Raiden lay motionless—not by choice but from sheer exhaustion. His breath was shallow, his body battered, yet somehow, he was still clinging to life. This feeling stirred memories of the time he was trapped frozen in the cave, when even breathing seemed impossible, his veins felt encased in ice, and the only warmth came from the faint, faltering beats of his heart as it struggled to push the freezing blood through his body.
Gradually, the pain faded, and he drifted further back in his memories. His face burned under the hot sun as he slowly opened his eyes, his vision softened by the sight of leaves drifting downward. Sitting up, he saw children playing in a valley below, their laughter distant yet echoing in his ears. A wave of peace and tranquility filled his chest, his breathing becoming steady as he watched them. He took a deep breath, leaned back, and closed his eyes, letting the warmth wash over him.
But like grains of sand slipping through an hourglass, the peace he found began to slip away, overtaken by a creeping darkness he couldn't name. The distant laughter transformed into cries of agony that grew louder and closer. His breathing hitched, and he opened his eyes abruptly, only to witness the children's joy and souls being torn from their bodies. The sky darkened, thick with brownish smoke, as flames surged and the earth erupted in violent bursts.
His body felt heavy once more. The children's cries dissolved, replaced by a familiar voice faintly calling his name. A grip tightened on his shoulder, pulling him back to reality.
"Raiden," Armin shook him with urgency, trying to wake him from his unconscious state as soon as he detected a pulse. When Raiden's eyes fluttered open, Armin collapsed back in relief, his chest heaving. Raiden's vision was hazy, occasionally blurring from the blood trickling down his forehead.
Bao, though visibly battered himself, managed a faint grin. His injuries kept him from exuding his usual confidence. "I almost cried for you. Be honored," he said, patting Raiden's rock-hard shoulder. His peacock hopped over and began pecking at Raiden's blood-soaked beard, which was starting to stiffen as it dried.
Shasha crouched nearby, too stunned to speak. Of course, she thought he was dead. She sniffled quietly, covering her face with her hands, overwhelmed. Even Jin, the centaur, flared his nostrils, clearly on the verge of tears. But, not wanting to cry in front of everyone, he turned and walked away, likely saving his emotions for an actual death.
Raiden blinked slowly, his voice hoarse but laced with dry humor. "Everything's too clear to comprehend, you got my rum?" His lips curled into a weak smile as he glanced at Armin, who mirrored the expression and handed over a bottle without a word.
Yui grabbed her chance as she abruptly grabbed Bao from behind. Her eyes surged with energy as she hooked her clawed hand, aiming to sink it into Bao's torso. But Daiki moved faster. He muttered something to Ping, who immediately shifted into his white tiger form. With a powerful leap, Ping darted toward the cliff, his resounding roar reverberating across the seven realms, his beast form a strike contrast to his human one.
Daiki lunged forward, landing a firm punch that pushed Yui back before she could finish her attack. He then grabbed Bao, transforming into his black tortoise beast form in mere seconds. The ground rumbled as he summoned earth pillars, leaping from one to the next while Ping opened a portal in midair. Yui, not to be outdone, transformed into her Azure Dragon form, launching herself skyward without noticing Armin clinging onto her back.
"Not again," Armin muttered, trying to steady himself as he flew with the dragon. However, Daiki and Ping vanished into the portal with Bao just as Yui let out a frustrated roar. She performed a midair barrel roll to shake Armin off before landing back on solid ground. Transforming back into her human form, she stormed toward Shiro, who knelt beside Raiden, examining him intently.
"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Yui snarled, her tone sharp and commanding. "They took the tamer!"
Shiro rose slowly, his expression as calm as ever. Meeting her fiery gaze, he said, "I told you to wait for your chance. It's your own fault they got away." His tone was maddeningly casual, as though rehearsed this line over in his head.
Yui lost her last straw, slamming her fist into Shiro's face. Blood gushed from his nose, but he didn't flinch. Wiping his broken nose with the back of his hand, he smirked. "I like the hurt. In case you didn't know."
Her face twisted in disgust. "Son of a bitch," Yui muttered.as she shifted back into her dragon form and took to the skies again. Armin, not one to miss an opportunity, grabbed onto her tail just as she launched upward.
"I don't know what I'm doing!" Armin yelled, clinging desperately.
Raiden, now sitting upright, startled Shiro as he swigged from the bottle Armin had given him. He spat out a string of profanities, as if nothing had happened, despite the blood caking his face and his near-death experience.
Shiro chuckled despite himself. "Need a ride?" he offered, gripping Raiden's shoulder.
Raiden narrowed his eyes, sizing up Shiro skeptically. After a long gulp from his bottle, he smirked. "Heck yeah." He slapped Shiro on the back with enough force to make him stumble.
Though slightly annoyed, Shiro recovered gracefully. He shifted into his phoenix form, his fiery wings stretching wide, and grabbed Raiden by the shoulders before soaring into the sky. At this vantage point, Raiden wondered if the bird would just drop him which prompted him to hold onto Shiro's legs.
"Quick thinking. I like it," Shiro mocked, clearly amused by the tamer's feeble attempt at self preservation. He flapped against the wind, heading toward the four divisions.
Meanwhile, Shasha stood at the base of Mount Qi, Bao's peacock perched beside her.
"They left us behind," she muttered aloud, a mix of hopelessness and disbelief in her tone.
Jin, ever so unbothered, shrugged. Accepting the new situation, he began walking downhill with the bags in tow, the peacock waddling behind him, its colorful tail bobbing with each step.