The Heart is a Void: Ashes to Ashes

Chapter 130: Wildfire

As he was walking down the streets of Kruxol, Crucis suddenly heard a loud, feminine scream behind him.

"Everyone, get away! Stay away from me!"

Turning around, he saw a frail, white shape vanishing into an alley beside the road, seemingly hiding from some confused passers-by.

Not one to let people have their way, Crucis used [Stealth Cloak] and ducked into the alley after her, using [Sound Sign] to pinpoint her location from the sound of her running.

Besides, he had just read a Light Novel named [The Pet Goat], looted from GEORGEW, and it had inspired him to practice surveillance and thwart all attempts at personal privacy among the wider populace.

After a few steep turns, he found a slender, long-legged figure kneeling to the ground at the end of a long alley, with a dead end right behind her.

It was a girl with long, black hair reaching up to her hips. In the night, her hair's glossy sheen almost appeared a dark purple sometimes from a distance. She was leaning down carefully over a large bow, her red skirt perking up as she inspected it.

"Keep your distance," she growled quietly. "I won't put up with ghosts and demons in my presence."

"That's why you ran over here?" Crucis enquired.

"Yes! And when my weapon is ready... I promise you'll feel its wrath! Godless and wicked beasts!"

"No need to be so hostile! You should look out. This isn't even my final form!"

She turned her head, startled. Her hair circled silently through the air. "So you're going to transform into a monster now? I... I'll have to fight you, then!"

"Nah, April Fools'. Sorry if I scared you. I'm not a ghost or demon, but to be honest it would be helpful in trying to survive here."

"Hm. I did think you sounded too civilised. Tell you what, don't let people here recruit you into an evil creature like them. It's our duty to stand up for good, against evil, always."

"Lots of people say that. But you look like you take it seriously." He walked up until he was standing over her.

She stared at him pensively before replying.

"Look, I'm sorry for calling you a ghost and demon. I'm a bit out of it. It's just, I appeared here all of a sudden, and not only that, but..."

"Yes?"

"So many of you have some sort of powers. Where I come from, it was only me and a few others. I feel... I don't know, weak. Ordinary."

"If you were ordinary, we wouldn't be talking here." Crucis' voice was soft, almost a whisper. "What kind of powers did you have?"

"Why should I tell you? I don't know you're not wicked."

Crucis smiled. "True, you don't. Do you think I am?"

"Well... I may have been hasty earlier. When I called you that. Please forgive me! Maybe I'll tell you soon, okay?" she paused. "Would you mind kneeling down to, um, maybe help me with the bow?"

"Sure." He crouched down calmly. "What kind of help do you need?"

"Oh, just do what I'm doing. Polishing it, getting it prepared. I might need a better string."

She was busily polishing the bow with a soft cloth, producing a few flickering sparks as she went.

The occasional hint of light flickered into the alley, and Crucis noticed that the bow's wood seemed to glow with a flame-like, dancing pattern of red and yellow wherever the light hit. It didn't seem to be ordinary bow.

He leaned down and took out a looted [Bowstring]. "Does this look alright?"

"Yeah! Can you start putting that on? I'll help."

As she busily begun unstringing the bow, she went silent and her eyes narrowed with focus.

"Alright, it's ready," she said. "Let's try this string, now."

Crucis spread the bowstring across the length of the bow, and she leaned in to carefully string it. Her bow seemed to be quite different from others, and her hands wove in a complex, unconventional motion to tie the string in. However, she seemed used to this, and was more chatty this time.

"You know, it's lonely here. I hate this place so much. I don't know most people here, and even you don't call me by name. You must think I'm a freak."

"You never told me your name," Crucis replied.

She giggled. "Oh, whoops! I thought I had introduced myself! But... I hope you understand, I don't trust anyone here."

Her back curved under him, as if it were itself a bow, as she leaned over to fasten the string on the far side of the bow.

"Alright, what should we call you?"

"Um..." Paranoid, she tried to come up with a fake name. "Remika. I'd like you to call me that."

"Your real name is a secret?"

"Yes. You know how this works by now." Her voice was more frail than her tears.

"Alright. I guess I have nothing else to call you except Remika." He sat down on the wall across from her. "Why do you think that people here are ghosts and demons?"

She blushed and looked down nervously, seemingly thinking that her answer would freak him out. "Um, it's a long story... Before I answer, can you tell me what you thought when you first saw me? I'm, um, curious."

"You looked like a ghost, honestly. A white mist disappearing through the alleys."

"Yeah, maybe I'm a bit like a ghost. Which type? Maybe the weeping ghosts." She tried to smile, and blushed slightly.

"What types of ghosts?"

"Oh, don't you know? There's so many kinds, I know them, but most people don't realise. The scariest ones are - well, usually it's the bloodthirsty ones with axes and swords. But the weeping ghosts can be scarier sometimes, because they will tear themselves apart in their sorrow, and become a black hole that swallows all life."

After saying this, she looked down with a shocked expression, as if regretting letting it slip.

"Have you seen them?" Crucis said soothingly.

"Yes, and been lucky to escape. If I wasn't powerful, maybe I wouldn't have... But I think that everyone is aware of them, on a deep, subconscious level."

"I see. So should I be running away from you right now, weeping ghost?"

"No! You're, um, a demon or something, did I say that? So then you wouldn't run away. You're of the same kind."

"Fair's fair! Well, I can't say I've seen these ghosts, but the way you describe them -"

"I'm not just being poetic, by the way. These things actually happen. Like, I really have powers... And I'm also stuck here. When you've seen the things I've seen, well... You realise that nothing is too far out there."

"I see." He ruffled her hair lightly. "You've had too much excitement during your time here. No wonder you're so pale."

~

Might Guy stood on a tall, sandy hill, holding Goku's heart crushed in his right fist.

A stylish, long, black car pulled up loudly, on the plains below.

"Ole, ole, ole, ole!" a dignified voice spoke from inside the car, rolling down the window slightly. "I did think that putting you in this universe would be quality entertainment."

"Yes, but what about your part of the deal, Batman?" Might Guy said, turning towards the car. "You said that killing Goku and his wife was my chance to leave here and return to my home universe."

"Ah, yes. Well, I have prepared you a portal to a new world. It's an interesting one, you will land in a kingdom named Invichokra that's inside a video game. I'm sending a bunch of people there, from across the multiverse. They will all duel for my pleasure, because I'm the God, Batman!"

"Wait, Batman is God?"

"Well, this is a PG universe. Half of the word was censored, so it came out as 'God.' It's just a coincidence that I happen to be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent."

"Ah ha! But if you're omnipresent, why do you need a car?"

"It's not who I am inside that defines me, it's my cool ride. And I'm not gonna lie, it's pretty fancy."

"Wait. You said that killing Goku would take me back to my home universe. Now you're saying that you'll send me somewhere else? Don't break your promise!"

"I said it would open a portal, and was your only chance to get back home. Key word: chance. Actually, I decide where the portal leads by flipping a coin a few times."

"Come on, whatever happened to great power bringing great responsibility? Didn't your uncle tell you that? Quit playing games with my heart!"

"I don't know, my uncle never told me anything like that."

"What about your father?"

"No, you are my father. And you've never said anything remotely coherent in your life, so how am I supposed to know? Anyway, here's the portal."

Batman's arm stretched outside of the car, and a large, silver portal appeared.

He continued. "The portal imparts partial amnesia, so you won't remember all of this. Good luck! Believe in your own justice!"

The Batman drove away, laughing.

~

"So what's left?" Crucis asked.

"Well, all the bow needs now is... fire. Sounds weird, but listen! I need to set it on fire, trust me. Do you have anything that you can light it with? Maybe a match or something?"

Her hands began to press against the bow lightly, and he could feel it warming up as she imbued it with a soft fire summoned from her palms.

Crucis withdrew a fiery torch from his inventory. "So that's your power?"

"Yeah... I know, it must seem kinda pathetic over here," she said quietly.

"Not at all. It's hot enough that it makes night feel like a summer day. Anyway, would this torch work out?"

"Wait, how were you carrying that torch around? It's on fire," she said, glancing up.

"Yeah, I don't know. But here it is."

"Heh. Well, that actually looks really helpful, it should save me from burning out. Um, no pun intended." She made a puckish grin. "Give me a moment, then use it to set the bow on fire, it should help."

She gradually worked her hands across the bow, and it quietly sparked up in small flames. At the familiar feeling of the fire from her palms, she stopped shivering and seemed to be at ease.

Soon, she turned to Crucis. "Alright, now you can try the torch. Don't lean too close to it."

He lowered the torch onto the bow, which began to blaze violently upwards with a crazed fire. A few flames leapt up just next to Crucis. Giggling, she put her hand on the torch as well, in order to hold it steady.

While they set the bow on fire, she seemed more talkative, as if the fire had energised her.

"Alright, you asked why I think people here are demons and ghosts, right?" she asked. "Wow, I make great first impressions, huh."

"Yes and yes."

"I'm not just easily scared, if that's what you think! OK, so what happened... I appeared in the morning, I think it was morning, and there were all these people fighting nearby, using all kinds of powers." She pointed towards the East, where the war had taken place. "Some of them even chased me, but I got away... A friend of mine, Mina, was killed by someone, literally frozen in ice. Who would do that? I managed to make it back here, but I fainted after the frantic rush, stayed out for most of the day. Look, maybe you don't understand... I have to prepare to take on evil, whatever form it takes. So I'm only hiding here to get ready... And then I'll have to do it."

Her eyes sprung up a torrent of fresh tears as she mentioned 'Mina,' but it was obvious from the tone of her voice that she didn't feel comfortable with discussing the subject.

"That's a lot of responsibility to place on yourself."

"It's just my duty, okay? Some things in the world are just bad. Dangerous. But if I don't take them on, who will?"

"I see. So this bow is your way of fighting back."

By now, most of the bow had transformed into a scintillating line of fire, with an intense yellow-white running through the centre.

"Well, yes, and it's my last chance. Maybe, once it's ready, I can make my way back and find my friends. Find the others, and we could figure out what to do. Whatever supernatural force pulled me here must be up to no good."

Crucis sighed. Her planned return was unlikely to materialise.

He would have asked her if she knew the wae, but figured that reminding her of the hopelessness of her situation might make her less conversational. She'd just relapse into despair and anger again.

"It did pick a dangerous place to send you! I wouldn't trust it either."

"Yeah, exactly.

They were interrupted by Might Guy's booming voice. "Ah ha, this girl must have come from another anime world!"

Crucis was initially thrown by this left-field statement, but quickly recovered. "Well, it would certainly explain several things."

"Don't believe him!" she said, shivering. "It's nothing like that...! How absurd!"

"Your lies are in vain!" Might Guy responded. "I know how your kind behaves! You can't conceal a secret from me!"

He turned to Crucis. "Look into her eyes! You can see the corrupting fog of her dishonesty!"

"I see nothing in her eyes," Crucis said, after a casual glance.

"Why doesn't she tell us her true identity?" Might Guy asked. "The truth will set you free, young girl."

"Maybe I don't trust you," she said.

"See? She admits it! She has a true, hidden identity!"

"I have nothing of the s-"

"You said you wouldn't tell us, which means that you have one! Don't think that you can evade the inquisitive eyes of youth."

"Youth? I'm younger than both of you."

"Yes, but look at your stress and wrinkled forehead! You have not embraced the power of youth. In that way, you are less young than me."

"A hidden identity?" Crucis remarked casually. "As well as powers. What are you, like, a superhero or something?"

She gave a cagey response. "Maybe something like that. And don't think I'm boasting."

"I don't. Why would you need to boast about that?"

"...I do boast sometimes. But I don't have the confidence to do it here. Still, you should stay on your toes."

"I will, but what's the worst your boasts could do? Leave me breathless? Anyway, is your bow ready yet?"

She felt along the fiery bow calmly, and adjusted the bowstring slightly until it clicked into place.

"Alright! The bow should be ready. Now I just need somewhere to test it..."

"Are you taking volunteers?" Crucis interjected, as he stood up.

"Come on, I'm not shooting you..."

"Pity. You promised to. It's cold out here, your shot would be a godsend."

"Trust me, it wouldn't be kind to your skin."

"Neither will your fingernails. Now get up." He offered his hand, and she took it to stand up.

She was careful to make sure that her long fingernails didn't give him any cuts.

"Huh. That is quite a fancy bow, miss," Might Guy said. "What anime does it come from, eh? Come on, out with it!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..." she moaned.

"You are from an anime, and you were teleported here by Batman!" he proclaimed authoritatively.

"I think we can agree that this guy does sound like he's from an anime," Crucis said to her.

"That much is true," she said, pursing her lips.

"Maybe he has a point. After all, both of you have similar stories of being teleported here, and appeared at around the same time. Perhaps something's up?"

"Hm. Maybe. Well, where did this guy come from?"

"You could not have been there, or you would recognise me!" Might Guy said. "I am the greatest warrior in the history of multiple universes! Where did you come from?"

"Um, from Japan. Not really anything fancy."

She seemed to be hiding something.

"You mentioned that some of your friends had powers, or something like that," Crucis said calmly. "What kind of friends were these, a specific organisation?"

"Oh, just girls like me. They found me because I had powers, and supposedly because I looked good... Yeah, weird story. We had to stick together, anyway, to resist the forces of evil."

"I see. So, what kind of universe do you think she might have come from?" he said, turning to Might Guy.

"Ah ha, a group of females with special powers, fighting monsters! She must come from a magical girl anime!"

"Which one?"

"...To be honest, I can't say. I don't watch that sissy crap!"

"Me either. In fact, I can't stand anime generally."

"I mean... I can see why you'd think that my life sounds like that," she said. "It's a bit of a crazy story. But it's my life. I don't think it's just a show of some sort."

"It's not your life. It's the glorious art of Nippon! Stop lying, tell us your true identity!"

"...Look, even if I told you about my identity, it probably wouldn't make a difference. You wouldn't understand. I just need you to help me out, then I'll go off on my own."

"Are you going to fight off all the evil on your own?" Crucis asked.

"Yes... If I have to. Do I have to?"

"Not unless you want to."

"Thanks! What about this other guy?"

"I will always help the vulnerable and young," Might Guy proclaimed. "Lead the way."

"Thanks!" she said. "By the way, were you also teleported here? It sounds like it."

"Yes! It is another universe that needs to learn the power of youth!"

"What is the power of youth?" Crucis asked.

"The power of youth!"

The girl giggled. "This guy is a nutcase. But maybe he can help out! By the way, I noticed some building named after a King. Are all of the people here part of some kind of dark kingdom?"

"Not really, they're just people," Crucis replied. "There's a King far away, but he doesn't have much influence here."

"No, there must be something. I'm sure I'm trapped here because of someone's scheme. Is there anything like that? A dark ruler, someone who might be trying to play us like pawns?"

"Well, there was a King named Ganféan to the North, but he's dead. He was a necromancer who reincarnated as a King, but slowly degenerated into a diseased creature. I'm not sure if most people know about him, but he's probably involved."

"Hm. Maybe that's important. Anyway, I see the other guy's run off. Should we go?"

"Yeah, sure."

As they walked out of the alley, Remika suddenly turned around, shivering excitedly.

"There's one! A weeping ghost!" she said, pointing at a melancholy, high-pitched sound rising from nearby.

Crucis quickly noticed that the sound was actually coming from a [Kruxol Singing Crow]. "No, that's one of the crows. Weird, right? The crows here are an odd lot."

She saw the bird, and tried to hide a crestfallen drop of her shoulders. "Oh, yeah, so it is. Well, the ghosts are still real, there's probably some nearby. I'm just a bit panicky right now."

"It's alright, we don't need another weeping ghost. We've already got you."

"Hm. Not for long. I'll fly away."

"Yeah, like a migrant bird. I guess you'll have to disappear when this is over."

"But maybe I'll be back."

"You won't be able to come back," Might Guy said. "The only way to your original world and back would be through a portal opened by Batman."

"OK, now you're just straight up insane."

She walked over towards the grassy fields to the West of Kruxol. Crucis and Might Guy followed. Her steps were light and carefree, as if the sense of purpose had rejuvenated her.

"So where are we going?" Might Guy asked.

She pointed towards a large, green, hilly expanse dimly visible in the distance. "I came from somewhere like that, I'm sure of it! I've thought about it, and recognise it closely."

Given what he knew of her, Crucis guessed that she might have constructed a false memory to make sense of the situation. Still, he followed her.

As they walked out of Kruxol, they were suddenly disturbed by a loud noise.

Two boys were fighting on the grass, and had just slammed into each other, with the power radiating from them colliding and throwing them forcefully apart. One was black-haired, and had many self-inflicted cuts across his arms. The other was some blond punk runt.

They screamed at each other in Japanese, which Crucis didn't understand. Behind these two, there were many other people fighting, probably also drawn in through the portals which Might Guy mentioned. Remika shrunk back slightly, disturbed by hearing the raucous fighting.

"Why are these people all fighting?" Remika said softly. "It looks dangerous out there... But I'll protect you guys if I have to."

"They must have good reasons to fight!" Might Guy said. "For example, maybe they have been rivals since childhood, or the other one insulted their honour, or they are mortal enemies!"

"If we go out now, we'll be caught in the middle," Crucis said.

"It's alright! I know these two! I will sort out their conflict!"

Might Guy walked up to the two boys, as they ran in towards each other. He grabbed each of them by the hair, then slammed both of their heads together, shattering their skulls and also the rest of their bodies. "There. Peace is restored! They were good kids, but clearly they had forgotten the innocence of youth. Now they remember!"

"It's good to hear a voice of reason," Crucis replied.

Remika shuddered on seeing the corpses, but her eyes soon flared with renewed determination. She turned to Crucis. "Is everyone here a monster? Other than you, I mean."

Crucis had set off towards the North, but paused briefly to reply.

"Maybe. Maybe I'm one, as well, leading you on. Anyway, if we go to the right of these fighters, we should be able to stay out of their way."

On hearing this, Remika took a few quick steps to reach the others, and they began setting off towards the hills which she had pointed out.

Beside them, fights and screams reverberated across the fields, and Remika weaved carefully between the trees to stay out of the way. She looked at the path ahead carefully, but with a hint of nerves.

Suddenly, the earth began to quake under them, and Remika grabbed onto a tree to keep her balance, joined by Crucis who joined the one next to it. Might Guy was sent flying off for 300 metres across the ground, but quickly stood up unscathed.

An earth-splitting roar came from the distant West. "I AM THE ULTIMATE LIFE-FORM!"

Turning towards the source of this noise, Crucis saw the chicken-that-is-not-a-chicken towering over the fields and trees. It had grown into a massive behemoth, far taller than the town's towers, and its massive shape almost blotted out the horizon.

It let out a wicked chicken cackle, as it stomped towards Kruxol, decimating everything in its way.

A few fighters leapt towards it, calling out the name of strange quasi-magical abilities, but these attacks barely scratched the chicken. It responded with a massive [Chicken Ray], which left the field where it struck a grassless, barren expanse strewn with shattered bones.

While some people tried to reason with it, it ignored them, and bawk-bawked in joy as it watched the destruction. When a mass of people approached it, preparing an attack, it cast [Unholy Light of Chicken].

A blinding flash grew across the West like a scorching white sunrise, hiding the sight of the chicken. Crucis rose a hand to his eyes to look away, and felt 'Remika' doing the same.

From where the chicken had stood, a loud voice boomed out, "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE TO SURVIVE, MAKE YOUR TIME!"

"Why are you doing this?" cried one player.

"FOR PEACE! FOR HOPE! FOR LOVE! FOR JUSTICE!" came the reply, followed by a round of wild, but noble, clucking.

"For love?" Remika cried incredulously. "All of that's just a lie!"

"Who knows? Love is often senseless," Crucis replied.

"Hm. But wouldn't you say -"

She was cut off by a massive explosion, as the light faded to reveal the chicken had just cast [Massively Forced] on the massed army in front of it, turning the air into a series of sharp projectiles that destroyed everything in its way.

Remika's body tensed up, bending limply upwards. She stared at the destruction in awe and terror. "It's not just a chicken... It's an incarnation of evil!" she cried out.

The chicken clucked raucously, as if it had heard her.

Might Guy grunted in determination. "This chicken shall know the power of youth!"

He ran up towards the chicken, in order to fight it.

Taking a mighty leap, he approached its head, and attempted to punch it. However, the chicken easily deflected this with its beak, and attempted to swat at him with its wings, but found that he had darted out of sight.

"You underestimate me!" Might Guy called out.

The chicken merely stared at thim, bored, and bawk-bawked.

The fight raged on for another minute, with both Might Guy and the chicken trading attacks without managing to make an inroad.

Finally, the chicken had had enough. It used [Chicken Alarm], leaving Might Guy paralysed in the air, and then stabbed him through the chest with its beak, while clawing at him until his body was covered in blood and close to falling apart.

He fell to the ground heavily, and lay there, on the verge of death. The chicken left him to die, and continued to rampage towards Kruxol.

A few more fighters attempted to delay the chicken, but the chicken let loose another [Chicken Ray], and soon debris was all that was left of them.

Seeing the chicken's destructiveness, Remika shuddered and inadvertently flinched backwards, until she found her back pressing against Crucis.

She turned around nervously. "Um, sorry..."

"That's alright. I'm sure that everyone's terrified," he replied.

She replied with surprising determination, despite her nerves, and Crucis noticed that her eyes had turned fiery again. "Yeah... Could you help me prepare my bow? This evil will not be allowed to have its way!"

Crucis held her shaking shoulders and back in place as she raised the bow, and nocked an arrow that was set aflame as it entered the blade. Aiming it towards the chicken, she released it, and it flew elegantly a great distance in the air.

"Huh... I don't usually shoot so far," she said, watching it expectantly.

It flashed into the chicken, but the chicken showed no signs of noticing it. After a few seconds, it looked down and saw the small arrow, then shrugged it off to the ground.

Remika was silent, her eyes wide. She shook until Crucis couldn't hold her up, and had to let her figure wither to the ground.

"Oh no... How could this happen to me? I can't believe I'm so worthless!" she cried, leaning on Crucis' leg.

"I've never seen an arrow fly that far... But it looks like we're not going to be able to fight back against the chicken," he replied.

The chicken was beginning to close in on Kruxol, and Crucis saw tear out a tree not that far ahead and toss it as a weapon to impale a player.

"Yes... I guess we shouldn't stay here. I mean, normally I'd stay here and fight, but I don't want you in harm's way," she said, with a responsible, if weak, voice.

Since the chicken was heading for the centre of Kruxol, Crucis used [Stealth Cloak] and set off for the shrines on its edge, to buy time. Remika felt him moving, and followed him. Soon, she saw him entering the wooden shrine building, and walked after him, finding it difficult to move due to a slight limp from the effort she had put into firing the arrow.

As Crucis entered the shrine, he saw a brunette girl hiding in the space beside the statue of Dravaistaya, her dusty yellow shirt slotting nimbly into the gap. Her eyes were closed, and her tearful face looked with desperation towards the ground. Behind her, there were a few other males and females, shifting around awkwardly around the back corners of the shrine.

She looked up with surprise, and some of her hair perked up. Her dark-brown eyes studied him closely, before she carefully crouched up. "Hi. Are you from here?"

"Kind of," he replied.

"OK. I was just teleported here, I'm scared out of my wits," she said, forcing a timid smile.

"That's normal! At least you've been safe so far."

"Yeah, I guess... Terrifying place you have here, isn't it?" She stood up swiftly, her red skirt swishing across the walls with a sound like a breath.

"Glad you like it."

"Hm. Tell you what, at least it's cozy in here. Well, at least when I don't look at that statue. What's it up to, with that expression, and all those tongues sticking out?"

"It's a statue of a Frenchman at the Pont des Artes."

"No, really?"

"Alright, not really."

"Huh. Now that statue's one French kiss I could do without. Say... You don't sound French, you sound, I don't know, Bulgarian?"

"Belarusian. Not the most glamorous country, I know."

She excitedly grabbed him by the shoulder. "I learned about that last year, in university. It's near Russia, right?"

"Yeah! Honestly, I generally just tell people I'm Russian because it's simpler, but you seemed clever. Bulgaria's not that far off, besides."

"Hmph. Your flattery will get you nowhere," she said with a smile.

She leaned onto a table in the centre of the shrine, and her slender, pale body briefly stopped shivering. Her brown hair lit up with a ghostly shade of light as Remika opened the door and snuck in quietly.

The brunette continued speaking, barely noticing Remika. "Well. I was hoping to hide in here until the fights outside died down... That didn't quite happen, huh?"

Remika replied timidly. "Ah, you came here earlier? That's actually a good idea. The fighting outside was cray-cray."

"I mean, I didn't have much choice, right? I don't have any weird powers like those guys, the most that I can do is throw a kick or two... Well, it doesn't matter now, nobody can resist that massive thing."

"It's not that bad - oh, you mean the chicken?"

"Yeah, exactly! I never thought I'd die to a... chicken. What the hell?"

"Ain't life a mystery?" Crucis said. "Hi, Remika."

Remika smiled at the name. "Hi, there. Figures you'd lead me into a place with a demon statue. A demon like you."

"Absolutely. Can't get anything past you, I guess."

Outside, there was a loud noise the chicken reached Kruxol, and began using [Chicken Ray] to devastate the buildings at on its West end, as it headed towards the town centre. A large group of players was putting up a last-ditch resistance, but it wasn't enough to fend off the mighty chicken. The players were dying in droves, and the chicken's cruelty and malice were evident as it picked apart their bodies carefully with its beak, painfully cutting into their organs. A few of them were eaten with pleasure.

The brunette squealed. "Oh my God! Did you see that thing? It's... Oh my God. Pecking them apart. That'll happen to us, right?"

Her eyes were wide, and frozen in a traumatised expression, as her teeth chattered.

"Oh no! We can't let that happen! We can't!" cried a girl from the back.

"You have to help me!" the brunette cried, grabbing Crucis' shoulder again. "I don't want my body to become chicken fodder!"

"A waste of perfectly good make-up," Crucis replied, as he held her arm still and tried to help her calm down.

"...That's a deadly insult. I'll have my revenge! Kidding, I probably won't live long enough. But dying to that cruel chicken, wouldn't it be the worst way to die?"

"It would be a fate worse than death," Crucis said, matter-of-factly.

"So how can we avoid that?" she whimpered. "We need to find some other way!"

"We have no way out. The only way we'll avoid the chicken's wrath is to die first."

"Really? Well, this is it, then. What can save us from this chicken?."

Crucis turned to Remika. "Maybe you'll save us. Can you use your powers to set this shrine on fire? It's wooden, so it should catch fire easily."

"But then... I'd kill you! And all the others... I can't use my powers like this."

"There's no other choice."

"But I'm supposed to fight evil, not... give in to it! There must be another way!"

"You've tried that." He placed a comforting arm around her. "It's alright. You don't have to keep straining yourself. Fight no more."

"I know, but how can I do this?"

"Just like you always have. Isn't casting fire as easy as breathing for you?"

Crying, she embraced him warmly, and remained silent for a few seconds. "Fine... fine!" she whimpered. "I'll do this. Just know that I'll feel guilty, and it's your fault... Are you sure you're alright with this happening to you?"

"There's no need for you to worry about me. Go on."

"Alright, but what if I'm the one doing it? Won't you start hating me?"

"It won't change how I feel about you, only strengthen it... For you are a consuming fire."

She walked up to the wooden walls, glanced at Crucis, then stared emptily at the wall as a fire glowed from her palms. She felt the fire burn from her as it had done many times before, and held it with a practiced calm. She pressed it to the walls, and they began to flare up.

The brunette girl ran over to comfort her. "We had no choice. That was brave."

They stepped towards the middle of the building, as the flames spread across it. At first, it sounded like a harsh drizzle of rain, but soon it roared as it spread virus-like across the walls.

The heat began to reach them, and Crucis relaxed as he felt the comfortable, energetic warmth of the young fire.

"We might die, but... Don't these flames make you feel alive, too?" he said quietly to Remika.

"Heh. I've always felt like that about it, I understand," came the reply.

Suddenly, they heard a loud, murmuring voice from the corner of the building, saying, "What did that crazy girl do? Oh God, she's going to get us all killed."

One man hiding in the corner suddenly barged out from his hiding-place, on seeing the flames. He frantically grabbed a trident from the statue, and held it out threateningly. "Don't you dare! You can't trap us here, let me out! Or else!"

Remika's face twisted with disgust as she saw this.

The brunette ran up to him. "No, dear, we don't have a choice. Come on, don't wave that thing around."

"I said that nobody could stop me!"

Crazed, the man lifted the trident to stab into her, but Crucis' hand suddenly materialised holding the trident firmly.

"Let it go," Crucis said.

"No! You have no right!"

The man swung his fist - indeed, his whole shoulder, since he was off-balance - towards Crucis, but Crucis dodged easily to the right with [Drift]. As the man staggered in the aftermath, Crucis easily tripped him up and then dispossessed him after a knee to the neck.

"Please forgive him! He didn't mean it!" the brunette cried.

Crucis shrugged, then held the trident towards the nearby flames to heat it up. A few parts of it caught fire, like a candelabra.

He stabbed it firmly into the man's throat.

"I'm burning in the hellfire!" the man cried, before dropping dead.

Remika looked on, wide-eyed. "I didn't expect that!" she cried. "But wait, you also use fire weapons?"

"No. We can't all be special like you."

"But just this once, with me here?"

"Yes, a coincidence."

She felt along the trident's length. "It's funny, I never thought I'd die in a fire. I thought fire would always protect me. But the warmth is so familiar."

"At least it's like you're going home."

"Maybe. But it's a pity I can't take you with me."

"Why are you so sure?"

They were interrupted by the brunette, pressing herself desperately to the ground, screaming, "This fire! It sounds like a beast! A monster! I can't take it!"

Crucis crouched down beside her, and she immediately fired a question at him. "So when the flames reach us... it'll hurt, won't it? It'll burn right through the skin!"

"We might be dead before that," he replied. "Don't you feel the warmth growing stronger?"

He scooped some of her hair away from the flames.

"...Yeah. It stings, but... feels passionate? Like, my heart beats faster the hotter it gets."

"Doesn't passion also sting?"

"I guess so, yeah."

He warmed his hands in the growing fire, and she slowly joined in. She looked calmer, but her eyes were still wide with panic as she looked into his eyes.

"So this is it? We just let it all burn down?"

"It looks like it."

The chicken's bawk-bawk-bawk filled the night air outside, melding melodically with the crackling of the flames.

Suddenly, Remika cried out. "It's... stairs! Ghostly stairs! I see them next to the fireplace!"

"Then let's go," Crucis said.

"No! It's bad! It'll only lead to something evil!" she calmed down after a few seconds, trembling from the vision. "But you're right, maybe we don't have a choice. It's weird, usually when I panic like this, people say I'm seeing things."

"I don't see anything!" the brunette girl shouted.

Remika slowly walked towards the staircase that hung mistily and unstably in her vision, almost confident that it would prove to be as illusory as the ghost which she had seen before.

"I don't see it, either. But I'll follow you through, wherever it is," Crucis said.

She lifted a trembling foot towards the stairs.

~

As Might Guy lay, in his time of dying, he managed to struggle open his eyes. However, he was surprised to see that he was now in a large, grey building. Squinting exhaustedly, he saw that he was in a tomb commemorating someone named 'Thomas Wayne,' with a few pictures and inscriptions containing this name. A large coffin lay at the back.

Trying to get up, he saw a long shadow across his body.

It came from a man standing in the entryway of the tomb. His manic face was covered in white facepaint, and he wore a large, purple suit.

He cackled, and said, "Well, well, Mighty Guy! Looks like you've found yourself in quite the... *deadly* situation."

Might Guy gritted his teeth. "Joker, you may have trapped me in this tomb, but my spirit remains unbroken!"

"Oh, I admire your optimism! But, tell me, how do you plan to escape this time? Your precious "Youthful Springtime" won't save you now!"

The Joker slammed the door shut.

Might Guy smirked confidently. "You underestimate the power of youth, Joker! I've faced greater challenges than this!"

The Joker's voice turned maudlin. "Oh, I'm shaking in my boots! But seriously, I've rigged this tomb with explosives, and there's no way out. So, any last words?"

"You may have trapped my body, Joker, but you can't trap my spirit! The flames of youth will burn on, and I will find a way out!"

The Joker laughed, as he turned away to leave. "We'll see about that! Enjoy your eternal slumber, Mighty Guy!"

Might Guy yelled loudly, his voice resounding loudly even outside the thick tomb walls. "Remember, Joker! The power of youth is unstoppable! I will escape, and when I do, justice will prevail!"

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you? Good luck with that!"

The Joker shook his head, then walked away, his laughter drowning out the echoes of Might Guy's mighty voice.

~~

A few days later, Might Guy's corpse lay rotting in the tomb. All around it was silent.

Soon, two soft voices could be heard, coming from deep underground. They spoke, indifferent to Might Guy's miserable death, and their voices sounded like the crackling of far-off flames.

"I still can't believe my fire killed so many people... But it felt so warm here, I liked it... I feel so guilty," said a feminine voice.

"It will always warm you, Remika." came a male reply. "It's yours."

"Come on, I told you that Remika isn't my name. It's a false name."

"But is it untrue? Look, maybe you were never the warrior of light that you imagined. Maybe you were just scared. And now you're not."

"You're just saying that so I don't feel like a failure. But honestly, I like it here. It's scary, but calm, like you. Everywhere I look, there's fire..."

"It's like your eyes."

"Huh. Thanks. Maybe we both belong here. So where do we go from here? You seem to know your way around this place."