From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

Nana groaned at the thought, her frustration palpable. "Hopefully, it doesn't take too long," she muttered, starting to walk down the path that was closest to the one they had previously taken.

Just then, Pegasus spoke up, halting her in her tracks. "Wait, I might have an idea." His voice held a note of optimism.

Nana stopped and turned to face him. "What is it?" she asked, her tone reflecting both curiosity and a sense of urgency.

"Shockwaves bounce off walls, right?" Pegasus suggested, his voice laced with curiosity. "What if Todd used his shockwave ability to send one down the corridors? We could then determine how deep the path goes based on how long it takes for the shockwave to return."

Todd, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, considered the feasibility of the idea. "That could work," he acknowledged, his brow furrowing slightly with doubt. "But I'm not sure if my shockwaves are strong enough at the moment."

As Nana observed the discussion, Pegasus quickly countered Todd's concern. "Well, what if you just put more force behind it, like you're responding to an attack? You know, get the adrenaline running," he proposed, hoping to encourage Todd to harness more power.

Todd, scratching his head in skepticism, finally acquiesced. "Well, I guess I can give that a try," he said, uncertainty evident in his tone. Meanwhile, Nana, sensing the potential for something unexpected, cautiously moved out of the way of the corridor she was initially headed towards.

Gathering his focus, Todd stretched his arms, tensing his muscles in preparation. With a sudden burst of effort, he brought his hands together in a thunderous clap. The impact released a startling blue wave of energy that rippled through the air. Simultaneously, his staff, which had been in a compact form at his side, sprang to life.

It expanded rapidly, launching itself from his side and embedding in the roof above. Dirt and dust cascaded down from the ceiling, showering the area beneath.

"Woah, what the heck was that?" Todd exclaimed aloud, his voice a mix of astonishment and disbelief. He stared at his hands, still feeling the residual energy from the clap. "I don't recall ever shooting out blue shockwaves," he mused, perplexed by this new and unexpected development of his powers.

After his initial success with the unusually powerful and blue shockwave, Todd attempted to replicate it. However, this time, the clap resulted in the familiar, normal effects he was used to, without the distinctive blue energy.

Then, unexpectedly, about 25 seconds later, a loud ringing noise echoed back from the corridor where the blue shockwave had been sent earlier, a response they hadn't anticipated.

Nana's expression shifted to one of shock. "I don't think that's supposed to work like that," she said, her voice tinged with disbelief. The delayed reaction and the return of the sound contradicted what she understood about physics and shockwaves.

Pegasus, observing the puzzling phenomenon, chimed in with an attempt at an explanation. "You're right, Nana, scientifically, a shockwave shouldn't behave like that. Usually, a shockwave dissipates rapidly, losing energy as it travels, especially one that's not blue or enhanced like the first one Todd sent out. The fact that we're hearing this ringing noise now is unusual."

He paused, considering the possibilities. "But what if the first blue shockwave Todd created somehow changed the properties of the corridor? Perhaps it left some residual energy or altered the corridor's structure in a way that allowed the second, normal shockwave to bounce back like an echo. It's as if the first shockwave primed the path, making it more reflective or sensitive to subsequent waves."

Often times, our abilities and the way our weapons work break the confines of physics, so what's to say the ability he has that doesn't use weapons is any different?" Pegasus mused, adding a philosophical angle to the discussion. "Regardless of the why, what's important is the fact it worked."

Nana, her confusion not entirely dispelled, gave Pegasus an impressed yet puzzled look. "For someone young, you sure are really smart, you know," she remarked, acknowledging his insight.

Pegasus, modestly rubbing the back of his head, responded, "Well, we had a lot of classes since a young age, and our teachers are some of the smartest people who invented most of our technology. So, I can't take all the credit for knowing this stuff."

Todd, who had been making his way over to the roof of the labyrinth to retrieve his staff lodged in the ceiling, answered as he stretched to reach it. "Well, if we get a response back, that must mean it's some sort of dead end. And if we get nothing back, it either bends in a way we can't get a response back, or it leads into a new opening or even an exit."

Nana, looking a bit puzzled, spoke out loud. "Can't say I ever really went to school much growing up, so I suppose that makes sense," she mused, trying to connect the dots. Her attention then shifted back to the task at hand. "But focusing back on what Todd just did, how does it help us that we got the signal back?"

Todd, who was walking over to the roof of the labyrinth to retrieve his staff that had lodged itself into the ceiling, answered as he reached up to grab it. "Well, if we get a response back, that must mean it's some sort of dead end. And if we get nothing back, it either bends in a way we can't get a response back, or it leads into a new opening or even an exit."

His response offered a practical way to interpret the results of his shockwave experiment. It seemed they now had a rudimentary method to distinguish between different types of paths within the labyrinth.

With this piece of information, Nana and Pegasus looked at each other, a glimmer of strategy forming in their eyes. They now had a new approach to tackle the labyrinth's challenges, potentially saving them valuable time and effort as they continued their quest.

As Todd dislodged his Staff he felt a course of blue energy through as he lightly tapped his hands together as a small shockwave of blue energy jetted from his hands.