Chapter 29

The next morning, Leon stood at the edge of the ship, staring over toward the vast expanse of the ocean when something caught his vision some distance away-an island, big and imposing, its towering mountains seeming to scrape the sky. Excited, Leon yelled out, "Guys! Come here!"

Everybody went straight to him, with curiosity in their eyes. Leon pointed to the faraway island and said, "Look, we are here. The island!"

Luca, sitting next to him, grinned. "Sweet."

Aiko rubbed the morning fug from her eyes and smiled. "Finally. Hopefully, it's not like last time, which was only some giant sea creature pretending to be land."

Luca shook his head confidently. "No, it's real. We're getting closer every second."

Lefn let out a breath of relief. "This is good. We can restock here, grab any food we can find. We're almost out of the food we brought back from the village and eating seafood every day is becoming .well, let's just say it's losing its appeal."

Luca chuckled. "You're right, but Aiko makes it so good it's still worth eating."

After a few moments, the ship approached the island. The view was breathtaking—rich greenery, clean beaches, and mountains that seemed to climb upwards right to the top. None of them had ever seen such an awesome island with their own eyes.

No sooner had they landed the boat on the beach of the island than Aiko lay down straight onto the soft sand, playing it in her fingers. "Oh, land. how I missed you."

Luca stretched. "Alright, I am going to see if there is anything around. I'll scout from the air." Without waiting for an answer, he launched himself upwards into the sky; his body devoured great lengths as he flew towards a mountain range on the island.

Leon watched him for a moment before he turned to the rest. "In the mean time, let's search for food. Lefn, Aiko—you two go together and stay sharp. I and my squad will be covering another area. Whatever happens, scream and run."

Flying over, Luca saw a few animals on the island calmly grazing. He fluttered gently to the ground and snatched his fingers; the power coursed through him, entombing the animals in a screen of invisible glass, trapping them inside. He was able to catch several this way, using his telekinesis to bring them back to the ship and depositing them safely on the ship.

Meanwhile, Leon and his squad came across several fruit trees. They picked as much fruit as they could carry and returned to the deck. Lefn and Aiko returned, too, carrying edible mushrooms and more fruit.

When all had been brought back, Leon said, "I think it's time for us to go. We have everything we need."

Aiko pouted a bit. "Can't we stay just a little longer? I'd love to enjoy the beach and the water."

Leon frowned but before he could say anything, Luca spoke up. "Maybe we can rest here for a bit longer. It is good for everyone to recharge properly."

Aiko's face lit up, and she jumped in excitement. "Yes!"

Luca smiled at her excitement. "You all stay here and enjoy yourselves. I will be back soon." With that, he launched off once again, flying at an incredible speed toward the peaks of the mountains.

Leon watched him disappear, shaking his head. "That kid never stops."

Luca landed on one of the mountain peaks and shouted, "Come forth, Psyros.

The air around him seemed to ripple as Psyros emerged from Luca's body, his big, menacing form towering over him. Luca didn't waste any more time. "We're on land now. Talk to me—what's going on?"

Psyros's voice was weak, almost strained. "My power is drained, boy. I can barely speak."

Luca's eyes widened. "What do you mean your power is drained? Is that even possible?

"It's possible. You've used so much of it. and when you turn into your Symbiotic form, it drains more and more."

Luca frowned, his face a mask of concern. "What can I do?"

Psyros shifted, his huge form casting a shadow over Luca. "Hold out the sword, boy. It holds my power within it."

Luca unsheathed the sword and stared at it. "That's right."

Psyros let out a low growl. "I made the mistake. of placing so much of my power inside that sword. I did it so my power would not interfere with yours."

Luca looked up to Psyros, confused. "I don't understand, how would it interfere?

Psyros explained, "Few Symbiotes know this, but had I retained all that power within me, you would now be weaker. At times of battle you would instinctively keep reaching for more and more of my power, and it would bleed you in turn."

Luca stared at the sword in his hand, realization dawning on him. "So, you deliberately weakened yourself. for me?"

"Yes. It's a risk on my part. It could kill me. or it could have killed you."

Luca's grip tightened on the hilt of the sword. "How did you know all of this?"

Psyros let out a deep breath. "Now is not the time for explanations, boy. I want you to do something for me."

Luca nodded. "Anything."

The gaze of Psyros fixed him. "I want you to draw out 10% of the power from that sword. Hold it for a few seconds."

Luca closed his eyes and focused, visualizing pulling energy from the sword. The ground beneath him suddenly gave a loud crack, and Luca's body was glowing in an intense, purple aura as the energy around him grew to the point the air could be seen to ripple and shake. Luca fell to one knee, fighting to contain himself, but just as the surge had come, it was over.

Psyros now loomed over him, bigger and more imposing. "You have done it, boy."

Luca stared up at him in amazement. "You are. different. Stronger."

Psyros nodded. "I have regained a fraction of my strength."

Luca struggled to his feet, panting. "So. we're done? It's finished?"

Psyros' eyes gentled. "Yes. But remember one thing: in battle, your instincts tell you to use your Symbiotic form. That drains me too much. it's killing me. For a moment, I lose myself. Instead of relying on that form, use the sword. Draw small amounts of power from it instead. Do you understand?"

Luca nodded solemnly. "I understand. I didn't realize I was causing you so much harm. I'm sorry."

Psyros' voice rumbled softly. "No need to apologize. Just remember what I said." With that, Psyros merged back into Luca's body.

Luca took a deep breath and flew back onto the deck, his friends awaiting him. He landed softly, and Leon turned to him. "Should we head out?"

Luca nodded. "Yeah. We should."