They stood near the fallen ice lion, still catching their breath. The fight had just ended, but the tension hadn't.
Then suddenly Stefan froze. His body stiffened without warning. A strange pressure built inside him and his vision blurred.
He collapsed.
His body hit the ground hard and started shaking violently. Uncontrollably.
Nami turned instantly.
Nami: "Stefan?!"
Andrew rushed forward.
Andrew: "What's happening to him?!"
Stefan didn't respond. His body trembled harder, like something was forcing its way into him.
White liquid slowly came out from the side of his mouth.
Nami panicked and grabbed him.
Nami: "Stefan! Wake up!"
But he didn't move.
Andrew looked around, tense.
Andrew: "This isn't normal…"
Stefan's eyes were half open, but empty. Like he wasn't there anymore.
Stefan opened his eyes.
But he wasn't on the mainland.
He stood somewhere else.
Dark. Endless.
The ground was cracked and burned, like it had been destroyed long ago. The air felt heavy, making it hard to breathe.
He tried to move, but his body felt weak. Unstable. He could barely stand.
He looked around.
No Nami. No Andrew. No Rex.
Only silence.
Then a sound echoed.
A voice.
Deep. Ancient.
But he couldn't understand it.
The words made no sense.
Stefan frowned.
Stefan: "What is this place…"
The voice grew louder, but still meaningless.
Then the ground shook.
Something massive moved in front of him.
A creature appeared.
A hydra.
Huge. Towering.
Multiple heads moving slowly, each one staring directly at him.
The pressure alone was overwhelming.
Stefan's body trembled.
He couldn't even stand properly.
Stefan: "…I can't fight this…"
The hydra attacked.
One head lunged forward.
Fast.
Too fast.
It hit him directly.
Stefan was thrown into a wall.
The impact was heavy.
But—
No pain.
He blinked.
Confused.
He should have been crushed.
But nothing happened.
Another head attacked.
Then another.
Again and again.
Each hit sent him flying.
But still—
No damage.
Stefan realized something.
Stefan: "I'm not taking damage…"
The hydra roared.
Its attacks became faster and more violent.
But nothing changed.
Stefan couldn't fight.
But he couldn't die either.
Like he was trapped.
Like this was some kind of test.
Or something worse.
In the real world, Nami was shaking him harder.
Nami: "Stefan! Wake up!"
Her voice was breaking.
Andrew crouched beside him, serious.
Andrew: "His body won't stop shaking…"
Stefan's movements became more violent. The white liquid kept coming from his mouth and his breathing turned unstable.
Nami looked terrified.
Nami: "What's happening to him…"
Andrew clenched his fist.
Andrew: "…Something is happening inside his system."
They couldn't see it.
They couldn't stop it.
All they could do was watch.
While Stefan was trapped somewhere they couldn't reach.