Mara hurriedly cast her Purify skill as she tried to cleanse whatever effect was claiming Nina. Moon reflexively did the same, his own copied Purify skill activating in an attempt to remove the mysterious debuff by stacking the skill's effect alongside Mara.
Both cleansing spells failed completely, having no effect whatsoever on the blue energy.
Within a single heartbeat, Nina vanished right before their eyes.
A few seconds after Nina's disappearance, energy began to form once again.
A new blue gate emerged in the exact position where the first gate had been, its surface stabilizing into the familiar rippling portal appearance.
But something was horrifyingly different…the stone head beneath the gate had changed. Where previously it had depicted a spider's monstrous head, it now showed a carved representation of Nina's face, frozen in an expression of terror and confusion, her stone eyes staring out at her former teammates with silent accusation.
He who fails is chosen.
