CHAPTER 255: ISLAND’S EXPLORATION

After their intense session in the surf, the group regrouped on the beach, sprawling on towels under the warm sun. They spent a lazy hour resting, snacking on fruit and sandwiches the Leclair staff had packed, and rehydrating with cool drinks. The competitive energy from the waves had softened into a comfortable, shared tiredness.

"Alright, lethargy period over," Lux announced, clapping his hands together. He pointed to a landmass visible a short distance from the shore, a lush, green island rising from the turquoise sea.

"Next stop: exploration. That’s the family’s private reserve. No tourists, just nature."

A short, pleasant boat ride later, they stepped onto the pristine white sands of the island’s main beach. The air was thick with the scent of exotic flowers and the chatter of unseen birds.

"Right," Lux said, addressing the group.

"We’ve got a few hours. Explore however you like. Just don’t wander into any of the marked conservation zones. We’ll meet back at this dock before sunset."

Almost instantly, the group split into their natural pairs.

Nero turned to Khione, a question in his eyes. She gave a slight nod. Without a word, they turned away from the gentle coastline and headed straight for the dense, wild interior of the island. They moved in comfortable silence, their hands occasionally brushing. For them, the adventure wasn’t about a destination, but about the shared quiet. They navigated through groves of strange, twisting trees, listened to the symphony of the jungle, and found a secluded waterfall cascading into a crystal-clear pool. It was a world away from everything, and it was perfect. They simply existed there, two parts of a whole, enjoying the untamed beauty together.

Not far away, but in a completely different direction, Eltreth and Azalea chose their own path. Their exploration was more active and conversational. They followed a well-defined trail that wound up the island’s central hill, offering breathtaking views of the surrounding ocean.

"This is much better than being jostled in a city crowd," Azalea remarked, breathing in the clean air.

"Infinitely," Eltreth agreed, her gaze sweeping over the landscape with a strategist’s eye, appreciating the island’s natural defenses. They talked—about the competition, about the others, about things of importance only to them. It was a chance to strengthen their own unique bond, away from the boisterous energy of the boys.

That boisterous energy, meanwhile, had found its own outlet. Adam clapped a heavy hand on a drowsy Blake’s shoulder.

"Right, you! No napping," the dwarven prince declared. "You’ve been a lump of sand all day. We’re going to find the highest point on this rock."

Blake groaned, his purple hair even more disheveled than usual. "Why? The view from here is perfectly horizontal and requires no effort."

"Because it’s there!" Adam boomed, already starting to march inland. "Lux, you’re our guide. Lead on!"

Lux laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

"You heard him, Blake. Adventure calls!" He led the way, his knowledge of the island allowing him to choose a challenging but rewarding route. Adam powered up the path, his sturdy legs eating up the incline, while Blake trailed behind, muttering about the "tyranny of the energetic."

Lux effortlessly navigated between them, pointing out rare plants and geological features, playing the perfect host.

The trio’s journey was filled with Adam’s loud proclamations, Blake’s dramatic sighs, and Lux’s cheerful commentary. They eventually reached a rocky outcrop that provided a stunning, 360-degree view of the entire island and the endless ocean beyond. Even Blake had to admit, as he caught his breath, that the vista was worth the climb.

As the sun began its descent, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, the group slowly converged back at the dock, their clothes slightly damp with sweat or sea spray, their faces flushed from the day’s activities. Nero and Khione emerged from the jungle looking serene and connected. Eltreth and Azalea returned from the heights looking refreshed and contemplative. Adam, Lux, and a thoroughly worn-out Blake arrived from the summit, the former two looking triumphant and the latter looking forward to a long, motionless sleep.

Unfortunately, after returning to the Leclair main estate, Nero suggested a friendly competition in the pocket world. The others were curious as to why he had suddenly made this kind of suggestion, but they naturally agreed.

Only Khione understood the reasoning behind it. He wanted to test his new abilities in a real combat setting against skilled opponents, without the life-or-death stakes of his solo hunt, also to shock them to cause shock through the world.

It was still daytime in the pocket world when they arrived at the familiar, expansive training grounds. The air hummed with latent energy, ready to be shaped by their wills.

The first match was between Eltreth and Azalea. Both were knights at the same level, the Red Knight level, but their approaches to combat could not have been more different.

They stood opposite each other on the grassy plain. Eltreth held her spear, its polished obsidian tip already beginning to glow with a faint, hungry light. She tapped into her core, and the Law of Fire answered. A corona of blazing heat erupted around her, and flames, the color of a deep sunset, wreathed the spear’s head.

Azalea, in contrast, stood calm and poised. Her longbow was in her hand, and the air around her began to stir. The Law of Wind gathered at her command, a shimmering, invisible force that made the grass at her feet ripple outward. She nocked an arrow, and as she drew the string, prana condensed, forging not a physical arrow, but a projectile of pure, compressed wind, its tip swirling with lethal focus.

"Begin!" Nero called out from the sidelines.

Azalea moved first. With an elven grace that was deceptively swift, she loosed three Wind Arrows in rapid succession. They shot forth not with a thwip, but with a sharp shriek as they split the air, aimed at Eltreth’s legs, shoulder, and the spear in her hand.

Eltreth didn’t retreat. She became a whirlwind of motion. Her spear became a blur of crimson, deflecting the first two arrows with sharp, precise knocks that sent gales of disrupted wind scattering. The third arrow she sidestepped, the force of it tearing a furrow in the ground behind her.

She closed the distance, her feet pounding against the earth. Azalea was already on the move, using the wind to enhance her agility, leaping backward with impossible lightness. As she retreated, she chanted a short phrase, and a Gale Blade—a horizontal scythe of compressed air—shot towards Eltreth’s midsection.

Eltreth dropped into a slide, the Gale Blade passing inches over her head and severing the tops of several tall grasses behind her. As she rose from the slide, she thrust her spear forward. "Scarlet Lancer’s Thrust!" A concentrated beam of fire, thin and incandescent, lanced from her spear tip towards Azalea.

Azalea brought her bow around in a circle, and a Cyclone Shield spun to life before her. The fiery beam slammed into it, the wind desperately trying to disperse the heat. The shield held, but just barely, the air within it shimmering with superheated distortion.

The fight became a breathtaking dance of elemental opposites. Azalea used her mastery of wind to control the battlefield, creating buffeting gusts to throw off Eltreth’s balance and launching volleys of invisible, cutting attacks from all angles. She was elusive, a phantom on the breeze.

But Eltreth was an unstoppable force. Her Law of Fire was one of pure, aggressive power. She couldn’t match Azalea’s finesse, so she overwhelmed it. She bathed the area around her in waves of concussive flame, forcing Azalea to keep her distance. She used sweeping, fiery arcs from her spear to create a no-go zone, melting the grass and heating the very air.

The climax came when Azalea, seeing an opening, put all her power into one final technique. She leaped high into the air, the wind carrying her, and drew her bowstring back to its fullest extent.

"Sky-Piercing Vortex Arrow!" A massive, spiraling drill of condensed wind and prana formed at the tip of her bow, howling like a tempest as she released it. It shot downward, aiming to pin Eltreth to the ground.

Eltreth looked up, her orange eyes blazing. She didn’t try to dodge. Instead, she planted her feet, roared a challenge to the sky, and thrust her spear upward to meet the descending vortex. She poured every ounce of her remaining prana into a single, defiant counter.

"Phoenix Ascension!"

A colossal avian of pure, white-hot fire erupted from her spear, its wings spread wide. It met the Vortex Arrow in a mid-air collision. The resulting explosion was deafening. A storm of fire and wind detonated outward, forcing the spectators to shield their eyes. When the light and fury faded, the ground between them was scorched and torn.

Both combatants were on their knees, panting heavily, their prana reserves nearly depleted.

But Eltreth was the first to stagger to her feet, using her spear as a crutch. A trickle of blood ran from her nose from the strain, but her gaze was triumphant. Azalea, while unharmed, had nothing left. She offered a tired, respectful smile and raised a hand in concession.

The match was over.