From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Chapter 175: Arrows Hurt

Suddenly, a shattering sound echoed through the space. Ty turned to see the second tapestry behind him fracture and dissolve into nothingness. A surge of energy overwhelmed him, accompanied by an intense headache that gripped his mind. His hands spontaneously ignited into black flames, causing him to scream out in agonizing pain.

After several agonizing moments of rolling on the dirt ground, Ty's screams began to subside as the pain gradually faded. He sat up, panting with fear, and frantically checked his forearms for burn marks. To his surprise, there were none. "Huh, I guess the flames still don't leave any lasting wounds," he murmured.

Then, a yelping voice echoed inside his head, startling him. "Well, it's still scary to see, you know!! Where the hell am I, and where is my Nana?!" the voice exclaimed.

Taken aback, Ty swiftly brought his hands above his head, as if trying to grasp the source of the voice. He then brought his hands down before his eyes, revealing the blue fairy that had always been with Nana. In that moment, a series of flashbacks hit him - scenes of him pushing Nana out of the way and a fleeting glimpse of her slipping something into his pocket.

Ty's fist clenched tightly, a swirl of black particles forming around it as he struggled to regain his composure. With a mix of confusion and anger, he confronted the fairy, "So what happened anyway? Why didn't you try to help out at all against Erebos?!"

The fairy, taken aback by Ty's accusatory tone, looked visibly confused. "I-I was just asleep," it stammered, its voice tinged with uncertainty. "I don't really have any memories since two, maybe three days ago?"

Ty's frustration only grew at this response. He pressed on, his annoyance evident, "Why were you even following her if you weren't going to help when she needed it?" His voice was heavy with accusation, reflecting his growing exasperation with the situation.

The fairy placed a tiny, glowing finger over her lips in thought. "I don't really know," she admitted softly. "The other elemental fairies never had problems staying awake, so I wonder why it happened to me. It pains me that I wasn't able to help her." A note of concern crept into her voice. "Where is she, anyway? Please don't tell me she died." Tears began to form in her luminous eyes.

Ty, raking a hand over his head, tried to offer some reassurance. "No, at least I don't think so. She was badly injured, though, and I was helpless to protect her or Todd. But I believe they're fine for now."

After digesting his words, the fairy seemed to regain some resolve. "Well, then let's go find them. How far are we from the house, anyway?" she asked, her tone shifting to one of determination.

She then paused, taking a moment to look around. "I can't say I've ever seen such a beautiful field. These long green strands and yellow flowers are quite stunning."

Taking a deep breath, Ty slowly stood up. He noticed that, while he was wearing his old attire, he was without shoes. A thought crossed his mind, 'Guess needing shoes wasn't really a problem when I was a skeleton. Though, the soil does feel nice under my feet.'

Shielding his eyes with a hand, he scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. "You know, I honestly have no idea where we are," he said. "When Erebos kicked me through a portal, it could have sent us anywhere. Maybe we're still on the same planet?"

The fairy gave Ty a puzzled look. "Well, duh, where else could he have sent us?" she retorted, her tone indicating she thought the answer was obvious.

Suddenly, Ty sensed a change in the wind and felt an odd itch in his neck. His instincts kicked in. In a swift motion, he grabbed the fairy and ducked to the ground, just as an arrow whizzed past them, landing in the open field.

"What has gotten into you? Don't just grab me so casually!" the fairy screeched, clearly startled and annoyed by Ty's abrupt action.

Ty snapped back at the fairy, "You idiot, did you not see that arrow? It nearly took our heads off!" His voice was a mix of anger and concern.

Before they could further react, a stern voice echoed from behind them. "What do you think you're doing in our territory? Your kind is not allowed past the border!"

Whirling around, Ty came face-to-face with a woman of his height, her pink hair cascading down her shoulders, eyes shimmering like pink jewels. She was clad in silver armor, a bow in hand, and stood beside a horse, already nocking another arrow.

In a desperate attempt to deescalate the situation, Ty raised his hands in a gesture of peace. However, to his horror, black flames erupted from his palms, hurtling towards the woman. With agile grace, she easily leapt over the attack and took up a position perpendicular to Ty, drawing back her silver-tipped arrow for another shot.

As the arrow neared, time seemed to decelerate for Ty. He watched, calculating, as it approached. "She's fast, but I can still track it. I'll deflect it with the barrier soul, then counter with slow and use the flames to close the distance," he planned rapidly.

He positioned his hand above him, expecting a barrier to form. But to his horror, no such protection materialized. Pain and shock registered on his face as the arrow pierced cleanly through his palm. He barely had time to register this failure when he noticed the woman had already loaded a second arrow, firing it off mid-air before landing gracefully behind him.

This second arrow, silver-tipped and deadly, was aimed straight at Ty's head. At the last possible moment, with reflexes he barely understood, Ty caught the arrow with his free hand. In a swift response, he hurled it back towards the woman, shouting, "Stop and listen to me for a second!" The arrow, now propelled by a lingering black flame, sped towards her.

She reacted just in time, throwing her hands up to deflect it, skidding along the dirt ground in the process.