When Xander paused, an Abyssal Shade tried to seize the moment, lunging to crush the nuisance that had been hindering them. Before it could strike, a small stone whistled through the air, piercing its eye socket with deadly accuracy, drilling into its brain and dropping the Shade instantly.
Xander froze, wide-eyed and stunned by the sight of the Shade's lifeless body at his feet. Fear momentarily gripped him as he turned to see where the stone had come from. He spotted Sirius, who was already shouting at him, "Idiot, focus on the fight!"
"Yes, yes!" Xander shouted back, snapping out of it. He quickly rushed to Emilia's side, who was trembling at the advancing horrors. With swift precision, Xander dispatched the remaining Shades near her, stabbing them at the nape with his short sword.
As the fight raged on, Sirius glanced at his hands, momentarily puzzled. "Did I get stronger, or was that Shade just pitifully weak?" he muttered to himself. Shaking off the thought, he prepared to join the fray—only to realize the group had already finished off the remaining Shades.
The last Shade crumpled to the ground, and before Sirius could fully react, Xander barreled into him, wrapping him in a tight embrace.
"Big bro!" Xander sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
Sirius, surprised but deeply relieved, felt his own tears flowing uncontrollably. The cousins held each other for a long moment before pulling apart.
"Big bro, what happened? Why weren't you with us when we were pulled in?" Xander asked, wiping his eyes, curiosity in his gaze.
Sirius shook his head. "I don't know. When I woke up, I was in another part of the forest. It was a nightmare trying to get here."
Then he glanced at Xander, eyebrows raised. "Wait, did you awaken?"
Puffing out his chest, Xander nodded proudly. "Of course! How else could I fight Shades?"
Aurelia, who had walked over with her fiery sword now dismissed, gave a haughty smirk. "He had help, naturally. No mundane human could awaken by killing a Shade on their own."
Philo, meanwhile, moved among the corpses, collecting the Shade Cores, taking particular interest in the one Sirius had felled with a rock. He stared, fascinated that a simple stone could kill a creature like that, even if this one lacked the usual tough skin or scales. "Incredible..." he murmured.
Xander, undeterred by Aurelia's arrogance, shot back, "Of course I needed help! No one becomes a Soul Weaver without a little assistance."
Aurelia just scoffed, dismissing his retort. Emilia, stepping forward, smiled warmly at Sirius. "It's great to see you again. I'm so glad you're alive."
Sirius smiled back, looking down at her petite form. "I'm glad you're safe too. Thanks for watching over my idiot brother."
Emilia blushed at his touch as he patted her head, but Xander protested immediately, "Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?"
Sirius ignored him, bowing slightly as he turned to Aurelia. "Thank you for looking after my brother and friends. I apologize for any trouble they may have caused."
Aurelia was momentarily flustered, unused to such genuine courtesy. She wasn't sure how to react, her usual arrogant demeanor faltering for just a second. "It was nothing," she replied, clearing her throat. "They were a bit of a hassle, but manageable."
Sirius smiled faintly before straightening up. "So, what's the plan for getting out of here?"
"We've been wandering around, trying to find a way out of the Abyssal Plane," Aurelia answered, her fatigue showing. The mood shifted as everyone considered their grim reality. Tomorrow would bring another fight for survival.
But something clicked for Aurelia, and she turned to Sirius, suspicion in her eyes. "Wait, how did you even make it through that forest with all those monsters?"
Sirius shrugged with an innocent grin. "I hid, ran... and killed my way through."
Everyone was momentarily speechless at his casual response. Aurelia, unconvinced, pressed further. "How is that even possible? You can't just kill Shades unless you're already a Soul Weaver."
"Or maybe he became one here," Philo interjected, having finished his task and joining the conversation.
Sirius gave him a respectful nod. "Yeah, I killed a Shade in the forest and awakened."
Philo smiled, impressed, while Xander and Emilia gaped in disbelief. Aurelia, however, was still skeptical. "How could a mundane human kill an Abyssal Shade?"
Sirius's expression darkened slightly. "I don't really want to relive it, but... let's just say I had some help from rocks and a stick."
They all could see the haunted look in his eyes, hinting at the trauma he had endured. The group fell silent for a moment, the weight of his ordeal sinking in.
"Rocks... and a stick?" Aurelia mumbled, finding it hard to believe despite the evidence. Sirius was standing before them, alive and awakened. He'd done the impossible.
Philo placed a hand on Sirius's shoulder, his grip firm but gentle. "You've got guts, kid. But how did you survive the Dead Forest with just rocks and sticks? They can't be that weak."
"Well, I had a little more than that," Sirius admitted. He touched the dead tree, watching as it transmuted into dark silverish purple salt, the transformation smooth and familiar. But as he tapped the crystalline structure, it suddenly crumbled, scattering into fine salt that the wind quickly whisked away.
Sirius frowned, clearly confused. "It's not supposed to do that," he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed in puzzlement.
Philo, noticing the look on Sirius's face, stepped closer and glanced at him. "Wait... it's not supposed to collapse like that?" he asked, reading the confusion in Sirius's expression.
Sirius shook his head. "Nope," he replied, still staring at the scattered salt, unsure of why it disintegrated. The others stood silent, unsure if it was normal or not, but sensing something was off by the look on Sirius's face.