didn't fully compensate for the difference, it did help.

'So tired.'

Flint pricked her hand with a bit of ice. The cold was invigorating. Her eyes opened wider. She had enough energy to push forward, wielding the Zenith against any smoky tendrils that materialized on her way.

For a moment, movement was easy, and they gained ground quickly. But almost immediately the mist closed around them even stronger than before.

Was it stronger? Or were they getting weaker?

'It's definitely getting stronger...' she decided.

'I think as the others exit the fog or die, it has more energy to spend on us...' Flint stifled a yawn.

His words made sense. Noble didn't have the energy to search for the others to confirm their safety. She barely had the energy to float one foot in front of the other. Flying was never this taxing normally, but just now it felt like each little push forward was the equivalent of moving a mountain.

After another monumental push, she looked up at the sky through the fog. It had moved again. How much time had passed? She wasn't sure. Maybe Syrce could tell.

Turning, Noble's eyes opened wide.

Where was Syrce?!

Flint reached for her. He was sweating heavily. With nowhere for the liquid to evaporate, it sat on their skin or cascaded to the ground.

He was in poor shape. So was she, if she were honest. Her soul felt on the verge of breaking, and her essence was almost completely spent.

No matter how much she wanted to, Noble couldn't go looking for the Saint again. Syrce was a Transcendent, and they were merely Ascended. The Saint would have to fend for herself until they could recover.

Noble could feel the fissures in her soul widening, yet still she struggled against them. The mist surrounding them was ancient, but it lacked the physical might of a less ethereal monster.

It wore down its victims slowly, and that was how Noble and the others had survived so long in its grasp.

'I need a moment to…'

Flint tried to set off his flames, but they were doused instantly. The creature had learned from its enemy. No more of its watery skin would be singed.

Noble's mind raced, or at least it tried to. If the Pink Ones weren't bothered by the air, perhaps her echo could…

Something suddenly changed. The tight grasp of the Creature in the Mist slackened.

Noble felt her essence circulate more freely, but not for long.

She dismissed the Xiphos.

'Summon your echo!'

Flint wiped his brow. 'Which one?'

'Any of them that can carry you. We need to ride out before we pass out!'

Already, two sets of sparks were manifesting. One beside Noble and the other in her hand.

As soon as the rope materialized, she lashed herself to Helios using her remaining strength. Seeing another set of sparks manifesting next to her, Child of Promise gave the mental command.

Run like the wind.

The Symncus rumbled as its muscles tensed.

'Maybe I should have waited so Flint could…'

She couldn't finish her thought.

The air began to move past them, filling her nostrils and eyes with water. Noble wanted to close her eyes, but she knew that doing so would make falling asleep too easy. She was so exhausted. Rest was only a blink away.

Instead, she ducked behind Helios's head, pushing her face into the fur of his neck.

She could feel the tug on her growing stronger, threatening to pull her out of her rope binding.

Trees came in and out of focus as they blurred past in her periphery. They were moving quickly, yet did not seem to be making any progress at the same time.

It was taking too long. Her mind was beginning to feel truly muddled. She needed to get out any way that she could.

If only she could fly up! When coming down the cliff, the mist hadn't reached more than a couple dozen meters in the air.

But she had no essence in her reserves. What little was left was mitigating her Flaw.

Her Flaw!

She didn't need to fly. She just needed to give in to her Flaw and float until she was free.

That was assuming that she wasn't stuck in some infinite space. Noble had read about one of those before. But if that were the case, then Helios would not be able to get her out either.

Coming to a decision, she dismissed her echo, the rope, and her hold on her flaw. Her body suddenly became lighter than air.

Even the wisps of mist found it harder to wrap around her. As Child of Promise began to rise, they slid off and dissolved into vapor: more proof that their physical hold was due to the damage to her soul. Giving up control had robbed them of their grip, and so she floated up freely toward the sky.

The mist intensified, trying to encapsulate her while it finished feasting on her soul. She squinted, trying to fight off the stinging as the water passed across her eyes.

They shut for a moment, but she forced them back open. Light was growing brighter...at least she thought so.

Her eyes closed again, but she blinked the pain and drowsiness away.

'Stay strong!'

She couldn't.

The third time, Noble was not so lucky.

When her eyes shut, they remained so.

The world went dark.