The Kingdom of Fire

Upon entry into Kimora’s domain, the heroes could hardly believe their eyes. The landscape that appeared before them was the most fantastical thing they’d ever seen!

In Kimora’s arms, Kanie let out a cry of surprise.

“Does your wound hurt?” Kimora asked, concerned. “Hang on—I’ll get you help as soon as I can.”

“No, it’s not that…” he said. “I’m just… afraid of heights, is all.”

He looked down. Kimora was hovering at the edge of a black, rocky cliff.

In front of the cliff was a massive, winding bridge that extended for miles. Atop the bridge flowed a beautiful stream of bright, shimmering lava.

“This river will take us directly to my castle,” Kimora said. She whistled to Mylo.

“… Mylo, go on ahead. Wait for me in the master’s chamber.”

Mylo barked once before leaping over her and directly into the flowing lava. He started to swim north, gradually moving away into the distance.

Kimora lowered herself, along with Kanie, onto a stone slab facing the river. Eric followed them. He shielded himself with a defense barrier before stepping onto the slab.

“It’s piping hot in here,” he remarked. “As expected of the Kingdom of Fire, I suppose…”

No sooner had he said that than a rumble sounded the area. From the pool of lava beneath the bridge emerged something massive—the head of a lizard-like creature. Liquid fire leaked like saliva from its gaping mouth.

“… Welcome home, Queen Kimora,” said the creature. It spoke slowly in a deep and gravelly voice.

“Oh~, I’m back, Aphon~!” Kimora chimed. “Did you have a nice nap?”

Aphon narrowed his eyes.

“Highness… Who… is it… that accompanies you?” he grumbled in a whisper.

Kimora beamed.

“Humans,” she said.

“… Humans!?” said Aphon. He extended his long, scaly neck until his head rested right before Kanie and Eric. They jolted back in fear.

Sniff, sniff.

“Hmm… it is as you say,” he said. “A peculiar scent… Shall I… feast?”

So the humans who snuck in here really were eaten!? Kanie thought.

Kimora pouted.

“You may not, silly Aphy~,” she said. She gestured toward the heroes.

“These two brought Mylo back for me. I owe the one named Kanie Misawa a favor.”

“The… swordsman?” asked Aphon. He turned his attention to Kanie, who lay sideways in Kimora’s arms.

“… Then you had best hurry… my queen,” he said. “The boy’s pulse… It’s speeding up!”

His guttural voice trailed off before he descended, disappearing back into the fiery abyss below.

“… You don’t have to tell me,” whispered Kimora. “I know, already.”

Crack.

The rocky platform she stood on broke away from its resting place and started to skid forward. It glided about the lava like a water raft, picking up speed as it went.

Kimora placed Kanie down gently onto the platform.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, taking a seat beside him.

“Me? I’m okay—I’m super,” said Kanie, shooting her a thumbs-up.

Above him flew a group of large, birdlike animals. He looked on in awe as they screeched and flapped their wings.

“Vendmyr Agustos—Birds of a Pyre,” Kimora said. “Looks like they’re heading west of the kingdom in search of nesting grounds.”

“They can leave?” asked Eric, curious.

“Correct~,” she said. “Once lifeforms spawn from the four volcanoes of Impes Lux, it’s up to them whether they stay or go.”

She pointed toward a large mountain that lay northwest of her castle.

“That’s Mt. Arctos,” she said. “—The biggest of the four.”

The heroes eyed Mt. Arctos, becoming wholly absorbed by its sheer size and scale. The mountain boomed in the distance as legions of flaming animals were spat out of its top.

Kanie watched as a warthog-like creature galloped past them on the left, bellowing as it went. To his right lay a group of ashen-colored foxes, whose ears twitched when the platform passed by.

“Is it just me, or is everything here… abnormally huge?” he said. “These animals are way bigger than anything we saw prowling around Jandariu’s plains.”

“My presence provides them with an abundance of fire-based energy,” explained Kimora. “When I’m in close proximity, they grow tremendously in size.”

… I see, thought Eric. Now it makes sense why the Fire Salamanders in Vorax Thicket were so large—it’s because she was nearby in the forest.

“Kimora,” he said. “Can I ask you something?”

“What is it, Erika Chandler~?”

“You said before that the heroes sealed you away here in your kingdom, right? If that’s so, then how were you roaming around Vorax Thicket yesterday?”

“My~, a sharp one you are,” said Kimora. “Under normal circumstances, I’m indeed bound to Impes Lux. Under the right conditions, however, I am permitted to leave.”

“Conditions?” Kanie asked.

“Yup,” she said. “When something outside my domain threatens to destroy Jandariu’s balance, I’m allowed to step in to intervene. … That being said, I’ve never had to leave these past hundred years—until recently, that is.”

She faced forward again, fixing her sight on her castle.

“… It was two days ago, in the afternoon, that Mylo started acting up and escaped from my castle,” she said.

“I took it upon myself to investigate, and I found that his strange behavior was caused by the appearance of two abnormalities—alien variables that tore a rift in the world’s energy field.”

Kanie gulped, having put the pieces together.

“Two abnormalities… two days ago… and in the afternoon?”

He looked at Eric, who nodded.

“It was us,” Eric said, confirming his suspicions. “Our summoning to this world must’ve been the catalyst for Mylo’s escape.”

“… Um, how do I put this? We’re sorry for the trouble,” Kanie said, apologizing to Kimora. He expected her to pout and complain, but instead, she smiled warmly.

“… Not at all. If anything, I’m grateful that you two gave me a chance to finally leave this place,” she said.

Confined for a hundred years, Kanie marveled. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible that must’ve felt.

The rocky platform slowed to a stop. It made a loud crashing sound upon making contact with land at the end of the river.

Kimora stood up from between the heroes.

“We’re here,” she said, her voice calm and prideful. “We’ve arrived at Entymair—my castle.”

Kanie and Eric peered up at Entymair, eyes widening as they did. The structure was so large that it seemed to stretch on endlessly toward the heavens above. Warm orange light leaked from its windows, and its many spires sat high in the air, illuminated by the pink-purple dawn.

Catching wind of the heroes’ admiration, Kimora smirked and placed her hands on her hips.

“Hmhmm~, so whaddya think? Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“… Beautiful is an understatement!” said Kanie. “In all my life, I’ve never seen anything like it—”

His words cut off as his eyes went blank. He collapsed quietly atop the platform, prompting Kimora and Eric to call out his name. They shook him repeatedly, but it was no use.

He had lost consciousness, his body limp and lifeless.