I watched, frozen in pce, as my own spell turned against me.

  The massive chunk of compact ice tore through the air like an oversized bullet, spinning end over end straight toward my head.

  "Get out of the way, you fucking idiot!"

  Lavapup screamed.

  Before I could even react, she bit down hard and sprinted forward—fast enough to overtake the icicle itself.

  She took one sharp, controlled breath, leapt into the air, and twisted her body mid-jump. Her leg snapped around in a clean tornado kick, shattering the ice into a storm of splinters that scattered harmlessly around us.

  I still didn't move.

  I don't know what happened. My mind was bnk—empty, like I'd fallen into some kind of trance.

  The next thing I felt was pain.

  Her fist smmed straight into my chin, snapping my head back and nearly knocking me off my feet.

  "Dumbass!" she shouted, fury bzing in her voice. "What's wrong with you?! Get up—this isn't over!"

  She grabbed my colr and yanked me upright, already turning back toward the beast as if she hadn't just saved my life.

  "I—I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head as I forced myself to focus again. "I don't know what the fuck got into me just now."

  I tugged at my sleeves for no real reason, trying to ground myself.

  "Good," she snapped. "Then let's finish this fight already."

  She rolled her shoulders and stretched her wrists, her posture shifting—focused, sharp, dangerous.

  "Spirit Strike..."

  She whispered it this time.

  The fmes around her fists deepened, turning a concentrated, eerie blue.

  I tightened my grip on my wand, forcing my thoughts into order and imagining the structure of my next spell.

  "Void Bind!"

  Bck chains erupted from the ground beneath the Bone Ape, coiling around its arms, legs, and torso in violent arcs before locking tight. The monster roared, straining against them, but it couldn't move.

  Lavapup dashed forward instantly, her steps light and unwavering.

  This time, she didn't shout.

  She didn't taunt.

  She drove her fist silently into the beast's stomach with brutal precision.

  Only after she leapt back did I release the spell, staggering slightly as exhaustion hit me all at once. Holding a creature like that wasn't just draining mana—it tore through stamina too. The stronger the monster, the harder you had to pull just to keep it restrained.

  "He's almost done," I said between breaths. "Only about a quarter of his health left!"

  My eyes tracked Lavapup as she moved—graceful, relentless—kiting the ape while I recovered. She sidestepped a massive uppercut and answered with one of her own, never breaking rhythm.

  I gnced at my mana bar, hanging dangerously low, the thin blue line almost mocking me at this point.

  I had to slow down on casting—there was no way around it—but leaving Pup alone with that thing wasn't an option either. Not now. Not after we'd pushed this far.

  The budget was tight. Uncomfortably tight.

  Still, I had to make it work somehow. If I didn't, I wouldn't just be signing my own death sentence—I'd be dragging her down with me.

  I clicked my tongue softly, more out of habit than frustration, already forcing myself to picture the next spell before doubt could creep in.

  "Magic Missile."

  The purple sphere tore forward, space bending around it as it always did, before crashing straight into the monster's skull. The impact sent the Bone Ape reeling sideways, its massive body smming face-first into a nearby tree with a dull, reverberating thud.

  It wasn't much.

  But it was enough.

  Enough to give us breathing room.

  And Pup used it immediately.

  She came to a stop, hands on her knees, staring at the ape as it awkwardly pressed its face against the bark like it had just lost an argument with a wall.

  "It's out!" she shouted.

  "What do you mean it's out?" I shot back, turning toward her. "You should still have at least twenty seconds left!"

  I knew that. I had been counting every second since she activated Soulfire, carefully matching my mana usage to squeeze out as much damage as possible before her timer ran dry.

  "I deactivated it early!"

  She suddenly appeared next to me after a few quick dashes, way too calm for what she'd just said.

  "Yeah, no shit, I noticed," I snapped, rubbing my temple. "But why? I'm out of mana, dipshit. What exactly was your pn here?"

  She froze.

  Stared at me.

  Then at the monster.

  Then back at me.

  Slow realization spread across her face.

  I sighed and dragged a hand down my face, forcing my brain to keep moving while the Bone Ape began pushing itself back upright again—one massive hand rubbing its head like it was just as annoyed as we were.

  "Alright," I muttered. "Get back in. I've got an idea."

  I pulled out two mana potions and downed them back-to-back without hesitation.

  The mana sickness hit instantly.

  My stomach twisted violently, nausea washing over me hard enough that I had to grit my teeth and steady my breathing—but the blue bar surged back to full.

  Worth it.

  My spells would be weaker for a bit, sure, but raw damage wasn't what we needed right now.

  "Flowstate."

  "Overclock."

  The words barely left my mouth before I felt it—my mana plunging from a full 268 straight down to zero in one brutal drop.

  Still worth it.

  Flowstate kicked in first, lightening her movements and steadily restoring mana over time, while Overclock smmed into her stats right after, reinforcing her body with raw power and resilience.

  Both buffs would st a full minute.

  That was more than enough.

  "Thanks for the buffs, my friend!" she shouted back, already airborne, twisting her body mid-jump as she prepared to dive back into the fight.

  I watched her go, exhaling slowly.

  My part here was done.

  I just sat down, leaning against the nearest tree, fighting the urge to throw up.

  My gaze shifted toward the ongoing battle, watching Pup trade punches with the ape nearly double her size.

  Now it was her turn to carry the momentum.