Axel, standing and panting, lifted his eyes to the overcast sky.
"Where's the bubble? I have to destroy it, no matter what!"
He scanned the surroundings, and his eyes widened.
"Huh? It had time to be thrown… onto a tree branch?"
He approached slowly.
"Exactly as it was described to me… protected by a tiny glass cube."
He hesitated.
"Do I destroy it now, or take it to the boss?"
A hoarse, yet still alive, voice broke the silence.
"You really thought that would take me down?"
Benine, kneeling, struggled to rise. His body smoked, his charred flesh revealing the pain.
(Thank you, Irah… without you, I'd already be dead. Good thing I took you before leaving…) he thought, as a memory returned.
---
Flashback — Three Days Before His Departure
— Ara Wazabi: "Benine, follow me. I have something to give you."
Benine, curious:
"Yes, father. (I wonder what it could be…)"
In the Wazabi domain's basement, silence reigned. A heavy door opened.
Behind it, a tranquil pool reflected the torchlight.
— "A… pond?"
— "No, my son," Ara said calmly.
"This pond contains blessed water. And at the bottom… lies Irah."
Benine plunged his hands, grasped the blade, then asked:
"Father, what's so special about this sword?"
— "Irah has rested seven centuries in this sacred water.
It has the power to heal its wielder, to bring them back to life… but only if it stays in its sheath.
If you draw it, it will lose this gift for a month. Remember that, my son."
---
Benine returned to reality, staring at Axel.
"What's wrong, Axel? Did you see a ghost?"
— "Regenerating like that is cheating, Wazabi…
(Or… is this your Burst? Regeneration through pain?)" Axel thought, frowning.
He clenched his fist until blood beaded. The red drops flew through the air.
"First Strike: Bloody Fractal Lightning!"
Lightning shot from the sky, breaking into dozens of shards that pierced the droplets of blood.
The bolts turned red, pulsing with rage, doubling, tripling, striking Benine from every angle.
The rumble shook the mountain.
Benine screamed. Every strike tore at his flesh and nerves. He realized: Axel was testing his resistance, not for fun—but to analyze him.
— "Wazabi… looks like you're in pain. And yet, you haven't even seen the worst!"
Benine, out of breath, managed a smile.
"Even my mother's slaps hurt more than your two-bit lightning…"
Axel frowned, then charged. Their fists collided.
The rocks cracked beneath their feet.
Suddenly, Axel leapt back, breathing steadily, his gaze precise. Benine followed, unaware he was walking into a trap.
Beneath his feet, a puddle of sweat. Another behind him. Exactly as Axel had planned.
— "Second Strike: Reverse Storm!"
With a gesture, Axel summoned Ryndar.
Lightning struck, splitting in two, hitting the puddles simultaneously.
An explosion of light, a shockwave: the ground deformed, hurling electrified rocks.
Benine, caught between the two impacts, screamed, crushed by the force of the lightning.
— "Hurts, doesn't it, Wazabi? Need a bandage? Hahaha!"
Panting, Benine barely pulled himself away.
"Keep it… you'll need it when I get you…"
Axel slammed his head into the ground while running, then violently threw him farther.
"You don't even have the strength to speak… pathetic."
Around Benine, a circle of nails gleamed under the lightning.
Axel touched one with a fingertip.
— "Third Strike: Celestial Spiral!"
Lightning leapt from nail to nail, forming an electric tornado.
The sky screamed. The air vibrated. The sound alone could have shattered eardrums.
Benine was at the center of the vortex, convulsing, burning alive.
His thoughts blurred, his breath broke.
(I have to fight back… or die.)
When the tornado subsided, Benine was on his knees. Charred, trembling, but still alive.
Axel approached, calm, almost solemn. He placed a hand on his opponent's scorched face.
— "For the last time, Wazabi… what is your name?"
Benine, in a hoarse whisper, murmured:
"I… am called… Benine."
A breeze swept across the mountain. The sky rumbled again.
The Heart of the Storm had just struck.
---⚡ End of Chapter 3 ⚡---