Mark blinked in confusion at Jax's accusation. "Under arrest? For what? We didn't do any of this!"
Jax sneered, voice sharp with suspicion. "Oh really? Then explain this—Blossom Spiders have never been seen in Regalia . But suddenly, the moment you two arrive, a swarm appears. Sounds like sabotage to me. Flora sent you, didn't she? Because we refused to join her war?"
Rosemary stepped forward, voice rising with desperation. "No! This has to be a misunderstanding—we would never—"
Mark's instincts flared. The way Jax moved, the tone in his voice… something wasn't right. He reached out, grabbing Rosemary by the arm and pulling her back. His eyes stayed locked on Jax.
"No," Mark muttered. "It's not a misunderstanding. We're being framed."
Jax's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Framed? By who, exactly?"
Mark's gaze sharpened. "You're working for Nexus… aren't you?"
Jax's smirk deepened, eyes gleaming with false innocence. "Hahaha… I don't know what you're talking about."
A cold chill swept over Rosemary. The truth clicked into place like falling stones. Her fists clenched. "It was you… You set the trap. What did Nexus offer you that was worth sacrificing an entire city?!"
Jax's expression darkened, his smile turning cruel. "You simple-minded fools could never grasp the scale of what's coming. But since you're going to die anyway…" He stepped forward, voice laced with pride. "Nexus offered me a seat as one of his generals—and a Great Dragon's mana core."
Rosemary's eyes widened in disbelief.
Mark, still confused, whispered under his breath, "System… what's a Great Dragon's mana core? Why's it so valuable?"
Ding.
> [The mana core is the heart-like organ that gathers mana from the environment. All beings possess them—but dragons are the most efficient. Great Dragons surpass regular dragons, second only to Elder dragons. Their cores can be transplanted, increasing mana reserves and granting a second elemental affinity.]
"So he did all this… for more power?" Mark muttered.
> [Correct.]
Rosemary's fury boiled over. She moved her hands into a rapid series of signs, mana surging around her. "Force Magic: Final Rampa—"
Before she could finish, Jax lunged forward, his silver spear a blur.
"ROSEMARY!" Mark yanked her aside, and the spear sliced past them, missing by inches.
No time to think. No time to plan.
Mark grabbed her hand and leapt off the rooftop. As they fell, ash surged from his back like smoke given form.
"Ash Transmutation: Dragon Wings!"
A pair of massive wings burst from Mark's back—woven from blackened ash and glowing embers. The wings flapped once, sending up a storm of soot and wind, propelling them into the sky.
Jax growled and launched into pursuit, white wings unfurling in a burst of mana.
Mark soared between rooftops, weaving through towers as Jax closed in behind like a silver bullet. The city burned below. Screams filled the air. Blossom Spiders poured through alleyways. Ash Jax chased Mark through out the city.
"Sky Dragon Magic: Tempest Howl!"
A storm of pressurized wind burst from Jax's mouth, slicing through the air like cannon fire. Mark barrel-rolled mid-flight, barely dodging each blast by inches.
He dove low, weaving through crumbling buildings and narrow alleys, trying to lose Jax in the chaos.
It didn't work.
No matter how sharp his turns or sudden his dives, Jax stayed right on his tail—relentless. The man's experience in the sky made him impossible to shake.
"Rosemary!" Mark shouted over the rushing wind. "You got any idea where we can hide from this guy?!"
"Depends!" she called back. "Can you make a distraction?!"
Mark didn't hesitate. He shot upward, soaring into the sky with Jax hot behind him.
Jax laughed, confident. "You can't escape! The sky is my domain!"
Mark smirked. "Yeah? Well, the clouds are mine."
"Ash Manipulation: Smoke Screen!"
A massive cloud of dark ash exploded from Mark's wings, swallowing the sky in thick, suffocating fog. Jax flew right into it, coughing and disoriented.
"You can't hide forever!" Jax shouted from inside the cloud. "I have eyes in every corner of this city—I will find you!"
Mark didn't answer.
Instead, he whispered, "Explosive Ash."
The ash cloud ignited in a blinding flash.
BOOM!
A fireball the size of a mansion erupted over the city. Flames surged in every direction, casting a red glow across the skyline.
In the smoke and confusion, Rosemary pointed down. "There! The sewer grate!"
Mark saw it—an open hole just below a broken lamppost.
He grimaced. "Oh hell no."
Rosemary shot back, "Got a better idea? 'Cause I'm dying to hear it."
Mark paused, then groaned. "Unfortunately, no."
They dropped.
Mark's wings vanished the moment they slipped inside, and the two crashed into knee-deep sewage with a wet splatter.
The stench hit instantly—rancid and overwhelming.
Some of the filth splashed onto their clothes. Rosemary gagged and immediately jumped out of Mark's arms.
"I hate this " she muttered, as she flashed off her clothes.
Rosemary and Mark continued their descent through the foul sewer system, careful not to linger in one place too long. The stench was unbearable, but staying still was even more dangerous—they couldn't afford to be tracked.
The silence was broken by a faint, rhythmic noise.
Scutter. Scutter. Scutter.
The sound of thin, insect-like legs scraped against damp stone, echoing ominously through the tunnels. It grew louder with every second—like a swarm closing in.
From the shadows ahead, a pack of blossom spiders surged forward. Their rosebud abdomens glowed softly in the dark, painting eerie pink reflections on the sewage water. Dozens of legs moved in perfect sync as they swarmed toward the duo.
Mark stepped forward, clenching his fists as ash energy built up around him. "Stay back. I'll blow them to bits—"
Before he could release his magic, Rosemary grabbed his wrist.
"Wait! If you use that spell down here, you'll bring the whole tunnel down on us, I'll handle this ."
Mark paused, glancing around at the narrow, cracked stone ceiling. He nodded. "Okay then... go ahead."
Rosemary stepped forward, planting her feet firmly as she raised her palm.
"Force Magic: Repel!"
A concentrated wave of invisible pressure burst from her outstretched hand. The blast collided with the oncoming swarm like a hammer of pure force.
Several spiders slammed into the stone walls with sickening crunches—splattering on impact. Others were torn apart mid-air, their glowing abdomens bursting in bright flashes of pink and red.
The entire swarm was wiped out in an instant.
Mark blinked, impressed. "Okay... that was cool."
He stepped forward, brushing past a broken spider leg as he approached Rosemary, a grin on his face.
Rosemary placed a hand under her chin, her expression thoughtful as she stared down the tunnel.
"…Wait a second. Why were there more of them in the sewers than on the streets?" she muttered.
She turned to Mark, brows furrowed. "Hey, I'm thinking of using Mana Sense to scan the entire tunnel system—but that'd burn a lot of mana. How much would it take for you to send some ash creatures to scout instead?"
Mark scratched the back of his head. "Hmmm…"
Ding!
> [Estimated mana consumption: 32%. Significantly more efficient than Mana Sense. However, ash-based scan will take longer to complete.]
Mark looked up. "It won't take too much mana, but it'll be slower than your scan."
Rosemary nodded. "That's fine. Scan the area for a giant room, covered in pink webs… and a glowing rosebud in the center. That's what we're looking for."
Mark took a deep breath and raised his hand.
"Ash Manipulation: Insect Swarm."
Dozens of small insects—beetles, spiders, flies—crafted from ash and ember burst from his palm. They scurried in all directions, disappearing into the cracks and corners of the tunnel system.
Thirty tense minutes passed. The sewers were quiet again—too quiet.
Then, one by one, the ash creatures returned, merging into a glowing line of ash across the wet floor.
"They found something," Mark said. "Follow the line."
He and Rosemary followed the trail deeper into the underground maze. The farther they walked, the thicker the air became—dense with mana, tension, and a sickly-sweet floral scent.
Finally, they stepped into a massive chamber.
The walls and ceiling were draped in glowing pink webbing, delicate as silk yet pulsing faintly with magical energy. Flowers bloomed from the webs themselves—unnatural, ethereal, and wrong.
Hundreds of blossom spiders crawled across the surfaces, clinging to the walls, hiding among the petals, or scuttling across the damp floor.
At the center of it all…
…was a giant glowing rosebud, easily the size of a house, nestled in a throne of thick webbing. It pulsed slowly like a heartbeat, casting the entire chamber in a haunting pink hue.
Mark replied in horror "is that a nest or something"
Rosemary whispered, "That's not a nest… That's a breeding chamber and that thing you see at the center is the queen."
Mark face warped in disgust.
Ding
[ Blossom spiders queen cocoon located
Advice burn it....burn it to the ground before it spread even fourth]
Mark nodded and whispered under his breath " you don't have to tell me twice
Mark readied his ability to end these spiders.