Chapter 36: (CH35) HI-MONSTER
The earth beneath Luis’s boots trembled—not from a monster’s step, but something stranger. A tear shimmered into existence above the ashes, folding space like rippling glass. It grew slowly, spiraling outward with eerie light. A portal. Quiet, yet undeniable.
"A portal!" Zyx shouted—and for once, his tone wasn’t sarcastic. It was relief. Honest. Desperate. "Finally! Our ticket out of this gods-forsaken death trap! Come on, Luis, let’s bounce before something else tries to eat your remaining twenty percent!"
But Luis didn’t move.
He stayed rooted, eyes locked on the glowing ash nestled in the moss. The air still reeked of burnt magic, thick like the smoke of a battlefield. His voice came out low, almost broken.
"No. Not yet."
Zyx flickered, closing the distance in frustration. "What do you mean not yet? She’s gone, Luis. You didn’t kill her, remember? This place is a death sentence. We’ve got an actual exit—why the hell would you stay?"
Luis didn’t respond. He knelt slowly, cupping the warm ashes with reverence. All that remained of the girl who once rode dragons through fire and sky. Beside him, the battered Knight Mech mirrored his movement and knelt as well.
Luis gently tucked the ashes into a moss-lined hollow.
"Rest in peace," he whispered. "You were strong."
Zyx hovered close, uncharacteristically quiet. "Don’t carry this guilt, Luis. You didn’t end her. That was her god’s call. Solara gave her the blade. She chose to swing it. You just happened to be standing too close. That kind of power always burns the one holding it. You survived. That’s all."
Luis stood again, slower this time, no longer trembling. His face was steel—not proud, but bitter and quiet. The kind of resolve born from helplessness.