Clock - 3

A flickering flame, buffeted by the dark of the cave. Only one survived the onslaught and soon after, mere seconds, it was blown out by a gust of wind.

It was from there that I found myself in thought. In the deep dark of the cave, where every move was veiled by another.

Where my actions, cloaked by the darkness, took the attention of none. Yet even in the dark, where I could barely see a couple feet ahead of myself, still, I could still see that brilliant white hair. 

Flipped side to side as she strode with purpose. For some strange reason I could feel a tug on my heart, my hand reached out, grasping, hoping.

But I could not scry the reason. Nor could I find why I took such interest in her, even as my own patience and anger simmered below the surface.

There was always this beat that seemed to suffocate my whole body.

I shook my head and with a thought placed my hand over the small blade over my waist. The way that its shape crushed into my thigh.

I was sure that with just a flicker of flames, even just a small lighter, that we could surveil the room with fresh eyes. Ones that could actually see.

But there was none as the only flame had been put out by a small gust.

And I would not trust myself to make a flame with what I had on hand. Not without wasting several hours.

Time that we did not have.

And because we had no fire, no light. There was no surety in my steps. Only a blind faith in the one that led me towards some unknown space.

But as for her, as I followed that radiant white into the distance, I could see nothing but faith in her own self. In the way that she strode in the darkness.

I kicked rock after rock, each and every one of them landed in my hand. It was a routine. As for each rock that I cleared into my hand. It was burned into the furnace of my fusion.

Again and again for each they would be placed into the pocket of reality, they would be melted and out would come a rock. Each and every better than the last.

[Mana touched rock]

Yet there was a problem, unexpected, one that surprised me and every suspicion that I had.

As for every rock that was thrown in, for every successful fusion that turned the rocks into a blazing fire of mana. There were three more that were turned into nothing more than dust. 

It would fall to the ground and crack it with its weight. But nothing more than that. It was nothing but slightly heavier dust.

A heavy sigh fell from my lips, a gaze to the rocky ceiling. There was grief in my eyes all over the fact that there might be probability to my ability.

And as far as I could tell lady luck had a grand time ass fucking me, as every single luck based thing for me, it all turned to shit.

But maybe that was just a small gripe as I was still happy about my ability, just slightly pissed about that, nothing more.

It did bring a good point though, as this was an anomaly. Most of the time, most being the night before, it would not fail and now all of a sudden one of four was failing.

Something wasn't adding up. There was some anomaly happening. And it all stemmed from probability.

There may be the slightest possibility that I was just luck…

'Heh' I had to laugh and snort at myself. There was no way that that was the answer. 

Not with my luck.

But then why did all of the other rocks succeed and these ones not. I could only sigh and continue on.

Eventually, despite the setback that were my rocks, I had created one. It was a rock, no a crystal, that could barely fit into the crook of my finger. But it was pure. So pure that I could barely even tell where the crystal began and the rock receded.

It had that much purity that I could barely even tell where the rock was.

And so with a final goodbye to the money it could make me, I threw it into my furnace and hoped for the best.

[Fusing….]

[50%]

[75%]

[Crystalline Dagger]

[Rank 1]

[A dagger imbued with the power of the earth, any wounds inflicted will also carry the taint of the earth. For everything will be buried, forever.]

It was ambiguous, it even gave terms that I was unfamiliar with. But above all of that there was a joyous feel that came from this.

It brought a smile to my face. All while I felt the blade, the taint that it told of and all that in between.

"We're here" 

I looked up to the voice that had interrupted my musing. From the distilled ecstasy that seemed to pour through my veins.

But then, I caught sight of her. Of her face under the flame, the shadow that she cast. The smirk she held as she raised her hand for mine. 

A gesture that I returned. I took her hand in mine and she pulled me closer. Enough that I could smell the lavender scent that came from her, of all the dust and dirt that had accumulated.

And all, all for the hand that turned my gaze to the stone that stood in front of us.

She let me go and turned her back to me.

I could only watch, struck by her beauty as she raised her foot, and with a mighty heave, smashed it into the door.

Into the solid stone.

And as the stone led way to a bright room, she looked back, that signature smirk on her face, her hand held to mine.

I found myself enraptured by her. At those blue eyes that smiled with delight.