The sky was as fiery as Izel, the pyromancer, when she, Alicia, Wisesa, and the two little denizens of the fishing village tracked down the markers promised by the ship's crews. Ten hakeths, promised the crew chief. Every ten hakeths a new sign would beckon, bringing them closer to the crews' last known whereabouts. Blessed with Wisesa's tracking skills, they managed to find ribbon ties or white streaks on trees at each decadic interval. Yet, the day was waning and they had yet to hear any voices but their own or behold the telltale plumes in the sky.

And whether it was a quirk of fate or not, the verdant dark leaves slowly began yielding to gnarled fire-red ones. The Patron of Lands, Barong, seemed mesmerised by the array of trees, stretching out its arms as it closed its eyes, lost in the awe of its master's handiwork.

"The leaves are beautiful," Alicia praised, her voice a mere faint. "Like the autumn leaves, but without the dry look. Barong seems to like them. Mind telling me?"

Barong let out a hearty laugh. "Anything to satisfy your curiosity about trees, Miss Crimsonmane! These are Yugurekuro, endemic to Kagatse. They are actually the beloved trees of the Kagatseans because of their ability to alter the colour of their leaves with the changing seasons. Summer adorns them in red, autumn in black, winter in white, and spring in yellow! The trees provide a splendid disguise for spies and Ninshu practitioners!"

"That's an intriguing tidbit!" Alicia marvelled further. "I'll have to add that to the book."

"Eastern trees are great," Wisesa chained, "unlike the western ones that go bald come autumn."

"Hey, they'll regenerate come spring, ken!" Alicia argued. "Such is the nature of subtropical trees! The normal trees in Kagatse are no exception!"

"Wisesa, give it a rest! You may make her faint!" Barong reprimanded. Its hand seemed poised to smack Wisesa's head, but little did it matter if the host wished not to.

Izel, on the other hand, found it difficult to avert her gaze from the Patron of Lands.

"This one certainly is more curious than Alicia today," Barong commented in realisation.

The pyromancer shook her head. "The elders claim you've been unseen for the past four centuries and never heed a summon! Where have you been all this time?"

Barong and Wisesa exchanged glances for a moment. "Uhm... I was having... a problem."

"A big problem," Wisesa added. "A big blunder."

"Well, there was something else that threatened the safety of the realm, but that's resolved now."

"Not quite," came a second time from Wisesa. "This beast really made a big blunder and messed up my life."

"You show absolutely no respect for Tlaltecuhtli, do you?" said Izel, astonished. "Despite being granted power by him. You, among other people. Among the mighty Tamoanchanese warriors who revere him more. Not even me—I mean, I don't need it. No, don't need it. I seek something more ultimate!"

"Well, I didn't ask for it."

"It's okay," Barong soothed. "This boy was framed by a horrible fate. But I'm sure we'll be friends eventually."

"Yeah, right," Wisesa replied with a scornful laugh.

"You know what? I envision your present elephant form to be a giant, as per the old tale when you battled the tzitzimitl llhuicatlahuillitecuani, whose fire form resembled stardust in the sky, and inextinguishable unless the caster was slain! Elephants may not be special animals to us, but you, Tlaltecuhtli, are worthy of a secondary honour after Citlalicoatl!"

"Oh, llhuicatlahuillitecuani!" replied Barong. "I remember llhuicatlahuillitecuani. That scoundrel tzitzimitl was indeed a formidable foe. Her fire caused all the plants to suddenly possess mouths and scream. I don't accept that. The whole world was threatened by her, too."

Overhearing their conversation, Wisesa laughed again. Of course, in an inappropriate tone. "Elephant. Nice joke, miss. Though Barong doesn't have a trunk."

Izel's eyebrows furrowed. "He does have a trunk. Look, he's swinging his trunk right now."

"You're mistaking a tail for a trunk."

"Are you calling me foolish?" The pyromancer's knitting brows became ever sharper. "I know what a tail is. The trunk is there, on his face, and no, I didn't mistake his arse for his face. Understand?"

"I think you don't comprehend what an elephant is."

"I comprehend what an elephant is!" Izel's voice rose half an octave. "How does he appear in your flawless eyes?"

Looking at Barong, who was cackling like a deranged being, Wisesa replied, "It looks like a cat at first, but at this point, I don't know. What matters is that it's a combination of a bear, cow, lion, tiger, crow, dragon, flower, and human. That's what the book says. Oh, and I'm flattered that everyone acknowledges I’m the only one with perfect eyes."

"Cat? " Now it was Izel who laughed derisively. "You're less intelligent than you appear! How does a cat—or whatever that hybrid was—look like that? Do you even know cats? He is an amalgamation of an elephant, crouches like a frog, and his skin knobs like a crocodile's. Just like on the walls of my temple!"

It was a wonder that no one questioned why Barong concealed its cackle with its hand.

"By the gods this woman is delusional." Wisesa turned to Alicia. "Tell me! How does Barong look?"

"Eh? I-I... I never argued with you about Barong's appearance... shouldnae it be the same as what you mentioned?"

Wisesa's voice turned shrill as if imitating a whistle. "One Zero!" he shouted, pointing at Izel.

But Izel demurred, "You believe her, the one with the absurd round glasses? That's a red flag that her eyes are damaged!"

"Hey!" Alicia shouted.

"Fair enough, but I am keeping my score," said Wisesa.

"Hey!"

"What about these kids?" Wisesa cast both eyes at the two children who suddenly gasped, their faces bewildered. "What does this beast above my head look like?"

Kaito and Tome saw Barong shuffling its belly while waving and grinning. Kaito gulped. Tome edged behind her brother.

"I saw... Komainu? A yellowish-orange lion with bulging eyes and armour...?" Kaito answered hesitantly.

"Same. A cat. But scary!" Tome added.

"Three-O!" The man's index finger was again pointed at Izel's flushed face, prancing this time.

"You're manipulating the children! Tlaltecuhtli is an elephant, not a cat! And he's green not yellow!"

"You're fucking color blind!"

"I am not colour blind!"

"Your language, Divine Mercy!" Alicia snapped but then coughed, and her nausea resurfaced.

"Alright, alright! The debate is over." Barong's voice was rumbled like distant thunder, but there was no sign of anger. Instead, it let out a wheezing breath. Its incorporeal fingers gently rubbed its “eyes” as if tears were welling up in its ethereal form. "No one is wrong, okay? How you perceive me is a reflection of your background and beliefs. Izel, you see me as a crouching elephant, melded in shades of green. Wisesa sees me as an orange-clad beast in armour, influenced by the teachings of a shamanic tome. So does Alicia, because she first knew me through Yawadwipa's culture—"

"Uncultured Westerners!" interrupted Wisesa.

"No! Leave her be, she's still sick! And as for these children, though they share similar perceptions, they label me 'Komainu' instead of 'Barong'. My form differs in their eyes."

"So you've been toying with us all this time?" asked Wisesa.

"No one is playing you, fool. That's how the nature of the World Guardians has always been. Now, would you like to keep going or not?"

Wisesa's expression returned to grim, his hand pulling out the ribbon tied to the tree, which indeed the marker of the crew's chief. "Damn it," he muttered after a sigh.

Their strange banter seemed to work like magic; the sudden dimness had already swallowed three-quarters of the orange sky, and to their dismay, they were walking away from the sun. The horizon ahead was a complete darkness, and the forest had melded with it. Despite their disagreement over the Patron of Lands’ appearance, they concurred on one aspect: they perceived no light above the trees nor in their deepest ranks.

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"Maybe we should take to the skies," Izel suggested. "It'll be easier to detect the presence of your crew if they light a fire from a distance."

"Hey, you know I don't mind," Wisesa retorted, eyes still wandering tirelessly in search of a light source. "I don't mind at all. But—"

"I do mind." Alicia cut in with a feeble voice. She walked hand in hand with Kaito and Tome, but she lagged behind. Her two arms clutched her cherished Arcane ball and her back was hunched. "Walking is already tiring. If you pals are too impatient, let's just camp here."

Izel looked at the lass' languid state while girdling her loins. For someone who was keen on boasting, she wore an unpleasant expression. "Oh, my dear," she said. "If you're too fatigued to walk, simply tell me. I can invent a flying chariot for all of us!" Izel retrieved the staff from its sheath and pointed it near the field. "Xu-tlaquīzma! Xu-te-māitli! Xu-te-ōllin!"

The wind gusted until it solidified into embers, chiselled into the head of a giant horned serpent. The fiery serpent opened its jaws wide, and there appeared before them, two pairs of broad seats made of flames at the fore and aft.

"Looks cosy, doesn't it? Have a seat and rest while this snake-head takes us through the sky!" boasted Izel again.

However, the children seemed to be traumatised by the sheer size of the fire—or perhaps its grotesque shape.

Terrified, Tome clung to Kaito, while her brother inching behind the bespectacled girl, equally frightened.

"I don't want to," said Tome.

"Why not?" asked Izel in astonishment. "This isn't Mujino!"

"Fire is hot. It hurts."

"This fire is tame, look again!" Izel wagged the flame tongue on the carriage, even gripping the seat’s surface. "I don't feel anything. My fire won't hurt anyone without my command. I promise!"

"Fire is creepy. I don’t want to go!"

Alicia sighed. "Izel, I appreciate your efforts. It's just that... you asked the children to touch fire. What men ask their bairns to touch fire?

“The Tamoanchanese do.”

Alicia was too tired of sighing she even wanted to cry because of it. “Look. Like I said, if you can't stand it, we can camp nearby. Hopefully, my body will be better by tomorrow, so I can take you all flying together."

Izel's chariot was wiped out as her excited expression was replaced by a noticeable chagrin. "Tamoanchanese babies lick fire like milk."

"Of course. The problem’s these ones are not Tamoanchanese children, are they?"

"Okay. Fine. I understand," Izel's reply was bitter. "Children prefer the Arcane's beautiful and soothing visuals to fire. Fire can be beautiful too, but it is dangerous and brings pain. Especially to those who are not intimate with fire and grateful for its presence, whose future as a strong person is very much in doubt. I understand. Suit yourself. I'll still take my own chariot tomorrow."

"Izel, please. Let’s not turn this into some kind of competition or anything." Alicia pleaded weakly.

Thankfully, Izel opted not to provoke Alicia into the heated debate round two, recognising that the spectacled lass had already tasted defeat. The pyromancer sheathed her staff again and resumed walking. Suddenly, Wisesa glided through the tree leaves and landed near them. "Good news. I found them..., or, at least what's left of them."

"What's left?" Alicia's face contorted with horror. "Wisesa, they've already—"

"No, Alicia, by the Soul of Durga, your terrible prejudice! I found their belongings left behind in a field, but they weren't there. There were no traces of blood, no signs of a fight or anything."

"Then why phrase it that way?"

"Phrase it how? Miss, were you a calm person, you would be as firm as a dead man no matter how I speak! Forget it, let's go!"

They ventured deeper into the forest. There were two girls of the same age in the group, but Izel already felt reluctant towards Alicia, more so because the crimson-haired lass was more captivating to the children despite an infirm. Not to mention her Arcane might which seemed to be more dominant than the Orange Witch's fiery abilities. I did more acrobatics in that fight earlier! she pondered. So she chased after Wisesa, again pulling him into the discussion of the Earth Monster Barong and the power struggle. Every now and then Wisesa would cast glances backwards, signalling about the vexatious dark-skinned woman with his eyes. Alicia's gaze remained unblinking.

They finally arrived at a clearing surrounded by bushes. Two dry logs lay facing each other, and the crew's equipment was there: three damp bags from the earlier pirate assault, containing cooking utensils, dry provisions, Yawanese garments, and three boxes of bullets whose cardboard had gone mushy. No fire pit was in sight; the surface was still a patchy grass field.

The three noses of the crew members were nowhere to be seen. It was now night. They should have returned with firewood.

Izel took out her wand and conjured a tongue of fire that hovered in the centre of the logs, then gradually grew and branched out, like a bonfire. Looking at the two teenagers who were scanning their surroundings anxiously, she said, "They're lost. That much is sure. They have no fire, so darkness is their ally. We can look for them, though."

That, too, was an idea crossing the mind of the dazed Crimsonmane girl. However, she saw that Kaito's and Tome's eyes were already shrivelled, their bodies slumping against the trunk. Even Orb also noticed the state of its wielder, whispering in tones, Alicia, please rest. You've had a long day.

Alicia lifted Orb towards her face. "Orb? What about the crews?"

Izel glanced at Alicia and then at Wisesa. The lad simply shrugged. The orb was indeed sentient, and only Alicia understood the meaning of the melody emanating from it. However, Izel still could not resist labelling her as a weird nerd who spoke with an orb.

Alicia persisted in discussing the fate of the three crew members as if seeking justification for her little heart not to calm down and let her body rest. Orb's answer remained unchanged. There's no point in looking for them now, Alicia. Rest.

In the end, the lass relented. Orb insisted on its statement and as a might wielder with enough experience, she had to trust Orb's judgement. "We're calling it a day, pals. We need to rest. Kaito and Tome need it."

"And you need it the most," Wisesa's words were originally sarcasm.

But the insinuation was met with a weak smile, "Thank you for understanding, Wisesa."

The lad instead jerked back, misbehaving.

As for the pyromancer, she stepped forward through the bushes into the palpable darkness. "I'm going to check the perimeter. I hope when I return, you'll have food ready! Oh, I specifically mean you, Wisesa, and the Earth Monster! My stomach is already smouldering with hunger!”

Once Izel vanished a grumble escaped Wisesa's lips. "How dare she tell me what to do!"

"Just cook, Wisesa!" Barong rested its hands on his head. "She's already made the fire. All we have to do is set out the tray and put the ingredients on. Simple!"

Nevertheless, his hands went through the bag and took out the cooking utensils. Alicia had the two children sit on the fallen tree trunk and began aiding Wisesa in unloading the ingredients.

"Halah! You're defending her. You're already drunk in love with her just because she flatters you more than you deserve and more than I do!" Wisesa retorted.

"You've never even flattered me, Foolish Boy!"

"You’re right, I haven't. That power-drunk fire woman has never had a god inside her." Wisesa's scolding turned into muttering. "Fool. Envious of being forcibly stuffed with a being of great power is dumb." His voice rose another half octave. "Besides, I've already tracked down clues from the cowardly ship's crews. I shouldn't be the one doing the cooking, there's a—"

His hand had already pointed at Alicia's pallid visage, who happened to offer a bag of black ration marked "Pork Chilli". Her face was glum, but she displayed no offence at the implication. No, for she would swoon when her energy was drained for such a thing.

"By the gods." Wisesa snatched up the ration packet. "I guess everything needs one man to tend it all.”

As Wisesa tore open the rations and poured them into the pot, Alicia spoke up. "But you all seem to get along with her rather easily."

Wisesa scoffed. "She has her own charms. But she's just as annoying as you are."

"How so?"

"She's the same as you!"

"She's not the same as me!"

"Her mouth never shut up! The power, the Earth Monster, the magic match, the fire fetish—all that nonsense!"

Alicia hissed. "Keep your voice down! What if she hears?"

But Wisesa challenged the bespectacled girl's retort. "Well, let her hear!" His neck craned towards the forest where Izel had gone. His voice rose, "If she hears it I hope she shuts her mouth when returning!" When Wisesa had a pot of red soup water in his right hand and a camp grill in his left, he groaned again. "How can I cook over a floating fire? Do you expect me to cook the pot while it sears my hand?”

Seeing some thick dry twigs nearby, Kaito volunteered. "Let me help," he said. He took four twigs and planted them on the ground near the fire in cardinal directions, atop which he placed the soup pot.

"Hey, not bad, kiddo," Wisesa commended. "You'll get an extra portion."

"Can you put some cream in the soup too?" pleaded Kaito "Me and Tome can't eat spicy."

A small giggle slipped from Wisesa's mouth. "Never content over anything, are you?" His grin abruptly waned, the veins of his face tautening. "No."

"Wisesa!" Alicia scolded. Without the chef's consent, she seized a can of cream and poured it into the dish.

"You're ruining the dish!"

"No, I'm not. Dinnae be selfish."

Wisesa sighed, choosing to lean against a tree trunk. "Then what about you?" the lad asked back. "At least you have a female companion for a spell. Your eyes won't get any worse from only seeing my face every day—don't let me hear 'she's the same as you' coming out of your mouth."

Alicia shrugged. "Well, I mean, she's also annoying!"

"By the gods, how unoriginal!"

"She's annoying in her own way, though,'" the girl began to explain. "I know she meant well, but she always wanted her powers and only her powers to get the job done. It's like she's showing off, with no regard for others..."

"You have Arcane, and she only has fire. How can she not be inferior?"

"I never meant to demean anyone's magic. I even liked her Tlemauayolotli ability!"

"What did you say?"

"Tlemauayolotli. The mystical art she practices?"

"Call it fire magic, missy. Not everyone is a nerd like you."

"Regardless! I dinnae like it when urgent work falters due to her penchant for bravado. Mutual assistance among magical forces holds greater significance. But for now, we should familiarise ourselves with her. Only she knows the way to the capital, despite the threat of those strange monsters. Besides... she's a refugee from Tamoanchan, and she might be able to help find someone. Fate is so strange."

"Looking for someone? Oh, shit, oh no, that fake astrologer's false prophecy!"

"He's not fake Wisesa! You and I are the proof!"

"Halah, that delusion embedded in your brain. Didn't I tell you that's not what I'm following you for? Don't make random assumptions! Can you really believe her? Can you trust those two kids who have been eavesdropping all along?"

Alicia turned her head towards the two kids in question. Tome hugged her brother again. "Don't worry. You don't need to know about this." Alicia said softly.

Kaito stammered, but he tried to keep his voice from trembling. "Uh..., we understand!"

"I am returned!" Izel suddenly jumped from the bush! "Woman, I heard you were looking for someone from Tamoanchan. Whom do you seek?"

"Oh good, she was eavesdropping from the shadows too," remarked Wisesa.

"It's a... rather long story," said Alicia. "And I don't know if I can trust you."

"Alicia, I'm not malevolent!" said Izel with a chuckle. "I am acquainted with all the Tamoanchanese refugees present. I can be of aid if you so desire. We have all night, so you can tell me all about it!"

"I dinnae have all night. After dining, I'm going to rest. But if the time is right and you can be trusted, I'll think about it."

"Ah, you, so hard to trust people. Well then, it's time to eat!" Izel peered into the pot brimming with red soup. "Is this chilli soup? Wow, how tempting! But, why is it a bit pale in colour?"

"Alicia added a can of cream," replied Wisesa.

"What? Why did you do that? You're ruining the dish!"

"No, it didnae ruin the dish! Kids cannae eat spicy. You're nae the only ones here. Please understand that!"

"I jest!" Izel laughed heartily. She patted Kaito on the shoulder. "Fear not. I can take the ‘unspiced’ fare!" []