The carnage of the frog battle still hung thick in the air, the smell of burnt grass, acid, and mutant blood leaving an awful aftertaste in Osiris's mouth. The grotesque corpse of the mutated frog steamed in the moonlight, bile-green fluids leaking from its burst belly.
Osiris made a face and moved to walk away, boots squelching in the soft dirt, when that familiar sing-song voice called out to him.
"Hold on, this yucky thing here has a soul... You should take it."
He froze, eyebrows twitching in annoyance. Slowly, he turned his head toward the floating pink menace known as Delythera.
Hovering just above the dead carcass, Del looked way too cheerful for someone chilling over a bloated, acid-oozing monster corpse. Her hair fluttered like they were on a sugar high.
Osiris frowned, nose wrinkled. "What the heck is a mana stone, huh? And besides, how am I supposed to go near that thing?!"
His voice spiked higher than intended.
Del only blinked. "You do remember they can't see me, right? You're yelling into thin air now. Crazy."
Osiris froze. Slowly, as if dreading what he'd see, he turned around.
Sure enough, a few survivors were watching him from behind makeshift tents and piles of salvaged gear, whispering amongst themselves. One girl giggled nervously. A boy elbowed his friend and nodded toward Osiris, who was clearly talking to himself.
"Great," Osiris muttered and groaned, turning back around and ducking behind one of the frog's gigantic legs to shield himself from view.
Del grinned and floated down until she was eye-level with him. "Well, just like that mana fruit you absorbed, soul stones are pretty similar. Except these come from mutated beasts."
Osiris shot her a look. "Soul stones?"
"Yep. They only form when a beast hits its third evolution stage—though not every beast makes one. It takes something special. These stones are basically disaster-grade condensed energy birthed from a creature's will to survive or dominate. The stronger the will, the more potent the stone."
Osiris tilted his head, interest piqued despite himself.
Del tapped her chin. "Now, this ugly guy's stone isn't impressive—low-grade. But it still has value. People use these for building, powering machines, even crafting weapons. But you? You could bend, absorb, and even control that energy. Imagine what kind of chaos you could weave from that."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Osiris sighed, his expression flat. "I get it. The potential is obvious. Getting the damn thing without barfing is the issue."
"I don't follow."
"Disgusting. Acidic. Properties," he deadpanned.
Del blinked, then rolled her eyes. "You could just bend whatever energy you feel into a protective layer around yourself. I mean, you literally warp energy, Osiris. Use it."
"I figured that much out on my own," he muttered. "Still gross."
Del let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh, don't be such a baby!"
Around the camp, the buzz hadn't died.
"That guy's weird, but did you see him fight? That was nuts," one girl whispered.
"Yeah, did he solo that frog thing?" another added.
"He's kinda cute when he's not being creepy," a third girl laughed.
A group of boys nearby weren't so amused.
"Show-off. Bet he thinks he's some kind of chosen one," one sneered.
"Still, he saved our asses," his friend muttered.
"Tch. Lucky shot. That frog was on its last leg anyway."
Meanwhile, the trio of royals watched in awkward silence.
Elira, arms folded, leaned casually against a boulder, her glacial-blue eyes fixed on Osiris with something close to amusement.
"That guy's interesting," she murmured.
The green-haired girl, kaelyn, raised a brow, crossing her arms. "Interesting or unstable? He talks to himself."
The boy with red highlights, Theron, narrowed his eyes as he noticed Elira's intrigued smirk.
"Don't tell me you're into that? He's clearly hiding something."
Elira just shrugged, unbothered. "I admire anyone who gets results."
Kael's jaw tightened. Elira's cold heart was legendary, and if someone like Osiris had her attention, that made him a threat.
But Osiris didn't care about any of them. Not their stares, whispers, or royal tension. He was still staring at the frog's carcass, bile rising in his throat.
Del chirped again, hovering a little closer. "Look, just focus on the energy, not the goo. Think of the soul stone like an energy core. Pull it out before the acid fully eats through the body."
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one elbow-deep in frog guts."
"Would it help if I cheered you on?" she asked innocently.
"No."
Del gave him a thumbs-up anyway.
Muttering under his breath, Osiris finally extended a hand. He narrowed his focus, reaching past the surface-level filth and tuning into the faint hum—there. A pulsing warmth, like a heartbeat of pure chaotic energy.
He pressed his fingers to the corpse's belly and bent a layer of translucent energy around his skin like a glove. Slowly, he pushed through, ignoring the squelch and the acidic sting that fizzled harmlessly off his makeshift barrier.
The humming grew louder.
Deeper. He moved slowly, feeling every inch of corruption and decay. Then, with a small spark of light, his fingers wrapped around a hot, smooth orb.
He yanked.
The soul stone came free, glowing a dull sickly green, like a jade core pulsing with hatred.
"You got it!" Del clapped happily.
Osiris stepped back, holding the stone up to the moonlight. The glow flickered inside it like a storm in a jar.
The crowd murmured again, this time louder.
"Did he just pull something out of that thing?"
"Was that magic? What is that glow?!"
"Maybe a mana ore?" someone guessed. "I read about those. Rare stuff."
Osiris gave the rock a deadpan look and then tucked it into his coat. He walked away from the frog, hands in his pockets.
Del twirled above him. "See? Not so bad."
He didn't respond. But he did still look like he was going to vomit more than ever.
From the forest's edge, Ael sat on a branch high above the chaos, one leg swinging lazily. His silver eyes reflected the light from Osiris's stone, and a quiet smirk played on his lips.
"He's full of surprises," he murmured.
Then he vanished back into the shadows.