Chapter IV: A Matter of Perspective
*The start of the chapter happens the same time as the interlude of Chapter 1 where Masume is currently in Flame Princess' while Finn and Jake were walking to the Fire Kingdom.*
"In the midst of nothingness, a phoenix... An animal... A legendary bird that was said to represent, in a sense, fire, now flew in a dark, closed space... No light, no warmth, no life... It's so sad to see that such a legendary bird is found flying alone in a place where she can never be seen nor heard...", a girl's voice said. Quietly observing the beautiful phoenix.
"But... If I remembered correctly... The phoenix also represented rebirth... The phoenix... It's flying towards something... Is it... A moon? It looks like one but... No... It's... It's a planet... It's the Living Earth...! Or is it... It looks diminished... Why show me this... Where am I now anyway...?", the girl's voice echoed while watching the phoenix turn to her... And lunged at her.
"GAH!", the girl finally screamed as she awakes from her dream.
The girl, 19 years of age, while wearing a hooded cloak, found herself on a green field, surrounded by dandelions, sunflowers, and other yellow flowers. She proceeded to stand up and look around.
"I've got to calm myself down before sleeping...", the hooded girl sighed as she scratches her head, trying to remember what happened to her before sleeping.
Then she abruptly stopped, looking shocked and her eyes wide open, saying, "Wait... I never went to bed..."
The hooded girl then proceeded to stand up and knocked her head for more memories.
"Ugh... I didn't go to sleep... I... I was chased... By... By...", then the girl remembered everything, her memories before she went unconscious, what REALLY happened to her.
"Karasu's remnants! Yes! I remember now! I was chased... And mistress... Mistress and I got separated... I... I caught their attention and ran... I ran and ran until I... Until I...", the girl said in a frustrated voice, trying to figure out what happened next.
Then it hit her, "I ran against a tree..."
The girl then looked emotionless and felt stupid from her 'thrilling' chase scene.
"Heh... That was a spirit-breaker...", the hooded girl sighed and sat down on the grass.
But her slight disappointment suddenly disappeared when she noticed the area she was sitting on.
"Wow...", said the hooded girl in awe as she gazes the yellow flowers that surround her.
"I thought Fire Flowers were already extinct...", she said, still struck in awe, as she burns one of the flowers, expecting to see a beautiful sight of many blended lights in the sky, like Fire Flowers were supposed to do. But...
"GAH!", the hooded girl shrieked. The immediate place of vicinity was burned to a crisp, slowly spreading towards the grasslands.
"I guess Fire Flowers ARE really extinct...", the hooded girl sighed rather calmly and summoned her staff, ordering the flames to subside. "Such a pity..."
While thinking over the precious Fire Flowers that were purged in her childhood, the hooded girl heard faint whispers and chuckles from a giant tree nearby.
The hooded girl decided to walk towards the giant tree and see where the noise was coming from while trying to keep her guard up for unwanted trees in her path. While nearing the giant tree, the laughter and chatter were getting louder and clearer, bit by bit.
"Oh my... I never expected a tree this big...", said the girl who was looking up at the biggest tree in the grasslands.
"But enough of that, I've got to know where this tree's opening is.", the girl said as she looks around for an opening, which she discovered minutes later.
The girl stood in front of the giant tree's main door, which she passed through ten times, with a disappointed look on her face and said, "I really can't survive without Azuma, eh?"
"Anyway, back to business.", the girl said and opened the door easily, making a few creaks which made the noises in the tree turn dead quiet.
"Hello? Anybody here?", the girl said to the empty space in the tree.
"Hm, guess nobody's home. I might as well look for clues of this place though.", then the girl started digging through the piles of gold coins on the floor.
While the hooded girl was investigating the area, two figures appeared from the darkness behind her.
"Activate Tree Fort Defence System?", asked the box-shaped figure to his companion
"Whatever you want to call it, do it now.", the string-like figure replied.
"Roger that.", the box figure said and jumped towards the hooded girl while screaming something that sounds like a battle cry, aside from the cute voice it generates.
"AHHHHHH!"
"Huh?", the hooded girl turned around and caught the box figure in midair with her hand.
"Who're you, little guy?", the hooded girl asked the box figure who was squirming in her hand, trying to escape.
"Beemo!", the string figure shouted and jumped towards the hooded girl too, which ended up in failure when the hooded girl blocked him using the box figure that was called 'Beemo.'
"Wow, you two sure are brave despite being... A box and a worm?", the hooded girl said in a questioning voice.
"I am not a box! I am Beemo!", the box said in the girl's hand. "And he is no ordinary worm, he's Shelby the Worm!"
The hooded girl was speechless, she might have seen hideous monsters, death entities who try to eat the life out of everything, and tons of other unpleasant things, but she never expected to see a talking video game platform and a talking worm. Which were both squirming in her hand and on the floor respectively.
"Okaaaaaaaaaaay...", the girl said and picked up Shelby and put him on the table along with Beemo.
"We won't allow you to steal Finn and Jake's family treasure!", Shelby said in what was supposed to be an angry tone, something that the hooded girl didn't much realize as Shelby's voice was too cute to sounds demanding.
After giggling a bit, the hooded girl said, "Calm down, okay? I'm not going to steal anything. I'm just trying to figure out where I am."
Shelby and Beemo looked at each other then at the girl, "Don't you know this place, lady?", Beemo asked.
"Unfortunately, no. I just happen to wake up here after... After...", the girl stammered, embarrassed from the thought of what happened to her.
"After you hit a tree?", Shelby asked in an innocent tone.
"... N-No...", the girl lied while looking at the sides.
"Don't lie, lady, we can see tree bark marks on your face.", Beemo pointed out.
"... Quiet, you.", the girl said, embarrassed.
"Anyway,", Shelby interrupted, "What's your name?"
"And where did you come from?", Beemo followed up.
After recovering from her flushed state, the girl replied, "My name's Samantha Gildeheim, from the Sun Temple."
"Gill-de-haym?", Shelby attempted to pronounce
"Mhhm~,", Samantha nodded, "Something like that."
"Sun Temple?", Beemo asked.
"That means I'm a Sun Mage, a magician who can recreate the powers of the sun.", Samantha replied.
"A magician? Can you do a magic trick?", Shelby asked brightly.
"Uh... Haha, I don't think that would be a good idea.", Samantha said, knowing that she'll end up burning the whole grasslands if she agrees.
Right at that moment, Samantha felt an explosion far away from her location. Nobody felt it, not even the nearby birds, she was the only that felt it. It wasn't an explosion big enough to destroy a city, in fact, it was quite small, hardly a threat. But, it felt weird... The explosion came from something or somebody she knows... Something she takes great care of...
"That wasn't mistress' work...", Samantha whispered to herself, "But... It feels so familiar... So familiar, that it's like the one who caused was supposed to be..."
Then it hit her, "OH NO!", Samantha suddenly shouted, completely worried.
"Huh?", Shelby and Beemo said in unison.
"I'm sorry, you two. But I need to leave, like, right now.", Samantha said in a panicking voice.
"Why?"
"I need to handle something personal, sorry.", Samantha said, rushing towards the door.
As Samantha ran outside, she suddenly remembered the rule of thumb whenever she encounters beings from another world.
"Beemo? Shelby?", Samantha called.
"Yes?", Shelby replied on behalf of him and Beemo.
"Can you two please keep this little meeting a secret? I can't have anybody know that some inter-dimensional person came into your house.", Samantha said.
Beemo, who didn't really believe that Samantha was a being not from their world, replied, "Okay, we can keep it a secret. Just take care, okay?"
"I will, see you two someday.", Samantha said and waved at them before running towards the Fire Kingdom.
The journey was kind of lengthy, even Samantha herself knew that. She was even forced to make her own fire a travelling tool to reach the Fire Kingdom quickly. While nearing the Fire Kingdom, there was only one thing on Samantha's mind: To make sure she finds Masume safe and meet with her other companions.
Samantha finally arrived at the Fire Kingdom, only to see fire elementals who were fixing debris from the explosion she sensed earlier. She decided to hide behind one of the larger debris and check if Masume is there.
"Hm... I don't like the feeling of this place... The inhabitants may seem harmless, but they have a bad aura, specifically with people like me... Could it be that Masume was here?", Samantha said while investigating.
"Thanks for the invite, Flame.", a familiar voice was heard. "Even though I shouldn't be part of it in the first place, haha!"
Samantha tried to get a peek on who was talking because a fire elemental blocked her view.
"Yeah, well, just don't do that again or else we'll end up fighting again.", a flame elemental, this time with a dress, replied to the voice.
"I will, I will, don't you worry.", the voice said.
An irritated Samantha was already shaking, desperate to know who was talking.
"That voice... I need to know... If it's Masume...", Samantha clenched her teeth, trying not to be seen while she tries to get even a slight trace of who owned that familiar voice.
"Alright, you guys, let's go home, it's getting dark.", a yellow dog said.
"Sure, let's go Masume.", a boy with a bear hat said.
'MASUME?!', Samantha said to herself, 'I need to see him right away!'
Samantha then rushed towards Masume's direction but was ultimately cut short by two fire elementals with spears.
"Stop right there, lady.", one of the guards said.
"Wait, please hear me out, I'm with that gray-haired boy!", Samantha said, trying to get past the guards while pointing at Masume, who was already walking away with the bear-hat boy and the yellow dog.
"Oh, so you're with that walking disaster? Maybe it's time we take you to our princess first.", the other guard told Samantha.
"I don't have the time to do that, now let me go!", Samantha said as she summoned her staff and ordered fire to surround the two guards.
Samantha eventually passed through the guards and ran, but was once again cut short, but this time, it was somebody unexpected who stopped her.
"Cease, peasant witch!", a deep and echoing voice shouted as giant walls of fire form in front of Samantha.
A surprised Samantha, with no place to run, turned around and saw the Flame King of the Fire Kingdom himself.
"Care to tell on who you are, hm?", the Flame King asked as he ordered his soldiers to surround Samantha.
"Father!", the Flame Princess ran towards them once she saw her father's fire.
"Look, I don't who or what you people are, but you two will let me leave this place peacefully. Or else.", Samantha said with an impatient tone, unconsciously creating a large figure made out of fire behind her. A figure that's shaped like a phoenix. "And I'm not exactly in the mood to have a talk."
The Flame King then observed Samantha's projection, her power, her secret. A few seconds later, Flame Princess broke the silence.
"Father, I know you have great power here, but I think I know how to approach this person.", FP asked.
"I'm sorry, daughter, but from the damage the kingdom received while I was gone proved that ruling this place might have been too big for you. Much less dealing with this flame summoner.", Flame King replied.
"'Flame Summoner?' You didn't come from the Sun Temple, did you?", Samantha intervened, making the phoenix a bit smaller in size.
Flame King and Flame Princess then looked at Samantha intently, then at each other. Flame King then nodded at Flame Princess, who he believed had an idea of where Samantha came from.
"Come, my molten mommas. Let us be on our way, my daughter can handle this situation... For now.", the Flame King ordered his soldiers.
After being left alone by her father, FP then walked towards Samantha.
"So... You're with Masume, huh?", FP asked rather reluctantly.
"Yes, and now I'm after him.", Samantha stated.
"Why? Did he do something?"
"Not really... Back in the Living Earth, he suddenly went missing. Me and my friends headed off to the woods to look for him, where we eventually split up... A bad idea that was...", Samantha then looked down. "Anyway, how did Masume end up here?", Samantha then asked.
"I don't know with him either, he just said he woke up around the kingdom's outskirts and eventually walked here.", FP said as she looked at the kingdom's damage.
"So... He did this?", Samantha asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. Now we have to rebuild it, but it's not much of a problem, we can fix this in just a few days.", FP stated.
"Do you want me to lend a hand for a while?", Samantha asked FP with a smile on her face.
"Huh?", FP was kind of surprised from Samantha's question, "Y-You really don't need to help. Besides, Masume's your top priority, right?"
"It's fine, Masume's probably with that dog and boy, right? It'll be easy to track him down when I get to ask the populace of this world.", Samantha pointed out. "Besides, being with you reminds me of my mistress."
"Your... Mistress?"
"Yes... She's a bit older than you, but you two are quite alike.", Samantha chuckled.
"Anyway, on to work, you guys will be needing another fire-user's help here.", Samantha broke up the conversation and walked towards the palace.
Flame Princess stayed where she was, watching Samantha as she walked towards her father's court.
"Living Earth... Ooo... Do these worlds have something in common? I wonder...", FP said to herself and proceeded to walk to her father's court, hoping to get a more thorough conversation with the person who calls herself a Sun Mage. Samantha Gildeheim.
Meanwhile, at the tree fort...
"Finn! Jake!", Masume called from his new room, "Can you get this box thingy and this worm to stop poking me with their little staffs?"
"Sorry 'Sume! We're sleeping!", replied the two.
"Yeah, sure...", Masume said to himself, "Leave me alone with these mage wannabes..."