The Risk

Timothy dove through the skies, descending beneath the celestial tree's clouds. In a rush, he used the flames to increase his speed and spotted Ralphie's team.

Without a second thought, he maneuvered forward and plunged through the skies to hurriedly reach them. He landed before them, maintaining a grave countenance.

"There you guys are. I see a giant problem." Everyone peered in one direction, seeing Yerachmiel approaching the celestial tree. They consented, enduring the storm that awoke from thin air.

Each one understood they weren't safe, but none knew if they had the power and numbers to stop Yerachmiel. They couldn't comprehend his plans and why he steered in the tree's direction.

It was a puzzle with a missing piece yet to be found.

"That's Yerachmiel... He's grown more than the information predicted. Before coming to the Sanctum Islands, the intel on the chip stated his soul never perished and ceased to exist for decades. It never parted ways from his body and only grew stronger, absorbing the nature around it to keep living."

None understood Kyora's explanation and listened without skipping a single sentence.

"It absorbed the energy from trees, grass, and the land, and that's why the zone around it became lifeless. Unfortunately, only the god of wind knew why the nature around Yerachmiel's sunken body gradually rotted. But he didn't want to disseminate that data with the Sanctum City residents."

Timothy footed beside her, looking into Kyora's eyes, setting his hand on his hips. "Let me get this straight. Yerachmiel's soul consumed nature's energy and induced his body to grow and become oversized."

Kyora nodded in response, looking from underneath her forehead. She reached into her cleavage and dragged a notebook, placing it in Timothy's hand.

He pondered about it and opened it.

"Here is the sketch I drew based on the details I earned from the chip. I hope this makes it easier to understand."

The sketch revealed a soul floating in the midst of the podium, connected by energy currents. It gradually sucked the life force from plants while Yerachmiel's human-sized body slowly grew in size through the years.

Ralphie analyzed the picture, amazed to see Kyora's incredible art skills and handwriting. "It reminds me of the plant cycle, growing from a seed to the root and all the way up to a flower. I wonder how his oversized body rose from the underground."

Kyora aimed her finger at Yerachmiel's feet, showing the process. "He was dissuaded from growing because of his confinement beneath the podium. There was no firm dirt within reach of his feet. As you can see, this pushed his body to spread his limbs wider and burrow himself deeper into the earth while maintaining a fixed posture for his critically wounded head. His skull didn't have enough room to develop correctly and grew smaller than his body."

Kyora's detailed yet brief explanation intrigued Ralphie and Timothy. It made sense, understanding why his head appeared so much smaller than the rest of his body.

"As you can see, some of his body united with the ground due to how tightly squeezed he was beneath the ground. If you were to strike the rocky armor, you wouldn't be able to put a dent into it."

It persuaded Timothy to earn a conclusion, glancing at Yerachmiel, who continued nearing the celestial tree.

"This makes me want to believe that his skull is his only weakness. We would need to reach the top without being caught and examine it for an opening to deliver the final strike. If we confront him face-to-face, I'm sure none of us could match the mass of his power."

Timothy's idea astonished Kyora, causing her to freak out in response. She thought he was insane, despite knowing he was most likely correct. It disturbed her, visualizing the danger he drove himself into. She knew his failure could end up in a fatal wound.

"Tim, you can't do that. I know you're adept on the battlefield, but getting to the top without being spotted is begging for death. What if you can't reach his head in time? One strike from that goliath, and your entire body shatters."

He strode forward, observing the terrain around him and the distance of Yerachmiel. "Kyora, this might be a senseless question to you, but what was the predictable size of Yerachmiel? How much did it assume?"

Kyora, standing behind him, expressed bewilderment. She cocked her head aside and stated Yerachmiel's size would be around 30 meters in height and 40 meters in width. But seeing Yerachmiel before them showed he was taller than the provided information.

It assumed Yerachmiel's body would grow equally rather than putting more vitality into his torso, legs, and arms. Instead, Kyora used her binoculars and analyzed Yerachmiel's current size.

"If I calculated correctly, I would say he's around 65 to 70 meters tall and 40 to 50 meters wide. Does that help you in any way, Tim?"

He turned around and looked into her eyes. "Kyora. You're familiar with the terrain and numbers. I really need you to back me up this one time." She lowered her binoculars and exchanged eyes with him, befuddled.

"I need you to act as my compass, Kyora. If you provide the correct measures and dimensions, I can figure out a better solution to nearing his head. I won't be able to reach him in time without getting spotted."

Kyora jolted momentarily and quickly became solemn. She revealed courage and trust, understanding her necessary involvement in Timothy's plan. "Yeah. You got it. But what if it doesn't work out?"

Timothy shut his eyes, becoming peaceful.

"Then I'll need you to create a plan with your own ideas..."

Kyora felt Timothy put lots of pressure on her mission but agreed and quickly created a plan. "I have a better and considerably more manageable idea. But I need you to fly me up to one of the vines surrounding the celestial tree. Is that doable? Can you use your ability to carry me up to the top? I'd use the cloud, but Tarot took it with Yumiko."

Timothy blinked in bafflement and folded his arms. "And I'll need Ralphie's help too..."

To be continued...