The Mana-Stone Rhino, having purged the mana overload, fixed its glowing eyes on Adam once more, its growl a low, menacing rumble that promised a fresh, brutal assault. Adam's body screamed with exhaustion, but the prospect of another prolonged fight against this resilient foe was terrifying.
"Lyra," Adam gasped, "we can't beat it like this. We have to escape. Can you—"
"Understood, Adam," Lyra interrupted, her voice gaining an urgent, almost clinical edge as she fully linked with him.
"Direct combat is no longer feasible. I will take over your motor functions. I can push your body beyond its current physical limits to ensure immediate evasion. Be advised: while I can bypass pain receptors to optimize movement, the physical repercussions will be severe and immediate once I release control. Do you agree to this?"
Adam didn't hesitate. "Do it, Lyra! Get me out of here!"
A Desperate Escape
Lyra took over. Adam felt his body move, not by his will, but with an eerie, detached precision. His limbs, heavy with fatigue, suddenly moved with impossible speed and agility. He dodged a sweeping horn attack, his body contorting in ways that would have caused him agonizing pain moments before.
"Incoming! Right flank!" Lyra's voice was a mental command, and Adam's arm shot out, manifesting a dimensional rift that swallowed a volley of razor-sharp mana shards the Rhino projected.
The Universal Shaping Tool, now an extension of Adam's being, transformed into a grappling hook. With a thought, a mana-infused line shot out, latching onto a sturdy Amethyst Tree. Lyra then pulled, launching Adam's body into the air, away from the Rhino's charge. He soared over the undergrowth, Lyra calculating every angle, every pull, every precise moment to cut the line and re-grapple to another distant tree.
Projectiles from the enraged Rhino were consistently swallowed by micro-rifts, a testament to Lyra's perfect control.
They moved like a phantom, a blur through the dense jungle, the enraged roars of the Mana-Stone Rhino slowly fading into the distance. Lyra pushed Adam's body with ruthless efficiency, exploiting every ounce of his dwindling physical reserve, every shred of latent endurance.
The Price of Survival
Then, as the Rhino's mana signature finally became undetectable, Lyra broke the direct link. "Adam, current threat neutralized. Disengaging full-sync. Analyzing physical damage now."
The mental silence was instantaneous. And then, the pain hit.
A white-hot agony tore through Adam's entire body. He screamed, a raw, primal sound ripped from his throat. His muscles felt like they'd been shredded, every joint burned, and his bones screamed in protest, hinting at hairline fractures. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, the world spinning. Lyra's dispassionate efficiency had extracted a brutal toll.
"Adam! Focus on your breathing! Initiate mana regulation immediately!" Lyra's voice was sharp, cutting through the haze of agony. "Do not succumb to unconsciousness! If you pass out, your mana control will cease, and the mana poisoning from this environment will return and swiftly become fatal!"
Adam clenched his teeth, tears streaming down his face, not just from the pain but from the sheer, overwhelming exhaustion and desperation. Every fiber of his being screamed to just give up, to let the darkness take him. But Emily's voice echoed in his mind: Please live for my sake.
He forced himself to breathe, focusing on Lyra's unwavering instructions, on the flow of mana, on the burning need to survive. He had to heal. He had to.