Amal stood up slowly, her fingers brushing the side of her neck.
"I'm… really alive?" she whispered.
She turned—and froze. Sai was sent flying through several trees, the sound echoing through the jungle.
"Sai!" she screamed, running toward him.
Sai lay on the ground, barely breathing, his body shaking from pain and exhaustion.
When his eyes met hers, for a moment—his mind refused to believe it.
"You're alive?" he gasped.
Amal nodded, a faint, determined smile breaking through the blood and dirt.
"Yes. I'm alive… and I'm ready to finish this."
Sai clenched his fists, forcing his body to stand even with broken bones.
"Then get up here," he growled, eyes blazing. "Before she comes back
Amal dragged Sai into a small cave hidden behind a curtain of vines.
The air inside was damp and cold, their breaths echoing softly against the stone walls.
Sai lit a small flame in his palm, the fire flickering weakly.
"So… you're really alive," he said, leaning against the wall, clutching his ribs.
Amal nodded. "I couldn't just leave you to get beaten to death."
Sai let out a strained chuckle. "I got beat up, sure… but not dead yet."
He winced as the pain shot through his side. "Alright… you said you know how to win. Talk fast—we don't have long."
Amal took a breath, her eyes glowing faintly white. "When I woke up… I understood the system. The true system behind all power."
Sai frowned. "System? What system?"
"I'm getting to that," she said.
She raised her hand, and a swirl of ash formed above her palm, shifting and glowing like living smoke.
"Everything comes from ash," she said softly. "Ash is the center of all power—of all life, energy, and creation. Your flames, Tai's serpent form… they're just fragments of it. There are five colors of Ash—green, blue, red, white, and black."
Sai stared at the ash, trying to process it. "Okay… but how's that gonna help us?"
Before she could answer, a low growl echoed outside the cave.
Huntress raised her head, the scent of ash burning in her nose.
She smirked.
"Found you
Amal looked at Sai, her expression firm but trembling.
"Sai… I believe in you. Please, survive this."
Before he could speak, Amal pressed her hands on his chest, channeling all the ash she could muster. The cave filled with a violent wind as black mist engulfed Sai.
He screamed—
The mist swallowed his sight until all he saw was darkness. Amal appeared before him, her image distorted and shadowed.
A deep, echoing voice spoke from the blackness.
"Why do you bring her such pain? Why do you make her suffer?"
Sai clenched his fists. "I—I don't wish pain for her! I try to protect her!"
"Then you fail," the being rumbled. "She suffers every time she meets you."
Sai's eyes widened. "No… I bring her joy. I make her laugh—"
"When she was with Exile, she was calm. Whole. But the thought of you… broke her peace."
Sai lowered his head. "I knew she suffered… I tried to ease it… but now it seems I'm the one hurting her."
"You are," the being said.
Sai fell to his knees, voice cracking. "Please… I know Amal brought me here for a reason. Help me. And I swear—when we finish this mountain—I'll leave her. I'll never return."
The being's form shifted, its eyes glowing. "And if you break that vow?"
Sai raised his head. "Then you, the great darkness itself, can strike me down."
"So be it," the being whispered.
It lifted its hand, and a surge of black wind blew Sai backward into the abyss—
---
Meanwhile — The Huntress
Amal stumbled out of the cave just as Huntress landed on a nearby branch, her claws gleaming.
"Didn't I kill you already?" Huntress growled.
Amal smirked. "I guess not. And I'm grateful. I thought predators never leave prey alive."
Huntress's eyes flashed gold. "This time, I'll make sure you die slow."
She leapt from tree to tree, her movements a blur. But Amal's eyes followed every motion.
"I see you," Amal whispered. She formed a black flame in her palm and hurled it.
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the forest, leveling trees in a massive blast.
Smoke rolled through the wreckage.
Huntress's voice hissed through it, low and feral.
"Clever… but I'm right behind you."
She lunged, jaws open, aiming for Amal's neck