Chapter 305 The Final Key

"Don't be a baby about it! It'll only sting for…a second!" The elven tinkerer told him.

Without warning, he jabbed the needle straight and center-point into the young man's chest, not giving him a moment to anticipate the incoming 'sting'.

"Ah–!"

"...And Angel Piecer: activate!" Blimpo excitedly announced, pushing the piston all the way into the syringe.

The peculiar colored rune inside of the oversized syringe glowed brightly with a glittering, pinkish-red shine, converting the specific recovery mana into a liquid that flowed through the needle and directly into the young man's chest.

"Ow…?"

To his surprise, the sting really did only last a second before being replaced by a comfort that flooded his body, wiping the aching away and providing him with plentiful relief.

"Feeling better? Great, ain't it? It was tricky to figure out, but I got this one down just a few weeks ago," Blimpo told him, pulling the needle away.

"Yeah, actually…I feel great," he said, sitting up and rolling his shoulders.

As he sat up, wiggling his fingers as the dull aches had vanished and the sharp pain in his fatigued muscles all but left entirely, he realized there was another sensation potent inside of him. That familiar warmth flowing through his body; a riptide of energy within him he had learned to hone since his reincarnation.

"...Blimpo…" He said in building shock.

"Yeah? What is it? Don't tell me you feel sick–ah man, I thought I got that part fixed–" Blimpo scratched his own head as his shaggy, blonde hair moved.

He shook his head, clenching his fists as a smile brought itself across his lips, "No, it's not that! My magic…it's back!"

"Huh-? Really? You sure? Damn, did the 'Angel Piercer' heal you that well?! Heh…Maybe I am the best, after all," Blimpo proudly muttered.

Jumping to his feet, he immediately placed this belief to the test as his elven companion spectated in anticipation as well; with a single hand held forward, he once more brought his mind to thoughts that had become instinctive over the years.

…The shapeless spiral of water, every moving, ever present; an essence of life and the retainer of nature–I can feel that sublime coolness running along my body, engulfing me, yet I do not drown. This is it–water, he thought.

Embodying the very element, he guided his mana from his core and through his arm, flowing to his fingertips before–

Splish

–It conjured in front of his hand: a sphere of crystal-clear water, held in a perfect shape and hovering in the air.

"...I did it," he said in disbelief with a smile forming.

Like a lost limb had been returned; as if a lifelong friend had reunited with him, the flood of mana and access to countless spells felt as though he was whole once more.

"You weren't kidding! You're a savant! I didn't hear an incantation at all!" Blimpo smiled.

It wasn't known what exactly caused the reawakening of his dormant magical abilities, but it was a bestowment well-appreciated for the young man as he cast the water sphere away, clenching his fist again with a smile.

"I bet standing against War like that, jumping at 'im without any fear, was what helped you. From what you've told me, magic was like your right-hand man for like, ever. Maybe being left without it yet still fighting without any reservations checked those boxes," Blimpo theorized.

"Yeah, maybe," he nodded with a smile, looking back at his companion, "...I'm feeling great now. One-hundred-and-twenty percent, actually. How about we find that key now?"

Renewed confidence surged through his veins like a refreshing mountain spring; up until then, he felt like an archaic warrior trying to fight with a spear against those that wielded cannons, but now, he was back to full-strength.

"Say less!" The elven inventor agreed.

–

Heading down from the higher balconies of the library, they were careful in crossing the ground level; the rubble was loose and what laid beneath it was more frightening than any pitfall or trap.

"...Think he's down for the count?" He asked.

Blimpo was picking up any surviving gadgets as he followed behind, also picking up whatever scraps weren't burnt or completely obliterated in the aftermath.

The elven man rubbed his chin for a moment after stuffing some metal strips into his satchel, "Hard to say, but if a blast like that didn't at least send ol' War to naptime, well, I don't know if anything will."

"I hate to say it, but I agree…I can't imagine whipping up another attack that strong if it comes back. Too bad the Dragon Buster shattered after that blast," he replied.

"Dragon Buster 4000," Blimpo corrected.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter now that it's dust now, does it?" He sighed out.

It felt like walking on thin ice; even the subtlest give of the floorboards beneath made his heart race as he kept mana readied through his fingertips. A very subtle rumble could be felt beneath his feet as he walked over the collapsed ruins, making him pause for a moment as Blimpo did the same; they both felt that vibration of machinery buried beneath their step.

"...Well, I don't think he's dead…" Blimpo said with a weary smile, sweating.

"Yeah, I don't think so either…Let's get moving before nap time is over," he responded.

Nothing more had to be said as they left the ruined library with fast-footed haste, marching through a wooden corridor and into a new, undiscovered direction of the hellish labyrinth. It was a lengthy corridor, wide and cluttered with scattered objects, some of which seemed almost glued to the walls, such as sideways tables and astray furniture.

"Hey, Emilio," Blimpo called out to him from behind.

"Yeah?" He kept his eyes forward, staying cautious.

"You told me a lot about the world you came from in your first life…I was just wonderin': which one do you prefer?" Blimpo asked.

It was a question that brought him to a halt as it caught him off-guard. A question that hadn't crossed his mind, and one he certainly didn't expect to have to consider while in the depths of the hellish maze.

"Well…I haven't really thought about it," He scratched his head.

Blimpo was quick to lean in, adding in his own perspective right away with a beaming smile, "From what you've told me, Earth sounds a thousand times better! I mean, it's still got its problems with war and inequality, right? Still, a world where inventors are heroes and technology is king–! Ah, I wish I could go there…"

It was like a dreamy wonderland in the mind of the elven tinkerer; just the thought of it alone and the sheer mention of it made his bright-blue eyes sparkle a wanderlust between worlds.

"It'd be great for you," Emilio agreed with a small smile before melancholy filled his amethyst eyes, "...For me, Arcadius is my home now. I'm Emilio Dragonheart, not Ethan Bellrose."

For a moment, Blimpo looked at him before smiling once more and sliding his goggles over his eyes again, "Maybe we're kindred spirits then–two people that want other worlds. Though, it seems like you got what you wanted."

"Yeah…Guess so," he agreed.

Though the elven man was smiling, it seemed as though there was a distinct sadness in his words; what he held was a dream that was impossible, beyond the reach of any stars and insurmountable by death itself.

"Oh, don't worry about it! I've already long since accepted being dead. It ain't so bad, ya know? I don't get hungry, I don't have to worry about where I'm sleepin', and I'm free to invent whatever I want–nobody is gonna stop me from doing what I love!" Blimpo assured him.

"I'd save that talk for after we escape this labyrinth," he said.

"Ah, true enough!" Blimpo laughed.

The chamber beyond the hall was something vastly different from any other; it was vast, spanning far and wide with large, black-stone pillars in an ominous height.

"Ever get this far?" He asked.

"Nope," Blimpo shook his head.

They were both taken aback by the room; it resembled a hellish cathedral with spikes protruding from the walls and twisted paintings hanging from stained stone. There were sets of chairs lined up, though clearly occupied as every seat was sat in by inanimate, cobweb-covered skeletons.

"...Creepy," Blimpo remarked with a small chuckle, beginning to walk further into the room.

As the young man glanced around, something caught his eye at the end of the dark cathedral; the lack of other corridors led him only to look at the very end, at the top of the podium and what was displayed in a glass box: a black key, laying on a scarlet cushion in the box.

"Hold on…that's…" He mumbled.

"Huh?" Blimpo let out before looking in the same direction as him, "--Well, I'll be damned! It's not on War–it's right there! Ha-ha!"

There was no greater sight but perhaps seeing the clear, blue skies of Arcadius; like a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, the final key rested there.