Round 930

The Time-Splitting Sword pulsed with an intense blue-white light in Varikka’s hands, its power visible as rippling energy that seemed to make the very air shimmer around them. The oily substance on the floor writhed and twisted in response, dark tendrils reaching out as if drawn by the sword's energy. Merrin pressed herself against the far wall, her dark eyes wide with fear as she watched the current tug at her legs. The water was already lapping at her hips, rising steadily with each passing moment.

"Varikka," she called out, voice tight with anxiety. "You need to be careful. That ankle won't hold if you push too hard." Her friend looked over, meeting Merrin's gaze. The sword pulsed again, and for a brief moment, the chamber seemed to flicker around them, reality splitting apart before snapping back together.

"I know," Varikka replied, her own voice strained. "But we can't stay here either." The Guardian's roars echoed through the identical chambers once more, closer this time. They were trapped between drowning and being caught by their pursuer, with no clear escape route visible anywhere.