Consciousness returned slowly.
"What, where.. where am I?"
Then Zyon became aware of distant voices and the smell of damp earth, river water, and crushed herbs before finally forcing his eyes open.
The world appeared as little more than blurred shapes and shifting light at first, but as his vision cleared, he realized he was lying inside a makeshift tent on a bed of broad leaves.
Groaning softly, he pushed himself onto his elbows and instinctively reached for his ribs and head.
"Arrgh," the boy gritted his teeth.
The injuries were still there, lingering as a dull ache, but the crushing pain he remembered from the fight was gone.
Movement caught his attention.
Two figures quickly approached and knelt beside him. Their faces slowly sharpened into focus, Lorenzo and Master Hound.
Relief spread across both their faces, though it did little to hide the worry lingering behind their eyes.
"There he is," Lorenzo blurted out, with tears in his eyes. He looked like he wanted to tackle Zyon in a hug but held back. "You scared us half to death, bro!"
Zyon blinked several times before looking between them. "What happened?" he asked, his voice rough and dry.
Hound rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "That's what we'd like to know," Hound said. "The last thing we saw was you disappearing into the lake with that Zoombat."
Lorenzo immediately picked up the story.
"After you fell, Master Hound pulled me back onto the stairs and jumped in after you. You should've seen it!"
Lorenzo sprang to his feet and mimicked the motion with exaggerated gestures. "He picked me up, channeled light under his feet, and went sliding down those stairs like that elf archer from that fantasy book."
Lorenzo snapped his fingers several times. "What was it called again? Lord of... something?"
"Anyways.... We searched the lake for what felt like forever, lighting up half the water, but you were nowhere to be found."
He shook his head before pointing vaguely toward the jungle. "Then we started hearing screams from deeper in the forest. When we followed them, we saw this massive golden explosion lighting up the trees."
Zyon's eyes widened at the word explosion. "You guys saw that?"
"Trust me, hard to miss," Lorenzo said.
Hound folded his arms. "When we reached the clearing, the Zoombat was dead. So was the Ironback."
The memory returned immediately.
The charge.
The knife.
The impact.
Zyon slowly nodded. "That one was me."
Hound's expression remained thoughtful. "The other two weren't."
Zyon looked around sharply. "What do you mean?"
"One had multiple puncture wounds across its skull and the eyes plucked out. The other was in a similar state." Hound studied him carefully. "Neither matched the knife wound you described."
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Silence settled over the tent.
Eventually, Zyon lowered his gaze to his hands. "I waited until it uncurled in mid-air and went for the weak spot. But the others..."
He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was losing. My shield was falling apart, I could barely breathe, and then..."
His voice trailed off. "I blacked out."
For a moment, only the crackling fire could be heard.
Then Zyon looked up again. "There was something else."
That immediately got both of their attention.
"When I was underwater, I had a vision. I was flying high above the jungle and looking down at everything below.
Then I heard a voice." Zyon frowned, trying to remember it exactly. "It was deep. Powerful. Like thunder."
A shiver ran down his spine.
"It said..." Zyon hesitated.
"You have to rise... NOW."
Lorenzo blinked. "Whoa." His eyes widened; it looked like his eyes would pop out at any moment. "Seriously?"
Before Zyon could answer, he noticed Hound had gone completely still.
The older man's expression shifted for the briefest moment.
Shock.
Then something that looked almost like hope, followed by worry.
By the time either boy could properly process it, the familiar calm had returned.
Hound opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.
Then stopped.
The muscles in his jaw tightened.
Neither Zyon nor Lorenzo spoke.
They had both seen it.
And it told them one thing.
Hound knew something.
Eventually, the older man exhaled and looked toward the fire. "You did well, Zyon."
The answer surprised them.
"Better than well."
"Master—"
The master's voice remained calm. "Rest. We'll talk more when you're stronger."
The conversation ended there.
A few hours later, Zyon opened his eyes again. The jungle was painted in shades of orange and red. Sunlight filtered through the trees while the distant cries of birds echoed overhead.
For a moment, he simply lay there.
His body still ached, but far less compared to before.
It felt almost unbelievable.
After pushing himself upright, he followed the smell of food toward a nearby campfire where Hound and Lorenzo were roasting fish over the flames.
Unfortunately, his stomach announced his arrival before he could.
A loud growl echoed through the camp.
Lorenzo immediately burst out laughing. "There he is! The mighty sun-powered warrior returns."
Zyon rolled his eyes.
"...And immediately tries to eat us out of house and home."
Even Hound chuckled.
The sound felt strangely comforting.
Smiling despite himself, Zyon dropped down beside them, accepted a roasted fish Lorenzo handed over, and asked, "How long was I out?"
"Almost three days," Lorenzo answered.
Zyon nearly dropped the fish. "What?"
Lorenzo nodded enthusiastically.
"Three days?" Zyon stared at them. "I thought it would've been longer. My wounds feel way too healed."
"We thought the same thing," Hound replied while turning another fish over the fire. "My healing light helped, but not enough to explain this."
He nodded toward Lorenzo. "Then your friend had an idea."
Lorenzo puffed out his chest immediately. "A brilliant one," he proclaimed.
"We moved you into direct sunlight whenever we could."
The grin somehow grew larger. "You're welcome."
Hound ignored him and spoke further. "After that, the bleeding slowed. Then the wounds started closing. By the second day, most of the visible injuries were gone."
Zyon stared at his hands. "The sun, of course."
"I think your Heka was completely depleted after the fight as well," Hound continued. "The rest was your body recovering."
Zyon looked toward the fading sunlight filtering through the trees. "I guess the sun helps me even more than I thought."
While Zyon took a bite of his fish, something caught his eye.
Several large shells rested against a nearby tree.
Immediately, he sat up straighter. "Are those from the armadillo-like Ethereals I fought?"
"Those armadillos were Level 2 Ironbacks. They kept me busy while you were sleeping," the master replied.
The old adventurer stood, grabbed one of the shells, and brought it over.
Zyon went on to inspect it.
Strong braided vines formed straps along the sides, while the soft leather-like part of the beast remained intact. The shell itself had been cleaned and polished until its dark surface reflected the firelight.
Zyon turned it over in his hands.
"A backpack?"
"Among other things." Hound untied a section near the neck.
The hidden compartment revealed several glowing crystals.
Ether-cores.
Five of them.
A deep purple one from the Zoombat.
Three sandy-brown Ether-cores from the Ironbacks.
And one vibrant green crystal.
The sight stirred an old memory. Victor returning from a successful hunt, the villagers cheering around him while a glowing green Ether-core rested proudly in his hand.
Then Hound gently lifted the cores into the fading sunlight. "This is a valuable catch."
The crystals glowed brightly in his palms. "When we reach Shallow Cross, a skilled forger can turn these into something useful."
Lorenzo leaned closer, his eyes sparkling as he looked between the Ether-cores and the Ironback backpacks. "You know..." A grin slowly spread across his face. "I'm starting to feel like actual adventurers."
"We already are adventurers," Hound said and then pointed to the other backpacks. "The other backpacks contain Zoombat wings and Ironback shell fragments. Good materials shouldn't go to waste. These will make some great armor."
Lorenzo poked one of the shell packs. "I'll admit it."
He nodded thoughtfully. "They're actually pretty cool."
Zyon also ran his hand across the smooth shell and started thinking about his fights.
A Level 2 Ironback.
A Level 2 Zoombat.
His first Ethereal kills.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The fire crackled softly between them as the three sat together beneath the fading evening sky, enjoying a rare moment of peace before the road north called them onward.