Josec, Harry and Buern were running through a forest. They had left the town of Gate early in the morning. They had only walked a few kilometres when they found themselves surrounded by Innovain's men. It was a difficult battle but with Josec and Harry's combined effort, they managed to break through the circle and escape. Buern wasn't of much help because she couldn't tap into her Jo-lan powers. After running continuously for four hours, they were beginning to get tired.
"What do we do? Innovain's forces are right on our tail!" Harry panted tiredly.
"I'm of no help to you guys. I can't even use my powers" Buern complained.
"There must be a special reason for that. Trust in yourself Buern and in the will of God. For now, we'll split up" Josec suggested.
"Are you crazy?! We have a much better chance together than if we split up. C'mon Josec! We'll be picked off one by one!" Harry spoke against the plan.
"I have a feeling we're close to the nearest village. I'll try to lead Innovain's men away from you two. You guys should stick together and run as fast as you can. I'll slip away from Innovain's men when I'm sure you're safe" Josec said.
"You're planning to take on Innovain's men on your own? Are you crazy?!" Buern muttered angrily.
"I'll be fine. You two should take care of yourselves" Josec said as he turned to leave.
Buern held his hand.
"Take good care of yourself Fenix. No matter what happens, you must come back alive" Buern said seriously.
"Yeah, you too. Thanks for the concern Buern" Josec said as he ran in the opposite direction.
"Let's go Vane" Harry called.
Buern nodded and they took off.
Josec ran in the opposite direction till he came face to face with Innovain's men. They were being led by a sinister man called Grim.
"Aren't we lucky boys? The Fenix kid decided to surrender himself to us" Grim said.
"Who are you?" Josec asked.
"The name's Grim. I am the commander of this squad" Grim bragged.
"You know, you guys really suck. How can you work for a man who can't even rid himself of a 'fowl'?" Josec mocked.
"You will pay for insulting Lord Innovain! After him!" Grim ordered.
"Ooh? Touchy, touchy. Looks like I tweaked a nerve. I must be quite close to the truth" Josec mocked them.
Then he turned around and led them away from Harry and Buern.
Meanwhile, Buern and Harry had reached a deep canyon with a rope bridge leading to the other side.
"Help me" a weak childlike voice called.
"Did you just hear that voice?" Buern asked.
"What are you talking about? There's no voice" Harry said.
"Help me please" the voice called again.
"There is definitely a voice asking for help. It sounds like a little girl" Buern said as she looked into the canyon.
"There is no voice Vane! Let's just cross this bridge!" Harry yelled angrily.
"Help me, the darkness is killing me" the voice called yet again.
Buern stared into the river below and for a moment, she saw a girl with dark hair just like hers, struggling in the river below. The currents were too strong and the girl was pulled beneath the surface of the water.
"I've got to save her!" Buern exclaimed as she dived into the river below.
"BUEEEERN!!!" Harry screamed in shock and dismay.
Buern struggled against the currents. She could see the small hand reaching above the surface. She swam towards the girl.
Harry ran along the edge of the canyon trying to keep up with Buern. Buern dived below the surface of the water and swam towards the little girl. She struggled as hard as she could but the girl drifted further and further away from her. Buern decided that there was only one way to save the girl. It was a crazy idea but it was the only one she could think of. She'd let the currents carry her along till she reached the girl and that's what she did. Surprisingly, no sooner had she decided to do that than she noticed that the girl began to drift closer and closer to her. Soon, she had the girl in her arms.
"Don't worry. You're safe. I won't let anything bad happen to you" Buern promised.
The girl smiled and raised her head to look at Buern.
"Thank you. You may not realize it now but you have performed a great deed" the girl said.
When Buern saw the face of the girl, she was shocked for the girl was none other than her younger self. She began to glow and soon she disappeared. It was then that Buern noticed that she was nearing the edge of a waterfall.
"Buern! Hang on!" Harry called as he reached into the water with a very long branch.
Unfortunately, the water carried Buern away from the branch and she fell over the waterfall.
"BUERN!" Harry screamed in fear and sorrow.
Meanwhile, Josec finally managed to evade Grim and his men. After losing them, he headed in the direction Harry and Buern had taken. It did not take long for him to reach the canyon. It was late afternoon by then. As he approached the canyon, he saw Harry sitting on the ground looking very distressed.
"Harry! I finally ditched Innovain's goons!" he said excitedly.
Harry didn't speak. When Josec looked closely, he saw tears in Harry's eyes.
"Harry, what's wrong? Tell me what happened, and where is Buern?" Josec asked as he looked around for Buern.
"I'm sorry Jo. I failed you. I couldn't protect Buern" Harry said sadly.
Josec was shocked by Harry's words.
"Don't tell me she's…" Josec was saying when Harry nodded sadly.
"It can't be true! If this is some kind of joke Harry it's not funny!" Josec yelled.
"It's not a joke…" Harry said.
Then he narrated the entire tragedy to Josec.
Josec stared into the river sadly and wept.
"I don't believe it! I won't believe it! Buern can't be dead! She can't be! It's not possible!" Josec yelled hysterically.
"What are you going to do Josec?" Harry said with his hands on his head.
"Don't blame yourself Harry. It's not your fault. Honestly, I never thought Buern would risk her life to save someone else but she's changed lately and I'm glad she did…even if it was on a whim" Josec said.
"Are you accepting it?" Harry asked.
"No, Buern is the strongest girl I've ever known. She won't die from something as silly as drowning. She's out there somewhere. I just know it and we're gonna find her" Josec said confidently.
"How can you be so sure that she's still alive?" Harry asked.
"That's because…my heart tells me so. Besides, we all know that the only force capable of subduing a dragon is a phoenix" Josec said with a smile.
Then they began their search for Buern. They followed the river's trail as far as they could but they found no trace of Buern. It was almost as if she had disappeared from the face of the earth. Evening arrived with no progress.
"Josec, it's late and we've found no trace of Buern. Let's head to the nearest village and get some rest. We'll continue our search for Buern tomorrow" Harry suggested.
"I'm not leaving this spot till I find Buern!" Josec declared.
"B-but Josec…"
"No buts Harry. Can you imagine how she could be feeling right now without us? Imagine opening your eyes only to find solitude. It's just too cruel. I won't allow Buern to be alone!" Josec said emotionally.
"Sheesh, you're imagining Buern to be a lot weaker than she actually is. I think you're cruelly underestimating her" Harry muttered.
"I'm well aware of her strength. However…I will not abandon her" Josec said.
"I'm not asking you to abandon her. I'm just asking you to be a bit patient" Harry argued.
Josec sighed.
"You know, I'm not just saying we should stay here because of my feelings for Buern. Buern has our money so even if we went to the next village, we won't be able to afford a night at an inn" Josec said.
"Hmm, I guess you're right. Fine, we'll stay here and wait for Buern. We can survive on wild fruits and water from this river but we'll have to think of something for shelter" Harry said thoughtfully.
"I don't have any problem with sleeping under the open sky" Josec said with a smile.
"Typical of a bird" Harry muttered.
"Did you say something? Oh and what was your Psychorage again?" Josec mocked.
"Shut up! You know I have no idea how to Psychorage or what form my Psychorage is" Harry complained.
"So don't get smart-mouthed with me" Josec teased some more.
THREE DAYS LATER…
"Mmm…nnnh…" Buern struggled to open her eyes.
Her vision was blurred but she seemed to be in a dark cavern. The doorway to the cavern seemed to be glowing with a pale blue light. As Buern's vision became more focused, she could see a dark haired woman staring at her. The woman had a very serious expression and it seemed almost as though she was peering into Buern's soul. Buern sat up and groaned in pain.
"What's this pain?!" she exclaimed and looked down at herself.
She was bandaged from her chest down to her waist.
"Don't strain yourself, just rest for a while" the woman said seriously.
"Where am I? Josec, Harry, where are they?" Buern asked weakly.
"When you are well rested, I will tell you everything" the woman said.
"Who are you?" Buern asked.
"I will tell you everything once you've regained your strength."
Buern stared at the strange woman before her. She could not understand why but she felt as though she had known the woman a long time ago.
"You seem familiar to me" she struggled to say.
"That may be because…I knew your mother a very long time ago" the woman said.
"My mother?" Buern stared at the woman in surprise.
"What was her name? My father never told me about her. He said my mother abandoned us when I was a baby" Buern said.
"Fine, I'll tell you her name. Your mother…her name was…Lily. She was the most pure-hearted person I have ever known but I won't tell you anything more about her until you've regained your strength" the woman said.
"At least tell me your name" Buern requested.
"My name is Marina and I'm your guardian" the woman said.
"Marina…Lily…they really are…beautiful names" Buern said as she drifted into sleep.
FIVE DAYS LATER…
"It's been exactly one week since Buern disappeared and we still have no clue as to where she is" Harry said.
"I believe Buern will come back to us" Josec said with determination.
"Jo, I know anytime I open my mouth only trash comes out but don't you think we have better things to do than sit here and wait for Buern? Innovain grows stronger every day and we haven't even reached the port town of Wusihen. If we don't move quickly, Innovain will catch us unprepared" Harry said seriously.
"I know Harry. You're right but I made a promise to myself never to allow her to feel the pain she's felt all her life. I swore on my soul never to abandon her! I'll keep that promise no matter what happens!" Josec declared.
"Ayi-yi-yi! When you start talking like that, nothing I say can change your mind" Harry sighed in exasperation. "You're such a hopeless romantic, you know that?"
Meanwhile, Commander Grim had returned to Innovain's castle to report the situation. Innovain wasn't surprised because he had been watching everything with his Ryuugan.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't wipe your entire squad out of the face of this mortal plane. Because of your incompetence, my daughter is lost in the River Of Recollection. If she meets Marina and learns the truth about her past, entire centuries of planning will be foiled in a single instant!" Innovain roared causing a violent earthquake.
"I am very sorry your highness. I will take full responsibility of this situation and turn the tides in your favour if you give me one more chance!" Grim pleaded.
"How will you do that?" Innovain asked.
"By destroying both Josec Fenix and Harry Bane. If the new generation of the Phoenix clan are eliminated, Lord Souryu will be reawakened without any hindrances" Grim said with a smirk.
"Clever way of thinking, however, if you fail me one more time, it would be better for you if you were killed by the Fenix kid" Innovain threatened.
"I will not fail, my Lord" Grim said as he stood up and left Innovain's presence.
Meanwhile Buern had almost completely recovered from her wounds. She walked out of the cave and saw a very beautiful city made of Sapphire. Everything was as blue as the ocean and it seemed as though the atmosphere was made of water.
"What is this place?" she asked herself.
"This is the domain of the legendary water creature. Its name is also Marina" Marina informed her.
Buern looked in the direction of Marina's voice and saw her sitting on a rock.
"How did I get here?" she asked. "Only one whose Psychorage is of this realm can come into this domain" Marina said.
"That doesn't completely answer my question. Besides, my Psychorage is Souryu the Black Dragon" Buern said with a smirk.
"Oh really? Well then, let me ask you this question. Has your heart ever truly desired Souryu as your Psychorage?" Marina asked.
Buern seemed surprised by this question.
"All I've ever wanted is power, nothing else" Buern said.
"And if you were ever truly able to gain ultimate power, what would you use it for?" Marina asked.
Buern was even more surprised.
"That's the same question Josec asked me. But the truth is…I don't know why I seek power. I've only ever desired it" Buern said sadly.
"Those who seek power without knowing why they do so only succeed in opening the way to destruction" Marina advised her.
"What should I do?" Buern asked.
"You must find the answer to that question on your own" Marina said.
"You're of no help to me" Buern said.
"However, I will tell you one thing. Souryu is not the Psychorage your mother wished for you to have" Marina said with a very serious look on her face.
"I don't care about my mother. She abandoned my father and I and never looked back" Buern said angrily.
"Is that what he told you?" Marina asked Buern.
"He could have never lied about that! For many years I had to watch my father's anguish turn into intense hatred! It made me realize that hatred is the only true friend one can cling to!" Buern yelled but there were tears in her eyes.
"You don't really believe that" Marina said calmly.
"I do!" Buern declared.
"Then answer this one question. Do you hate Josec Fenix?" Marina questioned Buern.
Buern remained silent for a while.
"Josec is…Josec is different. He saved me twice!" Buern declared.
"Oh so it's now convenient for you to hate everyone but Josec is that right? Stop lying to yourself Buern. You saved the girl in the river without knowing her identity didn't you? You are just like your mother. She gave her life to protect you" Marina informed Buern.
"Mom did what? You're lying!" Buern yelled.
"No I'm not. If you want to know the real story behind your mother's disappearance, all you need to do is ask" Marina said with a smile.
Buern seemed uncertain at first but she resolved to know the entire truth.
"Tell me everything" she demanded.
"But to tell you the truth about your mother, I must tell you the truth about the great battle between the Phoenix and the Black Dragon" Marina said.
"I've already seen that. Jo-lan showed me right before I chose my Jo-lan class" Buern said.
"What Jo-lan showed you was only a part of the entire story. The second part began with the destruction of the Black Dragon" Marina informed Buern.
"I'm listening" Buern said.
"When the Phoenix was reborn, it returned stronger than before however…the Phoenix was created by the strong desire of the people to protect one another so it lacked the power to destroy the Black Dragon" Marina narrated.
"Then how was Souryu defeated?" Buern asked.
"At the final moment when the Phoenix and the Black Dragon clashed, the Phoenix's great desire to protect countless souls clashed with Souryu's intense hatred for human souls and a very strange thing happened. Souryu's hatred was defeated and he was given that which he despised the most…a soul" Marina narrated.
"A soul? But that's impossible! Souryu is a Psychorage born from the collective hatred of all humans!" Buern argued.
"Yes, but Souryu is a living entity nonetheless, even if he is hatred made whole" Marina said. "The battle ended with Souryu assuming the form of an infant through the phoenix's act of mercy, the free gift of rebirth. Josec's ancestor William Fenix decided to spare the infant. Bane's ancestor was reluctant at first but he eventually accepted the child. But for the infant to survive, they needed the help of a mother and for that, your ancestress, Victoria Vern volunteered. Unbeknownst to them, these three had been chosen by the Phoenix to carry its power through the generations till the True Phoenix was born. They created three separate clans who had power over the Black Dragon's will. They were the Fenix Clan who inherited the Phoenix's heart, the Bane clan who inherited the Phoenix's mind and the Vern clan who inherited the Phoenix's spirit" Marina narrated.
"But I'm a Vane, not a Vern" Buern argued.
"My story is not over yet. Time passed and the child grew and it soon came to the notice of the three founders that Souryu's will was still attached to his soul. The boy craved for power much like you do now and inevitably the three founders had to confront him. They managed to defeat him but they could not kill the child they had raised with so much love so they did the next best thing. They banished him. However, they decided that the boy's true identity must be kept a secret so they never revealed the secret to anyone, not even their children" Marina narrated. "Generations passed with the boy's descendants growing to become more and more like Souryu and soon after many generations had passed, your parents were born, Innovain from the cursed child's descent and Lily from Victoria Vern's descent. Your father and mother met by chance when your mother's village was attacked by Jo-lan renegades. Your mother fought against them but she was being overpowered. Your father was a wandering fighter, much like a lone wolf, the only one who refused to completely surrender his will to Souryu. He at that time could perform half of Souryu's Psychorage, the Single headed Black Dragon Transformation. He fought alongside your mother and together, they protected the village. As a form of gratitude, your mother decided to travel with Innovain and learn from him. Innovain refused saying that your mother's presence would only make him weaker but your mother insisted till he agreed. They began their journey after that. They sure were a handful attracting trouble wherever they went. Innovain taught your mother to find the strength within her soul and your mother in turn taught Innovain the virtues of humanity and without realizing it, the two fell in love. They got married however…Souryu was now in a rage. Because of the love your father had for your mother, he refused to completely surrender his will to Souryu. Souryu knew that he only needed to be born into one more generation before he could regain his powers completely. Your father knew that too so you can imagine the shock your father had when your mother informed him that she was carrying his child" Marina narrated.
Buern was both horrified and intrigued by the tale.
"So what happened?" Buern gulped.
"Your mother informed your father that there was still hope for the child, for you. That hope was in Ferus Village where the other two Phoenix clans dwelt. So your parents journeyed to Ferus Village and discovered that both Vega Fenix and Felix Bane, the remaining survivors of the Phoenix clan were expecting children. Felix Bane who inherited the mind of the phoenix informed them that he knew of a way to prevent Souryu from taking full control of you but the conditions for performing that spell would be almost impossible to meet. For the spell to be performed, the three phoenix children would have to be born at the exact moment. Your parents were saddened for they knew that would be almost impossible. Vega Fenix who inherited the Phoenix's heart suggested to your parents to pray to God who created hope for humanity. So, for the remainder of your mother's pregnancy, the three families came together to pray. Then on the ninth month on the day of the Phoenix, the three expectant mothers were caught with the pains of labour. At that moment, Souryu's evil will possessed your mother and you began to come out more quickly than you should have. However, there was one thing Souryu overlooked, a very vital thing that affected his plans adversely. That was the gift your mother inherited from the Phoenix, its spirit! Souryu's will could not completely possess your mother so it sought instead to drain you of your life and power in order to make itself whole. That was when the Phoenix's heart stepped in" Marina narrated.
"Wait a minute! The phoenix's heart? Do you mean…no way" Buern said in dismay and shock.
"Yes, Josec. He was just a baby then but the will to protect everyone, to protect you, was strong in his heart so he gave up his gift, the heart of the phoenix and suppressed Souryu. Your mother realizing what baby Josec had just done sealed that half of Josec's consciousness within you and died. However, Josec's sacrifice meant that he would never be complete as a Jo-lan fighter thus he didn't inherit the gift of joki and lost half of his true Psychorage. Souryu's will repossessed your father forcing him to Psychorage to the full double headed black Dragon. Without your mother, your father lost the will to fight against Souryu but Vega Fenix reminded him that he had a reason to continue living. He still had you. With that in mind, your father made a pact with Souryu. 'Part of Souryu dwells within my daughter however, without me you won't be able to accomplish your goals. I will surrender my will completely to you however, in return…you must leave the choice of becoming the true Kuroi Ryu in my daughter's hands'. Those were your father's exact words. Thus, in exchange for your life, your father became a slave of Souryu and that was how your mother died and your father became the monster known as Lord Innovain" Marina concluded her story.
Buern was in tears.
"So with full knowledge of the sacrifices that have preserved your life, do you still intend to sell your soul to Souryu?" Marina asked.
"Does Josec know about this?" Buern asked.
"No, I don't think he does but if he did, I am sure he would be glad knowing that he was able to protect you" Marina said.
Buern smiled although tears were still streaming down her eyes.
"Buern, if you truly desire power, then you must be prepared to take responsibility of every single event that power brings, good and bad, but above all, there must be a reason for this desire" Marina informed Buern.
Buern wiped her tears.
"I am grateful to my mother, my father and Josec for all the sacrifices they've made for me. I don't want them to suffer and regret their actions so I've decided that…I will use my power to protect their sacrifices and defeat Souryu!" Buern declared.
Almost immediately, she felt her joki begin to change nature. She felt the fiery heat melt and without realizing it, she began to control the water around her.
"Water" she murmured.
"That is your true Jo-lan nature. Your heart is as calm as water however…when threatened you become a raging ocean that can destroy all forms of adversity!" Marina declared.
"If I can control water, then it means a water Psychorage has bonded with me but what creature is it?" Buern asked.
"None other than the legendary water Psychorage, Marina" Marina said with a smile.
"But where is she?" Buern said as she looked around but she only saw Marina who had been talking to her.
"You have got to be kidding me! The legendary water creature…Marina…it's you!" Buern exclaimed in shock.
Marina smiled. "You finally guessed it" she said as her entire body turned blue and translucent like sea water.
Her hair sparkled and her eyes turned blue like the sky. A trident appeared in her hand and her legs fused to form a very graceful tail.
"You're a mermaid?! Wait a minute! That means when I Psychorage I'll look like…" Buern said as a ridiculous image of herself as a mermaid appeared in her mind.
"Don't worry Buern, our Psychorage is entirely another thing" Marina assured her.
"I wonder what it looks like" Buern thought.
Suddenly, a huge explosion was heard from above.
"What's that noise?!" Buern asked Marina.
"Buern, we must hurry, your friends are in danger!" Marina informed Buern.
On the surface, Harry and Josec found themselves surrounded by Commander Grim and his men.
"They found us, but how?" Josec asked Harry.
"Josec you idiot! Because of your obsession to protect Buern, we haven't moved an inch! It was of course easy for the enemy to find us!" Harry yelled as he shook Josec violently.
"I guess it's my fault" Josec said.
"WELL DUH!" Harry roared.
"Let's take 'em!" Josec declared.
"You sure have some confidence considering the fact that you're the most inexperienced Jo-lan fighter there is!" Harry yelled.
"Even if you say that, who learnt to Psychorage first eh? Tell me Harry, who?" Josec teased.
"Shut the hell up! Even though I can't Psychorage yet, I can take you down with one hand tied behind my back!" Harry roared.
"H-hey Commander Grim, do these kids want to fight us or each other?" one of Grim's men questioned him.
"These stupid kids! Who the heck do they think they are ignoring me like that! Boys! Let's crush them with our combination Psychorage!" Grim ordered.
"Uh-oh Harry, I think we've offended them" Josec said in concern.
"WELL DUH!" Harry roared.
"I'm serious Harry, I think they intend to crush us with a combination Psychorage" Josec said.
"On that scale, only you can deal with them" Harry said with a smirk.
"COMBINATION PSYCHORAGE! FLAMING RED DRAGON OF FURY!!!" Grim and his men called together.
There was an enormous outburst of flame as Grim and his men fused to form a gigantic fiery red dragon.
"Can you beat this?!" they roared with one voice.
"We won't know unless we fight! PSYCHORAGE ABILITY! SILVER PHOENIX LEGEND!" Josec roared as a huge bolt of lightning from the sky struck him.
Huge sparks of lightning sparked around him and he assumed the form of a silver phoenix.
"I see, the greatest legendary creature is your Psychorage…however your inexperience makes it look like a frail Psychorage" the red dragon spoke.
The Phoenix shrieked and charged to attack the dragon.
The silver phoenix and the red dragon began an aerial battle that altered the geography of the land. Harry stared at the battle in awe.
"It sure will be nice to Psychorage" he said.
It was a battle of claws against talons, lightning against fire and beak against fangs! The roars and shrieks of the phoenix and dragon could be heard for miles around.
"As I suspected, you control the phoenix's mind by limiting your Psychorage thus you can speak at certain times, an amazing feat for a beginner. However in this battle, you used more power than your mind could handle and lost control" the dragon spoke.
In a flash, the phoenix appeared beside it.
"You talk too much" Josec said as he slashed across the dragon's arm with his talons.
The dragon roared in pain but after a while its wounds completely closed.
"Your attacks are far too weak to hurt me. If you wish to defeat me, you must use an attack that can obliterate me with a single blow" the dragon said.
"Oh no! Josec is clearly at a disadvantage! But he fought Innovain's Psychorage with much more power than he's generating now. Could it be that he hasn't completely recovered from Innovain's limit break attack?" Harry wondered.
"Now, it's my turn to attack! RED DRAGON SECRET ABILITY! COMET FISTS OF FURY!!!" the red dragon roared as it charged on the phoenix and hit it with quick successive blows.
As the red dragon neared the end of its combo, its fists began to flame.
"TAKE THIS! PYROTECHNIC DOUBLE FIST ATTACK!" it roared as it punched the phoenix with both fists.
Josec felt his mind exploding with pain. He was so sore in his phoenix state that he didn't feel like he could move anymore. He slowly collapsed to the ground. His vision was blurred. He could see the red dragon walking towards him and he began to feel himself reverting to his human form.
"I guess…some enemies are just too tough to handle" he thought as he lost consciousness.
"Josec! Harry!" he heard a familiar voice.
"I guess I'm dying. I can even hear Buern's voice" he said with a painful laugh.
"Josec! Wake up!" the voice called again.
"I'm hearing things" Josec said weakly.
"No, you're not. Josec, it's really me now wake up!" Buern ordered.
Josec struggled to open his eyes. He still couldn't see clearly but he saw the outlines of two people staring down at him.
"Harry? Buern?" he called weakly.
His vision soon became focused. He tried to sit up but his body felt numb from the pain. He groaned in pain and fell on his back.
"Don't strain yourself" Buern said.
"I wasn't strong enough Buern. You guys have got to get out of here" Josec said.
"And miss all the fun? I don't think so. I'll deal with that Dragon" Buern said.
"But you can't access your Jo-lan powers" Josec said painfully.
"Thanks to you Josec, I now have a new power. Trust me, I can do this" Buern said as she walked towards the red dragon.
"I see that you like picking on people weaker than you are. That is just pathetic" Buern insulted the red dragon.
"You're one to talk. I hope you are not foolish enough to challenge me!" the red dragon snarled.
"I think you are the one being foolish. Knowing well the extent of my capabilities, do you still intend to challenge me?" Buern asked with a cunning smile.
"You are nothing more than a parasite that lives off of Souryu's abilities. Crushing you should be nothing much considering the fact that Souryu is no longer on your side" the red dragon said.
"You're dead wrong if you think I still desire Souryu's power!" Buern roared as she ran towards the edge of the canyon.
"Vane! What the heck do you think you're doing?!" Harry screamed as Buern dived into the river below.
"SUPREME MARINE PSYCHORAGE! RAGING LEVIATHAN!!!" Buern roared as she hit the surface of the water and descended into its depths.
"Suicide, an excellent choice" the red dragon mocked.
"J-Josec, um h-how do I tell you this? It seems your crazy girlfriend j-just committed suicide" Harry stammered.
Josec smiled.
"You're wrong. I don't know how but…I can feel her power surging" Josec said.
A few minutes later, an unearthly silence covered the area. The birds began to fly frantically away from that area as though they could sense an extremely dangerous presence. Dark clouds began to spread across the sky as though the sky was dressed in funeral robes. The sun disappeared and lightning began to flash across the skies. It began to rain heavily. The rain drops were unbearable for the Red Dragon. It roared in pain as vapour began to rise from its body.
"Its weakness is water" Josec observed.
Moments later, the river became very turbulent.
"What's happening?" Harry questioned Josec.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar sounded from the river and a dark outline which was extremely huge by the way could be seen in the river. Almost immediately, a serpentine creature broke through the surface of the river and roared.
It was so long that part of it hanged over the waterfall.
"WHAT KIND OF CREATURE IS THIS?!" the red dragon exclaimed in fear.
"It's…it's Buern's true Psychorage!" Josec exclaimed in awe.
"NOOO!!!" Innovain roared in anger at the sudden realisation of the fact that Buern had forsaken Souryu.
The red dragon stared at the leviathan in horror.
"Psychoraging is one thing, skill is another. I will defeat you and destroy your friends!" the red dragon roared as it charged to attack the leviathan.
The leviathan did not seem disturbed in anyway. It simply whipped the red dragon with its massive tail causing the dragon to fall on the forest.
"RAGING LEVIATHAN ABILITY!" the leviathan called as it prepared itself for an attack.
The red dragon flew into the sky and prepared to attack as well.
"RED DRAGON ART! COMET FISTS OF FURY!" it roared as it charged towards the leviathan.
The leviathan arched its back like a cobra preparing for a fatal strike. Its body began to liquefy.
"SERPENTINE STORM!" it roared as it lunged itself at the dragon with all its might.
Its lunge was so powerful that it propelled its entire body out of the water. The red dragon didn't have time to evade its attack. The leviathan crashed into the red dragon. The red dragon screamed in pain as its body slowly began to turn into vapour. The leviathan looked like a giant liquid serpent flowing through the red dragon and soon, nothing was left of the red dragon. The leviathan transformed into Buern in mid-air and she somersaulted and landed smoothly on the ground. Harry and Josec just stared with their eyes wide open. Buern walked to them.
"Buern! That was amazing!" Josec praised.
"Did we miss something Vane? How is it that you can Psychorage and I thought your Jo-lan affinity was fire" Harry questioned Buern.
"It's a long story. How do you feel Josec?" Buern asked.
"Apart from the fact that my entire body hurts like hell, all my ribs seem fractured and I twisted my ankle, I'm pretty much alright" Josec joked.
"You're wounded" Buern said as she pointed to a cut on Josec's arm.
"It's nothing" Josec said. "I don't feel any pain."
"That's probably because the only thing you can probably feel now is pain. Let me look at it" Buern said as she washed Josec's wound with her water abilities.
Then she removed a plaster from her bag and covered Josec's wound.
"Take off your shirt" she said.
"HUH?!" Josec and Harry exclaimed in surprise.
"If you don't I won't be able to look at your other wounds" Buern explained.
Josec and Harry sighed.
Buern glared at them.
"What did you think I meant?" she said with a scary expression on her face.
"Nothing ma'am!" Josec and Harry chorused.
Buern laughed. Then she began to dress Josec's wounds. Josec felt completely flustered. Soon, Buern was done.
"There, how do you feel?" Buern asked but Josec had lost consciousness.
"I guess he's tired" Buern sighed.
"No, he's probably out because of all the care you're showing him" Harry said.
"For someone who fought on par with my dad he's surprisingly weak hearted" Buern said with a smile.
"Well I'm sure of one thing now" Harry said.
"And what's that?" Buern asked him.
"You're a trustworthy person" Harry said with a laugh.
Buern was surprised. Heaven could fall on the earth and she wouldn't be shocked. The sea could turn into fire and it still would not be as shocking as hearing Harry actually praise her.
"You trust me?" Buern asked, not sure she had heard right.
"Yeah, after all, you now have a trustworthy Psychorage" Harry joked.
"I don't deserve your trust and I don't deserve a friend like Josec" Buern said sadly.
"Saying that proves even more that you are trustworthy" Harry said.
"I don't understand" Buern said with a confused look.
"One day you will" Harry assured her.
"Harry, can I ask you for a favour?" Buern said with a desperate look in her eyes.
"I know. You don't want me to tell Josec that you're the daughter of the man who killed his father. Honestly, I never intended to. It's not my place to tell him that. You will have to tell him yourself when you think you're ready but…I honestly don't think Josec would hold a grudge against you even if he found out" Harry said.
"Thank you Harry" Buern said.
Harry carried Josec on his back and the three friends finally crossed the bridge and entered the next town. Fortunately, the bridge had not been damaged in the fight. They stayed in an inn for five days while waiting for Josec to recover. When Josec fully regained his strength, they continued their journey, drawing closer and closer to the port town of Wusihen with every passing day. Little did they know of the frightful challenge that awaited them in Wusihen.