Chapter 76: Chapter 76: System's Ascension - 4

With a cry that was more animal than human, Elio propelled himself upward. He gained another two meters, but the cost was high. His arms felt leaden, refusing to respond with the necessary speed.

But Elio couldn't stop, not now. The wall, a few meters to his left, reminded him that beyond the rock, was his home.

The wall!

With a desperate effort, he created another helium gust, propelling himself upward and towards the wall. He could use it for support, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. The distance was still too great, and his mana reserves were rapidly depleting.

Mana: 15. Meters: 164.

Elio braced against the wall and jumped again, an awkward leap due to the vertical slope, but his strength of 4 gave him a superhuman advantage. If only the fatigue wasn't so overwhelming.

The jump could be repeated if he used the helium impulse to return to the wall. If Elio knew about him, his mind would go to an image of a red-capped plumber, realizing he was performing a feat similar to the character's wall jumps.

With a cry that was more a sob, Elio propelled himself once more. The helium gust lifted him and returned him to the wall, but the distance gained seemed insignificant compared to what he still had to traverse.

Mana 13. Meters: 188

The wind howled around him, a reminder of the height he had achieved.

Another desperate jump. Elio rose, but the momentum quickly waned. Another leap... Gasping, his body teetering on the brink of collapse.

"No," he growled, forcing himself to endure. "I haven't come this far to surrender now."

Mana: 12. Meters: 202.

Elio's head spun, his vision clouding momentarily. He battled against the dizziness, each moment a struggle to maintain focus.

Mana: 11. Meters: 226.

With a will that defied all logic, Elio propelled himself once more. The wind whistled in his ears as he gained height, but the top of the wall still seemed unattainable.

Elio could feel his consciousness fading intermittently, the lack of oxygen pushing him to the limits of human endurance.

"No." The word cracked like a whip, slicing through the air between them. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Brok. You and Kriz understand nothing."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Ren, ever the pragmatist, cleared his throat.

"Perhaps," he said slowly, weighing each word, "we should consider other possibilities. Elio has always been... different. He's done things we thought impossible. Who's to say this time isn't the same?"

Zara fixed him with an intense stare, a spark of something, hope? Determination? igniting in her eyes. "Exactly," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Elio isn't like the others. He...

he'll find a way. He always does."

She turned her attention back to the cone, which had expanded its diameter considerably but reduced its depth. The Locus continued to fall, but less frequently. Silence stretched, broken only by the occasional distant roar of a monster.

And then, for a fleeting instant, she saw it.

A figure, barely visible in the gloom, materialized near the wall. Zara's breath caught in her throat, her heart hammering against her ribs. She couldn't make out details, but something about the shape screamed that it was him.

"ELIO!" The cry erupted from her lips before she could contain it, raw and desperate.

The others startled, their gazes frantically following hers.

"Where?" Brok asked, squinting into the darkness.

"There!" Zara pointed, but the figure had already vanished, swallowed by the darkness. "No, no, no... he was there! I saw him!"

The others exchanged worried glances. Was this the beginning of madness? Denial taken to the extreme?

Zara's desperation was palpable, a painful reminder of what they had all lost. Her body tensed, poised on the edge of action.

"Let go of me!" Zara shouted, struggling against the grip of almost all her companions. "I have to go to him! He's down there, I saw him!"

Her friends held her back, their faces etched with concern and sorrow. They understood her pain, shared it even, but couldn't let her throw her life away on what seemed like a desperate hallucination.

As Zara fought against their restraining hands, her eyes never left the spot where she'd seen the figure. In that moment, suspended between hope and despair, she made a silent vow. If Elio was out there, fighting to return, she would never give up on him.