[Ren Hilton POV]
"Haaa," I gasped, feeling the sensation of my wings opening and then closing.
'Hey... you... did you know this would happen from the start?' Blaze asked, his voice shaky and weak from the recent ordeal. He was caged behind the third-to-last one, still bleeding.
I tried to focus my gaze, but everything was hazy, and keeping myself upright was a challenge. This was more painful than the second-level upgrade. The stages were something like Ember Initiate and then Flame Adept. Each stage had a weird name. The upgrade was possible because I'd stacked enough experience points.
'Is that all?' Blaze questioned again, though I was sure he was on the verge of dying. Why did he keep talking?
"Because if I stop, I'm dead for sure!" Blaze explained, his voice frantic. "Haven't you seen those plays where characters die when they stop talking and the main character tells them to talk to stay alive? I'm talking to stay alive!"
