Zane barely managed to stand, body sore and pride bruised beyond repair.
The red-flame figure hovered just above the cracked earth, arms crossed, fiery aura still flaring like an angry sun. Its eyes narrowed, voice deep and laced with molten heat.
> "I’m surprised you survived that. Now—before I give you another—tell me how you got here... before we find out if you can survive a second time."
Zane coughed and spat out dirt. "Well, funny story actually... I really don’t know how I got—"
Before the sentence even had a chance to land, the fist did.
Zane’s body folded like an envelope and rocketed straight into the ground with the grace of a falling meteor.
A perfect Zane-shaped dent was carved into the earth as dust shot up in a geyser. Pebbles rolled away in fear.
From beneath the rubble, a muffled voice groaned:
Nyx floated nearby, watching the scene like a disappointed mother.
"I told you not to talk too much," she muttered.
Link crossed his tiny arms on Zane’s shoulder... except Zane was buried, so he hovered and just sighed. "At this point, I think he enjoys getting punched."
The red-flame figure slowly descended and looked into the Zane-shaped hole.
Zane gave a thumbs up from within. "Still... alive... emotionally, no."
"Tell me again," the figure rumbled, "how you got here. And don’t take your sweet time."
Zane pulled himself halfway out of the hole, dirt in his teeth. "Bro, you literally punched me in the middle of my sentence—how’s that my fault?"
Nyx called out, "You should probably start making sense before he tries round three."
Zane muttered, "I swear, if I survive this, I’m installing a punch alert system in my soul."