The flame of the bear satrted dimming and the light in it's eyes slowly disappeared. The last breath taken by the bear, exited trough it's nose. It could be seen, as it's colour was amber, as Rias's eyes.
As the breath risen it swirled up, like grape vines and entered Martis sword.
"What was that?" Asked Martis, unsheeting his sword. The ember breath was focused on the short pummel, circling it like mist.
"Hmm..." Said Rias getting closer to see better. "Looks like your sword is connected to the underworld!"
"What?"
"Looks like the bear soul, was collected by the sword." Said Rias as she was running two of her fingers down the flat of the blade. Raising her gaze up to meet Martis, her fingers touched his chin, softly pinching it. "Looks like you will be more useful than I thought... "
Martis took a step back, turning his head away flustered. "How is that possible? I fought other monsters outside. They did not do that."
"Well they did not have souls." Said Rias as she smiled at Martis flustered face. "They were created through the Celestial Dragon's power. The bear was not. He probably made this cave entrance it's den."
"I understand..." Said Martis, scratching his head, trying to look like he understood.
"Let's get going then!" Said Rias gesturing him to go further.
As they made their way down, the walls of the cave glistened with beautiful stones scattered in small, wavy like patterns.
"Jewels!" Sai Martis excited. "Let's take a few!"
Rias chuckled at his reaction. "We can take, after we get the dragon's crystal." Said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
The winding coridors of the cave, seemed like never ending. There were a few monsters here and there, but ebough to give them problems.
Finally, the passage opened into a vast chamber.
The cavern was immense, its walls climbing so high that the ceiling vanished into darkness. At its center stood the dragon's crystal—a jagged shard of deep crimson, taller than either of them. Its glow pulsed like a heartbeat, bathing the chamber in an ominous red light that cast long, shifting shadows.
Martis stopped, his breath caught in his throat. The crystal was mesmerizing, its surface alive with swirling patterns of fire and scales. It was as though the soul of the dragon still burned within, watching, waiting.
Rias stepped beside him, her voice low and edged with caution. "This is it, Martis. The Dragon's Crystal, it's so beautiful,but it won't let you take it without a fight."
"Don't tell me-"
As if summoned by her words, the crystal flared. The chamber was flooded with blinding light, forcing them to shield their eyes. When the brilliance dimmed, Martis felt the blood drain from his face.
Before them loomed a spectral form of the dragon itself. Its translucent body shimmered like molten glass, the crimson light from the crystal refracting through its scales. The creature's eyes burned with an ancient, otherworldly fire, and when it roared, the sound shook the very earth beneath their feet.
Martis gritted his teeth, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword. "Of course," he muttered under his breath.
The dragon lunged, its massive claws carving through the air. Martis barely dodged, the attack smashing into the ground and sending shards of stone flying.
Rias raised her hands, unleashing a wave of fire. The flames engulfed the dragon's form, but the creature didn't falter. Instead, it absorbed the attack, the fire swirling harmlessly into its translucent body.
"It's no use!" Rias shouted, frustration biting at her words. "This thing isn't real—it's magic! A projection from the crystal!"
Martis didn't reply. He could feel the power of the flame bear coursing through his veins, the silver light of his sword turned to ember. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the energy guide him, steady him.
The dragon roared again, its fiery eyes locking onto him. This time, Martis stood his ground, his sword turning a a blaze.
When it lunged, he moved with precision, ducking beneath its claws and striking at its legs. The deep ember flames of his blade erupted on contact, sending ripples of light through the dragon's form. It screeched in rage, its massive tail swinging toward him.
Martis jumped, leaping higher than he thought possible, the power within him propelling him upward.
The Dragon's neck started glowing and a red light came ot his mouth as it prepared to fire.
"Martis dodge that!!" Barked Rias at Martis. "If it touches you, you will die!"
"Then I have to not die!" Said Martis trying to put a brave expression.
Martis stood his ground in front of the dragon, clutching his sword. He concentrated his thoughts to the glame of th sword who bursted even brighter and powerful.
The dragon fired, it's attack shattered rocks in the way. The blast engulfing Martis.
"Martis! Noo!" Screamed Rias at the top of her lungs.
But suddenly, a wall of fire rose up in front of Martis, blocking the attack.
After the dragon stopped, the flame of the wall turned back to the sword, circling it's blade
"This ends now!" he shouted, raising the blade high. A beam of ember fire exploded from the pummel of the sword, up in the ceiling.
With a single, decisive strike, he drove the swod down on the drayons head. The chamber exploded with light as the projection shattered into countless shards, each fragment fading into nothingness as they fell.
Martis collapsed to the ground, his body trembling from the effort. He looked up to see the crystal's glow dimmed, its pulsating light reduced to a faint flicker.
Rias approached, her eyes wide as she stared at him. "You actually did it," she said, her voice crying with excitement seeing Marti's new move.
"I guess so." Said Martis with a flat tone."I will call that move BEAR BLAST!!"
"The name is awful!" Said Rias immediately.
"Awful? It's great! Whoo! Go BEAR BLAST!"
Rias nodded defeated and got next to him. "Now get the crystal!"
Martis reached out and grasped the crystal. It was warm to the touch, its energy thrumming faintly like a heartbeat. Slowly, he pulled it free from its pedestal.
The chamber grew still.
Then, a faint cracking sound echoed through the air. Martis turned sharply, his heart sinking as he saw the other jewels embedded in the walls—the ones they had passed earlier—splintering and shattering one by one.
"Nooo!!!!" he screamed, his voice echoing through the empty caves. "My jewels!"
The jewels fell in a cascade of lifeless fragments, their once-radiant light extinguished. Martis watched helplessly as the last of them shattered, leaving the chamber in cold, unyielding darkness.
"Rias you told me we would take them sfter we take the crystal!" Said martis turning to Rias with a painfull face. "My money!"
"Well if we took them earlier, they would still have been destroyed. At least you are less disappointed. So, it's better this way."
He sank to his knees, the crystal heavy in his hands. The loss of the jewels—each unique, each beautiful—was a bitter weight on his chest.
Rias crouched beside him, her voice uncharacteristically soft. He stared at the crystal, his reflection distorted in its swirling depths. But then he straightened, his grip on the crystal firming.
"I'll make this worth it!" he said confidently.
"That's the spirit!" Said Rias patting him on his back. Together, they left the chamber, the echoes of the dragon's roar trailing behind them like a ghostly whisper.