From a thousand meters up on Babel Tower, Tsunayoshi, Tiona, and Tione dropped in a vertical freefall.
"Ignite."
Tsunayoshi's voice carried cleanly to the sisters' ears.
They raised their right hands, and the rings kindled at once—Storm and Sun burst into flame.
"Try using the flames as thrust. Control the jets and adjust your position."
Tsunayoshi's body angled closer to the tower wall.
"Use flame jets to steer while falling?" Tione had thought the flames were only for offense and self-enhancement; she hadn't expected this.
Boom!
Before she could try, the air beside her spiked in temperature, drawing her eye. From Tiona's ring roared a torrent of fire. Using the golden Sun as her baseline, she locked herself to the tower's sheer wall until her feet could practically plant against it.
One foot pressed to the stone, and with the flames guiding her, Tiona held station beside Tsunayoshi—like she was walking down the vertical face under her own power.
"I did it!"
Tiona whooped.
This girl…
Tione bit down, a twinge of envy at her sister's talent prickling through her chest. She drew a deep breath and forced the ring's flames into a steady jet.
Crimson Storm gushed from the ring. Just like Tiona, her thrust drove her body toward the wall. But the instant her foot hit the stone—unlike Tiona, who'd left barely a scuff—Tione's step cratered the surface, nearly blowing out a whole chunk of the wall and throwing her balance.
She pitched, almost losing control—
—and then felt arms close around her.
"Tione."
Tione froze for a heartbeat. Tsunayoshi was right in front of her—close enough to steal her breath.
"Hold your state, Tione. You poured too much Storm into yourself. Even unconsciously, that power amplifies the damage you do to external things. Until you can control it, use Sun to stabilize your body."
Tione inhaled, and the lead flame on her ring shifted from Storm to Sun. She used Sun to manage her posture.
Tsunayoshi nodded and released her, letting her find her own balance.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Tione's face, but she shoved it aside and focused on the flames. Again she jetted from the ring to steady herself during the fall, and when she neared the tower she set a foot to the wall once more.
This time there was no collapse—only a clean, balanced brace.
"Well done, Tione."
Hearing his praise, the last of her frustration dissolved.
"Reinforce your body with the flames—especially your legs," he called. "Use reverse thrust to bleed speed. Don't get hurt."
They still had several hundred meters to go, already close to the ground.
The sisters' eyes sharpened in unison. They ran Sun through their bodies, plating their legs in resilience. Near the ground, they planted feet against the wall to shallow their angle, while the rings spat jets to trim their descent.
Thud!
They slammed into the plaza hard enough to punch a one-meter crater into the stone.
"Haaah—"
Both exhaled long and steady. From that height, and with brand-new power, they'd pulled off a safe landing—and savored every second of the drop.
Their hearts were still hammering.
"How's your body feel?"
They instinctively took stock.
"No issues," Tione answered first. With a casual hop she bounced from the pit and limbered her shoulders—nothing felt off.
"Same here," Tiona said, springing out as well. After confirming her condition, she tipped her head back to stare up the impossible height of Babel, excitement bright on her face. "Never thought we'd jump from that high and be fine."
"In the past, it would've been unthinkable," she laughed.
"Exactly." Tione looked up too, to the spot they'd leapt from—now almost invisible for how far it was. It was absurdly high.
"Under normal circumstances, a fall from there would turn even a Level 4 into paste," she said. "But with these flames, we canceled that force like it was nothing."
"That's Dying Will Flames," Tsunayoshi's voice drifted down as he descended at an easy, unhurried pace. "Beyond their special attributes, they boost mobility—and can even grant flight to those who can't fly.
"If you can control them, you can do a lot."
He let his own body serve as the simplest demonstration.
Tiona and Tione's eyes lit up.
"Tsunayoshi, we can really do that?" Tiona asked, brimming with hope.
"Of course. With finer control, flying is well within reach. You already did a version of it—adjusting your position mid-air with thrust. If you can steer in the air, you can sustain yourself there. But getting to that level will take training."
He didn't dash their expectations. Then he glanced toward the tremor rattling the ground ahead.
"Now's not the time to talk about flying."
"Tiona, Tione—your first live-fire with the flames starts now."
"There are no rules for this drill. The objective is simple: kill every Minotaur. Use both flames freely. For you two, real combat will teach faster than a rigid curriculum. We'll debrief after."
"No problem?"
The sisters traded a look and burst into matching grins. Action suited them better than lectures.
They rolled their wrists, flexed their bare feet, and answered as one:
"No problem!"
On the last word, they kicked off the ground and charged straight at the oncoming herd of Minotaurs.
(End of Chapter)
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