In the middle of the lake, a lone ball of wrapped roots floated. The roots were utterly blackened, crossed with molten streaks and leeching charcoal into the water. The ball unraveled, the roots uncoiling and slackening before falling apart and into the depths below.
Li emerged. As he gazed at the black burn marks on his arm, he wondered whether this was the first time he had taken real damage in the boundaries of this physical world. Of course, nothing too serious, and, if he was in his regular form, he would have regenerated it off in a minute at most.
'You okay?' thought Li to the phylactery still encased in his pocket. He had not needed to encase himself in [Ironbark Shell] to defend against the explosion, but he was worried that Ven'thur's core would not have survived.
