Survives his mother freezing the air while making the ground

Crom Cruach, I thought. You motherfucker.

I moved to…to run? In that moment, I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. Naraka, I thought. It was our only hope, but the mere thought that we had hope was enough to make my heart rise—and to crush it even more so when I realized I didn’t have the power left. I had to—

The Deathstalker clicked its pincers, rustling as if pleased as the light behind it began to grow. With desperate speed, I reached into my Inventory to draw out a crystal and held it tight, draining it for power. A saw a column of light tear through the earth, sheering through a mountainside in the distance—and I saw it fade away as my barrier rose.

I did it, I thought, smile rising to my face. I—

My mother tackled me to the ground, grabbed me, and pulled me tight against her. For a moment, I thought it was a hug, that she was relieved—and then I was abruptly colder than I’d ever been in my entire life as air began to solidify around us. No, it was more than that even; I felt heat as well, the earth liquefying enough for us to sink into, sending a wave of agonizing heat through me even as I froze in place. It hurt, hurt unbelievably, and I didn’t understand why she was…

Oh, I thought. She was trying to protect me. But I’d already saved us. I’d already—

And then I felt Naraka shatter, breaking from the outside. As it did, I knew the Pandora Shell had opened.

And I knew I’d failed.