Substances

Their eyes widened at Rose's declaration. 

Luke was the first one to break the shocked silence. "I am all up for it, but how?" he asked, his earlier enthusiasm rekindled. 

"That's a risky move," Andrew cautioned, his voice low and measured. "We don't even know what this creature is capable of, let alone how to kill it."

Rose pressed her lips together. Andrew had a point. It was challenging to fight an enemy they hadn't even seen. All they knew about this creature was that it shot bizarre black smoke tendrils and likely was plant-like, given its stationary position in the realm. 

Rose frowned, weighing their options. They needed to neutralize the creature without exposing themselves to unnecessary danger. An idea began to take shape in her mind.

With her speed ability, Luke's fire ability, and Ethan's newly acquired telekinesis, they might stand a chance. It wasn't without risk, but it beat doing nothing. Besides, time was of the essence. The portal would vanish after twenty-four hours, and nobody knew what would happen to them then. They'd be doomed for sure.

But before she would tell them her plan, she had to test a few things first, to see if it was as she expected, which was the only way it would be feasible. 

She took one of the twigs from the ground, propelling it into the air. The plant kept quiet, as expected, but that also wasn't what Rose was after. "Luke, shoot!" she called.

By instinct, Luke lifted an arm, and a small ball of fire shot out, straight at the branch. He had been utterly unprepared, and yet by instinct followed Rose`s command and actually hit the twig. If it was his natural talent or simply luck would remain to be seen. 

The moment flame touched wood, it immediately caught fire and burned up in mere seconds. Only ashes remained and sailed down to the ground.

Rose mood lifted when seeing that. This was even better than she thought!

Her mind raced with possibilities. The combination of Luke's fire ability and the flammable nature of their surroundings could be their key to victory. She turned to her companions, her eyes ablaze with excitement. "I think I know how we can destroy this thing," she said, her voice filled with confidence. 

Everyone looked at her, waiting for her next words. "We will burn this whole place to the ground." One side of her lips tugged up in a devilish smile. "The substance this marsh is made of is extremely flammable. The plants, with their roots deep down, contain this same substance, making them just as easy to burn. The logical conclusion is that the plant creature must be the same." 

To demonstrate her point, she took a twig and broke it in half, holding it up for everyone to see. Though it appeared dry on the outside, inside was a substance that looked and smelled exactly like the liquid in the numerous pools and puddles scattered across the landscape.

"Now, with Luke's abi—"

"Wait a second," Andrew interrupted her explanation, suddenly darting out from behind their makeshift shield. Before anyone could react, he had returned, narrowly avoiding a tendril of black smoke that shot toward where he had just been standing.

Everyone stared at him in confusion as he held a twig in his uninjured hand. Why had he gotten another one? Didn't he trust Rose's deductions?

Ignoring their puzzled looks, Andrew broke the twig in two against his raised knee. As one half fell to the ground, he lifted the other for inspection, carefully examining the substance inside and even sniffing it. "As I thought," he said, his expression grim. Without another word, he tossed it into the air, where it was immediately struck by the creature's attack and shattered into tiny particles.

"How…? Why?" Rose couldn't help say, as she watched what had happened. She directed her inquisitive gaze at Andrew, who seemed to have just confirmed something, having the answer to her questions.

"This was one of the twigs of Ethan`s shield," Andrew said, pointing to the other half at his feet. "Take a look at it."

Rose bent down to examine the twig Andrew had retrieved. Her eyes widened as she noticed the difference – unlike the other twigs, this one contained no flammable substance inside. "It is different," she concluded. 

"Indeed," Andrew replied. "That's likely why Ethan's shield didn't protect us while this one does. The creature apparently doesn't attack anything containing this flammable substance." 

"Maybe because it's made of the same substance itself?" Rose mused.

"That's possible," Andrew nodded.

"But why don't some twigs contain this substance?" Wondering if this other type of twig could still help with their plan, Rose threw it up and asked Luke to shoot it again.

They repeated the experiment, but this time the twig only briefly caught fire before extinguishing as it fell to the ground. It landed in front of them, slightly scorched but otherwise intact.

"Why is it different?" Rose looked around, searching for an answer. Understanding this was crucial—their plan's success could hinge on this variable.

"Ethan," Andrew said, crouching down beside his friend. "When you made your shield, did you take the branches from a tree near the pond we dove through to get your ability?"

Ethan, clenching his teeth in pain, tried to recall and slowly nodded. "I think so."

"Then we have our answer. The tree near the pond likely absorbed that pond's substance, while the other trees draw from the marshland's ground substance to survive."

Listening to Andrew's theory, Rose slowly nodded. "That sounds logical. Are their more ponds like the one you went through?"

"As far as we know, there are none."

"Then isn't that great?!" Luke chimed in. "Now that we know why Ethan`s shield didn't work we can make working ones and simply leave, right?"