Irwin felt like he stepped into an oven, and he actually felt slightly uncomfortable by the heat. He also couldn't see anything. A sudden shudder ran through the ash, and then he felt as if he was falling or floating. It was slightly familiar to when he traveled to and from the Portal Gallery.

Looking around and seeing nothing, Irwin felt a tiny bit of fear grow. It had been a very long time since he hadn't been able to see through anything, and just as long as he had actually noticed the heat. The last time had been when he'd fallen into the lava, and that was way back in the first training portal he'd ever been through.

As he thought about the training portal, he blinked. Those worlds, they weren't world shards, were they?

Wasn't there a rumor that Gelwin created those?

He frowned, trying to recall if he had spoken with Ambraz about-

Ambraz!

"Ambraz?" he whispered.

His voice came out dull, and it almost sounded like he was in a tiny closet.

A minute movement came from his stomach, then Ambraz's voice came.

"Kid? What's wrong? Don't tell me you are afraid because of this in-between?"

Ambraz's voice was as muted as his own, but just hearing it made Irwin feel better.

"No. I was just wondering about something. Do you remember that world I found you in?"

Ambraz snorted. "Didn't we have this conversation already? I told you, that beardy face tricked me!"

"They say he created that world… but- was it a shard world?" Irwin asked, ignoring Ambraz.

He expected an instant rejection, but to his surprise, Ambraz didn't respond. Instead, the Anvil quietly hummed. When he finally answered, he seemed lost in thoughts.

"Well, well… That would explain a few things," he said. "I hadn't even thought about it, but-"

"That he created that world?" Irwin blurted, recalling the hot, lava world.

"What? Created it? No, no! But if a world shard is small enough, there are cards that allow you to take full control of it. Create a portal at a spot of your choosing. But why would that bloody beardy do that? Cards like that only allow the binding of just a few world shards, and just putting them somewhere like that means he loses control over them! Besides, it would be a constant drain, and he'd need to… no, wait- it also means he'd have to be heart-carded or stronger. There's no way! That would mean… that… that bloody bastard!"

Irwin flinched at Ambraz's sudden angry roar, trying to make sense of what Ambraz was blurting about.

"What?" he asked.

Ambraz didn't respond but instead continued cursing and grumbling. When he didn't answer, Irwin finally had enough.

"Ambraz," he shouted, striking his pocket and thus Ambraz.

"What?" Ambraz snapped.

"That's my question," Irwin said calmly. "What is going on?"

"What is going on?" Ambraz said before snorting. "I'm not completely sure, but I was locked in that world for a long time. Normally someone should have come looking for me, but nobody ever did. I never did understand that, but that's because I assumed Gelwin, that lying, conniving, beardy face, was nothing more than a hand-carded with two full hands."

"And he isn't?" Irwin asked, confused.

Ambraz sighed, suddenly sounding old and weary. "I think he might be soul-carded with a card that allows him to bind tiny shard-worlds to his control. That would explain why nobody ever found me. They couldn't have inside those. Yes, it makes every bit of sense! That's how he reset that world! I thought it was because of my presence. That lying-"

"How could he be soulcarded without you noticing?" Irwin interrupted him, not interested in another tirade.

"Because when you become soulcarded and socket your first card, you regain control over your Soulforce so it doesn't leak from your eyes, and you can start building your second soulcard," Ambraz said. "Unless you are a soulcarded yourself, it's impossible to see the difference between a soulcarded that is working on a new heartcard versus someone working toward their first heartcard."

Irwin blinked as little things he'd heard about suddenly clicked together, creating a complete image. But as it did, he also instantly realized why Ambraz was so confused.

"How can Gelwin be soulcarded?"

Ambraz made a sound as if he was gritting his teeth.

"And that is the question I want answered too," he said.

"Wait! If he is soulcarded, why isn't he saving Giard?" Irwin blurted out. "Wouldn't he be able to have people in Fiverion help hold the world…" he trailed off as a sudden realization set it.

"He is already doing that," he whispered.

"What?" Ambraz asked.

Irwin licked his lips, the change of roles surprising him as he began connecting the dots. He ignored Ambraz's growingly agitated questions.

It makes sense, he thought. Giard had been having larger and larger numbers of portals for such a long time. As much as he'd been trying to ignore it, he knew it probably should have shattered. But it hadn't. That made no sense unless someone was already holding it together. That did leave him with a ton of questions. Where was Gelwin? Why had he left those training world portals back in the sorcerers guild? Why had he left Ambraz there?

And most of all: how could he already be soulcarded? The legends said he'd been a scholar, and when portals appeared, he had been lucky enough to get a legendary card making him powerful enough to save the world.

"Irwin!" Ambraz shouted, snapping him awake. A look around showed no sign of them being at their destination, and he absently wondered what kind of slow teleportation this was supposed to be.

Then he took a deep breath and shared his own assumptions with Ambraz.

"That makes… too much sense," Ambraz said after having quietly listened.

"I wonder if that old fart, Uxin'tar knew about this."

Irwin shrugged, about to answer, when the sensation of falling stopped, and the darkness and ash cloud dissipated.

The glaring sun beat down on him, and he heard a soft grunt from behind. Sluggish from the potential revelations, Irwin turned around.

Greldo stood behind him, guarding his eyes, while a vast desert sprawled out all around them. Tiny golden particles littered the ruddy sand, and there was no sight of trees anywhere.

Numili and Scintilla stood behind him, both looking up at the sun. Scintilla looked relieved while Numili was smiling widely before turning to Irwin. Her pink eyes burned brightly.

"Welcome to Sparkle Sand," she said, sounding happy.

Irwin didn't respond, staring at her hand and wondering if there was a way to determine if she was actually a soulcarded. Scintilla said that her cousin was over a hundred years old…

Numili giggled as she moved her hand around. "What? Trying to find out which of my cards allowed me to teleport?" she asked, putting the hand atop her chest and giving him a hungry smile that made Irwin's mouth go dry.

"Not telling," Numili said as she turned and looked around. "You should have chatted with me before!"

"Stop being so spiteful," Scintilla said as she prodded her cousin. "Where are we going?"

Numili pouted. "I'm not spiteful! You bully!"

A soft thud drew Irwin's attention away from the two Ignitzions.

Coal stood beside Greldo, head raised, and eyes closed as it sniffed the air. Greldo was padding his flank, grinning.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Yes, yes, I know you don't like it there. That's why we are here. You can stay outside for a good long time now!"

"Puppy!"

Irwin blinked as a blurred figure moved to stand before Coal. Numili appeared, crooning as she began stroking Coal, pressing herself against him.

"So hot and soft!"

The massive hound was staring at her, a look of incredulity in his eyes. Irwin could see that he had no idea what to do, turning a confused look on Greldo. His friend was gaping at Numili, seeming just as confused.

Irwin glanced to the side as Scintilla walked up to him. She was shaking her head.

"I'm really sorry about this… Mum said she wasn't always like this," she whispered.

The three of them continued to watch Numili hug and pet Coal, ignoring them completely. When she finally finished, she seemed reluctant to leave Coal. Instead, she turned to Greldo.

"Sell him to me!"

"No," Greldo said, making a beckoning motion to Coal.

Numili's eyes widened in distress as she spun to Coal, but the hound turned into a shadowy blur, appearing beside Greldo.

Numili glared at Greldo, then stomped her feet.

"Why not? I like him!"

"Numili, enough!" Scintilla said as she stalked towards her cousin.

To Irwin's surprise, there was a look of sadness in her gaze.

"But-"

"Enough! Don't make me tell my mother…"

Numili sniffed, crossed her arms, and pouted.

"Fine. Just go and be mean."

"Now. You said you had found a cave with some type of special fire elemental monsters that might drop the card you need?" Scintilla said, walking towards her.

Irwin noticed she was tactically positioning herself to stand between Numili and Coal.

"Yes! I almost forgot," Numili shouted, looking around before pointing toward a distant dune.

"It should be that way!"

Seeming to have forgotten all about Coal, she began skipping forward, humming an out-of-tune song.

Irwin followed after her, Scintilla moving beside him with a sad look.

"Please don't hold it against her. She can't seem to help it," she whispered.

Irwin nodded while Greldo merely grunted, keeping his sharp eyes focused on the skipping figure ahead.

"What happened to her?" Irwin asked.

"Nobody knows," Scintilla said. "It happened before I was born. She was out with her mother, searching for a special card on a volcano world. When she returned, she was alone and like this. My mother never really talks about it."

A shout of glee came from the top of the hill, and they saw Numili point at something.

"Look! I got us almost right atop it!" she shouted.

"Is she a soulcarded?" Irwin whispered.

Scintilla's eyebrows lowered, and Irwin suddenly worried he'd asked the wrong question. Then Scintilla sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Numili just laughs when I ask, and Mother says she can't tell for sure."

"Is your mother a soulcarded?"

Scintilla nodded. "Yes. A two-soul-carded, and the leader of our family. She is really powerful!"

She suddenly turned to him with a wide grin. "Heatbearers get really great benefits from joining our family!"

"Heatbearers?" Irwin muttered.

A peal laugher came from ahead, where Numili was looking at them from the top of the hill.

"So bold, Scintilla! I'd never expected this of you!"

Wondering if he should even ask about the details, Irwin was happy when Scintilla ran up and began arguing with Numili again. As he saw them from a distance, he noticed the sadness and love buried below Scintilla's angry facade.

It's the same everywhere, Irwin thought as he sighed.

When he and Greldo reached the top of the dune, they stopped in their tracks. The ruddy, twinkling desert ended not too far ahead, the sand turning almost dark red and losing its golden luster. As if someone had created a barrier, there was a clear line that moved in both directions for as far as Irwin could see.

A few hundred feet ahead, a dark rocky outcrop stuck out of the blood-red sand, and Irwin saw shadowy holes inside.

"See? I told you it's not that far inside," Numili said as she laughed at Scintilla. "With a little luck, we won't encounter any of those troublesome wyrms."

Letting out a happy-sounding whoop, she darted forward.

Scintilla cursed before she ran after her. "Follow her before she walks into some kind of trouble," she shouted.

Irwin took a quick look at Greldo and then sprinted after them. His feet kept slipping on the sand, and at one point, he lost his balance sliding down the hillside. With sand in his armor and clothes, he got up, ignored Greldo's soft laughter, and continued.

Numili showed incredible stamina, continuing toward the black stone without stopping. When she reached the dark blood-red sand, she just continued and sped up.

"Numili! Stop before something notices your movement!" Scintilla shouted.

Movement? Irwin thought, wondering what the wyrms she was talking about were.

"Irwin, to the left!"

Irwin turned to see Greldo point at a bump in the sand moving towards them. The sand slid away from it, creating a V shape, and he thought he saw something glistening inside. Were those teeth?

"Scintilla, Numili, something is heading our way," he roared, continuing forward.

Up close, he found that the red desert sand was far more compact. Although a thin layer atop was like the rest, below it almost felt like bedrock. The bump didn't seem to care, moving rapidly towards Numili.

"Numili, wyrms!" Scintilla shouted. She turned into a burning red form of herself before streaking forward at an insane speed. As she did, she left a trail of black fog behind her.

Inferno Blink! Irwin thought as he saw her arrive beside Numili.

She didn't show any sign of discomfort but grabbed her cousin and triggered the ability again, this time shooting back toward Irwin and Greldo.

All of it took only a second, and as she landed beside Irwin, she dropped to her knees. Palefaced, she vomited out a stream of red and yellowish ichor with bits and pieces of fruit and flesh.

"No- No fire!" she said between coughing and groaning.

Numili took a few more steps as if she hadn't realized what had happened. Then she tripped, fell on her hands, and began throwing up.

The bump had changed course sharply and was now rushing toward them. With no time to run back to the Sparkle Sand desert and no way of knowing if it would even help, Irwin triggered Coperion Body while summoning his hammer. He subconsciously made it a massive two-handed mallet, as big as he could.

As his body grew, his feet pushed into the thin top layer of sand, he felt the massive weight in his hand. The previous time he'd summoned it, he hadn't used Coperion Body, but now that he had, he could hold the hammer properly. Grabbing it with two hands, he readied himself.

There was a rustling from his side, and he took a quick glance at Greldo. He almost shouted in surprise at the thick black hair that ran down his back and the coarse fur and canine features that gazed back at him.

"Eyes ahead!" Greldo snarled.

Irwin did, just in time to see the sand up ahead split open, and a dozen dark maws appeared before ruddy shapes a few times the length of his arm shot toward him. He almost instinctively summoned his flame before recalling Scintilla's warning. He took a half step forward and struck at the incoming enemies.

Something heavy collided with his hammer, but it didn't manage to stop the forward motion. Instead, there was the sound of fruit being squished just before something slammed into his stomach, chest, and left arm. A dull pain flared up, and he heard a surprised cry from Greldo.

Coal was snarling and yelping, but Irwin had no time for it as he saw a snake-like thing bite down on his arm. It was as thick as his upper arm, with a circular mouth lined with teeth that had angled forward to stab into him. They had drilled an inch into his skin before stopping and seemed stuck.

He dropped his hammer and grabbed the Wyrm digging into his left arm, trying to pull it off just as a gleaming blade shot through. Like a ray of moonlight, Scintilla's blade flashed across the three monstrous worms, causing them to drop down in sections.

"There are more coming," she shouted. "We need to get to that rock until they calm down again!"

Numili stood behind her, her eyes wide in fear, shaking like a leaf.

"Irwin! HELP!"

A quick look around showed that Coal had a half dozen snakes drilling into him, their heads no longer visible as they seemed to eat their way inside. Greldo stood to the side, using long dagger nails to slice at the one drilling into his stomach.

"Greldo, unsummon Coal!" Irwin shouted as he ran towards his friend.

Greldo showed no response, but Coal's whining vanished while three wyrms dropped back to the ground.

Irwin grabbed the back of the one drilling in Greldo, drawing it taut just as Scintilla's sword slashed it apart. Before he could react, she jabbed the sword into the remaining part and stuck it a few inches into Greldo before roughly twisting it.

Greldo let out a dull growl, staggering.

"Pull it out, they are poisonous," Scintilla cried as she spun around.

Irwin quickly searched for more enemies, but there were only bits and pieces of the wyrms twitching on the ground.

A sickening crunch made him look at Greldo, who had stuck part of his clawed hand into his own stomach before pulling out the squashed head. He staggered again, and Irwin jumped forward, holding him up.

"I'm fine! Coal's regeneration is still working, and I have enough time in this form," he growled.

Irwin nodded but was worried when he saw blood ooze across Greldo's lips.

"Hurry up!" Scintilla shouted, and Irwin saw her run toward the distant black rocks, pulling her cousin along.

"I don't care what happened to her, but she is going to get an ear full after this," Greldo snarled as he sprinted after them.

Damn right, Irwin thought as he followed Greldo.

Keeping his head on a swivel, he quickly spotted more of the bumps moving through the desert, one of which was twice as high as the others.

Either that had way more of the wyrms, or that's a big one, he thought as he focused ahead.

They continued ahead, with Greldo quickly outpacing him. As he saw his friend gain on Scintilla and Numili, Irwin suddenly recalled how it had felt when he'd always been the slowest one.

I need something like that Inferno Blink card, he thought as he gritted his teeth.

Numili, Scintilla, and Greldo reached the rock while he was still a hundred feet away. He saw his friend's eyes widen in fear when he saw how far behind he was.

"Don't come!" he roared. "They can't penetrate my skin!"

I hope.

He'd barely finished the thought when he saw Scintilla blur into a red dash toward him. She appeared to his side, and as he spun to her, he was just in time to see her slash apart one of the bumps. A half dozen wyrms burst out, but the Ignitzion moved like water, dodging them and slashing at the same time. Within moments, only squirming body parts lay on the ground.

Irwin was about to thank her when he saw another bump rush up from behind. Without thinking, he triggered a full-powered Eyes of Blaze blast, focused on the bump. There was a split second of nothing as the raging fire struck the bump, then an explosion of gore showered Scintilla in parts of Wyrm. A sickly sweet scent came with it that almost made Irwin vomit on the spot.

"No!" she shouted as she whirled on him. "No, no! Run, run!"

Irwin swallowed at her suddenly petrified look and followed her toward the black rock. Greldo and Numili stood there, the latter still shaking and her heads clasped. A faint rumbling came somewhere in the distance while the sand around them began oddly jittering and flowing.

As they reached the hard rock ground, Scintilla continued without stopping, pulling Numili along.

"Quick, inside! Whatever is in there, we will have to take our chances!" she shouted as she dashed into the nearest hole.

Irwin ran after her, but as he reached the cave, he took a quick look back. In the distance, he saw a massive wall of dust head their way while a rumbling like thunder came with it.

What the… that's no sandstorm!

"Irwin!"

He turned and sprinted into the cave, which was little more than an indent. The others stood inside a tunnel that led further inside, Scintilla beckoning him.

As he ran toward her, he felt the temperature increase while an odd stink blew toward him.

"We have to hide deep down until they leave," Scintilla said as she pulled him along.

"What are they?" Irwin asked as the thunderous sound from outside, and the shaking increased.

"A horde of Fleshgorgers," Scintilla whispered.