After chewing and swallowing the golden fruit, Fyar closed his eyes, preparing himself for whatever effect he might receive.
Ten seconds passed.
Fyar felt nothing. He frowned, murmuring softly, "N-nothing’s happening? W-was that scam??"
Illya smiled widely, her eyes sparkling. "How is it, Fyar?! Is your power back?!"
"Eh... well... um..." Fyar didn’t know what to say.
Rasie glanced at Zaefal. "So, is the purple-haired guy’s power back now?"
"I don’t know...maybe?" Zaefal answered curtly.
Rasie yelled at Fyar, "OI, PURPLE HAIR! SHOW US YOUR POWERR!"
Damn it, was I scammed?! Where’s my power, you green bastard! ...Ugh... Fyar didn’t know what to say.
After a few seconds silence, he thought... Whatever, it’s better to just be honest. Fyar let out a long sigh. "It seems I—"
an immense pain struck him in the chest.
"Wh-what?" His eyes stung, a burning, intense pain.
Cough! Cough!
Fyar coughed violently. Fresh blood sprayed from his mouth. His body slowly crumpled to the ground. "I—" Cough!
It hurts... it, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Is this the end?! his mind screamed.
"Fyar?!" Illya rushed to support Fyar’s body.
"Purple hair?!" Rasie and Zaefal ran toward him.
Slowly, Fyar’s vision blurred and darkened.
Before long, his surroundings changed. He was now standing in the middle of a cosmic expanse, surrounded by beautiful green and purple nebulas. Below him was a pool of knee-deep water that soaked his shoes.
Am I dead?
"Not yet." A figure appeared in front of him. He had long green hair with one blue eye and one gold eye. The man was wearing a black hoodie with an anime graphic and a pair of jeans.
"Now you’re wearing a hoodie with an anime picture? ...That’s not it... anway why didn’t you tell me the process would be this painful you bastard?!" Fyar frowned.
"Because you didn’t ask," the man replied.
He then snapped his fingers.
Instantly, Fyar was sitting in a chair, facing a table set with a chessboard. The man sat across from him, smiling. "Let’s chat for a bit while we play a game."
Fyar looked at the chessboard, then scratched his head. "Um... dickhead... I’m in the middle of a battle right now."
"I’ve already seen a little of the future. You’ll be fine," the man said, moving a piece. "Besides, don’t you want information on how to use your power?"
...
"...He’s... not breathing?!!" Illya said in a panic. She pressed her ear to Fyar’s chest, trying to find a heartbeat.
"Huh?!" Rasie quickly checked Fyar’s wrist. There was no pulse. She fell silent, then turned to Zaefal. "What happened?"
"Fyar?! Fyar!" Illya placed her hands on Fyar’s chest. "Heal! Heal! Heal!"
Zaefal was silent, his gaze fixed on Rasie, not knowing what to say. What does this mean? No, he can’t be dead! That fruit isn’t poisonous! Why? Wait, calm down... Could he have been poisoned by the monster earlier? Ugh... Wait, c-could this be the process of his awakening? I have to be calm... Calm...
After trying to analyze the situation, Zaefal took a breath. "For now, let’s—"
SCREEEEEECH!
His words were cut off by a piercing shriek that made their ears hurt. The remaining owl statue began to tremble violently. Cracks appeared all over its stone body, emitting a golden light from within. With a loud explosion, its stone shell shattered into pieces, revealing a second owl monster identical to the first, complete with thick, earth-gray feathers and savage, glowing golden eyes.
Damn it... Damn it... Zaefal turned to Illya. "Illya, protect Fyar!" He then shifted his gaze to Rasie. "Still got it?"
Rasie gave a slight nod, tightening her grip on her sword.
The creature gave them no time. It shot forward, its stone spear aimed straight at the helpless Fyar. Zaefal immediately moved to intercept.
THOOM!
A loud boom echoed as Zaefal’s black sword clashed with the stone spear. The force of the impact pushed him back several centimeters, his arm trembling violently.
The creature kept pressing, launching a series of brutal thrusts and slashes that forced Zaefal to focus entirely on defense. At the same time, Rasie attacked from the side, trying to slash its back.
KRAKK!
Her sword only scraped against the creature’s hard feathers, creating a cracking sound and a shower of sparks.
The creature ignored Rasie and continued to focus its attacks on Zaefal. Its stone spear moved with incredible speed and power, each swing capable of cracking the ground.
Zaefal was forced back step by step, the blade of his black sword working hard to parry every strike. Rasie continued to attack from the side and behind, but each of her slashes bounced off the creature’s hard body.
"Damn it! It’s so tough!" Rasie shouted in frustration.
Seeing them being pushed back, Zaefal took a risk. He blocked a straight thrust with his sword, letting the immense force push him back several steps to create distance. "Rasie, its legs!" he shouted.
Understanding instantly, Rasie changed her target. She lowered her body and swung her sword with all her might toward the creature’s unprotected ankle. At the same time, Zaefal launched a counter-attack, his black sword thrusting straight toward the owl’s chest.