I Die to Rise: Resurrection System-Chapter 82: Vacation: Bonfire and Whispers!

"All yours," Kurt said, dropping to one knee and interlocking his fingers on the sand.

Cassandra understood immediately. She sprinted toward him, stepped onto his cupped hands without hesitation, and launched herself skyward.

Kurt activated Predator and Strength Aura simultaneously, feeling essence flood his muscles as he propelled her upward with perfect timing.

Like a missile aimed at the heavens, Cassandra rocketed into the air.

The flaming ball descended, a meteor of destruction streaking toward the beach, and Cassandra met it head-on with a sadistic grin splitting her face.

Her leg shot back, coiling with lethal intent, and ice materialized around her foot as a beautiful, crystalline armor forming a boot that gleamed in the sunlight.

"Come!" She delivered a devastating side kick.

The ball collided with her ice-encased foot, spiraling against the frozen surface as cracks spiderwebbed across the boot.

Cassandra’s grin widened into something unhinged as she watched the ice fracture, and with a surge of raw willpower, she pushed.

The ice boot shattered into a thousand glittering shards that caught the sunlight like falling stars, and her bare foot completed the kick, sending the ball hurtling downward with even greater force than it had arrived with.

The ball slammed into Tsunami Current’s side of the court, and Sand erupted like a geyser, a massive plume shooting twenty feet into the air.

When it settled, the ball sat embedded in a crater, smoke rising from the impact point, and Paul updated the scoreboard.

Tsunami Current: 19 | Raven’s Crow: 21

There was silence. Then the crowd erupted!

Cassandra landed gracefully in the sand, and she brushed a strand of blue hair from her face with casual elegance.

Emma approached, arms crossed, but there was respect in her eyes this time. "Not bad, snow-bitch."

"Hm," Cassandra murmured, her grin softening into something almost genuine.

On his side of the net, Drink Water stood frozen, staring at the crater like he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. Then, slowly, his shoulders sagged.

He walked over, hand extended. "Good game."

Rook met the gesture and shook it firmly. "You too."

"Drinks are on me," Drink Water said, though his tone suggested it physically pained him to say it.

They all walked over to the resort bar. And as much as she tried to hide it, Kurt caught the very subtle limp of Cassandra but kept it to himself. She was probably too prideful to admit she got hurt.

They kept walking until they finally got to the resort bar. It was pristine, all polished wood and gleaming bottles, the kind of place where even breathing felt expensive.

Emma immediately claimed a spot at the counter, eyes scanning the top shelf with predatory focus.

"Three bottles of Tchaigolian Ecstasy," she announced.

The bartender’s eyebrows shot up. "Three? That’s... six hundred thousand credits per bottle."

"I didn’t stutter lady."

Kurt settled beside her, lighting a cigarette. "I’ll stick with bourbon, thanks."

As for Cassandra, she ordered a nonalcoholic cocktail, something blue and tropical-looking, and watched Emma with thinly veiled amusement as the first bottle was uncorked.

Emma took a long drink straight from the bottle, sighed contentedly, and leaned back against the bar. "I’m sure it tastes even better because I’m not paying for it."

They drank for hours until the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, and by the time they stumbled out of the bar, Kurt felt pleasantly buzzed and Emma’s cheeks were flushed.

Drink Water caught them on their way out. "Hey. There’s a bonfire party tonight. Beach. Music, drinks, the works. You guys should come."

Kurt glanced at Rook, who nodded. "We’ll be there."

As they walked back toward the resort, Lizzie stopped abruptly, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Okay, real talk? I’ve got sand in places sand has no business being. Who’s up for hitting the spa?"

Emma groaned. "God, yes."

"Absolutely," Cassandra agreed.

Sam nodded eagerly. Even Zaza, after a moment’s consideration, murmured, "Spa... yes."

The women veered toward the spa building, leaving Kurt alone with Rook on the beach path.

Kurt turned to his guild leader. "So..."

Rook pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, tapping it against his palm. A phone number was scrawled across it in neat handwriting. "I’m gonna head off."

Kurt grinned. "Right then. Go have fun. Not too much fun!"

Rook waved over his shoulder and disappeared down a side path.

Kurt made his way back to the room alone, the quietness around him amplifying the solitude and moment of peace he felt.

The shower soon washed away the salt and sand clinging to his skin. As the warmth seeped in, a fleeting sense of relief settled over him.

Afterward, he changed into clean clothes, dark jeans and a loose shirt, before catching his reflection in the mirror. He looked relaxed, almost content, yet beneath that calm exterior, a subtle tension remained.

He tried not to dwell on how domestic this all felt and checked the time on his watch. It was 9 PM. "Best be on my way then." He headed out of his room to the bonfire party.

***

The bonfire roared when Kurt arrived, flames licking twenty feet into the air and casting dancing shadows across the beach.

Music pulsed from speakers hidden in the sand, something upbeat and rhythmic that made people move without thinking.

The party was in full swing. Hunters from a dozen guilds mingled, drinks in hand, laughter mixing with the crash of waves.

There was swimming, dancing, skinny-dipping, couples disappearing into shadows, shouts and cheers rising with every new stunt. The general debauchery. It was exactly the kind of chaos Kurt appreciated.

He spotted Emma near the fire, talking to Lizzie, and when the music shifted to something slower, Kurt made his move.

"You ladies look refreshed."

Emma turned to face him. "That’s what happens when they put hot rocks on your back. Some chick kept telling me to ’breathe out the tension.’"

"Dance with me," he said, offering his hand.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You asking or telling?"

"Bit of both."

She took his hand, surprising him, and let him pull her close. Her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands settled on her hips, and they swayed to the rhythm.

Emma leaned in, voice soft against his ear. "As far as trips go, this has been an okay one so far."

Kurt smirked. "Oh yeah? And you almost didn’t want to show up."

"Yeah," Emma murmured. "Almost."

She pulled back slightly, their faces inches apart, and Kurt felt the moment stretch, her grey eyes locked on his, lips parted slightly, the firelight painting her tan skin gold.

The space between them shrank. Her eyes moved to his mouth. His hand slid lower, thumb brushing her hipbone. Almost—

Then Splash!

Lizzie cannonballed into the ocean ten feet away, sending a massive splash that drenched half the beach.

Emma jerked back, laughing as she ran her hands through her hair. "Of course."

Kurt grinned, fingers running through his hair as well as the moment passed.

***

Across the bonfire, an A-rank hunter who was tall with broad-shoulders approached Cassandra confidently where she stood nursing her cocktail.

"Hey," he said, flashing what he probably thought was a charming smile. "I’m Drake. East Vanguard Guild. You’re with Raven’s Crow, right?"

Cassandra’s gaze slid toward him, ice-cold and appraising. "I am."

"You were incredible out there today. That kick? Legendary." He leaned in slightly. "Maybe we could grab a drink? Get to know each other?"

Cassandra’s expression didn’t change. "I’d rather swallow glass."

Drake blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. Your cologne is overpowering, your opening line was derivative, and your posture suggests you’ve never been told ’no’ in your life. I’m correcting that oversight. Leave."

Drake’s face turned red, and he opened his mouth, probably to argue, but Cassandra’s hand moved to her hip where her blade would normally rest. The gesture was small but unmistakable.

He left, and Kurt, who’d been watching from a distance, approached with a grin. "You ripped that guy apart."

Cassandra’s lips curved. "If he couldn’t handle a few words, he wasn’t worth my time."

Kurt leaned against the rock beside her. "Am I worth your time?"

Cassandra set down her drink, stepped closer, and wrapped one arm around his neck. Her breath was cool against his ear when she whispered, "That depends. Can you handle being frozen from the inside out and still beg for more?"

Kurt’s throat went dry. "Christ."

She pulled back, smiled innocently, and walked away, hips swaying deliberately.

Kurt exhaled slowly, still mulling over Cassandra’s words, when a sudden movement caught his eye. It was Sam, weaving through the crowd suspiciously, immediately drawing his attention.

As Kurt observed, a man’s watch vanished from his wrist without him noticing. Moments later, a wallet disappeared from a woman’s purse, the theft executed with minimum effort but had room for improvement.

"Sam..." Kurt whispered to himself, then intercepted Sam near the edge of the party. "Having fun?"

Startled, Sam jumped, clutching something hidden behind her back. "I wasn’t—I didn’t—" she stammered then sighed. "I do this when I get nervous."

"Relax," Kurt said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a calm flick. "I’m not here to lecture. But if you’re going to rob these losers, at least do it properly."

Kurt demonstrated, smoothly bumping into a passing hunter. "Sorry, mate," he said with an easy grin, patting the man’s shoulder as he passed.

The hunter waved it off and kept walking, completely unaware that his wallet was now in Kurt’s hand. "See. You’re introducing two stimulus to the brain. A stronger one, the bump, which they focus on."

Kurt showed it to Sam, then slipped it back into the man’s pocket on his return pass. "And a weaker one, the light touch. Simple subtle misdirection really. Never let them see you sweat. Confident approach and confident exit."

Sam watched intently, her eyes bright with fascination. "Now you try," Kurt challenged with a smirk. "Just... maybe give the stuff back afterward, yeah?"

Grinning, Sam melted back into the crowd, her movements even more assured than before.

Without warning, Zaza materialized beside him, and Kurt nearly jumped out of his skin. "Jesus, give a man some warning."

She adjusted her glasses, saying nothing.

Kurt followed her gaze to where Rook stood talking with other guild leaders, actually laughing at something one of them said.

"Never seen the big guy that at ease before," Kurt mused. "Then again, I’ve only known him a few months."

"Uh-huh," Zaza replied, expression blank.

Kurt turned back to continue the conversation, but Zaza was no longer there. "She was just..." He sighed. "Never mind."

***

The party wound down as the bonfire burned lower, and Raven’s Crow gathered. It was time to call it a night, if four AM could still be considered night.

They stumbled back toward the resort together. Lizzie singing badly, Emma laughing, Kurt and Sam talking quietly. From the corner of his eye, Kurt noticed Cassandra’s subtle limp as she walked beside Rook and Zaza.

He wanted to fall a step back to talk to her, but then Zaza spoke, her flat voicedrawing everyone’s attention to her. "I may have overheard a plot against Bangrock Island."

Everyone stopped, and Kurt’s buzz evaporated instantly. ’Bollocks.’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Rook turned, meeting Zaza with a serious expression. "Explain."

***

Meanwhile, miles away, in the Raven’s Crow guild headquarters on the secured fifth floor, Morra sat cross-legged in her cage. The building was silent, empty.

"It’s awfully quiet," she mused, reaching out to touch one of the bars.

The moment her fingers made contact, a soft ssshhhhh sound filled the air, metal hissing, and ancient wards glowing red as she maintained contact.

She held the bar for several seconds, then casually released it, examining her palm where the skin had reddened slightly.

"Oh, well." A faint grin curved her black lips as the cage trembled for a moment before going still.