Mark reeled from the discovery that Chloe had been here, but he couldn't afford to dwell on it for long, as the Mana in the room was becoming unmanageable. It felt as though they were about to be drowned in a tide of energy, and more just kept pouring in. The intense pressure strained Mark's construct, yet he could tell that not all of this Mana was Aiyana's. On closer inspection, there seemed to be numerous distinct sources converging from all directions.

Mark ground his teeth as Jason still refused to put away his weapon. "Sam, help!" he managed, forcing out the words. Sam's hand found his shoulder, and her will synced with his within seconds, reinforcing the construct with her own Mana. It helped, but only as a temporary measure; the Mana continued to flood in from all sides. "Jason, stop! They're linked—they're all linked!" Sam said hurriedly. Mark had concluded that the people here must have a skill similar to his [Telepathic Link]. Their silence was a major factor, but Aiyana's behavior before all of this was also a clue.

It would have cut her off from the link to step into Mark's construct, but she did it anyway, which was why he'd observed a visible worsening of her condition. This, combined with the fact that they both thought of themselves as Aiyana, was all the confirmation he needed. They were connected, but it was something far deeper than what he was using. It felt closer to the level he'd achieved when taking Jonathan and Sam to the next level of [Telepathic Link]. Mark had dismissed this thought at first because it seemed impossible. Each time he took the people in his link to a deeper level, he learned more about them—and they, in turn, learned more about him—but it also reduced the number of people who could be part of the link.

This spell, though, seemed to encompass the entire town, which Mark was now learning the hard way. If that was indeed the case, then they were facing more than just a few people communicating with each other. They were dealing with a hivemind.

Mark had found great success with their current link. It allowed for near-instantaneous information transfer and communication over vast distances. It was even a boon when it came to exchanging energy among people. If Mark had wanted, he could up the level of the link at any time and bond with anyone currently in the link, but he hadn't done that, for very good reason. Sure, it made for a powerful boon that no level of physical communication could ever hope to top, but it came at a cost of privacy and one's individualism.

"Aiyana, stop this at once, or we will take action. We mean you no harm; all we wish to do is talk," Jonathan said through strained vocal cords. Aiyana remained standing in the same spot, her lips pursed. "That is what we want as well, but your hostility has brought a lot of attention here. The others have a right to see what's going on." Mark noted that the woman from the reception area had entered the room and now stood next to Aiyana with a bow. Perhaps her name was Aiyana too—perhaps they all were.

The three of them spoke again in perfect sync. "Do not get us wrong; we mean you no harm, but that does not mean we won't defend our home. Your help would be indispensable, but we will not suffer an attack from you. Chloe joined her mind with ours briefly, so we know your importance, but that will not stop us from crushing you if you prove to be a danger to us." Mark closed his eyes, focusing all his will to keep the energy out. The Mana outside was maddeningly slippery—it seemed to twist and evade, almost as if it had a mind of its own. It pressed in from every direction, probing, relentless, seeking any weakness in his defenses. It wasn't coming from just one source but from countless points, each presence pressing in with an insatiable curiosity that felt invasive, even hungry.

The assault grew fiercer as more presences joined this battle of wills, and each new force added pressure, making it harder to hold them back. If his construct hadn't been woven so tightly, they would have already slipped through. Outside, the Mana was so densely packed that he doubted he could manifest anything beyond his barrier. Mark felt like he was sinking to the bottom of a living ocean, one that was intent on pulling him under.

Sam was right beside Mark, squeezing his shoulder. Through gnashing teeth, she spoke. "Jason! Put the damn weapon away, for god's sake!" Mark tried to send what they were feeling down the link, and Jason's eyes briefly glanced back at them. "Promise me that we won't take their mission," he said, his Aura filling the already claustrophobic space. Jonathan's own energy filled the space until it surrounded them in a chilling blanket of Aura. "We make no such promise. Now put your weapon away so we can talk. For all our sakes, do not make me force you!" Jason's eyes flickered over to Jonathan, and he looked ready to go right then and there.

"Listen to me," Mark's voice strained against the growing minds outside. "If either of you fights in here right now, then we're all in danger. I want to know what's going on too, but for now—please. Put away your weapons and Aura; don't make this harder than it already is—" Mark cut himself short when he felt a sudden push against his shield and had to divert all his attention there. Sam was providing the Mana that Mark needed as he weaved the Prana through the barrier, but eventually, they would run out at this rate. She was already weighing up her option of killing Aiyana.

If they created a sufficiently mana-dense attack, it might survive out there long enough to reach the woman, but if it did kill her, there was no guarantee things would stop there. They were a hivemind, after all; it might just make things worse.

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The next few seconds felt like years, so when Jason finally put the massive blade away, everyone but Mark let out a breath. The Mana had not let up in the slightest, but it did stop trying to invade the spell, which Mark was grateful for. Still, he'd feel a whole lot better if they all just backed off.

"Right, now that things are more civil, I think we can talk," Aiyana said quietly, her voice the sole sound in the room again. "My offer is simple. There is a quarry nearby that is producing a violent variety of Corrupted. Wipe them all out, and in exchange, we will hand over the equipment you need… and deliver a message Chloe has left behind for you all." Jason's face spoke volumes as to how he felt, but now that Mark had some breathing room, he couldn't help but frown at the thought.

Chloe had been indirectly responsible for Daphne's death. It wasn't that Mark thought she'd wanted Daphne to be hurt, but he had spent a long time trying to parse out what Chloe had done. She had picked a future in which they had the highest chance of survival—a way in which the maximum number of people could survive and still have the city standing. Mark knew the only reason he was even alive was because she had left him in that hole, and yet… Mark couldn't bring himself to forgive her. Who gave her the right to choose who lived and who died? The future wasn't a variable one could play with. If she had worked with them, or given them some way to figure it out, then maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Mark wanted to see her; he needed to see her. To understand how she could do this. He didn't know what he'd do when he found her, but eventually, he'd ask her personally.

The room was still silent, so Jonathan decided to speak up. "...How far away is this place, and just how infested is it?" Aiyana nodded. "It's about four hours from here on foot, and I believe Chloe would have called it a dungeon. Though as far as we can tell, it's not all that powerful yet, but in time, it will become a problem to our home." Jason grunted, his tone shifting to a wry one. "Then why don't you guys go deal with it? Why would you need us? From what Mark can tell, you're powerful, right?" Aiyana's eyes glared at Jason, but he never flinched. "You're not wrong about our strength. We could certainly clear out that place on our own, but one thing prevents us." Jason rolled his eyes as he worked his jaw. "We are not able to leave this place. Our strength comes from our community, and we found a way to keep the Corruption at bay by sinking our power into the land. Because of this, we gave up the ability to leave. Think of this as a holy land for us." Mark stood up straighter as he thought things through.

It seemed likely they were using their combined energies to hold back the Corruption, which explained why they couldn't leave. The idea of sinking power into the land was new—Mark even had a skill to test it—but he'd deliberately avoided using it, keeping a thick layer of force between himself and the earth. As it turned out, that caution had caused him to overlook an important detail.

"Right, so it's not that out of our way, and you're sure you have all the equipment we need?" Sam asked thoughtfully.

"Yes, we've compiled a list of exactly what we have here. You only need to pick what you want."

Mark glanced behind them as the woman from reception stepped forward, holding out a clipboard. She held it up to the construct and waited.

Sam glanced at Mark, who allowed the object through.

The moment she had it, she flipped through the pages while scratching her neck.

"Woah, this is detailed. Yeah, it looks like they have what we need."

Jason sucked air through his lips. "Well, how do we know they're telling the truth?"

Sam looked up and shrugged. "We don't, but you're more than welcome to join their link to confirm it."

Jason's eyes glazed over with horror, and he shook his head. Hell no! I'm not getting mixed up in some brainwashing cult. Can't you see they're playing us? We don't have time to get stuck here with these people; the army needs that equipment.

Jonathan sighed, clearly having expended all of his patience. "Right, and these people are the only ones who have it right now. So, you need to stop whining and play along—they don't give a shit about our city."

Jason scowled at Jonathan, but neither had a chance to continue as Aiyana spoke up calmly.

"You know, we did get a message in the early days from New York. They said people were coming to help, but they never did. They canceled on us at the last minute. So, we did the only thing we could—we survived." Aiyana stepped out of the cell, now face-to-face with all of them.

"The only way we could do that was by joining together, and contrary to your words, we never 'brainwashed' anyone. We are separate, but we are one. Now, we have what you need. Traveling anywhere else would be foolish. Take the deal; it's your best option."

Jason scowled at the woman, though he didn't say anything. He was likely weighing the time they'd need to backtrack to another location—a gamble, as to whether it would even be there.

For a second, a dangerous light flickered in Jason's eyes. Mark knew exactly what he was thinking. If they got rid of this hivemind, they could just take what they needed. Jason seemed to be seriously considering it when Mark turned to him.

"Just so you know, I want to get home too… But if you attack these people, you'll have more than just them to worry about because I'll put you in the ground. Literally."

Jason's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying right now? We're allies."

Mark nodded. "Which is why I wouldn't let you go down this path. They are innocent. I don't know what you have going on back in the city, but the deal isn't a bad one. Let's take it."

Mark watched Jason carefully as he went through a full range of emotions. He almost looked surprised by what he'd just been contemplating.

"I… I'm supposed to get back soon… or…"

Mark clapped a hand on Jason's back and sent a wave of Prana through him. The energy rushed into him, and he let out a comfortable sigh.

"Look, you don't need to say anything here, but we do need to do this. Can we agree on that?"

Jason swallowed and then nodded.

"Okay, fine. If everyone else is good, then we can give this method a go, but only if this is the last detour. I can't risk any more time out here."

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