I could only stare. I had never quite seen the world like this before. Red hot ash drifts through the air, contrasting crisply against the dark night sky. Roaring pillars of fire surround me in all directions as the towering trees simultaneously combust into flame, the air rapidly heating up as the space around me turns into an oven.

For a moment, I just… Appreciate the view, as if instinctively I knew that we were all doomed from the start, at least I could witness something that no one else would ever see in their lifetimes.

However, my mind soon catches up to my instincts. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. The heat was already intense enough in the middle of the ring, I didn’t want to get anywhere near that wall of fire, but if I stay, then I’ll

The commander, Percess, busts out of her tent, already screaming orders, spear in hand. “EVERYBODY OUT NOW NOW NOW!” A mob quickly forms around her. “EVERYBODY CALM DOWN. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY. HEAD FOR THE RIVER, AN ENEMY TETSUDO IS NEARBY. WE CAN KILL HIM AND THE FIRE WILL STOP.” She somehow makes her voice heard over the growing panic among the soldiers. In the distance there were people running towards the middle, trying to escape the intense heat.

Okay, okay. This is fine. We can escape by the river.

“GO! GO! GO! NO TIME TO WASTE!” Percess starts to run, a disorderly group forms around her as we plunge into the forest. It didn’t matter who our commanders were, there was no time to organize.

My throat was already beginning to feel dry as all the water in the air gets sucked away from the heat. River. River. I didn’t care about the Tetsudo right now, all I cared about was escaping into the water.

I hear a woosh of wind as a figure drops down from the sky and a sickening crunch immediately following the sound. Time slows down to a standstill as I realize that these were my final moments. I was about to run right into the mysterious figure, and I couldn’t stop my momentum.

“Leader down.” The figure murmurs to itself… herself, I realize, as my eyes adjust to her dark silhouette against the fiery background, then she locks eyes on me.

For what felt like an eternity we simply stared at each other. Then. I can’t hear anything, the world spins upside down, spinning trees and fire whirl around and disorient me, until I realize that I was flying through the air.

I land on a stone bank with a strong thud, water lapping on the back of my head.

Did I… I made it? I try to lift my head back but almost immediately an intense pain explodes through my chest, cracking sounds just from taking a small breath.

I try to gasp for breath; however, each one caused an unbearable pain in my chest, for multiple ribs had been shattered irreparably.

“Help.” I gasp out.

Celestia

“Your job is to guard the river until it’s made totally inaccessible by the fire. I understand you won’t be able to hold everyone off, just get as many as you can. Then jump in and swim out. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to recognize you.”

The air heats up almost instantly as the world around me turns into a deep orange hue. I was currently in the south direction while the river was to the west, I need to make some time.

I lower my torso, straighten my back, and dig my feet even further into the ground, speeding up. I weave through the dense forest, cracking through the trees as I bump my shoulders into them uncaringly.

The heat here is unexpectedly bad. I lick my lips as they begin to crack. Though I reckon I could handle it better than most people.

I finally begin to hear voices in the distance over the roar of the fire. A couple of people were running through the forest, trying to reach the river.

My goal here is more so intimidation than actually brawling. I want people to hesitate when they try to run past me, that way Rainel should have an easier time.

I brace my shoulder and then ram into a tree, knocking it down. As it’s falling, I scale up the side of the trunk and reach the branches. With the agility of a monkey I hop off the falling tree to another branch, making sure to land lightly as possible.

Lasering in on the crowd of soldiers running, I hop from branch to branch, leaves falling in my wake. Right, I should take out the ones at the front first. I hop off the tree top, accelerating towards the ground at feverous speeds.

My foot makes contact with a woman’s head, instantly I drive my leg down, carrying her head to the ground, I feel a nasty crunch underneath my soles. But don’t bother to look, I instead stare at the spear in my arm’s reach.

“Leader down.” I murmur.

I wonder if I should grab it? I rarely bothered to use weapons because I simply didn’t need to, my limbs were a lot more durable than the rickety wood and iron. I turn to the soldier running at me, still caught off guard by my sudden entrance. I contemplate for a couple milliseconds then wrench the spear from his grasp, slamming the shaft of the spear underneath his arm and tossing him over my head.

As expected, the wood immediately splits in two, leaving me with a broken spear tip with the shaft flying out in the distance. I lean back and fling the tip as hard as I can, skewering the three closest soldiers back to back to back before burying the tip into a tree. Blood sprays all over, covering my neck in red.

God damn it, I hate that feeling. My hands shutter before I curl up my fists and punch out another soldier, bones shattering and organs rupturing with every blow.

I sense a presence trying to run past my right, so I grab the soldier’s spear and blindly stab out to the side, perfectly aligned through the side of their gut.

I unknowingly begin to scowl, smashing a head into a tree, covering my hands in bits of brain.

Half of these people aren’t even paying attention to me. They were just too scared and panicked.

When Rudeus said that I was too weak to defeat an army all by myself that was all I wanted to do for a couple of months, the training I went through after leaving The Eye… The barriers I crossed, but… This isn’t scratching that itch.

No… I blink to get rid of the blood pouring down into my eyes. My hair, my skin, my face, my clothes, were all soaked in red. Yet, I haven’t even been injured once, nor has anyone tried to attack me. They were all just trying to get to the river, escape the heat.

A couple of people manage to sneak past my left, I hear a splashing sound from behind as they dive into the river.

I don’t feel excited at all for this, but a promise is a promise.

Dani

I wake up to the heat of an unquenchable fire and the screams of the damned. I instantly hear a sizzling sound as my eyebrows begin to singe.

I immediately roll out of my tent and onto my bare feet, sharp rocks cutting into the bottom of my foot. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but all I knew was that I needed to get away from this furnace.

I run, something shoves me from behind as a stampede quickly forms. All around me people fall and are trampled as everyone desperately tries to get away from the dry heat. I stumble forward, teetering to the ground. Oh fuck, oh fuck. If I fall here I know I’m going to die.

And then I lose my balance. Distraught, I raise my arms and try to shield my head from the oncoming feet, but am suddenly pulled onto my feet by a mysterious stranger.

Without bothering to look at who it was I thank them silently and continue running.

Did I wake up in hell? What the fuck is happening? Many thoughts race through my head, but the one thing I unanimously knew to do was to keep running.

I slow down and take an uncomfortably warm breath of air as the air cools down to non-lethal levels, and then I take a look around me for the first time.

It’s a ring…

I stagger to the ground and lay against a tree, panting. Then burying my head into my knees as I realize what that means.

“Please no.” I whimper.

My head spins into a million places, voices from my childhood, my aspirations for my future, and my many many regrets.

The next thing I knew my tears had dried up, I rub my eyes but they were completely dry. I look back to see that the fire had advanced to the point where it was causing my tears to evaporate.

I scream and then begin running again. How long was I sitting there?! I have to do something… Wait, that’s right! The river!

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Run! Dani! There’s hope!

I get up, crawling to my feet by my hands and pump my arms forward like a madman. I pass by empty tents and fields, formerly full of life, clothes and other personal belongings left behind to burn away into nothingness.

Run! My bare feet leave behind bloody footprints, running without any concern for what I was stepping on. I pass by a couple of people just staring into the sky numbingly. I don’t know what they were doing, but I didn't stop and think about it. Freedom is so close, I need to get to the river before the fire closes me in.

In the distance I could see a hill, a hill of something, what is that hill? What looks like hundreds of people that were crowded together, all trying to funnel into the river. A cacophony of noise floods the air, screams, the crackling of trees as they shatter and fall to the ground. I didn’t know what hell looked like, but I couldn’t help but think that this was even worse. The heat was mind numbing, we were so close to the fire that I felt like if I just took one more step closer I would burn up into nothingness, but I continue on, for there was no other choice.

And then, I see why so many people still haven’t gotten to the river yet.

The hill in the distance was actually a mound of bodies. A figure darted around the crowd, blood visibly flying into the air as people were crushed one by one. Someone that emanated speed, strength, and absolute violence, standing guard in front of the river.

“It’s over. It’s over. I can’t go. I can’t, I can’t, I don’t want to die.” I turn slowly to see a woman hysterically whispering, until she screams and charges forward, ducking and weaving wildly, as if possessed. I don’t see what happens to her. She was swallowed up by a surge of people following her…

Oh wait I guess I should be following them, it’s my best chance to get through right?

But my feet were paralyzed, I didn’t want to move but I also knew I had to move. Wait, but I might die. I don’t want to die. But if I stay here I’ll certainly die. At the moment I realized why the people back there weren’t trying to run.

Too late.

The opportunity had passed.

The crowd thins out until there were only a couple dozen of us still standing there.

I look around wide-eyed.

Others were doing the same.

And the devil-like figure turns around, turning their gaze towards us, towards me, towards my soul.

I slowly get on my knees, I don’t know what I am doing. But maybe… I bring my palms to the ground, lower my face and chest, and bow.

Please. Grant me mercy.

Celestia

Blood drips into my eyes, causing a small sting. I don’t bother to wipe it away however. It’s pointless anyways when more blood will just blind me again in a couple of seconds.

I snarl and continue my rampage, tearing through waves of soldiers as they desperately try to scramble away from me. Any weapon that I take breaks with one swing. Any person I touch breaks with one blow.

There were some people, clad in black metal, that thought they were good enough to take me down, or at the very least distract me while people try to run through.

Perhaps they would have been in a different setting, where they were ready, where they were organized, where it wasn’t so damn hot. But right now, I was trampling on their dead bodies, the black metal they relied on so much crumpled by my fists. It was getting so hot that my clothes were beginning to singe and smoke from the pure heat.

Then suddenly, the people stop coming. I was alone, standing a mound of bodies that I created. I look back, the fire has yet to fully block off the river yet, which means my job still isn’t finished yet. But… Is there even anyone left out there?

I look back to see a sparse group of stragglers just staring at me, still and unmoving.

None of them would be able to get past me. I knew that, and I’m sure they knew that as well.

So…

Now what?

I wasn’t going to chase them all down. My job was just to stay here until it gets too hot to pass.

I lock eyes with a girl staring at me numbingly, very very young compared to most of the soldiers here. Around the age of my younger sister, Yumie. I clench my teeth and furrow my brow as soon as I’m reminded of her.

Come on, just do your damn job. You’re the strongest person in the world now, nothing can stop you.

I plant my feet firm and cross my arms and look forward.

The girl gets to her knees.

…

She looks me in the eyes and then lowers her head in a deep bow. I couldn’t hear anything over the roar of the flame, but it was clear what she was trying to ask for.

My lips begin to quiver, hands involuntarily shaking.

Sometimes I wish…

I watch as everyone soon follow her example, lowering their heads one by one, leaving me the only one standing in a sea of young men and women.

I wish that the one person who could call me a useless, sniveling, child and get away with it was still alive, so she could call me that exact thing.

I turn around and walk away, wading into the waters.

Remember this, the strong should protect the weak. That is the proper Don’t ever lose yourself to your strength Celestia, or else I will be there to stop you.

Sorry mom.

Dani

“She’s leaving!” I hear a shout, then look up to see the figure disappearing into burning forest.

It worked?!

“Come on lets go!! Now’s our chance!” Stunned, I begin to run with the rest of our group.

“GO!!!!!” The fire was rapidly enclosing in on the river, soon leaving. I pump my Anku through my legs, with a level of control I never thought I’d ever achieve. I burst through the forest and onto the rocky river bank, where I make a beeline for the water. Out of the corner of my eye I spot something however.

Is that… “Derke!” I turn around and crouch by his side. His eyes were closed, and his face was bloody red, blisters and scarred skin from the intense heat radiating from the burning forest. His eyes were rolled up, I put my finger under his nose, please please please be breathing.

I have sigh of relief upon a faint breath tickling my finger. I sling him over my shoulders and begin running forward.

“Careful on the ribs.” He says faintly, then weakly chuckles. “You think we can still travel the world later?”

“Please don’t talk. I’ll get you to some help as fast as possible.”

“If I don’t talk now then what other chance will I have?”

“Don’t say that.” I begin to choke up. “We’re almost free. We’re so close.”

“I—“

“STOP IT!” I yell with pure rawness. “Everything is going to be okay. Trust in me, please.” I then haul myself onto my feet, running forward with Derke on my back and fling myself into the river.

The water floods my everything, disorienting my vision up, down, left, right. I kick and flop my arms, but can’t upright myself.

Damn it! I bump my head into something hard, causing my head to immediately spin, but I power through and blindly reach out for it.

I manage to grab onto something floating onto the water and pull myself up to open air.

“DERKE!” I yell, swiveling my head left and right.

There! I see Derke floating close to my right, then begin swimming furiously. I grab him then begin treading towards the bank.

As the river turns a bend the forest fire finally disappears. I then start scanning the bank for where the all the survivors had set up camp.

Wait. Where are they? Why don’t I see—

My entire body suddenly freezes, my skin, my circulation, everything suddenly freezes. I couldn’t feel anything anymore everything was turning cold at alarming rates. I look down to see a gaping hole in my chest from an unexpected sword wound, blood spurting out in rivers, dying the river… Ah, why didn’t I notice earlier. I look around to see hundreds of dead bodies, eyes glazed over white, just floating across the river. The river was already red. There was a hidden third threat, hiding somewhere in those bushes. That’s why I didn’t see anyone else.

I look up to the morning sky, unexpectedly calm, my muscles slowly beginning to lose function. I grab Derke and pull him in close.

Why… Why am I here? What did I do to deserve this? I close my eyes, and let out a deep breath.

Inhale.

Another one.

Inhale.

Another one.

Inhale.

One more.

…

Cain

The flames dance against my skin, not penetrating nor burning as they are all under my control. Distant screams penetrate the air, trees crack and fall as the fire consumes all the moisture from the bark, and most of all was the great roar of fire overwhelming my ears until I could barely hear a thing.

For some reason I felt the urge to wander into the fire, as if it were to bathe me. I made sure to keep my clothes from burning up, a convenient technique where I starve the air around me of any oxygen to burn, making it difficult but not impossible to catch flame.

I touch a blazing tree, red hot ash flaking off the trunk. Of course, it being my Tetsu, I couldn’t feel any heat from it whatsoever, in fact it was actually bit chilly. I then turn around, feeling the presence of someone else, it’s Celestia.

“What are you doing here?” I ask quietly, too quiet for anyone to hear in this situation, but I’m sure someone like her would have heard me loud and clear.

“Cain, are we all monsters?” She turns away and mumbles. Although somehow I understood every word clearly.

“We do what’s necessary.” I respond emotionlessly.

“Are we all monsters?” She reiterates, this time a bit more forcefully.

… I don’t respond this time.

“Of course we are.” I finally say, before walking out of the flames and facing her eye to eye. “I thought you already knew that.”

Celestia gives me a pained smile. “I thought I did too.” She whispers breathlessly.

Rainel

Sitting cross-legged, I watch intently, flicking my eyes from target to target. Despite losing ability in my arms, my strength and control with Anku had only improved over the years.

Blades flash across the river surface, tips dragging and creating ripples across the water surface. Blood splashes, flying into the air and sinking into the water, like roses blooming in the spring.

The swords gradually return to my side as less and less bodies flow through until the water runs clear again. I stand back up, it looks like Celestia is done. I roll out my sheath and stick each sword back in one by one, sling it over my back, and begin walking back.

A couple survived I’m sure, but what’s important is that it’ll be impossible to reorganize for the attack. Plus, those who were unlucky enough to survive will be stranded deep in enemy territory without food or water. Reinforcements will soon come after I report back to the council, wiping out any stragglers still wandering around.

There’s a slight hope, a slim chance, that one day, I’ll be able to march onto Kaldros once again.