The expressions of Sonya and Akaza changed.
Akaza's raised hands lowered by a few inches. The defensive tension in his shoulders did not disappear completely, but his stance weakened.
Sonya's pale eyes remained fixed on Simon, and Simon could feel that the tension beneath his feet reduced slightly.
The floor no longer felt like an enormous jaw waiting to close around Simon, and the pressure suppressing his new earth affinity receded. It did not vanish entirely. Sonya was still suspicious, but she was listening now.
"The ancient being?" Akaza repeated.
Simon nodded.
"After the Furnaceback Centipede swallowed me, it started gathering fire throughout its body. I knew I would die if I allowed the attack to form, so I used a mental technique against it from the inside."
That part was true.
