Chapter 43: Flames and Magma

The spiral ramp ran for miles descending several thousand feet before it leveled off to reveal another cavern—The Cave of Flames. Boldly, Jymir walked into the cave, not caring if Mayura was ready or not.

The second cave was quite unlike the first. There was a very simple straight wide obsidian path that obviously ran from the entrance to the exit. The cave seamed quite unremarkable really. «I don't know how they claim this to be the scariest cave of them all.» Jymir thought looking at his surroundings. There was nothing. No monsters, no feelings of dread... there wasn't even the baking heat they had encountered in the first cave. «Nuthi must have been pulling my hind legs. There's nothing scary about this.»

Mayura was looking frantically around, also surprised that there was nothing threatening them—not even the flames that supposedly gave the caves its name. But unlike Jymir, Mayura was afraid. «The more harmless looking a test is, the more dangerous its challenge.» Resounded Loki's words in her head. Mayura had never quite understood his words until her 'easy' quest had already proven challenging. «And this is only the beginning...»

Jymir and Mayura kept a steady clip until the path suddenly dropped away behind them them, wild flames filling the twenty foot gap. Jymir reared up in fear, the flames sending him into a panic. Thrashing wildly, he galloped at full tilt towards the exit, leaving Mayura—who had been bucked off—behind. Darkness engulfed Mayura's conscious as she blacked out.

"Yamino-san! Fenrir! Loki-tama's fever has broken! Yamino-san!" cried Ecchan.

Yamino abruptly woke up from the restless his slumber on a couch in the study. He had refrained from using his own room, wanting to be as close as possible to Loki should anything changed in his condition, although he was losing hope. Loki's fever had been consuming him for three weeks; not many survived fevers such as those, not even gods. Flailing his arms around, Yamino tried to orientate himself in a quite familiar room. "Where am... Loki-sama! What! What happened?!" he demanded hysterically.

"Loki-tama's fever has broken Yamino-san!"

"Nii-san! Get up!"

Fenrir cocked his head blurry eyed. "Yamino? Whaa?" he yawned. Fenrir had been sleeping soundly, overcome with fatigue.

"Loki-sama's fever has broken!" responded Yamino flying out the door.

"Loki-sama's fever broken? .......... Daddy!"

Mayura woke up with a killer headache. Moaning, she gently rubbed her head where it still hurt and felt a good sized goose egg on the back of her head. She sat up slowly, remembering from first aid class that someone who had just had a head injury might become sick from any sudden movement. This information cheered her up greatly. Not only was she not suffering from memory loss—a good sign that she hadn't hurt herself too badly in her fall—but elated at the fact that she had actually remembered something from freshman health class—not something she had done on the exam to her chagrin.

"Where am I?" she asked out load to no one, her voice echoing down the cavern. "Jymir, are you near? Jymir?" But she was answered with silence.

Standing up, Mayura stared at her surroundings in shock. All around her were moving rivers of burning lava—the flames reaching way over her head. Not asking why the lava hadn't touched her, least it realize its mistake, Mayura started the journey down through the walls of flame, hoping that Jymir was waiting for her at the end of the path.

As she was walking for perhaps two days before Mayura could hear the sound of Jymir neighing. "Jymir! Jymir!" she cried. "Where are you?"

"Mayu-chan ..."

"Mayura..."

"Mayura wa ii ko..."

"Papa wa meitantei..."

"Mayura"

"Mayura wa ii ko..."

"Mayu-chan..."

"Papa wa meitantei..."

Mayura spun around towards the voices she thought she knew... "Mama! Papa! What are you doing here? Mama!"

"Mayura... Mayu-chan... Join us... come to us... then we can be family again. No more pain, no more hurt, we can be together again..."

Mayura ran towards her parents until she thought couldn't run anymore, but they kept on moving farther and farther away from her. "Mama, papa! Stop running away! I can't get to you if you run away. Mama... papa!" she screamed overreaching for her parents. With a thud she fell hard onto the stone, cracking the already heat stressed material. Rubbing her ankle, Mayura decided to not test it until the throbbing had gone away.

"Mayu-chan, you hurt yourself. Don't worry. I'll be okay. Mama's here. Mayura wa ii ko."

"Mama..." mumbled Mayura, staring intently into the flames.

"Mayura, the rest of the family has come to see you. Don't you remember ojii-san and obaa-san?"

"From the pictures... Daidouji ojii-san and Daidouji obaa-san! Is Kimura obaa-san and ojii-san here?" Mayura asked plaintively to the flickering flames.

The flames waved and Mayura saw the grandparents she had never seen in life. They were standing far away and yet were beckoning for her to come and see them.

"Mayura... Mayura-chan... Mayu-chan..."

Opening his eyes for the first time in four days, Loki looked up to see his children and Ecchan looking worried and weary above him. "Ya...mi...no-kun... E...cchan... Fen..ri..r..."

"Don't talk Loki-sama. You've been sick for a long time. Here, try to drink some of this," instructed Yamino, lifting Loki's head up enough so that he could swallow the water. "You're very dehydrated and weak. No, no, no... don't try to get up. You'll overtax yourself," chided Yamino, pushing him back down onto his pillows.

"Daddy, I was so worried about you," Fenrir whimpered, climbing up onto the bed to cuddle into Loki's side.

"Is... is Mayu-chan aright?" Loki asked, using the little bit of strength he had.

"Yes Loki-tama. Odin-sama contacted us yesterday and told us she was still alive and pursuing her quest," informed Ecchan waggling her ears.

Yamino pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. "He even sent his best of wishes towards your recovery Loki-sama."

"I'm glad..." Loki whispered before falling back to sleep.

Mayura sat in front of her parents and other family members for days, and as each hour passed that she talked with her family, another family member would come to join the not so small anymore family reunion.

Loki was restless. Yamino still hadn't let him get out of bed, and all he wanted to do was use his legs... go out on a walk... he'd even run if Yamino would allow him out of his blasted bed. To make it worse, ever since he had woken up clear headed, he had a nagging feeling that something was going wrong, but he couldn't figure out what. And that's what was really annoying Loki beyond all accounts of politeness.

"Yamino-kun, can I get up now?"

"No Loki-sama. Verdandi-sama said you shouldn't get up until tomorrow, and then only for a short while. We don't want you to exhaust yourself and relapse back into that fever Loki-sama," replied Yamino smiling from the chair he had brought into Loki's room.

Loki huffed. "I can't take this anymore! I'm going insane!" he retorted his eyes glowing a dull red.

"Daddy! We're here to keep you company."

"I know Fenrir," replied Loki, smoothing his son's hurt feelings. Unconsciously he began to stroke his son's soft short fur. "It's just that I have this funny feeling that..."

"That what Loki-tama?" asked Ecchan lifting up her ears in curiosity. It was the first time Loki had mentioned anything other inactivity being the root of his irritability.

"I don't know! For some reason the fires within the Cave of Flame are acting up," he answer tersely.

"Perhaps Mayura-san is there. After all, the Cave of Flame is in Muspelheim, correct Loki-sama?" asked Yamino evenly, pushing up his glass like he did every time he told him some information that made him feel important and truly needed in his father's life.

"Yes, but Mayura shouldn't be in there. There's no reason for her to be. We've been at peace with the Fire Giants for a while now and if she told them she was on a quest..."

"They might decide to give her a test to prove her worthiness and make her pass through the caves anyway daddy."

Loki looked down at his puppy like son. "I suppose that's possible," he mused.

"You could check to see if Mayura is indeed in the Cave of Flames through the fireplace Loki-sama. You can get out of bed to do that as long as you go straight to sleep after, do you hear me?" instructed Yamino like a mother hen.

"Yes mommy."

"Loki-sama!!"

Loki smiled impishly at his son and got out of his bed to walk over to the fireplace. His legs were unsteady, and Loki was forced to admit that he really shouldn't be out of his bed—as he was still quite weak. Kneeling on the ground, Loki called forth a small flicker of heat inside the fireplace and instructed it to catch the wood.

Ecchan flew over Loki's head. "This won't be considered interfering Loki-tama?"

"As long as I keep it as a one way viewing, then no." With Loki's guidance, a cheerful fire was burning within minutes. Staring into its depths, Loki's vision began to blur as he saw through the flames.

"So when are my great grand children going to arrive hmm?"

"Grandma!" shrieked Mayura. «First Loki and now grandma? Well, I understand why Loki wants to start thinking about that now. It might take several thousand years of practice to...» Mayura's cheeks burned at her thought.

"Rei, calm down, the girl probably isn't even married yet. Look you're making her blush." Mayura blushed even brighter at that statement. "You mean you are? To who! Why wasn't I consulted?! Is he worthy?" demanded the elderly man that was obviously her grandfather.

"Loki is..."

"What's his family name?" continued the agitated old man.

"Farbautisen..."

"That's not Japanese. And I assume you now go around with his silly name I suppose."

"He's a god."

"Oh well yes... and according to your grandmother so was I in my younger days."

Mayura blushed even redder at the comment her grandfather made. "Grandpa!"

Loki watched the events with morbid fascination. Mayura was in the Cave of Flames lost within the false world that the flames had made within her mind, drawing upon her deepest desires.

"Loki... Farbautisen... He's a god... Grandpa!"

He raised an eyebrow at Mayura's words. «Oh really... and what is her little mind coming up with to make her blush so much?» Loki sighed, stopping the vision. There were plenty of things he could do to help Mayura, but each and every one of them would be considered interference with Mayura's quest. The magic he had used had drained him sufficiently and consequently, he had to ask Yamino to support him as he walked back into his bed. Lying down, Loki silently cursed the powers that were slowly but surely emerging within Mayura. She had just enough ability for the mischievous flames to search her mind to create a utopia like dream world for her, and yet didn't possess enough to see through its illusion. Lifting up his right wrist to eye level, Loki wished upon the light blue ribbon. It was his last and only option.

Her grandfather was probably going to give her the seventh degree now that he found out she was married. Whether or not the wedding vows had been said, it looked like she wasn't married until he had given his approval. He was about to ask another question when the dark blue ribbon tied to her right wrist began to glow.

Its radiance covered her in a half blue white light and slowly expanded, destroying the visions within the flames. Mayura blinked as her eyes came into focus. "Wha? What's going on here?! Where did they go...? Mama! Papa! Grandpa!"

The energy continued to spread and worked its way into the already stressed and slightly cracked bridge below her.

ΔΔΔ Crack... crack... CRUNCH ΔΔΔ

The floor gave way, free falling into the unknown below. Mayura's last thought before blanking out in fear was that she had once again failed in her quest.

Ж

Ж

Ж

Groaning, she sat up and looked around. In every direction spanned a vast ocean of magma. To her left and right she could see large pillars soaring up through the magma, and if she looked up, Mayura was able to see the underside of the bridge she had tried to cross. Lava was pouring down the massive hole in the bridge creating a new pillar that would one day be the base of the latest section of bridge.

A large piece of cooling lava plummeted into the magma below creating a wave a magma that gently washed upon Mayura's little island. «Little island?!» Mayura looked down at her island floating in the sea. It was definitely smaller than it had been moments before and sinking fast. "No! I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!"

Mayura scrambled up to her feet—more for necessity than the thought that she would be safer standing—her island was only one meter by one meter... fifty centimeters... twenty-five centimeters... twenty... fifteen... ten...

Omake: Really, I Am!

In an alternate reality not too far away...

"I'm a god"

"Oh, get over yourself"

"No, really"

"Such an ego!"

"I AM a god!"

"You're not that big!"

---omake credits---

This perverted interlude brought to you by the slippery mind of Fish---yeah, the same guy as before. If you don't get it, you're too young. If you do get it... well... hehe...

LokiGirl: They called you Fish?

Fish: He, it was my first nickname ever.

LokiGirl: Oi

Author's Notes: I know I know... I'm evil, and after 'Slaying Shadows' I was told to not do anymore cliffhangers by my reviewers. Hehe... sorry... It was just too good not to be a cliffhanger.

Sorry for taking so long to post this next chapter. I was really turned off by the 'no special characters' rule. But I finally figured a way out of it thanks to Ryo Hoshi. Use the funniest letters you can find from other alphabets. Greek and Cyrillic seem to work the best from what I've found without going to the extremes. The Ж symbol I'm using for the star/pound is really a Cyrillic capital letter zhe. Neat huh? Alright, enough of my banter.

To Bibliomaniac: Of course we need angst. What would we do without angst!? And don't worry; Mayura will certainly show what she is really made of.

To ruby-dream: Poor Loki is in for the long haul. Sorry for taking so long to write the next chapter, well post the next chapter.