Blaze sat in a quiet corner of the stone platform, his entire being focused on the Hellfire Rasengan. He ignored the quiet murmur of conversation between Sunny and Cassie, centering his mind on the volatile rotation of his flames. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nephis. She was sitting in a meditative trance, her breathing rhythmic as she praticed with her own Aspect.
Blaze watched her for a long moment, a thought surfacing. 'Usually, Aspects are unique, but our powers share the same element. What is the fundamental difference between my Hellfire and her white flame?'
"What is it?" Nephis asked, her voice calm and sudden, though she hadn't opened her eyes.
Blaze sighed, resting his hands on his knees. "I was just wondering... what do you think is the difference between your fire and mine?"
Nephis opened her eyes, her gaze clear and cold. "Healing."
"That's it?" Blaze asked.
"There might be more as we progress," she replied simply. "Aspects evolve as we grow stronger." She paused, looking at his cupped hands. "What are you practicing?"
"Flame control," Blaze said, offering a non-committal shrug. "Just trying to make it more efficient."
Nephis didn't press him. Instead, she leaned back against the stone. "That song you sang earlier... it was good."
Blaze offered a small, genuine smile. "Thanks."
He stood up and walked over to where Sunny and Cassie were sitting. Hearing his footsteps, they both turned. "What are we discussing? Hope I'm not interrupting," Blaze said.
"Oh, nothing much," Cassie said with a soft smile. "Just talking about our families."
Sunny looked up at him, his expression less guarded than usual. "The song was good, Blaze. Catchy."
"Thanks," Blaze replied.
Cassie tilted her head toward him. "Blaze... where did you learn a song like that? It doesn't sound like anything I have heard."
"I learned it from the story of a skeleton," Blaze said.
Cassie's brow furrowed in confusion, and even Nephis seemed to perk up at the odd statement. "A skeleton? Can you tell us the story?" Cassie asked.
Blaze sat down, leaning against the cool stone of the headless knight. "Sure. There was once a pirate crew called the Rumbar Pirates. They were people who loved music more than gold. One of them was a man named Brook—a musician who loved a good drink and a loud song,high end pervert. He had eaten a 'Revive-Revive' fruit, a power that would only activate once he died."
He paused, a nostalgic look in his eyes. "On their journey, they met a baby whale they named Laboon. The whale became their best friend, and his favorite song was Binks's Brew.,One which I sang, But as the pirates sailed further into the world, the seas became too dangerous for a whale. They had to leave Laboon behind with a friend at a lighthouse, promising him they would return after they had seen the whole world. Laboon promised to wait."
Blaze's voice grew quieter. "But as the pirates ventured into a mysterious, cursed fog, they were attacked by other pirates. One by one, they fell. Brook was the last one left. He played his violin until he died too. His soul survived because of the fruit, but it got lost in the fog for years. By the time he found his ship again, his body had turned into a skeleton. He stayed on that ghost ship, alone with the memories of his dead friends, for fifty years."
The platform was silent. Cassie's face was filled with sorrow. "Did he ever meet the whale again?"
"Not yet," Blaze said, "but he finally made it out of the fog. He's still sailing, still trying to keep that promise."
Cassie offered a sad, hopeful smile. "I hope he makes it."
***
The night passed without incident, though the tension on the platform was thick enough to cut. When the morning light finally touched the coral, signaling the retreat of the Dark Sea, they prepared to leave their sanctuary.
Nephis was the first to the edge, her silver hair catching the pale light. "Today will be different," she warned, looking at Blaze and Sunny. "The Scavengers are hungry and numerous. We won't be able to avoid every fight."
She looked Sunny in the eye, her voice firm. "If Blaze and I are pinned down, Sunny, your job is to get Cassie away. Use the narrow passages. If we get separated, head for the next landmark. Don't wait for us. Understood?"
Sunny gave a somber nod.
The descent was easier than the climb. Blaze went down second, securing the golden rope while Sunny lowered Cassie. Within the hour, their boots hit the calcified mud of the Labyrinth floor.
Progress was agonizingly slow. Sunny's shadow scouted ahead, but the maze was crawling with predators. They were forced to double back constantly, their path a chaotic zigzag that drained their energy and time.
Finally, the inevitable happened.
They found themselves trapped in a long corridor with a pack of Scavengers closing in from behind and a pair of them blocking the only exit ahead. There were no side passages, no shortcuts.
Nephis scowled, her hand tightening on her hilt.
"We can take them," Blaze said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous register.
Nephis nodded. "We have to."
Sunny looked between them, his eyes wide. "But we don't have time for an ambush. They'll see us coming!"
"It doesn't matter," Nephis said, her eyes flashing with a cold light. "I'll take the front. Blaze, you hit the flanks. Sunny, stay in the shadows—wait for them to commit to us, then finish one off from behind. Then we kill the second one together."
It was a gamble. It relied entirely on Nephis and Blaze being able to tank the initial fury of two Awakened Beasts simultaneously. Sunny gritted his teeth. "Alright. Let's do it."
Nephis didn't say another word. She summoned her sword, the blade gleaming with a white, hungry light. Beside her, Blaze took a deep breath.
Ignite.
His skin sloughed away in a roar of violet-black fire, revealing the ivory-white skeleton beneath. He gripped his sword, the metal glowing as he channeled his essence into the blade.
"Let's go," Blaze hissed.
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Kindly give the review,I looked into the Answers,only one got it right but still,it is related to my previous question