The bridge groaned under their weight. Thin cracks of glowing light spread across the surface like spiderwebs, each step making the sound worse. Below them, the underground lake pulsed with that sickly glow, rippling as if something inside it was alive and waiting.
Sayos forced a laugh, though sweat dripped down his forehead. "Anyone else feel like this bridge is seconds from killing us? No? Just me?"
"Shut it, Sayos," Rika snapped, her hands already glowing with sparks of fire. "Focus."
The water rippled again. Then it erupted.
The serpent exploded out of the depths, massive coils smashing against the cavern walls, showering them with glowing spray. Its scales shimmered, crimson runes beating like a heart. Its eyes locked on Mizu—always Mizu.
The voice slithered straight into their skulls, deep and venomous.
**"The flame is not yours. It never was."**
Mizu tightened his grip around his pendant. His jaw clenched. "Then come and take it."
---
The serpent struck.
Its jaws slammed down onto the bridge, shattering a whole section. Sayos barely rolled clear as glowing shards tumbled into the abyss. "ARE YOU TRYING TO BREAK THE WHOLE DAMN BRIDGE?!" he shouted at nobody in particular.
"Less whining, more fighting!" Rika barked, flames whipping around her fists. She punched forward, a blazing arc smashing against one of the glowing runes. For a moment the rune flickered, and the serpent recoiled with a screech.
Honkai's eyes narrowed. "The runes. That's its weak point!"
"Got it!" Sayos was already moving, blades of wind forming around his arms. He sprinted up the serpent's coil and slashed down. A rune cracked, violet sparks spraying into the air.
Lucy leapt next, her white fur glowing faintly as her fangs sank into the serpent's flesh. The beast convulsed, whipping its body, trying to throw her off.
"Lucy, hold—!" Rika started, but the serpent slammed against the bridge, the shockwave nearly knocking everyone flat. Lucy barely managed to keep her bite locked in.
---
Mizu stepped forward, blue flames bursting around him. His voice was steady, but his eyes… they were burning. "I'll finish this."
He sprinted up the shaking bridge, flames and water spiraling around him. The serpent hissed and reared back, but Mizu launched himself high, driving his fist into its chest. Steam and light exploded on impact. The rune shattered.
The serpent's scream shook the entire cavern. Chunks of the ceiling rained down, smashing against the bridge. The whole structure groaned, splitting further.
"Mizu, STOP BREAKING THE BRIDGE WE'RE ON!" Sayos yelled, stumbling as another crack spread under his feet.
Mizu landed hard, breath ragged. "We don't have a choice."
---
The serpent's runes flickered—then changed.
From crimson… to blood red. Its aura doubled, pressing down on them like a storm. Every rune on its body pulsed, beating like a second heart.
"This… isn't good," Rika muttered, her flames faltering.
The serpent's mouth opened wide, violet light swirling inside. A beam began forming, brighter and brighter, aimed straight at them.
"It's going to—" Honkai's words cut off as the beast fired.
The beam tore across the bridge like a sun exploding. Chunks of glowing glass shattered, falling into the abyss. The heat seared their skin, the shockwave sent Sayos flying. Rika screamed as she slipped, her hands catching the very edge of the bridge.
"RIKA!" Mizu roared, sprinting toward her.
But the serpent's tail smashed into him mid-run. The impact was brutal, slamming him against the bridge and nearly sending him over. His crystal pulsed violently, glowing brighter and brighter.
Rika's voice cracked, raw with desperation. "Mizu!"
---
Mizu staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his lip. He looked at his friends—Rika hanging on for dear life, Sayos dragging himself up, Lucy still clinging to the serpent, Honkai bracing against the shaking bridge.
And he moved. He didn't think. He just moved.
Blue fire exploded around him, brighter than ever before, boiling the mist into steam. He leapt in front of the serpent's next blast, raising his arms. The beam slammed into him full force.
"MIZU!" Rika screamed.
The cavern was drowned in blue and violet light. The clash roared like thunder. Mizu's body shook under the pressure, his flames tearing at the serpent's attack, every muscle screaming.
For a second, he almost pushed it back.
Then came the scream. His own.
The light faded.
And there he was—limp, hanging in the serpent's jaws, his crystal still glowing faintly but his body unmoving.
---
Rika froze. Her fire sputtered out. Sayos's usual grin was gone, his face pale. Lucy howled, a sound that cut like a blade. Honkai's fists trembled.
The serpent raised its head high, Mizu dangling lifeless in its maw. Its voice filled their minds again, cold and final.
The flame returns to its rightful owner.
Its fangs sank deeper into Mizu's body.
End of Chapter 40