"Damn it," Kriz broke the silence as they ran, his usual jovial tone completely absent lately. "We're complete idiots."
"Until now you realize?" Zara's voice cut like a knife. "I was too for giving him the blue sphere though..."
"It's just..." Kriz stumbled over his words. "He was always so... so composed when talking with you. 'Zara, don't do anything reckless'... We thought he was the mature one, always insisting that you shouldn't seek revenge alone..."
"As if he was the mature one, we were idiots indeed," Brok spat the words with disgust. "Sorry, but... It seemed like he had overcome everything."
"But it was the opposite, wasn't it? And we believed him," Kriz's laugh sounded hollow. "Some friends we are... We patted him on the back thinking 'look how well he's handling it'..."
"He was projecting," Taron completed. "He insisted so much with you because he himself couldn't let go of the idea. Every time he warned you about revenge, Zara... he was talking to himself."
When they reached the construction's limit, Zara began interrogating each group they found. Each negative response made the tension in her face increase.
"No one has seen him," her words trembled with barely contained fury. "He's gone. And I'm going to..."
"Wait!" Kriz stepped in her path. "If you just go out now..."
"Move!"
"No," Kriz held his position, though his voice softened. "Think about it. If Elio managed to leave without the artromus detecting him, he might have found a way... You would ruin it."
"Or maybe," Brok interrupted, "we're assuming he was careful when in reality he didn't care and..."
"The point is the emblems," Taron stepped forward, his eyes shining with realization. "That's why he didn't distribute them this time. I don't think it was carelessness or hurry... It was part of his plan from the start."
Zara turned to him, her eyes burning. "Plan? You call this a plan?"
"Whether or not it's a good plan, he has to win... If it goes wrong and Elio revealed his exit point," Taron continued, holding her gaze, "if the artromus... if he loses, the monster will come directly here. To the tunnel."
"And if he wins," Kriz added softly, "he'll need to return soon. The deposit has a time limit. Knowing him, he wouldn't risk losing the emblem bonuses, that's why he asked you to enter 12 hours later."
"So what?" Zara's voice trembled. "I stay here while he's up there, possibly..."
"Your group must wait until the 16 hour mark," Taron concluded. "It will give him maximum time with the emblems, either to return or... to finish what he starte..."
'I was looking for an ally,' he thought, a nostalgic smile forming on his lips. 'Someone who would oppose our families' injustice. And I found...' His gaze settled on Elio's unconscious face. 'I found much more than that.'
The scythe in his hands caught his attention again. Lucien's book had revealed its statistics when equipped: 25 attack points and a wind attribute, similar to the fire attribute of disposable swords.
"It's a formidable weapon," he murmured, studying its strange lines. "Though the shape would be uncomfortable for..." he shook his head. "Anyway, it belongs to him."
"What else did he tell you?" asked Selene, who had been processing the fragmented information she managed to hear during the chaos of the hasty carbon bridge construction. "About level 10..."
"The way he describes the increased 'Active' perception..."
♢♢♢♢
"...So it all comes down to the ability to exceed limits," Lucien explained while the scythe glowed faintly in his hands. "The cost is brutal, if what he said is true..."
"The bleeding eyes we saw and the muscles growing instantly," Selene frowned. "Do you think it's related to forcing perception beyond..."
The door burst open, interrupting them. Ren rushed in, with Diana following closely.
"Von Lucien!" Ren's usual composure was completely absent. "The rumors... they say that Elio..."
"Breathe, Ren," Diana put a hand on his shoulder. Although trying to maintain calm, the concern was evident in her eyes.
"What exactly are they saying?" asked Selene, raising an eyebrow.
"That he fought against an invincible monster," Ren swallowed. "That he defeated it, though it sounds illogical when I say it aloud, but..." his eyes fell on Elio's unconscious form. "The details become more... extreme with each version."
"I heard someone say he tore off the monster's wings with his bare hands," Diana added, though her tone suggested she didn't believe that version.
Lucien couldn't help a small smile. "The reality was impressive enough without need for exaggerations."
"So he really...?" Ren stepped forward, his progress to level 6 evidencing itself in his body's muscular structure.
"He's fine," Selene assured, noticing how Diana, now level 7, studied Elio's situation with a critical eye. "He just needs to rest."
As if responding to her words, Elio's eyelids began to tremble.