Elara’s POV

I flashed a thumbs-up.

Silas’s star power blended with his Sovereign Territory, supercharging my Water Weave beyond its usual limits. This blast would punch straight through that wall.

"Let me handle this!" Finnian hollered.

"That’s what I like to hear. Stay covered. I’m moving in," I called back.

Finnian threw up his defensive barrier. The instant it snapped into place, a thunderous explosion rocked the entire facility.

The raw force warped the air itself. In the next heartbeat, a gaping hole ripped through the reinforced alloy barrier!

"Nice work!" I complimented Silas openly.

"You’re incredible too, baby," Silas shot back.

"Cut it out, you cocky rabbit! My turn!" Barrett roared.

Finnian jumped in as well. All three unleashed their attacks simultaneously, and the air twisted even more savagely.

Colliding energies spiraled and churned. The whole sanatorium bucked and writhed like it was dissolving, ready to disappear entirely.

Barrett broke free first, followed by Dorian, Julian, Kaelen, and Alistair bringing up the rear. Once we were all clear, the formerly pristine sanatorium looked like a war zone.

Sirens screamed. Dozens of weapon systems locked onto our position. 007 absorbed the opening barrage.

Silas suddenly freaked and tried to dash back inside, but I snagged his belt. "I packed the dress you crafted for me. Time for phase two."

I never dove into anything without a backup strategy. I’d already sucked my entire greenhouse into my storage space in one swift motion.

I’d put serious effort into purifying that soil and cultivating those plants. Hand them over to strangers? Hell no.

Before the blast, I grabbed everything possible—food, beverages, every last scrap. I stripped the place bare.

I even snatched my old luggage, not to mention Silas’s custom dress.

That was the quick, merciless instinct I’d developed during the apocalypse.

"Board up!" Finnian yelled, manifesting another spacecraft.

"You’ve got a spare?" Dorian asked, stunned.

"Because I’ve got money, that’s how!" Finnian fired back.

We moved quickly and piled onto the vessel. I finally exhaled—but vertigo slammed into me immediately. My vision went dark, and my face drained of color.

My aqua ability was only Level 2. Unleashing such an intense Water Weave twice consecutively had wiped me out completely. All I craved was to drop.

"Elara!" Alistair snatched me before I could fall and drew me against his chest. "Are you alright? Say something."

"Not great," I whispered. "I think I’m seeing double..."

My eyes rolled upward, and I went slack.

The moment that happened, everyone swarmed around me. Silas tried to shove forward, but Finnian caught him by the shirt and yanked him back.

"Get over here and assist."

Finnian thought to himself, "If I can’t get close, neither can that rabbit."

Silas smirked but didn’t protest. He collaborated with Finnian, using his Sovereign Territory to freeze the zone and block approaching patrol vessels.

Finnian triggered his Void Territory, and the ship disappeared instantly.

As soon as I blacked out, my wood power kicked in automatically. My Level 7 ability pulsed, enveloping everyone except Silas—including myself—in an emerald shell.

"What’s going on?" Julian questioned.

In the following instant, delicate green tendrils unwound from my palms and wove themselves into everyone’s Mind Realm.

——

Back in the imperial capital, Liam practically crashed into the conference room.

"Your Majesty!" he panted. "This is a catastrophe!!!"

As he spoke, a massive red warning flashed across the command display.

"Alert! Alert! Crown Elite Asylum in Voidferal Feral Territory is experiencing severe energy assault. All SSS-class patients undergoing spirit collapse treatment have fled. Activate maximum defense protocol immediately!"

"Every single one?!"

Rosalind’s complexion went ashen. She felt like everything was falling apart.

"Contact the fleet at the space tunnel! Stop them immediately!" Rosalind commanded.

Morgan spoke steadily, "Once Mr. Foxglove deploys his domain, our units won’t be able to trace them. We should keep this contained. Given those individuals’ status, it would trigger mass hysteria..."

Before Morgan could finish, the red warning vanished. It was replaced by a series of rapid system updates.

"Kaelen’s current spirit collapse level: 37. Reaching stable parameters.

"Julian’s current spirit collapse level: 30. Reaching stable parameters.

"Dorian’s current spirit collapse level: 40. Reaching stable parameters.

"Barrett’s current spirit collapse level: 30. Reaching stable parameters.

"Alistair’ current spirit collapse level: 31. Reaching stable parameters.

"Finnian’s current spirit collapse level: 30. Reaching stable parameters."