ACROSS THE REALM

A damp room was doused in quaint silence. The only source of light were a few candles burning on an old, wooden table. There were no windows in the room, and the only exit appeared to be a small door. At one side of the room was a large, bronze sarcophagus which was currently open. Next to it was a chair, while a black-hooded figured sat atop of it. Fyre had uneasy expression as he lowered his eyes, avoiding the being inside.

Were he to scoot over slightly, he’d see a figure wrapped in bandages from neck to toes, his arms crossed on his chest, while his head appeared nearly rotten, with only a few strands of hair here and there.

“Don’t worry, child,” a voice that came from the sarcophagus was low and hoarse, yet carried with it an ancient and powerful aura. “It simply wasn’t meant to be.”

“T-thank you, Master,” Fyre replied, biting his lip. “This Disciple will atone for his failures.”

“No need,” the voice replied. “You will join hands with that child.”

“W-what?!” Fyre exclaimed in surprise, nearly jumping off the chair. “F-forgive me. M-may I ask why, Master?”

“I had felt a faint presence from the boy,” the voice replied after a short silence. “One so old, it tore down the fabric of past. The only time I ever felt it was when I met Y’se.”

“T-the Queen?!” Fyre was even more shocked when he heard his Master’s words; could that kid be related to her? Impossible!

“She, no doubt, is also aware of the boy,” the voice continued. “And we have no reason to stand against her. Since the time immemorial, our Fathers have served the Ancient. It is time we served them once more.”

“… Master…” Fyre’s voice was slightly weak, as he recognized the faint sadness and unwillingness in his Master’s voice. I had failed the Master…

“No human ever wants to fight underneath another one’s dream,” the voice continued, as if it sensed the uneasiness in Fyre’s heart. “But sometimes, we must. A great war is no doubt coming, but long years will pass until its start. Before then, many things will unfold. I have a task for you, Fyre child.”

“Anything, Master!” Fyre exclaimed firmly.

“I want you to seek out the Sacred Tombs,” the voice continued. “And I want you to lead that boy and Y’se to them.”

“M-master means the Tombs of First Men?!”

“Indeed,” the voice confirmed. “Those old bastards are slowly regaining their strength. Were they to be allowed, great danger would befall us all.”

“But don’t they also have to serve the Queen?” Fyre asked, confused.

“Haha,” the voice suddenly laughed hoarsely, surprising Fyre. “Those old bones? They know neither honor nor dignity. Beware; don’t let them find you. Even your Master won’t be able to help you in time, then.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Before you go, I’ll teach you the final layer of the Rising Creator,” the voice spoke, and words said caused Fyre’s eyes to twinkle lightly. “After this, Master will have nothing else to teach you.”

“This Disciple is grateful, Master!”

“Hmm…”

The room fell back into strange silence as Fyre lowered his head. His body would occasionally twitch and he’d sometimes groan, but save from that, it appeared as if nothing else was happening.

* * *

Twelve coffins were embedded into walls of the round chamber, all pointed at a single altar at the center of the room. The altar glowed in faint, green light, exuding aura so old it surpassed the visage of time itself. The twelve coffins suddenly shook and their lids opened up, revealing behind twelve figures completely covered in black cloth, from top to bottom.

“Time… is near…” one of the voices spoke; it was deep and unfathomable but, above all, it caused the space itself to ripple out around the figure. “Summon the Faithful.”

“The Dragon cannot fall in their hands!” a different voice exclaimed lightly.

“Ninth.” the voice that spoke first sounded out again.

“Yes, Lord?” a different voice replied humbly.

“You have the most Life Force left at the moment,” the first voice continued. “You shall remain awake and await the Faithful.”

“As per Your order, Lord.”

“Good,” the voice said. “Let us go back to slumber now.”

“Yes…”

“Indeed…”

“Let us…”

* * *

The fire raged like storm as far as the eye could see. Lave trickled against the molten rocks, and their air was so hot that no person could even hope to draw a breath from it. The land soaked in eternal flames was seemingly infinite, but its edges could be seen rising into the distance, forming the mouth of the volcano up top.

At the very bottom, in the very center, surrounded by ever-firing pillars of flame and lava, a gigantic creature was lying down in silence. One of its scales was as large as adult human, and its head alone could topple over an entire castle. Its wings were massive, even when held back against its body, and its eyes were seemingly ablaze as they stared into nothingness.

The Dragon’s body was dark red, with occasional flashes of crimson sheen emitting from its scales. Its entire body was as large as an ordinary city, and each time it would take a breath, the ground beneath would shake, and volcano would spit a massive fireball into the sky.

Suddenly, a flash of darkness shimmered before the Dragon, causing it to lift its head slightly and look at the flash indifferently. A mere moment later, human-like figure appeared before it, coated in deep, impossible to see-through darkness. The only thing that could be discerned were the blazing eyes.

“Ryuuk,” an ancient voice suddenly boomed out, causing molten rocks to shatter, and lava to stir even more. However, none of the Dragon’s parts moved, appearing as if its voice came from nowhere. “Your recovery is quite quick.”

“Ely, of c--” the human-like figure tried to speak but was immediately interrupted.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Ha ha, don’t be like that,” the figure laughed hoarsely, as its voice echoed. “I’m bearing good news.”

“Never before has your appearance signaled anything remotely close to ‘good’.” the Dragon shook lightly as it spoke.

“Ugh, that hurt,” the human-like figure said. “But, this time it’s different. The gift I sent you will be delivered soon.”

“Gift?” the Dragon asked suspiciously.

“You should live this place with him,” the human-like figure spoke. “There’s no point in you remaining here to rot.”

“… you’re sending me a human child?” the Dragon’s voice suddenly shifted its tone to light and playful one, as if what the human-like figure said was extremely amusing. “When did you ever place so much faith in them?”

“Once you meet him, you’ll know why.” the human-like figure spoke.

“He won’t be able to meet me,” the Dragon shrugged. “I’m sure you’re aware who has besieged my home.”

“What is it that you used to say?” the human-like figure paused for a moment, as if in deep thought. “Ah, right! ‘Fire always finds a way’. Yes, that was it.”

“Oh?” the Dragon was finally surprised slightly.

“I don’t want to spoil a surprise,” the human-like figure’s shape suddenly began fading slowly. “I’ll be expecting you.”

“I have no intention of helping you escape.” the Dragon replied without hesitation.

“Who would imagine that someone who can burn the world with a breath would be so cold inside?” the human-like figure snickered. “Stay well, Ely.”

“I told you not--” however, the figure was already gone by the time the Dragon had a chance to reply. Soon after, it sighed, shaking its head lightly. “It’s very rare for him to ever take a liking to a human child… interesting.”

Soon, the mountain reverted back to its original cycle; each time the Dragon would breathe, the volcano would spew a few blazing rocks into the sky, threatening all those who set their sights onto it.

* * *

A beautiful girl with silver hair which was fluttering in the wind was riding a horse-like beast through the desert. Her expression was cold, calm and indifferent, and her eyes were seemingly able to see everything. She suddenly came to a halt, sighing inwardly, as her eyes focused on the hill just a few hundred meters in front of her.

After a few minutes of silence, three figures suddenly leapt out from behind the hill and landed in front of her. Although they wore masks on their faces, it wasn’t hard to recognize who they were or where they came from. The woman’s expression remained the same as she stared the figures down in solemn silence.

“The Queen is a long way from home.” the masked figure in the center spoke first, breaking the silence.

“I didn’t think Sir Leno would be the one to welcome me.” the woman sneered as she spoke, startling the central figure. However, after a brief moment, Leno merely sighed as he took off his mask, revealing his rather average face which was coated in a slight smile.

“As expected from the Queen. Even Guardian Masks can’t blind your eyes.” Leno spoke calmly.

“Why, of course,” the woman smiled oddly as she spoke. “I was the one to invent them, after all.” Leno’s eyebrows twitched lightly, but he quickly recovered his faint smile.

“May I ask, and forgive my bluntness, but why has the Queen traveled all the way down here?” Leno asked.

“That should be my question, Sir Leno,” the woman spoke sharply. “After all, Eastern Wastelands is my domain. Per Pact, you are to inform me whenever you set foot in here. Yet, strangely, I wasn’t informed.”

“Ah, it must have been some sort of a mix-up,” Leno spoke, still calm. “Of course we’d never dare go against the Pact.”

“Hmm? Of course,” the woman smiled faintly, tilting her head sideways. “Mishaps can happen. Now that we have met, I’d like to know what are you doing here.” the faint smile on Leno’s face suddenly froze as his eyes flashed a dangerous glint. This didn’t escape woman’s sight, but she said nothing about it.

“I believe Pact doesn’t force us to answer that question.” Leno said.

“Oh? You won’t even give me the courtesy of an answer? Strange…”

“It’s best if you turn around and walk away, Queen.” as Leno spoke, his voice deepened and began carrying a scent of threat.

“Eh? I can’t do that,” the woman’s voice was filled with surprised as she spoke lightly. “I’m on my way to the southern beaches, to play in the ocean with my friends for a bit. Will you deny me the pleasure of playing with my friends? I’ll have you know that I don’t have many friends! And I made this promise decades ago! What if I suddenly don’t show up, huh? What do you think would happen? They’d stop being my friends, of course! Then I’d go back to being alone! Do you know how lonely it is to be alone? It’s as lonely as wandering the world alone!” Eh? What is this bitch talking about?

“Humph,” the woman suddenly snorted as she continued. “Besides, how can you tell me to go back? I only ever get to see old geezers who can’t even get it up! Even if I’m a Queen, the woman has her needs, you know? Are you confident in being able to satisfy me, huh? Are you? Of course not! Look at you! You got limp the moment I mentioned it! Ah, how weak the men are…”

“… don’t push it.” Leno gritted his teeth as he spoke.

“Don’t push it?” the woman’s voice suddenly grew alarmingly threatening, causing Leno’s heart to freeze for a moment. “Who the fuck do you think you’re speaking to, you lowly cunt?! How dare you even look me in the eye, you horseshit scum? You think your clan has any right to speak to me as equals?! Fuck off before I rip your spine out and beat you to grave with it!”

“You bitch! Who do you think you--” Leno’s voice suddenly stopped as his entire body trembled. An aura so powerful assailed him that he couldn’t even breathe. No, forget breathing; every single cell in his body suddenly froze, and all life seemed to fade away. “I—impo-ssible…” Leno stuttered as his body began shaking in horror so profound that even if he survived, he’d never be sane again. “D-d-divine Magus??!!!!” then, for him and two besides him, life came to an end as their bodies plopped onto the warm sand.

“Humph. Lowly scums want to threaten me? Unless your Patriarch comes out of his hiding, you stand no chance!” the woman’s expression calmed shortly after as she continued her leisurely journey through the desert.