"Are you okay?" That was the question both White and Chester kept asking me. No matter how many times I told them that I felt fine, they wouldn't stop looking at me all concerned. By the time we buried all the shards of Soul's real body, I was already fed up with their constant stream of questions.

"Why do you keep asking if I'm okay? Is it because of this?" I pointed to my completely pitch-black arm. It was practically absorbing all light, giving off only the tiniest reflections.

"Well... yeah. Don't you think this is wrong?" Chester asked.

"Wrong? I think this is right! I've never felt better. All those doubts, fears, blame, and god knows what are now gone."

"And you consider that good? What if it's some sort of... corruption? Taking away your emotions or something?" When he said that, I looked at the ground for a moment. There was a painfully annoying feeling inside me when I realized that I'll have to explain it all to Chester. But where to even begin. I was so used to having my head clouded with all sorts of thoughts, I didn't know how to put my current clarity into words.

"I am not lacking emotions, Vincent. But I... I think I finally realized something. I cannot be redeemed for what I've done. Back then, I thought that I could fix things, but that is impossible. I feel sad for those whose death I caused, but I do not grieve. I only knew them for a few days, Vincent. I don't want to pretend anymore that I love them as much as White does. They were my comrades. Their death saddens me, but far more than that, it makes me furious. The Deaths knew each other for a long time. After millennia of solitude in their own worlds, in their own stories, they finally had company. They had each other. And because of me, they lost it yet again, but I am not the one who took this from them. There are two people to blame. I am the first one, and Ifrit is the other. And I am the only one who can make him pay for his part. So do not worry, I have my emotions with me, and I feel them as strong as ever." Chester listened to my whole explanation with undivided attention, but even after I was done, he didn't react in any way. He just kept on staring at me. I think he wanted to say something but perhaps didn't find the right words or courage.

While White kept on grieving her fallen comrade above the tiny grave we'd prepared, I walked back inside the store where the battle took place not too long ago. There was something that bothered me. The whole area was devastated after the fight, with ice blocking a large portion of the place. But a single part of a wall ended up unscathed. It was almost as if the ice bent around it as it emerged from the sword. There was a short message scratched into it: "Help us. Free us!" I wasn't sure who wrote it but considering that the author went out of their way to protect it from getting destroyed, and the fact that one of the enemies had the power to create barriers, I had a relatively solid guess that it must've been the other dragon. For a while, I kept on thinking about it. While Fulgur was seen fighting, his brother, the one he called Viridi, only used his shields and didn't even try to strike. If it was indeed he who left the message there, then that would mean not all of Ifrit's followers agree with him.

"White, Chester, sorry, but your grieving time is over. We need to get going. Another heatwave will be here in six minutes. We'll hide from it inside and depart as soon as it disappears." I went and gave them instructions. They both didn't say anything, only nodded, and slowly shuffled inside, avoiding looking at me. At that time, I thought it was a good thing. If they found me repulsive to look at, then perhaps looking elsewhere was the right thing to do.

"Does your newfound clarity mean that you have a plan?" White asked while we were waiting but I could barely hear her.

"Yes." I pointed to the message on the wall. "If my theory is right, only one of the dragon brothers wants to fight us. And if there are more creatures still serving Ifrit, perhaps some of them might be happy to switch sides."

"That sounds great and all, but what if it doesn't work? What if that message is just a trap?" Chester didn't seem to trust my plan as much as I did.

"Well, in that case, I will need the two of you to buy me some time and lead Ifrit's forces away from him. And when he's alone, I'll strike. If by some rare chance, I manage to kill him, I will come to your aid."

"No," White finally spoke up. When I turned to face her, she was looking directly into my eyes. Her previous aversion to my new appearance seemed gone for now.

"No? What do you mean? Are you quitting on me?!"

"Not quitting. I'm just... I have to kill that dragon, Fulgur. For everyone... for Soul, I just have to."

I took a moment to think. Her motives were understandable, and the power she possessed was truly terrifying, but would it be enough to strike down such a creature?

"Are you sure about this? You might be able to kill him with a single touch, but just getting close will be a problem. Don't forget that he can use flames and such."

"I will take care of that." Chester joined in. "You want your revenge, but in order to do that, you need to get close. I will help you do that. My plants will block his attacks and corner him, while you close the distance and finish the job."

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"That's really nice, but what will you two do if there are more enemies than just Foo... Fulgur? I can't handle Ifrit along with some other bastards protecting him."

"Don't worry, I will handle that. You just focus on killing the big boss as quickly as possible." Chester gave me a smile. I couldn't say whether it was one of confidence or nervousness.

After wrapping our plan up and finishing up some details, we were once again ready to go. I picked up my sword and walked outside into the heat. The big burning ball of fire was still there in the sky, scorching this world and possibly many others. But there was no time to stargaze during this bright night. The moment we left the ruined store, there were Burned outside, but something wasn't right with them. Normally, these creatures would simply jump at us at a moment's notice, but now they were standing around in a big circle, surrounding the whole place. There were all kinds of them. Some of which we've never seen, who looked like strange mutated animals. Others were those we knew far too well, such as the spiked slimes. Instinctively, I raised my sword and my two companions prepared themselves for another combat, but nothing happened. The Burned were simply standing there, watching us. We waited a few seconds before something finally happened. They all turned their heads and arms in one direction. When we looked that way, we saw that the circle of Burned that surrounded us actually had a hole in it. A single exit for us to take, and they were all pointing us to it.

"What the fuck is this?" Chester whispered.

"An invitation," I answered.

"Invitation where?"

"Do you really have to ask?" I looked him in the eyes. "Ifrit is waiting."

"You mean... we're supposed to go that way?" White pointed towards the only exit.

"What other choice is there? I don't know about you two, but I can't take down all of these creatures at once. Not to mention that our fight would definitely attract more."

"But Eddie, this is obviously a trap! I used to be a villain in your stories, I know what a trap looks like."

"Then tell me, do you have a better plan?" I was partially hoping he wouldn't. An easy way to reach Ifrit would be greatly welcome right now.

"Well... I was hoping to use this on the dragons, but..."

"Then save it!" I quickly grabbed his arm as I saw him raise it. "We're going in. So keep your trump cards in your sleeves for now."

After this brief exchange, none of us said anything anymore. We slowly started leaving the place, waiting if the Burned would attack us once we'd get closer. Fortunately, they didn't. They merely stood there, looking and pointing in the direction we were supposed to. As they suggested, we followed. But even after we left the ring of the Burned that were surrounding the store, we weren't out of their grasp. They were coming out of the nearby buildings, each pointing us the right way with any appendages they had at their disposal. When the time of the heatwave came, they pointed us to the nearby building and guarded the exits until it washed over. After that, they went back to their roles as our guides. I hated to admit it, but it was an intimidating display of power. If Ifrit wanted to end us right here and now, with such an army, he'd have no problems. But the further we went the worse it got. The small bipedal Burned were slowly being replaced by much more terrifying ones. Giant flying octopi with one eye, centaur-like creatures, and something I could only describe as Lovecraftian horrors. It was terrifying. These things really came in all shapes and sizes and just imagining that we'd have to face all of them was enough to break one's spirit. But we had to endure. We were this close to the end.

Then it all came down crashing on us. A thunder resonated through the sky as we were walking down the street. Soon after, a familiar face appeared next to one of the buildings. It was the Angelic Mark from earlier. The same creature that killed Beast. I quickly glanced over at White and saw her clenching her fists.

"Not now. Not here," I whispered to her.

"But all I need is just one touch."

"You wouldn't even get that. Focus on our objective now."

She finally relaxed at least a little bit. Although the presence of so many terrifying monsters wasn't exactly allowing any of us to "relax". It didn't take long for things to get even worse though. There was yet another thunder. In fact, several lightning bolts struck the ground in front of us, blinding and deafening us for a moment. When our senses returned, our last remaining confidence disappeared in its entirety. Another six Angelic Marks were standing in front of us. One pair on each side of the street, towering over us like certain death. And the final two were kneeling down further down the street. In their hands, they were holding a large stone platform, with what I could only describe as a throne. Two dragons were lying down next to it as if they were sleeping. I recognized them both. Fulgur and his brother, Viridi. They were watching us with barely opened eyes. And on that stone chair sat the man himself. Wearing nothing but shorts, a small decorative skirt with several pictograms on it, and a translucent blue vest. Now that I've seen him like this, there was something his outfit reminded me of. A place... no. A story! A story that I've abandoned a long time ago. But there was much more to his appearance than just clothes. His wrists and ankles were wrapped in bandages, with an odd orange glow coming from underneath them. Around these areas were several pieces of jewellery. Two bracelets and two anklets, each with different glowing symbols carved into them. And on some occasions, when the wind blew just right, it pushed the hair out of Ifrit's face, revealing a large burn mark in place of his right eye.

"Edward Wright. How delightful to finally meet you in person. My name is..."

"Farvis Adum." I interrupted his introduction with a much more fitting one.

"What did you just say?"

"Farvis Adum. The last time I've seen him, he was known as the prince of Takia, a kingdom in the middle of a desert. A kingdom from a story of mine - Feather's choice. But of course, in that story, you were just a baby. It was about your father and the sacrifices he had to make. But those symbols on your skirt represent the Takia kingdom. You really dressed yourself all fancy for our meeting. And the rings you wear are royal artefacts. Considering the matching hair and eye colour as well, I'd say my guess is right. Your name is not Ifrit. You borrowed that, most likely from one of my mythology-inspired stories. In reality, you are Farvis Adum, the prince of Takia." I smiled at the man. Judging from his murderous look, I definitely struck him where it hurt.