Kane was momentarily lost in thought. "Aster... Song... Vale..." he repeated to himself. What could those words possibly mean? He decided not to dwell on them. They were likely some forgotten part of her past, a cryptic echo of a life she no longer remembered. For now, he had more pressing concerns.
Nephis turned to Sunny, her face bleak and full of confusion. Her voice, though strained, held a desperate plea. "If anything happens," she began, "you guys flee from here. Don't... don't..." The light in her eyes slowly flickered and died. She turned to stare west once again, all memory of their conversation wiped clean from her mind by the cruel influence of the great tree.
Kane and Sunny approached her cautiously. "Hey, Star," Sunny said, his voice gentle, as if speaking to a fragile child.
She turned to them, her face a blank canvas of confusion. "Sunny? Kane? Oh... when did you guys get here?"
"A while ago," Sunny replied, the lie slipping out with practiced ease.
"We came to see what you were doing," Kane added.
"Actually, I have... no... idea," she confessed, her voice listless and devoid of emotion.
A carefree smile spread across Sunny's face, an expression that both masked his fear and served as a crucial part of their plan. "Hey, can I ask you something? Do you know how to build a boat?"
Nephis was visibly surprised by his question, but after a moment, she agreed to help. Neither Sunny nor Kane explained their true purpose, masterfully dodging her questions with a practiced finesse born of necessity. Kane silently justified their deception. "It's a necessary action," he thought. "I suppose she'll understand later."
"What are the steps to build a boat?" Kane asked, getting straight to the point.
Nephis paused, lost in thought for a moment before speaking in an indifferent tone, as if reciting a long-forgotten blueprint. "We'll have to use the materials at hand. For the hull, we'll use the dead demon's carapace. We can strip several armor plates of a suitable shape and tie them together with the golden rope…"
Sunny and Kane exchanged a look of disbelief. "The... the Carapace Demon's armor?" Sunny stammered. "It's made out of some strange steel. Can steel even float?"
Nephis shot them a reproachful glance, a hint of her former self peeking through the fog of her amnesia. "Anything can float, Sunny and Kane. You just have to make sure you're displacing more water than the weight of the floating object. That's how boats work."
"Crap," Kane thought, a new realization dawning on him. "I need to learn some basic physics." He cleared his throat. "Ah... okay. What about the sail? I think we can ask Cassie to lend us her cloak. What do you think?"
Changing Star gave him a strange look, her expression a mix of confusion and mild amusement. "I mean... yes? I still don't understand what's gotten you so excited about boat building, but I'm sure she'll be willing to help you out with this... uh... passion project."
Sunny grinned, and Kane gave a small nod. "Great! Let's go butcher the demon, then!" Sunny declared with a newfound sense of purpose.
While Sunny and Nephis went to retrieve the demon's parts, Kane volunteered to fetch Cassie. "Let me go get Cass and I'll meet you there," he said. He headed back to their sleeping spot, where Cassie was still curled up in a fragile, panda-like slumber. He gently woke her, and she stirred with a yawn.
"Hey, Kane... what's up?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
"Nothing," he replied. "I need your help. Sunny and I are building a boat. Consider it a side project."
Cassie listened to the plan, her expression unreadable behind her blindfold. "Okay… let me help you out," she said.
Kane guided her to the makeshift workstation. The three of them worked together in a strange, silent harmony, each contributing to the unusual construction project. Throughout the process, Kane used his Aspect to secretly monitor their auras. "Cassie's situation is getting worse," he thought, his heart heavy with dread. "Nephis is better, but still needs to be cautious. Sunny is safe."
The final creation was a marvel of desperation and ingenuity, a testament to what could be accomplished when survival was the only goal. The hull was crafted from the curved plates of the polished metal demon carapace, its sharp spikes jutting out in all directions like a menacing beast. The plates were meticulously held together by the golden rope, tied so tightly that Changing Star had managed to create gapless seals, a feat of both engineering and magic.
The mast was fashioned from the demon's spine and ribs, a macabre and fitting piece for their escape vessel. Cassie's enchanted cloak served as the sail, its threads humming with a faint, magical energy that promised to harness the wind. Even the steering oar was an ingenious solution, fashioned from the tip of the giant's scythe.
Kane had expected a crude raft, a collection of barely floating materials. But what met his eyes was an actual vessel. Yes, it looked crude... but it was also undeniably strong, eerily macabre, and strangely impressive. He couldn't help but wonder at the power of desperation, and how it had forged such an unlikely means of escape.
After a moment of silent admiration, Sunny announced he was off to start another "project." As Sunny departed, both Nephis and Cassie showed concern about this mysterious endeavor. Soon after, Cassie came to Kane, her voice tinged with both sadness and concern. "Are... you... guys... alright?" she asked, her empathy palpable even through the exhaustion in her voice.
"No problem," Kane replied, his voice firm, trying to project a confidence he didn't fully feel.
Cassie's gaze, though hidden by the blindfold, seemed to fix on him. "You can tell me how you feel, okay? I can help you."
A hint of fear flickered in Kane's eyes. The idea of losing Cassie, of her slow decline, filled him with a fear he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a terrifying, gut-wrenching feeling that reminded him of just how much he had come to care for his companions. "Sure," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I won't lose you, Cassie."
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Hi Guys,I am Back.From now on there will regular updates
Fanfic Ideas:
1.Naruto:King Grey is reincarnated(TBATE MC)
2.Shadow slave:Third son of Anvil
3.Naruto:Reborn as Kenpachi in uchiha
4.Shadow Slave: I am Azik Eggers
5.Naruto:Uchiha Raikage