Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 154 The Legend of Ocean Bloom

"Hehe, it truly is Ocean Bloom..." Luminous Harmony muttered to himself, supported by Flicker Shadow under a tree, his tone odd and distant.

Meanwhile, Flicker Shadow paced anxiously at the entrance to the abyss, not paying attention to Luminous Harmony. He debated whether to go back for Raina Grace now, concerned that it might bring her harm instead.

"I'll go back for Raina Grace now," Flicker Shadow finally decided, telling Luminous Harmony, "I'll leave Lightning to watch over you. Rest for a while."

"There's no need to go..." Luminous Harmony's response was cut off as he looked up to see Flicker Shadow's departing figure and continued, "You won't find the entrance anymore..." His face bore a smile that was not quite a smile, his eyes filled with a strange black mist, slowly leaking out dark energy. His facial muscles twitched, twisting his mouth into a painful, sinister grin.

As expected, after a long while, Flicker Shadow returned in despair: "It's gone, the entrance is gone..." He looked hopelessly at Luminous Harmony, "You must know another entrance, right? The one you took me to." He reached out to grab him, "Tell me, quickly tell me."

It was only upon pressing Luminous Harmony for answers that he noticed his terrifying eyes, causing Flicker Shadow to step back in horror: "What happened to your eyes? Are... are you infected by the abyss?"

"Infection?" Luminous Harmony revealed a weird smile, "You could say that."

"Why has even your voice changed to sound so strange?" The raspy, twisted tone of Luminous Harmony, along with his bizarre expressions, weighed heavily on Flicker Shadow, "Tell me where the entrance to the abyss is. Once we find Raina Grace, she can help you dispel the abyss's infection. You've seen Lightning's case."

Lightning, now lively and bouncing around, seemed anxious, knowing Raina Grace hadn't returned.

"With such a vast abyss, do you think you can find her?" Luminous Harmony said, "Especially now that you are extremely exhausted, you won't last long."

"But she's trapped because of us, no matter what, I have to find her." Despite Luminous Harmony's dubious state, Flicker Shadow still held a sliver of hope, "Do you know of another entrance or not?"

"I won't tell you." Luminous Harmony outright refused.

"I don't care what you've become now, or if you were always something strange, I need to know where Raina Grace is," Flicker Shadow threatened, standing before Luminous Harmony, "If you don't speak, I will kill you."

Luminous Harmony seemed indifferent, his eerie laugh sounding as if it were squeezed from his throat: "Hehe, go ahead and try. Foolish thing, it's a pity considering the care you've shown me before, I even thought of saving you."

"Care? You've planned all this, waiting for us to fall into your trap?" Flicker Shadow realized, Luminous Harmony had approached him under the guise of Raina Grace's name, a trap he foolishly fell into, endangering Raina Grace as well.

"Hehe, not a bad reaction!" Luminous Harmony praised, "But it's also because you're talented, able to enter and endure the abyss for so long."

"Lightning, bite him!" Flicker Shadow, tired of talking, commanded Lightning.

True to their long partnership in the jungle, Lightning didn't hesitate and charged at Luminous Harmony. However, before it could attack, it plunged into a soft, mire-like black mist halfway there. Following this was Luminous Harmony's shout: "Infected by the abyss's power and still not afraid, seeking death?"

But Flicker Shadow was merely using Lightning as a feint, knowing Luminous Harmony wouldn't be easily fooled with his fearless demeanor. So, while Luminous Harmony's attention momentarily shifted to Lightning, Flicker Shadow leapt aside fiercely, kicking off a large tree and rapidly attacking Luminous Harmony. After landing a hit and attempting to grab Luminous Harmony, he was forced back by a sudden burst of black energy emanating from him, wary of the abyss's power, causing Flicker Shadow to halt.

Luminous Harmony, injured and falling to the ground, laughed loudly: "Flicker Shadow, I must admire your formidable strength. I'll need you later on; won't you consider cooperating with me?"

"Do you need me to help you up right now?" Flicker Shadow saw through Luminous Harmony's facade of strength, knowing his physical condition was always poor, yet he deceived himself into believing he needed the abyss's power for healing internal injuries. Now, with the black mist as protection, Flicker Shadow was momentarily at a loss, resulting in a standoff.

However, a standoff wasn't a solution, especially with Raina Grace trapped in the abyss. Flicker Shadow, desperate for time, reluctantly compromised with Luminous Harmony: "Tell me, what do you need me to do? I agree to anything as long as you help me save Raina Grace."

Luminous Harmony, managing to sit up straight, shook his head: "It's not that I don't want to help you, but that girl is the most crucial part of my plan that I've been scheming for so long. How can I give her up?"

Flicker Shadow roared in frustration: "What can she do that I can't? Tell me? I'm willing to take her place, guaranteeing I'll do it a hundred times better!"

"You fool!" Luminous Harmony sneered, "She is Ocean Bloom, possibly the only one of her kind in the Elemental Magnetic Celestial Domain... It's strange, how did she end up here? Weren't all Ocean Blooms supposed to retreat to the depths of the Endless Sea?" His last few words were barely audible.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

"Only the spiritual whiskers of Ocean Bloom possess such miraculous utility, capable of endlessly refining elemental magnetic power with the force of water elements," Jadelle pointed to the Silver Wolf mask, "But to be shaped into a mask, aside from the original owner of the whiskers, no other being could achieve it."

Flame Wave listened, half-understanding, his heart racing as if about to unlock a mysterious door, behind which lay the truth he had long pondered without success and the dream he longed for but couldn't reach...

"What is Ocean Bloom?" he forced himself to be patient, inching towards that door, "And you said you're not the original Sky Whisper, lacking knowledge of many things. How do you know about Ocean Bloom?"

"We Sky Whispers have a memory inheritance, somewhat like your human genetic encoding. Those significant events and skills for survival from ancient times are engraved here," Jadelle pointed to her heart, "But due to the abruptness of the last cataclysm, our generation of Sky Whispers only received a bit of the most important information, not the entire inheritance."

"You still haven't answered me, what is Ocean Bloom?" Flame Wave was getting impatient.

"Ocean Bloom is the oldest intelligent life form on the Elemental Magnetic Star, the most beautiful master of the Endless Sea, the most trusted friend and mentor of the Sea Whisperers and Terra Grove... "

Jadelle couldn't fully depict what Ocean Bloom is like, having never seen her, with the information being too ethereal, only able to reproduce some fragments as they are:

"Her figure is like the shimmering water, her eyes as deep as the vast ocean, and her whiskers like the dazzling coral and seaweed, swaying with grace. She is the guardian of life, her presence fills this planet with vitality and mystery; she is the spirit of the Elemental Magnetic Star, her existence fills this planet with hope and energy... She is a legend..."