Chapitre 27: Full Evolution
A year and some had unknowingly passed since they narrowly escaped death from the jaws of the beast. During this time, their relationship showed no signs of warming.
The underground world held no surprises, only shocks. Kane struggled to find a place where they could deepen their bond.
Kai'Sa realized she liked Kane as well, but she made no further moves. Care and companionship were always there, but she was oblivious to anything beyond that.
Kane wouldn't voice this; some things lose their charm when spoken aloud. Besides, they were still young, with plenty of time to understand each other.
The underground world remained fraught with danger, yet they never again faced situations as perilously close to death as the predator's ambush.
Although they encountered several abysses, varying in size and threat, upon realizing that terrifying entities on the other side could sense their approach, they made sure to keep their distance.
Approaching abysses only invited major crises, risking life each time.
Events like objects falling from the surface were rare occurrences.
The underground world, vast and sprawling, had seen the activities of void creatures expand from Icathia across neighboring regions since the end of the Void War 3,500 years ago. Now, traces of them could be found underneath nearly half of the Shuriman continent.
In such a vast space, the likelihood of encountering falling objects was extremely low. Moreover, situated near the deeper layers, any objects falling from the surface were often consumed by void creatures before they could reach them, leaving no trace by the time they arrived.
After over a year of steady growth, Kai'Sa's carapace finally developed shoulder pods, and Kane achieved full coverage.
Massive shoulder pods sprouted from Kai'Sa's scapulas, connected in front to the collarbones, hanging behind her shoulders.
The pods, resembling angular snail shells with diamond-shaped openings at the front and sharp points at the back, were bulkier than Kai'Sa's chest, seemingly cumbersome.
Yet, this seemingly heavy and aerodynamically unfriendly structure surprisingly didn't slow Kai'Sa down much.
Hollow and light to the touch, they were much lighter than they appeared.
The void shoulder pods served as Kai'Sa's portable ammunition depot. The pods' openings were filled with a network of void energy, capable of launching multiple plasma bolts simultaneously, not to be underestimated.
Despite hindering her ability to sit or lie down comfortably, the pods proved to be of great assistance in combat.
Kane might not know when exactly Kai'Sa fully evolved on her own, but he was certain his involvement had accelerated the process by at least two years.
The evolution direction of Kane and Kai'Sa's carapaces differed visibly.
Kane's external layer of dark armored carapace almost achieved complete vulnerability coverage, unlike Kai'Sa's focus on her limbs.
If Kai'Sa resembled a stealthy assassin in a tight suit, then Kane was a fearsome knight in sturdy bone armor.
Lacking Kai'Sa's agility and invisibility, Kane compensated with superior strength and resilience.
Now, Kane could withstand assaults from swarms of voidlings and, possibly, engage a predator head-on or even withstand a blast from its mouth.
His ranged capabilities couldn't match Kai'Sa's specialization. He could only grow bone spines and launch them as projectiles.
Compared to Kai'Sa's energy bolts, his bone spines were slower, less powerful, and consumed more resources.
He experimented with embedding unstable void energy into the spines, allowing them to explode upon impact, but the power barely matched Kai'Sa's.
Against humans with fragile bodies, it might be effective, but against resilient void creatures, it was inadequate.
Kane found the best use of the bone spines was to attach them to his arms as arm spines.
With their inherent hardness and the carapace's might, most void creatures fell with a single thrust.
Additionally, Kane's prolonged trials enhanced his control over the carapace.
Unlike the inner skin, the outer dark armored carapace could shed at his command, though regenerating it was energy-intensive. In the perilous underground, his armor was a lifeline, shed only in severe damage.
The armor indeed distanced their embraces, but safety was paramount. Sacrificing some touches was a small price.
At least they could still touch noses and cheeks...
...
They continued their usual trek through the dark tunnels, hunting prey without distinction between day and night, the only light coming from Kai'Sa's shoulder pods.
This faint glow was insufficient for human eyes, but to survive here, they both had adapted to a new form of vision.
Those who hadn't adapted were dead.
Kane led, with Kai'Sa covering the rear.
During hunts, they rarely spoke, focusing entirely on tracking their prey, tuned to every whisper of movement.
Since their hands evolved carapaces, they hadn't held hands as before.
The touch through their void carapaces wasn't the same, and they were no longer the fearful children who clung to each other in the dark. Now, even if they operated separately, worry was unnecessary.
Both had grown significantly.
Ahead, a tunnel led to a cave with a passage above created by a void creature, its winding path unknown.
Now fully armored, they began to explore upward, seeking an exit back to the surface world.
Whenever they found an upward passage, they explored it.
Standing in the cave's center, Kane pointed upward, signaling to Kai'Sa.
Too high.
Understandingly, Kai'Sa crouched, offering her hands as a platform. With a push from Kai'Sa, Kane reached the passage above but didn't climb further; instead, he hung below, ready to assist Kai'Sa.
To ensure the rocky wall could bear their weight without crumbling, he anchored several bone spines into the wall. Once secure, he signaled Kai'Sa.
Kai'Sa's unmatched agility shone as she leaped, easily grasping Kane's legs.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone