The Masked Legacy

After what felt like an eternity, Akira's tremors began to subside. Her breathing slowed, and she collapsed onto her back, drenched in sweat. Her face was pale, her body limp, but Thorne could already notice the difference in her. Her body seemed to be brimming with more spirituality as before, although not as much as his.

Akira stared at her hand in wonder, feeling the energy coursing through her body. The fruit had not only healed her hand, burning away the stump before re-growing it, but had also left her with newfound strength. However, she could sense that the fruit's power had mostly gone into regenerating her arm. Even so, her body had been enhanced to a degree—her scars fading away, her skin feeling smooth and new.

She stood up with a grin, flexing her newly grown hand, testing its strength. The sensation was surreal, but the joy was unmistakable.

"I guess I owe you twice now," she said, flashing Thorne a sly smile.

"For saving my life... and for this."

Thorne nodded, returning her grin.

"I'll keep track," he joked.

Akira's eyes glinted with curiosity. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where we can find more of those fruits, do you?"

Thorne chuckled, shaking his head.

"If I did, I'd already have a cart full of them,"

Akira's laugh echoed through the quiet forest.

"Imagine what the warriors back home would do with something like this," she mused, glancing at her hand.

 "They'd treat it like it was Orunmila's own blessing."

Thorne nodded.

"It's like the stories of the hunters who used to gather rare herbs in the deep forests and swamps—how they'd come back with miraculous cures for the village," he said, recalling the old tales people in Ironhold would tell about the Ogun's kingdom most respected hunters. The comparison wasn't lost on Akira.

 "But finding those herbs is rare, just like these fruits. You could search for months and find nothing—or stumble upon one by sheer luck."

Akira's grin faded slightly, a look of determination crossing her face.

 "Luck, huh?" She glanced around the garden, the towering trees and still air seeming almost sacred.

"We should get moving," Thorne said, his voice cutting through the stillness of the Garden of the Gods. "We've wasted enough time already. It's time to go home."

Akira gave him a sidelong glance, arching a brow. "When you say it like that, do you.."

Thorne met her gaze, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Guess."

She groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm beginning to find your face very ugly."

He laughed, his grin widening.

 "Well, lucky for you, I do know where to find one. It's not far. We just have to make it up there." He pointed to a distant hill, its peak barely visible through the dense trees and wisps of fog that seemed to float unnaturally low to the ground.

Akira squinted in the direction he was pointing, her eyes narrowing.

"Just up that hill, huh?"

"Yup," Thorne said, his tone easy but with an underlying seriousness. He wasn't lying

Thorne had a clear sense of the third location in his mind, a silent pulse of information that had been released as soon as he completed his task at the second site. The third gift awaited him there, and it coincided with something even more important—an archway that would lead him out of the Garden of the Gods.

They moved in silence for a while, the memory of the fruits they had consumed lingering in their veins.

His body had strengthened considerably, and Akira's newly regrown arm felt different, though the fruit had mostly used its energy to heal her wound.

Thorne couldn't help but think of home, of Ironhold. He had been in the Garden for nearly two weeks, much longer than the usual initiates. He could imagine the worry etched on his father's face. But soon, it would be over.

As they started walking, Thorne's mind drifted back to Ironhold. He missed home. The ironclad walls, the familiar faces, the smell of the hearth, and the sound of his father's commanding voice. He wondered if his father was worried about him. He had been gone far longer than the others. The journey to find the materials for their masks wasn't supposed to take more than a week.

Akira, on the other hand, had kept quiet as they walked, her expression thoughtful. She glanced over at Thorne a few times, as if studying him, but said nothing. The path ahead was rough, the terrain steepening as they neared the base of the hill.

Massive trees rose around them, their twisted roots snaking across the ground, threatening to trip them with every step.

As they moved, the Garden of the Gods felt even more otherworldly. The air hummed with a strange energy, the flora glowing faintly with soft hues.

 The deeper they went, the more surreal everything became. The rustle of unseen creatures echoed in the distance, but none dared approach them now. Perhaps it was the effect of the Fruit of Steel or the fact that they were nearing a masked beast's territory.

"Do you think we'll run into something... unpleasant up there?" Akira finally broke the silence, her voice low, but sharp.

Thorne glanced up at the hill, eyes narrowing.

"I'm not sure of it. But whatever happens, we'll deal with it."

Akira smirked.

"Good to know you're confident, at least."

They pressed on, the hill growing larger and more imposing with each step. The sky above was beginning to darken, casting eerie shadows across the landscape, but Thorne didn't slow down. He had his goal in sight—the archway, the way home—and nothing was going to stop him now.

For Akira, this was just another challenge to overcome. Her newly grown hand flexed, feeling the strength coursing through her veins. Whatever awaited them at the top, she was ready for it.

As they neared the base of the hill, Thorne glanced at Akira and gave a nod.

"Let's get this over with."