Chapter 30: Son of Oni and Light

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I never thought I'd tremble in the face of death. Ever since I consented to leaving with the Ninja, I courageously awaited my imminent demise. Even after the Songdragon incident, I kept my head held high. I handed myself over to the Overlord. I didn't resist as I was left unfed and without much sleep. I was completing my mission in the prophecy. There was no avoiding it.

      Yet, in that singular moment, with my fingers intertwined with another's as the flames fell to eat my corpse away, I felt myself tremble. I assumed it was a very human response to death; I guess I was more concerned about Morro's fear than my own.

     Death was warm and sticky, like sweat from an overheated forehead dripping onto white knuckles.

      It was the smell of smoke and yet the feeling of being protected.

      I had never thought about death before, or what came after it (Father told me not to concern myself with such things, as death did nothing but pain the Grand Master), but here in this warm, protected area, I found my spirits being lifted. Perhaps death would finally be a chance to live as I chose, without endangering the Grand Master's precious economy.

     So, I opened my eyes to see my new haven.

     But only Morro was there.

     I leaned back from the bars—hold on, bars? Sure enough, I was still holding the bars, and Morro was still gripping my fingers like they were the last thing he could ever hold onto. Which, theoretically, was correct. I was just puzzled by the fact there were prison bars in my fingers after death.

     That's when I saw the gold.

     A brilliant, shining gold, covering our heads and the area around us. It was like we were trapped in a bubble of the purest metal, that is, until I saw the burnt remains of the tent scattered around us. The gold was transparent like...

     Like a bubble of energy.

     That was Morro's elemental power, wasn't it? Creating energy? Slowly, I turned back to the boy in question, who still had his eyes squeezed shut. He had tensed up upon preparing for his demise. Morro hadn't trembled. He had only braced himself for impact. I suddenly wondered if his parents had ever told him what was supposed to happen after death, and that was what he was preparing himself for.

     "Morro," I whispered, attempting to pull my fingers away and miserably failing. "Morro wake up."

     When he opened his eyes, I lurched backwards in shock.

     His eyes were glowing gold.

     In fact, it wasn't just his eyes. His hands started pulsing with the energy he was creating. The air sparked with golden power around him. Then, he started to float, releasing my hands as he rose into the air.

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