Elio's eyes fluttered open slowly, his body still heavy with hunger.
The aroma of freshly prepared food was the first thing he perceived. His stomach growled with an intensity that surprised him, reminding him how long it had been since he'd eaten properly.
He blinked several tis, adjusting to the room's light. His swift summon, perched on the bedside table, chirped softly in greeting.
"Finally awake, sleeping beauty!" Kriz's voice resonated in the room, followed by a thud and an indignant "Ow!"
"I told you not to shout," Zara whispered, glaring at Kriz before turning to Elio, her face showing both relief and concern at the sa ti. Her salamander, mirroring her worry, scampered onto the bed, nudging Elio's hand gently.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
Elio tried to sit up, feeling every muscle in his body protest. "Like I fought an army of Locus... and lost," he groaned. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Almost 12 hours," Ren replied, his tone serious but with a hint of relief. His rabbit hopped nervously at his feet, sensing the tension in the room.
Kriz, always ready to lighten the mood, grinned broadly. "Yeah, we thought you'd extended your vacation in the monster sea indefinitely. How was the service?"
"Terrible, the provisions didn't last long, and hunger is a worse enemy than I rembered."
Brok approached with a tray full of food, his rabbit perched on his shoulder, sniffing curiously at the dishes. "Then you'd better replenish your strength. You have a lot to tell us."
Without needing further invitation, Elio began to devour everything within reach. Between bites, he observed his friends: Zara, Kriz, Brok, Ren, and Micah. All looked at him expectantly, eager to hear his story.
"I suppose you'll want to know what happened..."
"Not at all," Micah responded sarcastically. "We just like watching you eat as if there's no tomorrow." His frog, seemingly sharing its master's humor, mimicked Elio's eating motions.
Elio couldn't help but smile. Between bites, he began to recount his experience. "Level 6 was... intense," he said, reaching for another plate. "The challenge consisted of a long, seemingly endless frozen tunnel."
His friends listened attentively, fascinated by every detail.
He proceeded to tell them about his experience: the icy tunnel, the struggle against the cold that consud his resistance, the discovery of the barrier.
Zara looked at him with concern. "How did you manage to overco it?"
Elio smiled, rembering the critical mont. "I discovered I could create an explosive reaction by combining certain elents. The new elent, which apparently is called Nitrogen, was key."
"Wait, wait," Micah interrupted, his frog croaking as if asking Elio to slow down. "How does the new elent work?"
Elio's smile widened, recalling his own surprise at discovering it. "It's fascinating. Its base is ice, like the rabbit but much colder - perhaps it's its advanced elent. It can be incredibly volatile. I managed to create an explosion by combining it with other elents... it destroyed the ice barrier blocking my path."
"An explosion?" exclaid Brok, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "That sounds... dangerously fun."
"And potentially useful," added Ren, always thinking of strategies.
"It was," Elio admitted. "But it was also the key to overcoming the challenge. I'll teach you how to do it; it'll be necessary for you to overco the challenge as well."
Zara stepped forward, looked Elio in the eyes, and spoke. "Elio, what happened to the original plan? You were supposed to absorb lots of cores, weren't you? We couldn't see any holes all those days."
Elio's expression turned serious. "About that... things didn't go as expected."
He told them about his attempt to build a tunnel, how he discovered that Locus were attracted to exposed structures, and how he had to abandon the original plan of creating a direct path for everyone.
"Wait a minute," Kriz interrupted, raising a hand. "Are you saying you spent days down there, building a tunnel that ultimately didn't work? And all this after facing killer ice penguins?"
Elio nodded, a tired smile on his face. "Sounds pretty crazy when you put it that way."
"Sounds unfair, I'd say," Zara murmured, her voice trembling slightly.
Elio looked at her, noticing for the first ti the intensity of her concern. "Zara, I..."
"No, listen to ," she said, her voice gaining strength. "I understand that what you're doing is important for the city, but…
You nearly worried to death!" she exclaid, her voice shaking slightly. "Do you have any idea what it was like waiting, not knowing if you were alive or dead?"
Silence fell over the room. Elio looked at Zara, surprised by the passion in her words.
"I... I'm sorry," he finally said. "I didn't think about how my change of plans would affect you."
Silence fell over the room. The others exchanged uncomfortable glances, feeling they were witnessing a private mont. Even the summons seed to sense the tension, huddling closer to their respective masters.
Elio slowly stood up and approached Zara. "You're right," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about how my absence would affect you all."
Zara looked at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "Just... don't do it again, okay?"
Elio nodded, but then a small smile ford on his lips. "Well, about that... Next ti, you won't have to worry."
Zara looked at him, confused. "What do you an?"
"I an," Elio said, his smile widening, "that next ti, you're coming with ."
Surprise flashed across Zara's face, quickly followed by excitent and nervousness. "Are you serious?"
Elio nodded. "Completely. I'll need all the help I can get for what's coming, and I trust you more than anyone."
Kriz, unable to contain himself, chid in: "Oh, great. A romantic date in the sea of monsters. Make sure to pack more food this ti."
Before Zara could smack Kriz for interrupting the mont, the door burst open. Lucien and Selene entered, their faces showing relief at seeing Elio awake. Their frogs hopped in after them, looking curiously around the room.
"Elio," Lucien greeted, slightly inclining his head. "It's good to see you awake."
"You had us worried," Selene added, her tone softer than usual.
Elio nodded, grateful for their presence. "I'm sorry for worrying you. There's much to discuss."
"And much to teach, apparently," Micah interjected. "You ntioned you'd help us reach level 6... But no one has taught us the corrosive attack yet."
Elio nodded. "That's right. And I'll also teach you the explosive attack. It'll be essential for what's coming."
"What's coming?" Micah asked, intrigued. "What are you planning, Elio?"
Elio looked at each of his friends before responding. "We're going back to the sea of monsters. But this ti, I need a large team."
Kriz let out a nervous laugh. "Wow, and I thought my idea of a date for two in the Locus sea was risky."
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