The Immortals of Notoriouslandia
Chapter Ten: Echoes in the Firelight
Their journey toward Notoriouslandia had brought them across twisted valleys, forgotten roads, and half-collapsed cities overrun by moss and silence. But tonight, they found peace—if only for a few hours.
In a clearing deep within a forest of ancient blue-barked trees, the Unbound Team made camp beneath a sky veiled by silver clouds. A flickering campfire crackled in the center, casting gold across armor, weapons, and tired faces.
The celestial bird rested on a low branch, watching over them like a silent god.
Campfire Conversations
Mr. Shonk poked the fire with his trident, humming something off-key.
"Y'know… back before I started breaking monsters in half, I used to collect ocean glass. Just the blue stuff. Said it reminded me that even sharp things can shine."
Kukranchunlikryting, surprisingly mellow, added:
"I was made in a lab. I don't have dreams. But... lately, I've wondered what it'd feel like to be afraid. Maybe that's what keeps me going."
Descentedrain listened quietly, arms folded.
Sapphire stared at the flames, her expression softer than usual.
"Crystals remember what we forget," she said quietly. "Sometimes I think they're trying to tell me things I don't want to hear."
Silence settled in. The flames danced. The night sighed through the trees.
Eventually, Mr. Shonk leaned back and began snoring like a motor.
Kukranchunlikryting curled beneath his own toxin vapor and drifted into a dull, dreamless slumber.
That left two.
A Thoughtful Gesture
Descentedrain stood slowly, brushing dirt off his coat.
Sapphire looked up, puzzled.
"Where are you going?"
"You like berries, right?" he said, offering a faint smile. "I saw a patch glowing not far from here."
She blinked.
"I didn't think you noticed."
"I notice everything."
He disappeared into the trees.
The Search
The glowing berry patch lay near a crescent of blue-leafed bushes, their fruit glowing faintly in the dark. Descentedrain knelt and picked them carefully, wrapping them in a cloth pouch.
As he stood up—
A scream split the night.
Sapphire.
The Attack
He sprinted.
Branches whipped past him. The forest twisted in his peripheral vision. When he reached the campfire clearing—
Sapphire was gone.
In her place stood a figure of darkness, cloaked in smoke and bone.
Its hand was outstretched, gripping a crystal cage that hovered midair—Sapphire trapped inside, her body limp, her crystals dimmed.
The creature's voice rasped like a broken violin:
"She is a key... and you are a door. I am the lock."
Descentedrain didn't respond.
He charged.
The Battle
The dark figure flung void-spikes—javelins of obsidian that screamed as they flew.
Descentedrain dodged left, his body flickering with violet force. He hurled a wave of compressed air that shattered trees and cracked the cage's surface.
The creature growled, snapping the air into spirals of gravity—pulling Descentedrain off his feet.
But he corrected midair, flipping forward and slamming a fist of psychic pressure into the figure's chest.
It splashed—like smoke hit with light.
Then it reformed, snarling:
"Your power is borrowed."
"Maybe," Descentedrain growled. "But it's mine now."
The Immortals Intervene
Time stopped.
For an instant, stars flickered inside his chest.
The three Immortals of Notoriouslandia appeared again—not in vision, but within him.
Arthur's fire lit his blood.Technical's mind surged through his muscles.Lux's cosmic vision opened in his eyes.
His body ignited—not in flame, but in presence.
When he spoke next, his voice echoed with three ancient legacies:
"You don't get to touch anyone I care about."
He raised his hand and unleashed a beam of cosmic energy, white-violet with tendrils of flame and starlight.
The dark figure screamed, its form unraveling.
It melted into a puddle of ink, quivering once, then evaporating into silence.
The Hug and the Berries
The cage cracked open.
Sapphire fell into his arms, gasping.
She looked up, eyes shimmering.
"You came."
He didn't speak. He only held her tighter.
Then she saw the pouch in his belt.
"You brought me… berries?"
He offered them with a quiet smile.
"Didn't want you to go to sleep hungry."
She laughed softly, wiped her eyes, and kissed his cheek before pulling him to the campfire.
They sat beside each other, eating quietly, the bird now watching from a closer perch.
Sapphire rested her head against his shoulder.
"Thank you, Descentedrain."
"Anytime."
The fire burned low.
The stars spun overhead.
The journey to Notoriouslandia was far from over.
But tonight, they slept.
Together.