"What do you mean by that?" asked Tyel, confused by Orechin's words.
"Like, have you seen if it was harder for Vane to pierce before the crystals?" said Orechin. Tyel shook his head.
"I don't know… I've told you everything I saw… I can't look into the thoughts of the people while I'm looking into the future," answered Tyel while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Do you think we can make the hypothesis that it works like that?" asked Liro as he turned to Darian, who was lost in his thoughts.
"Yeah… if it is like Orechin proposed… that means we might need to drain out his resistance first?" proposed Darian.
"That sounds confusing…" said Vane. "Like, should we try to make him run and get tired first, for example?"
Darian suddenly got up from the ground and began to speak. "Listen to me, everyone. I've got something in mind." As Darian kept speaking, everyone looked at him curiously.
"Let's just hope I'm going to understand something now…" whispered Vane as he exchanged a glance with Orechin; even if they remained silent, as their eyes met, they had the same thought.
"Think about a plant in a hostile environment, like a desert acacia or a carnivorous plant. When these plants have got enough water and nutrients in general, they invest a massive amount of metabolic energy into growing rigid, razor-sharp roots, but what would happen if we remove the energy coming toward this plant?" said Darian, as he began to speak, wandering around the room while he gesticulated with his hands.
"The plant wouldn't be able to maintain this stuff hard like that anymore?" asked Lily as she raised her hand.
"Yeah… I'm not understanding anything," said Vane as he looked at his hands and began to play with them rather than listening to Darian.
"Exactly! The structure wilts, the internal pressure drops, and it paradoxically becomes fragile." As Darian said these words, he realized that everyone had a confused look over their faces; even Liro and Lily had difficulty following.
"Ehm…" Darian, realizing that it had become too hard to follow, coughed before returning to speak.
"Okay, think of it like this: what if Ashikunz's armor is not just a piece of metal, but rather it's a living bio-organic extension of his nervous system? Maybe once he's fully recovered and at 100% stamina, his body gives tons of energy to the armor, making it extremely resistant, and once his stamina gradually reduces, the armor doesn't get enough energy and it becomes weaker?" proposed Darian. After he said these words, making it significantly simpler, everyone else understood, even Vane, who returned to follow Darian.
"Then that is why it felt invincible at first… The moment we drained some of his strength to give it to Orechin, his stamina lowered, and it became easier to create a small cut?" pointed out Tyel. Hearing this, Darian clapped his hands.
"Exactly! We don't need to break through defenses by sheer force at the beginning. We just need to make him spend his energy, wear him down, and starve the armor of the vitality it needs to stay hard. Once his stamina drops, we will be able to fight against Ashikunz and break his armor!" shouted Darian.
"Yeah… but still, how are we supposed to make him tired? Have you forgotten which person we're talking about?" said Martheel as he reminded everyone who they were fighting against.
"Krukin… not person…" said Orechin. Martheel looked at him, tired, saying that it wasn't the important thing now.
"I can try to use my Vinewalk and run away… as he keeps following me and running, he will get tired and his armor weaker… always provided Darian's theory is right…" said Lily as she looked over at Darian, hoping that he would be right.
"Yeah… but still, you have to escape from him. You know that it is practically impossible, right?" said Liro.
"He can still throw his spear…" whispered Catripple as a long, cold shiver ran down her spine, remembering the time the Krukin killed Eilwarin while they were running away with a powerful shot.
"I know… but we have to try, no? I can try to dodge if I can be fast enough…" said Lily as she tried to think of a solution, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was almost impossible for her to escape Ashikunz's strength.
Suddenly, Orechin rose from the ground and created a small crystal in his hand. "I'll create blue crystals in the path…" Orechin opened his hand and a small blue crystal appeared in his hands. "Maybe not this small… but yeah, you get it."
"Do you want to come too?" asked Lily in surprise.
"You can create more roots that would carry us away, right?" said Orechin, not caring about Lily's question, who simply nodded her head.
"Are you sure you really want to do it, Orechin? He's still Ashikunz… you don't know what he might do," said Catripple with her fists closed as she returned to her feet.
"Don't worry… we still have Tyel, who can tell us if this plan will work, right?" asked Orechin.
'It will never work… but what can I say? Am I just sending you all to die only to gain information about Ashikunz and his weakness?' thought Tyel as he closed his eyes.
'I used to prevent their deaths… seeing them dying over and over again hurts me…' Tyel, with his eyes closed, imagined all the times when he was a child and read all the comics about Timehors.
"He would never send people to die like it's nothing… but here I am… sending people to die so that the plan can work…" whispered Tyel as he looked at his younger self smiling.
"But isn't that the best thing? You're making them die now so that you'll have the perfect plan for later, no?" The child in front of Tyel tilted his head unnaturally, and Tyel, caught by surprise, let out a shocked gasp.
Tyel, having seen and felt worse things, soon returned to a serious state, and while remaining still, he answered the child in front of him.
"But Timehors would have never done it… he would save everyone else all by himself… and here I am, sending my friends to certain death only because I'm not powerful like him…" whispered the older Tyel as tears began to flow down his face.
The younger Tyel, with the comic in his hands, ripped it in half. The older Tyel, with his eyes partially closed because of the tears, opened them wide.
"You should have understood it… you're not Timehors, you're Tyel… and you're doing things at your own pace." As the child snapped his fingers in Tyel's mind, the moments when all his allies got killed were replayed again.
"Remove them… I couldn't save them here!!" Tyel positioned his hands over his eyes, trying not to give much weight to his thoughts.
"Accept yourself… you'll just never be like Timehors… you're Tyel, and you're doing things at your own pace. You'll save them; they all believe in you, Tyel," said the younger Tyel as he walked closer. The older one, scared, took a few steps back and arched his back.
"I can't save them like this… Timehors would have never done it this way… they don't deserve to die in front of my eyes… no… to die in general…" whispered Tyel. With tears flowing down his face, he looked over at the younger version of himself smiling warmly.
"Tyel!!" shouted the child. As the older Tyel fully opened his eyes, he realized that the vision inside his mind had started to disappear and everything was becoming blurry.
"Tyel, are you alright??" asked a voice. The moment Tyel opened his eyes again, he found himself back in the old room of the secret laboratories with tears flowing down his face and everyone else looking at him, while Syrmax was shouting at him as he grabbed Tyel by his collar.
"What happened, Tyel… are you alright?" asked Syrmax as he realized the man in front of him had opened his eyes.
"What happened, Tyel? We got worried," said Martheel. "Is the mission too much for you?" he added, worried about Tyel's mental safety.
"No, no, don't worry… it was the future I had seen." Tyel pushed Syrmax away and looked at the exit while the group could only see his back.
"What did you see, Tyel?" asked Darian as his hands were shaking.
"Nothing… The future was just happy that I couldn't hold my tears anymore…" answered Tyel; the group behind him never lost their worried expressions.
"Hey, if that plan didn't work, don't worry… we will think of another one," said Lily with a reassuring tone. Tyel, with his face full of tears, turned again toward his friends.
"Don't worry…" Tyel moved his hand toward his pocket and grabbed his knife. At the sight of the object, everyone else looked scared.
"What are you doing with that, Tyel? Is that the way to defeat Ashikunz?" asked Vane, jokingly. To everyone's surprise, Tyel nodded his head.
"Exactly… and I will not let you die anymore… I'll be the one to take the burden." The knife had started to pierce into Tyel's throat. The group launched themselves forward, screaming. 'Because I've made you die enough times… I'll not make you die anymore… I'll be the only one to die. I'll die before you get killed, you won't suffer anymore, I'll take everything.'
"Stop, Tyel!!!" shouted Orechin, as both he and Martheel stretched their arms forward, with Martheel starting to cry at the sight of his friend about to kill himself.
But none of their hands could reach Tyel. 'I'll save everyone… your other versions won't even have to suffer.' These were the last thoughts of Tyel before he cut off his head in front of his friends.
"Déjà Veil."
'And here I am again…' thought Tyel as the day restarted once again.
"What is it, Tyel? Didn't you say we should go out from the sanctuary's exit?" asked Catripple, confused.
"Yes… but I've looked into the future. Wait a moment," he said.
"Hey, you're bleeding, Tyel… are you alright?" asked Lily, worried, but Tyel didn't even care about her question.
"Listen… I've realized the truth about Ashikunz's weakness… follow me." Tyel began to walk toward the Sanctuary's exit, followed by his confused friends.
"What are you talking about?" asked Vane, as he was the first one to reach Tyel.
"We just need to lower his stamina… make him tired. Simple," he said, slightly annoyed, as he began to walk.
"Explain better, Tyel… what did you see in this future?" asked Darian, as he wanted to know more about this.
'For how many times will I have to explain this…' Tyel looked back at his confused friends and, realizing that the day had restarted, knew they had never heard about Tyel and Darian's hypothesis.
After the thought crossed Tyel's mind, he immediately shook his head. 'I have to explain to them… so they will not risk their lives and die in front of my eyes… and I can be the one to die normally.' With that, as the group walked through the sanctuary, he explained everything and how Darian believed it worked.
"Oh, so we would simply need to make him run around, make him grow tired of the fight, and we can pierce into his armor?" asked Darian. Tyel nodded his head.
"Exactly… and that is why it will be Lily, Orechin, and me for now," he said.
"I understand why Orechin, with his blue crystals, is useful… but you, Tyel?" asked Lily, confused.
"She's right; you should not risk your life like this," pointed out Orechin, but it felt like Tyel didn't even listen to them as he grabbed the ladder and began to climb up from it.
"I can look into the future and guide you; I'm needed." As he started to go up, the other two followed him as well, while the others remained quiet.
"Be alright, everyone…" said Catripple, worried about the outcome of this plan.
"And don't forget to let us know once he looks tired… we will come and lock his ass!" shouted Vane as he clashed his fists together.
"Okay, Lily… it's time," said Tyel as he opened the trap door. Once everyone came out of the trap door, Lily was ready to use her magic.
"Vinewalk!" she shouted. Roots appeared under everyone, and as the objects began to move, they remained close and all followed the same path.
"Now we just need him to spot u—" Orechin couldn't even finish speaking before Ashikunz, still on the mainland, jumped as high as he could.
As his body was launched toward the sky, all the leaves around him almost blew off because of the wind created by the jump. Now mid-air, Ashikunz got ready to launch his spear.
"Here it comes!" shouted Lily as the speed of the roots upgraded.
"Steel prisms!" yelled Orechin, as a huge blue crystal appeared between them and the spear that had just been thrown. Once the spear entered the area of the blue crystal, it began to slow down.
"It worked!" shouted Lily.
"But he's coming to take the spear now!!!" yelled Orechin. By going extremely fast, Ashikunz reached the spear, which had become slower, and got ready to launch it again toward the humans.