Screech!
An ear-piercing shriek ripped through the chamber, sending waves of pain through the skulls of everyone present.
The creature stood in the center, its dark form trembling with power, surrounded by an aura so intense it felt like it could warp reality itself.
Suddenly, a wave of invisible energy erupted from the creature, sweeping over the entire chamber.
In an instant, everything changed.
Bronn, Amelia, and the few survivors were no longer inside the ruins.
The dark chamber had vanished, replaced by a vast, open space with a towering hill in the distance.
The ground beneath them was rough and jagged, dotted with patches of greenery that looked out of place among the rocky terrain.
"What the hell?" Bronn muttered, confusion evident in his voice as he scanned the strange landscape.
On the other hand, Amelia stood still, her face calm but her eyes sharp.
"It can use a domain..." she whispered, almost in disbelief.
Her gaze shifted to the towering hill where the creature stood, no longer a monstrous beast but a ruler over this strange new reality it had created.
The air was heavy, thick with pressure, as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on them.
Bronn rolled his shoulders, feeling the increased gravity tugging at his limbs.
"Feels a bit heavy," he grumbled, though his grin remained. The thrill of the fight still pulsed through him. "What kind of trickery is this?"
Amelia didn't react much, but she sensed immediately that the air was a mix of deadly energy.
Even the grass beneath their feet seemed dangerous, sharp enough to slice through flesh.
This was no mere illusion. The creature had manifested a real domain, bending reality to its will.
"This isn't just a trick," she said. "It's a domain."
Behind them, those who had knelt in submission earlier were not as lucky.
"That's not fog," she corrected, her voice steady. "Those are corrupted ants. Don't let them bite you, they're venomous."
"Venom doesn't work on me!" Bronn grinned with confidence and let out a booming laugh.
"It's a different kind of venom," she explained. "It eats your flesh."
Bronn's grin faded as the reality sank in. He grimaced, imagining his strong, muscled body with chunks missing, chewed away by flesh-eating ants.
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of becoming a skinny, emaciated version of himself.
"Alright, maybe I'll let you handle this one," he said, his tone shifting from overconfidence to cautiousness.
"Step aside,"
Without hesitation, Bronn backed away, his large frame stepping aside as Amelia took the lead.
The creature, sensing the change, turned its hateful glare toward her, its dark aura flaring with anger.
Its body trembled, and the ground beneath it began to shift.
From the rocks and earth below, swarms of corrupted ants poured out, covering the ground like a moving, black carpet.
The swarm seemed endless, and in seconds, the ants spread out, even blotting out the sky as they surged toward Amelia.
Despite the danger rushing her way, Amelia remained calm, her face showing no fear. She narrowed her eyes slightly as she assessed the situation.
Without a word, she raised her hand, a faint glow gathering in her palm and growing brighter with each passing second.
Then, the sky responded.
A massive meteor of ice, shimmering with a crystalline glow, shot down from above, casting a cold, chilling light over the domain.
The temperature plummeted as the meteor hurtled toward the ground, freezing the air around it.
The swarm of ants raced forward, but they were no match for the sheer force of the icy projectile.
The meteor slammed into the hill with a deafening crash, sending shockwaves through the domain.
The ground cracked and groaned as freezing energy spread out, turning the entire hill into a frozen wasteland.
The corrupted ants, once a relentless tide, froze solid, their bodies trapped in thick layers of ice, sparkling like dark gemstones in the frozen landscape.