Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Although they reached the floor of the city soon enough, Rain had to dig for hours, and it didn't seem that the work was ending… the floor was harder if compared to the walls…

"It should be morning already… Seara must be worried sick," Seadir said.

"It is fine. She knows that I am fine," Rain said.

Seadir wondered how Rain was so sure of that. He wasn't the type who would say that it was thanks to the power of love, but he sure looked convinced.

Several hours passed, and during that time, Seadir was starting to get nervous… his notion of time was deviating since he didn't know where they were, if they were actually getting closer to their goal, and if the sea Dragons could find them at any moment… the fact that his fate was in Rain's hands and he couldn't do a single thing was also unnerving… even though he had faith in him.

Still, they eventually stopped moving, and then Rain began to dig a bit upward… when he was able to see some light coming from outside, he immediately sealed the hole again with the coral that he just pulled and then began to resume his digging.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The same thing happened several times, and that was starting to annoy Seadir. Eventually, Rain stopped to rest a little.

"What are you doing?" Seadir asked. "We have to look for my father."

"We are right below him, but we can't do anything yet, so we have to wait a bit, and I also need to rest my mind a little," Rain said and then sat down and tried to relax. "Using all these spells without failing even once is mentally taxing, you know."

"... Can I see him?" Seadir asked.

"Not without risking being found by twenty or so sea dragons," Rain shrugged.

Of course, it wouldn't be easy… still, at least it looked like Seadrei was fine, considering Rain's behavior. It took several hours until they had the chance to check Seadrei. The vibrations of the water beyond the tunnel decreased a bit, and so Rain assumed that the sea dragons moved, at least some of them.

In the end, Rain felt like sighing since the hole that he created to see outside let him have a clear view of Seadrei's ass. Rain felt like puking, thanks to it.

Within a dim and ominous chamber, Seadrei knelt in captivity, his powerful form reduced to total vulnerability. He was confined within a cage, its bars and chains made from massive coral intricately fashioned from sinister, dark coral. These coral chains were as imposing as they were menacing, effectively holding him captive.

The chains of dark coral that bound him were as thick as tree trunks, wrapping around his wrists and ankles with an iron grip. His once-mighty body was rendered powerless, restrained by the malevolent embrace of these formidable chains.

The evidence of a sinister ordeal was etched upon Seadrei's body. His skin bore an ominous shade of purple, a stark and undeniable confirmation that he had fallen victim to a powerful poison. Read new adventures at empire

The chains of dark coral held him in an unbreakable grip, and the insidious poison had weakened his once indomitable spirit. It was a tragic and chilling sight, a stark reminder of the threats that lurked within the enigmatic depths of the ocean.

"Hmm, this might be bad…" Rain thought. "I can't see his spear…

Seadir gulped. That was supposed to be the least of their worries, but they could tell that Seadrei wouldn't leave without his weapon. At the same time, they didn't have much time.

"Do they have a grudge against you people or something?" Rain asked. "I guess eating him would be risky, but putting him inside a pool of poison probably would finish the job."

"... I don't know… maybe we have some sort of connection given how Father's spear looks like the coral of this area," Seadir said. "Rather than that, we need to think of a way to free Father."

"One step at at a time, young Padawan," Rain said. "Didn't I just say that knowledge is power? We need to know as much as possible to try to leave this place with your old man while keeping our heads on our necks."

Still, now that Rain thought about it… his spear and magic eyes made them find Seadrei, but why not his spear? The spears were supposed to be connected to each other, not to Seadrei. In any case, maybe Rain's chance would come when he finds Seadrei's spear. If he can use that, his magic power in the ocean will increase many times over.

For quite a while, Rain wondered where he could find the spear… but he had no idea… the sea dragon's way of thinking was different than that of the humans, after all. Way too different…

"I guess we will have to split up," Rain thought. "We don't have time to waste, and the old man needs to be treated. You can use water magic to fight the poison inside his body?"

"That level of control… is something only father would be able to pull off with his spear," Seadir shook his head. "But I should be able to buy some time."

"All right, then I will make a commotion once I find the spear, and you will use that chance to escape with him," Rain explained.

Seadrei's reaction to Rain's plan was a mixture of shock and astonishment. As the details of Rain's audacious scheme unfolded before him, it became increasingly clear that the plan was nothing short of insane. The very notion of Rain willingly becoming bait in the midst of the sea dragons' base seemed like a recipe for disaster.

The sheer audacity of the plan left Seadir struggling to find words to express his disbelief. His mind raced with the potential dangers and the reckless nature of the task. It was as if Rain intended to walk into the heart of a storm, risking not only his own life but the precarious balance of their mission.