From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 248: The Valed Room

As Jade was swept towards the portal by the unyielding winds, a flurry of thoughts raced through her mind. "Is this some kind of last retreat?" she wondered, struggling to comprehend the situation's gravity. Despite her efforts to resist, her body refused to cooperate; her legs throbbed with exhaustion, and her arms felt unbearably heavy, as if weighed down by an immense force.

Helplessness enveloped her as she realized the futility of her struggle against the wind's might.

"Shit, I can't die like this," Jade murmured, a mix of defiance and despair in her voice as she glanced up at her energy meter. The sight of the negative numbers only deepened her sense of foreboding, hinting at the severe consequences of overextending her powers. Experience adventure on m-vl-em|p-yr

This must be some type of drawback from going under, she thought grimly, her heart sinking as the portal's threshold loomed ever closer. For a fleeting moment, as she neared the portal, Jade caught a glimpse of what lay beyond: an expansive, alien landscape, dominated by sand dunes and the remnants of burnt buildings—a world starkly different from her own.

With resignation setting in, Jade closed her eyes, bracing herself for the unknown.

As Jade's face neared the portal, an unexpected rescue attempt ignited. Rosa, her voice a blend of fury and fear, called out, "Where the hell do you think you're going!" Flames, summoned by her sheer will, wrapped around Jade in an attempt to halt her inevitable descent into the unknown.

Blood streaked Rosa's face, a testament to the battle's intensity, yet her focus remained unwavering. Her hands, clasped tightly, directed the fire webs that sought to anchor Jade back to safety. Jade, witnessing her own energy levels plummet to -30, felt the weight of her exhaustion. Her body shook, barely able to sustain itself, let alone resist the portal's pull.

In a moment fraught with desperation, Jade extended her hand toward a metal bar lying tantalizingly close to the portal's edge. Her mind raced, a single thought echoing with urgency, "Just an inch closer." The cold metal, a potential lifeline in the swirling vortex of chaos, seemed to promise a fleeting chance at salvation.

As her fingertips brushed against it, the brief contact sent a jolt of hope through her, piercing the overwhelming sense of doom.

However, that hope was dashed as the creature, the very one Jade had wounded, collided with her. The impact, driven by the fierce winds, severed Rosa's fiery lifelines. Jade was thrust back towards the portal's gaping maw, the safety of the metal bar now just out of reach.

Rosa's scream, a final, desperate plea, filled the air. "Jade, NOOO!!" But her legs, having borne the brunt of her efforts, buckled beneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. The last threads of her strength spent, Rosa could only watch as Jade was swept into the portal, the distance between them growing with each passing second.

As Jade succumbed to the pull of the portal, her descent marked the shattering of the barrier that had encapsulated them, dissolving the confines that held the battle's intensity. The return of the outside air and the soft light of setting day contrasted sharply with the turmoil that had just transpired.

Rosa and Oscar, having given their all, lay unconscious, their forms still in the aftermath of their exertions. Jade, too, was overtaken by darkness as she slipped into the portal, her consciousness fading into oblivion.

Caught in the portal's merciless grip, Jade's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and fears. 'Was all of this just to be killed in the vacuum of space? Will Ty forgive me if I die? Will he move on from me?' The questions tormented her, reflections of her deepest insecurities and unspoken words, as she drifted between awareness and the void.

A sudden, cold chill enveloped her, jolting her back to a semblance of consciousness. Her surroundings slowly came into focus, though her body remained uncooperative, her attempts to move her arms and legs feeble at best. With great effort, she managed to lift her head, her eyes scanning the area she found herself in.

Jade's vision, blurred and unreliable, gradually began to piece together her surroundings as her gaze drifted across the space she had been thrust into. The first detail to catch her attention was the striking red rug beneath her, patterned with black lines that directed her eyes toward an ascending staircase. It was an oddly welcoming sight amidst the uncertainty that enveloped her.

The ambiance of the room was cast in a haunting glow by red flames that flickered along the walls. These walls themselves were a curiosity—dark bricks, worn and seemingly consumed by a peculiar sand. This sand appeared to be alive, nibbling at the bricks with an insatiable hunger, yet, paradoxically, leaving the structure unmarred.

Jade found the sight bewildering, a visual puzzle that her mind, still foggy from the transition, struggled to unravel.

Turning her head, Jade's gaze fell upon a figure trembling nearby. Initially, her heart twisted at the sight, mistaking the form for a wounded child seeking aid. But as her vision cleared and realization dawned, she recognized the creature from their recent, harrowing battle.

The creature that had pushed them to their limits, now lying defeated and vulnerable, was a stark reminder of the conflict they had endured.

Before she could process this revelation further, a booming voice echoed through the space, its volume causing her ears to ring and a sharp pain to shoot through her head. "Why did you bring food into my throne room, Vitcur?" the voice taunted, filled with derision. "Oh, did you get your ass kicked?"

Jade's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and realizations. The name "Vitcur" echoed in her mind, a potential clue to the identity of her adversary. "Is that this creature's name?" she pondered, recalling the disdain with which it had referred to her and her companions as mere food.

This revelation painted a grim picture of how these beings perceived themselves in the hierarchy of creatures—arrogantly superior and dismissive of others' lives. "Truly disgusting," Jade mused, her disdain for their arrogance growing as she considered their perspective.