(Kyla’s point of view)

“Are you sure?” I asked. “Isn’t that something the staff usually does?”

Pyro lowered his gaze. “We’ll, if you’d prefer that… I‘ll have a secretary—”

“No, no, I’m happy that you’re giving me the tour personally. I just worried that it might be selfish of me to take up more of your time.”

“Nonsense, I’ve nothing better to do. Besides, who better to show you around the hero department than the hero that built it?”

On the outside I did my best to appear mature and dignified. Inside, however, there was complete chaos.

As my mind darted back and forth between joy and anxiety, a volatile swirl of emotions threatened to overwhelm me.

Remembering all the times I’d teased my brother, I told myself I had to stay cool. I knew Fey would eventually hear about this, and the last thing I wanted was for him to throw my own words back at me.

I followed Pyro into the crowded hall. Nurses and friends of patients, waiting in the halls, stopped their conversations when we stepped out of the room. Pyro’s status went before us like a plow, dividing and pushing the crowd to either side of the room.

I kept my gaze centered between Pyro’s shoulder blades as we walked down the hall.

My cheeks grew hot as speculating eyes gave rise to idle chatter.

The short walk to the end of the hall, where teleportation podiums waited, felt like a suffocating eternity. When we reached the platforms, Pyro invited me to join him on one of the small cylinders.

For us both to fit, I had to practically hug him, which elicited a collective gasp from those watching. I wanted to pull away and get my own platform, but Pyro wrapped his arm tightly around me. The teleporter activated, giving me relief from my embarrassment.

We appeared in another hall, this one almost empty and definitely not one of the med bays.

An enforcer, standing near the teleporter, snapped to attention. “Lord Pyro, we weren't expecting you.” He said with a slight bow.

Pyro nodded to acknowledge him then we proceeded down the hall.

Inside Sky Haven there were no actual windows and it was hard to say where anything was physically located since most areas could only be reached through the teleporters. This hall however, did have windows that allowed one to see the world outside the towers.

We had to be near the top, of which tower I wasn’t sure, but windows lining the left side of the hall looked out over half of Sky City. The city was like a miniature table top model from this distance.

I felt almost like some kind of God looking down on the people as they went from place to place, living their lives, working, shopping or enjoying various leisure activities.

Beyond the city, fields stretched like colorful blankets where farmers and ranchers raised crops and grazing beasts. In the distance those fields rolled into hills that grew into purple mountains on the horizon. A river running from the mountain split the whole picture down the middle and flowed into a wide moat that separated Sky Haven from the city.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, admiring the view.

“It is a nice view. I thought you might like it.” Wrapping an arm around my waist, Pyro gently nudged me along. “I’d love to stay here and admire it all day, but we have much more to see.”

He guided me through a recreation and cafe area. In one corner of the room there was a simulation chamber where someone was playing video games.

Next to that was a couch where two girls sat, each messaging on their comms.

A group of five, sitting directly across from the entrance, was watching castle game replays, so I assumed they must’ve been a team watching their last match to find opportunities to improve their strategy.

Spanning the length of the opposite wall was a counter covered with goodies.

Mom probably wouldn’t be able to restrain herself around so many sweets. I laughed thinking about the awkward photo of her.

“Something on your mind?” Pyro asked, “I’d love to hear about it.”

I shook my head. “I was just thinking how my mom would be stuffing her face if she was here.” realizing I probably shouldn’t have said that, I covered my mouth and wished I could take my words back.

Pyro’s rumbling laughter filled the room, drawing everyone’s attention. I didn’t recognize any of them so I guessed they must have all been other hero candidates. I was eager to meet them, but none of them seemed very interested in me. After a quick glance they went back to what they had been doing.

As we got closer, a man behind the cafe counter offered me a jelly filled pastry and some coffee. I took them, using a simple levitation spell to make the cup float beside me while I enjoyed the sweet snack.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce our newest hero candidate.” Pyro boomed beside me. This time the others stopped their task completely, with the exception of whoever was in the simulator. The two girls from the couch got up and came over first. Then the castle game group. The two staff members behind the counter greeted me with a “hi” and “yo” respectively. Neither left their post though.

The other hero candidates mostly just shook my hand. Some seemed genuinely frustrated having to greet me, while others seemed to look at me with pity. I found it odd, but didn’t pay much mind. When we turned back down the hall toward the teleporters Pyro said, “Jealousy. It poisons the soul, but you can ignore them. They only regret not being good enough to have been chosen by me.”

I wasn’t so sure, but I wasn’t going to argue with heaven’s flame. Pyro was sent from heaven to defend humanity in its darkest hour. He invented many of the tools and technology that kept us safe and made our lives easy and he was the strongest deterrent that kept rogue mages from overrunning Vania. If he thought the other candidates were jealous, then they probably were.

After stepping on the teleporter again, we came to some sort of training area. It was devoid of people, which seemed odd unless perhaps this was the rest day for all of the hero candidates.

Pyro led me through the facility anyway. As we walked, he asked me all sorts of questions. It was like he wanted to know every detail of my life. At first I was evasive, but he listened intently anyway and took a genuine interest in anything I was willing to talk more about. When we’d pass something he wanted to show me he’d casually point it out and if I was curious about it he’d give an explanation before we moved on.

Having fully explored the training facility, Pyro guided me back toward the teleporters.

“The next floor we’re going to is called the tranquil garden,” he said. “It’s quite literally a garden inside the building. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

“A garden? Like with potted plants and flowers and stuff?”

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He shook his head. “No, a garden, with bamboo stalks that touch the clouds, birds that might even land on your shoulder, and even a little stream.”

“Oh, my house has something like that in the living room. It’s quite nice.”

Again he shook his head. “I don’t mean the holographs, light tricks, and sound bytes those rudimentary huts use. This garden is real.”

I stopped talking. I wasn’t sure whether to be offended or impressed, but in either case I knew I felt it best to decide after seeing the tranquil garden for myself. We climbed onto the teleporter and in a blink our surroundings were replaced with the wonder he’d described.

The floor was dirt and soft grass. Hanging trees lined a stone paved walking path. A fluffy little bunny hopped in a field of flowers to the right and to the left, frogs croaked a lovely chorus by a pond.

Further into the garden, stalks of bamboo rose impossibly high into the sky prompting me to ask, “are we still inside?”

Pyro smiled. “We are.” Raising a finger to the sky, he continued, “above this floor is a place reserved only for heroes. Kind of fitting right?”

“Like ascending into the heavens.” I mused while trying to imagine how one would actually reach the next floor.

Pyro placed his hand on my lower back and gently guided me along between rows of vibrant flowers that bloomed regardless of their season. Some portions of the path weren’t covered by the trees. When I noticed the warmth of a sun on my back, I knew none of this was a trick. There really was a garden inside the building, but what was the point of all this extravegance?

We came to a large circle of hedges that grew thick and tall. Inside the circle there were twelve golden statues; Pyro’s stood at the center and was twice the size of the other heroes. His likeness was majestic, powerful and imposing, despite only being a golden replica of the real man.

“It’s always the pretty ones.” An unimposing young man said as he stepped out from behind the giant statue.

“Gill, your presence here is not unexpected.” Pyro calmly replied.

I noticed his odd choice of words. The atmosphere became tense and I began to feel rather uncomfortable.

Gill clicked his tongue in frustration. “So you do know then! And you still sent them?”

Pyro nodded.

Gill’s face became a complex web of emotions. First confusion, then sadness followed by disillusion; then anger dominated all others and soon washed them away entirely. His face turned bright red and his whole body trembled with rage as he slammed his fist into the ground.

Twelve huge metallic slabs shook the room as they rose up to form a barrier around us.

Pyro’s lip curled into a half smile. “Only a fool picks a fight he can’t win.”

Slowly looking up from the ground to make eye contact with Pyro, Gill growled, “I’ll destroy you and every lie you’ve built!”

Pyro spun around, knocking me away as he did, then flames erupted from his body. Everything within a few feet of him melted.

I crashed hard into the wide leaves of a thick vine then slid down and fell a few feet. I landed on my feet, but immediately fell forward, barely catching myself before my face hit the ground.

I was sure that Pyro hadn’t intended to hurt me, but the unexpected blow forced the air from my lungs and left a bruise on my stomach.

After spitting out some bile and catching my breath I looked back to where Pyro and Gill were fighting. They each moved so quickly that it was impossible for me to discern more than a few flashes of magic here and there, but the intensity of their battle was destroying everything in their vicinity. Even the massive golden statue of Pyro had begun melting and the other twelve were already reduced to puddles of shimmering gold liquid.

I was still too close to the fight, but only realized it when an invisible wind blade sliced clean through the thick trunk of the vine. Had the blade come a few inches left I’d have been dead or at least severely maimed. When the initial shock wore off I scrambled to my feet and raced toward the metal walls, but try as I might there was no way out. The walls were, at least for me, an impenetrable barricade forcing me to stand by and pray I didn’t die until their battle ended.

After a few unnerving minutes, all of the warmth began leaving the air. Within a few seconds the temperature dropped to the point that I could see my breath. A few moments later it reached the point that spit froze before it could hit the ground. I shivered, unable to warm myself.

When I tried to use fire magic it felt like the energy fueling the magic was being sucked away faster than I could do anything with it.

Then I noticed that Pyro was kneeling, no longer clad in flame and badly injured. I wasn’t sure how he did it, but Gill had punched a melon sized hole in the hero’s chest. Seeing the injury I thought for sure that the fight was done and perhaps I might be next.

As the heated energy coalesced around Pyro, I wondered what he was doing and feared that it might be a last ditch effort to take Gill down with a suicide explosion. I’m sure Gill thought the same but he didn’t seem worried or concerned at all. Instead he deactivated his CAD and waited.

Gill was also injured, although only superficially, but his sluggish movement revealed his exhaustion. As he gloated over the dying hero I struggled to rationalize what I was seeing. Gill Emerson, a normal noble boy as far as I knew, had somehow taken down heaven's flame and come away virtually unscathed. Pyro, who was the founder and embodiment of everything our current society believed in, was about to die in front of me.

As Pyro gathered more energy his body began to glow a dim purple and the white flame that earned him the nickname Heaven’s flame, filled the cavity in his chest. Pyro’s gentle eyes became cold and detached as an otherworldly aura filled the atmosphere. He let out an earth shaking roar that knocked me tumbling on my ass and even caused some sections of the metal walls to crumble and break apart. When I got back to my feet Pyro was gone and in his place stood a mighty scaled beast like a dragon.

It had long spiraling horns that framed its jaw and protruded out past its muzzle. Its two eyes were set towards the front of its face, but far enough to the side that it could still see in almost a full three sixty at once. The creature was large enough to be ridden by one, or even two people, but still small enough that I wouldn’t consider it huge. It had dew claws on all four of its limbs and tiny white scales covered its body like armor. With a puff of smoke the beast spoke, “You should’ve cut me down while you had the chance.”

Gill immediately reactivated his CAD and the battle began again. This time, it was clearly one sided. Pyro, using his spiked tail, swatted away Gill’s mana blade like it was a child’s toy. Gill tried to use magic, but the space felt like it was under Pyro’s complete control. Each of Gill’s spells sputtered and died without having any effect.

The look of terror on Gill’s face when Pyro stood over him was only matched by my horror at the heroes monstrous form.

Using a horn, Pyro gored Gill’s face, marking him with a symbol usually branded on traitors.

The process must’ve been excruciating but Gill refused to scream or call for help.

I felt his pain, his helplessness, his fear and even his hatred. It wasn’t fair.

How could a being like this exist? Is this what the heroes we– no, the heroes I had idolized are? Monsters that rule over ignorant humans?

I felt betrayed and dismayed that moments ago I was lamenting Pyro’s impending death, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Gill was referring to when he called Pyro a liar.

Looking in my direction Pyro’s evil form smiled; but what should’ve been a warm and reassuring gesture was instead grotesquely disturbing. “I had almost forgotten you were here,” he hummed.

“What are you?” I asked, my voice trembling at barely a whisper.

Fearing for my life, I stepped back until I was pressed flat against the metallic barrier barring my escape.

Then, having realized my repulsion, he stood on two legs and backed away from Gill, blood still dripping from his left horn, then he spoke again. “You’ll have a trial and the people will decide your fate.” He spat at Gill who lay trembling on the ground.

Turning towards me he smiled again as his form began changing once more. “I am the hero you know and love. Pyro The Great. Heaven’s Flame. The Fire of Judgment.” He said, rattling off a few of the names he was known by, none of which seemed to fit anymore.

As he continued to approach, a woman's voice caught my attention. “Is this what you wanted me to see?” She asked from somewhere out of sight. “I guess there’s one lesson you still haven’t learned yet.”

Pyro didn’t react to the voice, but Gill closed his eyes with a frown and a single tear rolled down his cheek when the woman spoke. I realized that it must’ve been some kind of telepathy, but wasn’t sure I was meant to hear it.

Pyro, now appearing fully human, stood before me and tried to take my hand. As a reflex, I jerked away from him. He continued to hold his hand out to me with a warm smile, inviting me to trust and go with him, but it took me several moments to separate what I’d just seen from the man standing before me now.

“How are you still alive?” I asked, noticing that after returning to human form he appeared completely uninjured.

Tracing the outline of where the hole had been, he smiled. “I was never in any real danger.”

I watched in horror as Pyro recreated the wound. Blood poured from the cavity, but he didn’t buckle, shudder, or even wince and within a few minutes the large hole in his chest completely healed.

Reluctantly, and more out of fear than trust, I took his hand.