It only hit me after we left that it was kind of unbelievable Kia had managed to find me at all. The cave was an absolute mess to navigate. The ground kept wobbling under my feet, and there were holes everywhere. I kept tripping over sharp rocks, and those huge stone things hanging from the ceiling or sticking up from the floor made us change direction every few steps. Honestly, it felt like the cave didn’t want us to leave alive. Even the tiniest rock looked like it could slice my hand open if I touched it wrong. But somehow, Kia made it through without a scratch. I guess she was used to places like this. Or maybe she was just tougher than me.
In the meantime, Kia told me we were inside a mountain called Sharp Peak. Apparently, it used to be a volcano, but it hasn’t erupted in ages. People used to think the eruptions meant the gods were angry, so they’d bring stuff into the mountain to try and calm them down. I know it sounds weird, but according to Kia, this place is actually a different world called Fira. Yes, I apparently woke up in a new world.
Talk about a cliché.
I mean, I couldn’t really prove she was wrong, and after everything else that happened, it didn’t seem impossible. Anyway, I told her I was from Earth and that my life was pretty normal until I got possessed and, well, ended up dead. She looked like she didn’t really buy it, but I guess she decided to trust me anyway.
Either she’s extremely kind or incredibly gullible.
We kept walking, but it didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere. We kept running into dead ends and having to turn around. Even Kia, despite having found me, looked kind of lost.
“Are we lost?”
She hesitated.
“I must confess that my navigating skills are not outstanding,” followed by an oddly long pause.
“Nevertheless, I am sure we will reach the exit soon enough.”
I nodded, thinking:
“So we are lost.”
…
We wandered around for a while, not really sure where we were going. Eventually, we found a path that looked like it might actually lead somewhere. There was a bit of light coming through a crack at the end of the cave. Kia handed me her torch and slipped through the gap first.
For a second, it was just quiet. I waited, not really sure what I was supposed to do, until I finally heard her voice from the other side.
“It is safe.”
I waited a second to make sure it was actually safe, then followed her. When I got to the other side, I just kind of stopped. We stood on a small ledge jutting out from the mountain, and way below was a huge town. There were so many lights that it almost looked like the whole place was glowing. There was a big stone wall around it, but what really caught my eye was the castle in the middle. It was so big I couldn’t even see what was behind it.
“Welcome to Fira! What you see in front of you is my hometown, Gehenna, and the capital of the Kingdom of Elysium.”
“It’s… beautiful.”
This sight left me completely speechless.
“Gehenna is often referred to as The Town of Gold,” she added. “I imagine you can see why.”
Honestly, I’d never seen anything like it before. Even the biggest cities back home didn’t really compare. For some reason, looking at it made me feel kind of weird inside. I guess I started thinking about everything I used to take for granted.
“What is the matter, Shako?”
Kia must’ve noticed I looked kind of out of it, because she actually asked me what was wrong. I wasn’t really expecting that.
“I… I still can’t believe I’m actually dead. I mean, out of everyone, why did it have to be me? What did I do to deserve this?”
I clenched my hands. Why did it have to be me? Did I mess up somewhere? Was there something I could’ve done? I didn’t even know what I was feeling anymore. I guess I just started talking without thinking. Before I knew it, Kia took my hand and squeezed it.
“I am afraid those are questions only you can answer.”
I lowered my head.
“Even if I wished to ease your pain, I do not believe that any answer I could offer would lessen it.”
Her grip tightened slightly.
“Yet I must tell you, blaming yourself will not change what has already happened, and dwelling on what you might have done differently will not bring you peace.”
She paused for a second. It kind of sounded like she spoke from experience, but maybe I was just imagining it. I wasn’t really sure.
“What happened to you was unfair, but know this: you did not deserve it.”
She smiled at me, just a little.
“And right now, you are not alone. So please, let yourself lean on those who care for you, even if only for a little while.”
I looked up at her. The sunlight was behind her, so her white hair seemed to glow. She looked… well, honestly, she looked amazing. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. I actually wondered if she really was an angel or something. My heart was pounding, and my face felt way too hot.
Great. Just what I needed.
“Is something wrong?” she asked curiously.
“N-No, it’s nothing, really. Um, should we get going or…?”
My face was probably bright red. I turned around before she could see and headed back toward the crack in the wall.
…
The farther we went into the mountain, the easier it got to walk. The ground wasn’t so rough anymore, and there weren’t as many holes to trip over. Kia looked like she actually knew where she was going now, which was kind of a relief. I thought maybe we were finally getting somewhere. But for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. It was really quiet, except for our footsteps and Kia’s torch. Too quiet, honestly. The kind of silence that makes you think something’s about to jump out at you. It felt like the whole mountain was just waiting for something to happen. I glanced at Kia, and she looked tense too, so I guess it wasn’t just me. We ended up in a big cave with a huge open space in the middle. Kia started checking the place out, like she was making sure nothing was about to go wrong.
“Kia, is something wro—”
She raised her hand, and then, all of a sudden, this monstrous roar came from somewhere deep in the cave. It was so loud I thought my ears might burst. The ground started shaking, and dust rained down from the ceiling. The walls looked like they might fall in at any second. I couldn’t move at all. My legs just wouldn’t listen to me.
“Um, what was that?” I whispered.
Something huge started to emerge from the darkness in front of us. Its legs were short, but its arms were really long and looked strong. It was covered in black fur, and its head looked like a dog’s skull, except it had antlers. Its eyes were small and yellow, and when it looked at us, my stomach dropped.
“Here, take this.”
Kia handed me the torch and pulled out her sword. I didn’t even have time to ask what she was doing. Suddenly, huge flames shot out from the handle and wrapped around the blade. The heat was so strong I had to look away, but Kia didn’t even flinch. She shifted her stance, took a breath, and ran straight at the monster. The thing threw its head back and spat this gross green stuff at her. She dodged it, but just barely. The blob hit the ground and melted the stone like it was nothing. Before she could get her balance, the monster slammed its claw down. She tried to jump back, but the ground broke and sent her flying. She hung in the air, and the monster spat another blob right at her. She couldn’t dodge it. My heart pretty much stopped.
“KIA!!!”
She swung her sword at the blob. As soon as the blade touched it, the flames wrapped around the green stuff and made it disappear. The fire on her sword went out for a second, but then it came back. She landed as if it were nothing and ran at the monster again. It tried to hit her over and over, but she dodged every attack. Honestly, it looked more like she was dancing than fighting. Somehow, she climbed onto the monster’s head. She lifted her sword, getting ready to strike.
“Perish!”
She stabbed the sword right into the monster’s head. Flames covered its whole body instantly. The monster screamed, but it didn’t last long. When it was over, only a pile of ash remained. Kia put her sword away and brushed off her clothes like it was no big deal.
“Phew… stupid Heldebeasts! Why do they always need to cause me so much trouble?”
I just stared at her. I had no idea what I’d just seen. The monster, the fire, the way Kia fought… I still didn’t understand any of it. I had so many questions, but I couldn’t even figure out where to start.
“What… was that?”
“A Heldebeast,” Kia explained. “They may appear fearsome, but they are not so difficult to handle once you know their weakness. I must admit, however, that their persistence can be rather vexing.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
I hesitated, then pointed to the sword she carried.
“I meant that. Those flames… how did you do that?”
Kia smiled faintly.
“I promise that I shall explain everything in due course. For now, however, let us focus on finding an exit first. Unless, of course, you would prefer to stay here.”
I shook my head right away and hurried after her.
She took the torch back from me, and we kept going down the mountain.