(Ivan)

Ivan was assaulted by consuming heat the moment he emerged on the other side of the portal. He looked around. He had been transported to a hellish world, standing at the precipice of a massive volcano. A river of crimson magma bled from a nearby crater and flowed down the hillside. The acrid smell of brimstone and sulfur permeated the air. Grumbling explosions shook the ground under his feet.

His heart thudded in his chest. He felt strange. His hands tingled and he looked down. He gasped. He did not recognize his body. His muscles were bigger. He had a large scar across his forearm. His bulging veins pulsed with power.

My veins are glowing!

He felt like he had been transported into someone else’s body. A foreign sensation crept into his mind and pervaded his thoughts. His subconscious ignited and he lurched. The feeling of disorientation was short-lived as he was struck by a moment of clarity.

Magic is coursing through my body.

He took a deep breath and realization dawned on him.

So, this is me in the future… and I’ve got some kind of fire magic?

The scorching heat of this infernal place empowered him.

His chest constricted.

Where is Jane?

Ivan’s heart erupted. He realized that here, in this place, he had feelings for her. He paused and his breath caught. He had more than just simple feelings for her.

He loved her!

He looked around and urgently searched for Jane.

She must be close by…

His heart clenched when he saw her curled up on the opposite side of the portal. Her entire body was encased in a sphere of ice that was rapidly melting.

He raced toward her. He easily lifted the ice sphere that encased her. Intuitively, he formed a magical barrier around them, keeping the intense heat at bay.

I cast a spell, the thought flashed by.

He did not have time to process everything that was going on. He needed to take care of Jane.

“Jane,” Ivan shouted. “Can you hear me? I’ve got you, you’re safe now!”

The ice melted, and tendrils of water snaked around her. Just like him, she looked different. She was at least twenty years older.

She raised her head and looked into his eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek, just like she had done right before entering the portal. Her face lit up. She threw her arms around him and held him tight.

“You saved me.” She nestled her head on his shoulder.

He breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed her tightly. They clung together like the sun to the sky.

Jane finally broke the embrace. She placed her hands on the sides of his face and gazed at him with wonder. “You look to be at least twenty years older.” She stared at him.

She lifted her gaze and blanched when she saw the fiery landscape. She tilted her head, reached out and glided her hand along the shimmery protective barrier that surrounded them. “It’s beautiful.” She looked at Ivan questioningly. “Are you doing this?”

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“Yes.”

“How? How are you’re keeping the heat at bay?”

“I don’t know. The spell came naturally to me… or, to the future me. It’s confusing, but fire feels like a part of me. It obeys me. It looks like I’m not the only one with strange magic in this place. When I found you, you were completely encased in a sphere of ice.”

Jane’s eyes widened. “So, in the future, both of us have mysterious, unknown magic…”

(Jane)

Jane lifted her hand and swirling water flowed down her fingertips. The water felt like an extension of her. She moved her fingers and played with it, changing it to ice and steam. A liquid sphere formed, which morphed into a cube and then into a pyramid. She kept creating new shapes.

An image flashed into her mind, and she cocked her head to the side. The water changed shape yet again and a dragon formed in midair and crystalized into ice. She stared at the dragon, transfixed by the intricate frozen sculpture. There was something important about this little beast, but the meaning eluded her.

A nearby eruption interrupted her reverie. She looked around, worried. The translucent barrier surrounding them caught her attention again. “So, this is the only thing keeping the heat away, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

“How long can you maintain it?”

“I’m not sure. I think I can sustain it for quite some time, but we need to get you out of here. This place is a raging furnace. I can see the next portal. It’s located across the lake of magma.” He used his chin to point in the distance.

Jane looked across the wide expanse. The portal stood on top of another volcano. They would have to cross a cauldron of fiery lava, dotted with islands of jagged obsidian.

“Uhh, how are we going to reach the other portal?” she asked.

“Parkour!” Ivan grinned. “Better hold on tight."

(Ivan)

With Jane on his back, Ivan rushed down the hillside, taking large strides. With magic coursing through his body, her weight felt like nothing. He had never moved like this before. He had perfect control of his limbs and inhuman strength. He leaped over large pools of liquid rock and raced through explosions of fire. It did not take him long to reach the lake. Without hesitation, he sprang toward one of the obsidian rocks.

Jane gasped behind him as he landed some distance away and immediately bounded toward the next rock. She gripped him tighter. He moved with raw power. After clearing the lake, he leaped toward the steep face of the cliff leading to the next portal. With his hands ablaze, his fingers fractured through the obsidian rock, and he swiftly began to scale the cliff side.

Midway through the climb, Ivan stopped and looked down at the blazing chasm below.

“I hope this is not the fate of the Shadow Lands,” Jane whispered bleakly.

Ivan heard the dread in her voice. He wanted to comfort her but there was nothing that he could say. He pushed forward and continued to climb. Finally, he vaulted over the ledge that led to the next portal.

“Here we are.” Ivan skidded to a stop and Jane hopped off his back.

“Hmm, it’s quite a bit cooler around this portal.” He dropped his shield and looked at Jane. “Well, are you ready for what comes next?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“This time, I’m going first.” He leaned forward, pulled Jane toward him, and kissed her. Awareness radiated between them. Jane shot him a brilliant smile. He released her, grinned, and leaped into the portal.

Ivan was plunged into a dark and icy abyss. He was submerged deep underwater and assaulted by freezing cold. He flailed his arms and legs but found no leverage. He did not know if he was swimming up or down. He continued to hold his breath as he thrashed around chaotically. His lungs burned. Fear gripped him and his suffocating pain was replaced by engulfing darkness. His final thoughts of Jane were drowned in oblivion.

“Ivan! Ivan!” He heard Jane’s frantic voice in the back of his mind. “Breathe!” She shook his body.

He inhaled and exhaled, coughing violently. Once the coughing subsided, he sat up and looked around. He sat atop a thick layer of translucent ice. His eyes slowly focused on Jane.

“What… what happened?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

“I entered the portal right after you. Though I was transported some distance away. We were dropped in the middle of this lake. With my new magic, I can breathe underwater.”

She placed her hand over his heart. “I felt your presence and knew where you were. I grabbed you and swam to the surface. I had to break a hole through the ice and drag you out.” She paused. “I removed the water from your lungs with magic.”

“So, it was your turn to save me,” Ivan rasped as he smiled weakly.

“Yes, it was!” She moved closer and they embraced.

After he recovered, it was time to move on. The next portal was on the top of a pyramid, which was made from blocks of ice. In the distance behind the pyramid, a cryovolcano spewed columns of vapor and belched chunks of frozen debris.

Ivan and Jane climbed the staircase, which ascended to the top of the structure.

“We’re going together!” they said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. They clasped hands and walked through the portal.