Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

Lisa winced as her unhealed wound reopened, but she pushed aside the pain since there was no time to dwell on it.

The Elders had woken up, but her immediate concern was Lilly's whereabouts.

Anxiety laced her voice as she inquired, "Where's Lilly?"

He appeared taken aback, responding, "I don't know."

Capitalizing on the moment before the impending Test of Thunder, Lisa urgently directed, "Go! Go now!"

Without hesitation, the Elder seized one person in each hand, swiftly ushering everyone out.

Lisa was convinced that Lilly must be in the room behind the courtyard. Despite her eagerness to rush there, she hesitated, realizing that charging forward during her Test of Thunder could jeopardize Lilly's safety. Consequently, Lisa turned and sprinted in the opposite direction, aiming to exit the courtyard.

However, the relentless Test of Thunder seemed determined to confine her. With a resounding crack, it struck her, propelling her back into the courtyard. Stunned, she questioned whether this was truly her Tes of Thunder. If it wasn't, it shouldn't have pursued her beyond the courtyard's confines.

The Elder and the others had left the courtyard and stood at a safe distance.

The Test of Thunder ignored them, focusing its pursuit on Lisa. Specifically, it compelled her to approach Lilly.

Lisa, surprisingly clear-headed, fought to rise and crawled toward the courtyard's exit again. The Test of Thunder intensified its assault, striking her repeatedly. She could sense her arm was gone and wasn't sure about her legs. Despite the excruciating pain, her resolve remained strong—she was determined to escape the courtyard.

When Ivan heard the thunder, he snapped awake, wondering if Lilly was undergoing the Test of Thunder again. Without hesitation, he readied himself. It was customary for her to level up and face the Test of Thunder, a challenge where others could offer little assistance.

While he couldn't provide gear to resist the Test of Thunder, he could supply her with more defensive weapons, potentially boosting her chances of success. As he pondered this, he sensed something was wrong.

She remained in a state of enlightenment, surrounded by an unusual silence. There were no indications of her facing the Test of Thunder, and she showed no signs of awakening. Perplexed, he furrowed his brow and decided to go out and investigate.

To his surprise, Squeaky and Speedy rushed toward him in a state of anxious urgency.

"Squeaky! Squeaky!"

Both Squeaky and Speedy were visibly distressed. They wanted Ivan and Lilly to leave as soon as possible.

Ivan witnessed the moment when Lisa instructed the Elders and others to leave and observed her getting struck by the first lightning. He questioned whether it was Lisa's Test of Thunder.

He understood that interference wasn't allowed during this test. Intervening not only rendered assistance impossible but also heightened the danger and difficulty for the person undergoing the trials.

He hurried back to the room, picked up Lilly, and prepared to leave. As he stepped outside, a sudden thunderbolt descended. He managed to evade it, but his shoe tip got scorched. His pupils contracted, and a growing sense of unease enveloped him. He surmised that this thunder intended to harm Lilly under the guise of Lisa's trial.

Ivan immediately recalled the mysterious black hole in the Human Realm, the apparent Manifestation of God's will. Before he could make sense of it, the Thunder Test roared down once again!

Lisa crawled desperately, her body revealing exposed bones. Her eyes were fixed solely on the path ahead, muttering, "Just get out. As long as I get out, Lilly will be safe... I promise I won't let anything happer to you."

At that moment, she was oblivious to her surroundings and could no longer hear or see anything.

Fueled by sheer determination, she neither heard nor saw anything as she pressed forward. Unbeknownst to her, the merciless Test of Thunder had already struck Lilly while Lisa crawled onward. Ivan, hands stained with blood, fiercely shielded Lilly, gripping the door frame as he struggled to step out.

Lisa could no longer hear or see anything. She was consumed by the determination to crawl forward. Unbeknownst to her, the ruthless Test of Thunder had already struck Lilly.

Ivan's hands, stained with blood, clung tightly to Lilly for protection. One hand firmly gripped the door frame, desperately attempting to step outside.

Meanwhile, Lisa crawled to the front door of the courtyard, and he struggled to make his way through the backyard exit. They were headed in two different directions, separated by 65 or 100 feet, with no refuge in between-only the relentless strikes targeting both Ivan and Lisa. There was no pretense; it was evident that the lightning aimed to kill Lilly.

"Lilly, Lilly!" Ivan called desperately, but Lilly remained unresponsive, unable to wake up.

At that critical moment, the largest thunderbolt struck down, accompanied by the mournful cry of the legendary Sea-Wyvern. The sky and earth momentarily turned dark, shrouding everything in an impenetrable darkness.

The wind rustled through the snow, sending chills down Lilly's spine. Pain coursed through her body.

A familiar voice cursed, "Kneel here! Once your aunt leaves the hospital, then you can stand up." The voice seemed oddly familiar to her.

"Lilly! Lilly!"

Someone called out, but she couldn't identify the speaker. Struggling to open her eyes, she found her eyelids heavy and swollen.

After some effort, she managed to crack them open slightly. The first thing that caught her eye was a familiar black cell phone. As she stared, her gaze shifted to a battered Bunny nearby.

Lying in the snow during a raging snowstorm, Lilly trembled from the biting cold. Glancing down, she noticed herself in a thin, patched-up nightgown. Her hand looked different, smaller than the one she remembered using to dip vegetables into fondue not long ago. It hit her - she resembled herself at just over three years old.

Startled, Lilly looked up and saw a building emerging through the swirling snow-the Hatcher Mansion.