Chapter -123: A Flame Rises

Justek and Temporis walked along behind Sarajin towards the Heatstroke Wilds. Despite his mission being made clear to them he hadn't bothered to explain the reason why they were daring another dangerous locale.

Temporis didn't care enough to ask really and Justek remained cautiously optimistic in trusting their friend's confidence this time.

And if there was a time and place to be cautious, it was out here in the flaming hot Wilds of Canofloe.

While the outlands were structured similarly to Cryofloe's with the arrangement of trees and flat lands that many creatures roamed around, there were two major differences.

One was obviously the heat, which was like wading through fresh lava. The air was heated and wavy and made it difficult to see what lay ahead.

The second was the magma below the ground. While it was easier to tell what to avoid than the frozen water, stepping near that didn't make it safer. The magma was bubbling over the sides and if even a drop touched their flesh that would be the end of them.

And that magma was only a threat to them. Every species that roamed the land could nuzzle up next to the magma flows without batting an eye and some even dipped in it, such as Canofloe's own bat equivalents.

But they weren't on the hunt for bats, but horses. And with their charcoal black skin and ashen manes they blended in perfectly with their surroundings, again, not helped by the hot, wavy air.

Sarajin cautiously hopped over the magma creeks and waited for his friends to follow before he took a look around. The helmet helped fend off the heat but visibility was an issue. He just didn't have as good of eyesight as Justek or the power of aura like Temporis.

So he stopped and turned around to face them, approaching Temporis in particular with a pleasant, but helpless look on his face, "Hey, Bunny."

"Mmm?" She perked up with interest.

Sarajin waved his hand around and asked, "Think you can find any horses out here?"

Temporis nodded and then started to close her eyes with a smile, "Sure, I can take a crack at it."

Justek raised his brows and let out a light scoff towards Sarajin, "Bunny? Where did that come from?"

"Well, it's a nickname I came up with for her." Sarajin admitted.

Temporis smirked out the side of her mouth and chuckled, "Jealous again, four-eyes?"

Justek wagged his hand out beside his hip and remarked with a bit of dry wit, "Oh no, by all means it's a perfect name for you. After all, your antics drive people hopping mad. Ho ho ho."

Temporis opened her eyes part way unamused while Sarajin awkwardly closed his eyes and grinned, "Ah heh heh heh..."

He didn't want to say out loud that his joke was bad but the silence gave Justek the message regardless. He sighed, nudged his glasses up and then turned back ahead.

Temporis then resumed what she was doing, steadily shaking her head a few seconds later, "Can't sense anything from here."

Sarajin let out a light sigh and waved his hand out at her, trying to remain positive, "Well thanks for trying. Just got to keep looking I guess."

Temporis smiled and nodded with an enthusiastic hum. Justek then stepped forward, using Temporis' shoulder as a prop to present himself with greater emphasis.

"Allow me to try," He said in confidence, "I should be able to pick up the scent of their ash from anywhere, heat be damned."

He flares his nostrils open to take a couple whiffs of the air. His eyes then widened and he made a quiet gesture of the finger forward, "I can smell a heavy amount of ash in that direction."

"Oh, could it be a herd of horses?" Sarajin wondered.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough," Temporis said, bumping Justek's elbow as she went on ahead between the two, "C'mon! Enough standing around!"

She then hopped over a wide magma flow in her spectacularly carefree way with the other two following in her footsteps.

The sounds of bubbling magma reminded Sarajin of his stomach when he was hungry. It's like the land was alive, hostile to their presence like the human body is to germs.

Was this truly the land's fault though, or the whims of it's Titan? Sarajin didn't feel dissuaded at the possibility of either being true, and for a brief moment, even glared up at the top of the volcano.

The Wellsprings inside of him reacted with a faint glow, the Titan's acknowledgment of their gaze meeting. Sarajin then laid a hand on his chest, his heart racing beneath it, and paused where he stood.

Justek stopped and turned around, making his way back by his side with a whisper of, "Sarajin, if I could speak with you for a moment."

"Hmm?" Sarajin's head sprang up and he turned to his friend with his lip curled, "What's up?"

Justek shook his head and then let out a sigh, "I want to believe you know what you're doing, dragging us out here into the hostile wastelands of fire...But my knowledge yet again fails me. Why do you need a horse?"

"Well, Valflame told me that an Ashen Mare can ride through any rough environment, even the thick cloud of ash around the volcano." Sarajin spelled out without hesitation.

"Did he now?" Justek wondered, slightly in disbelief.

"Mmm..." Sarajin pressed his lips shut and then glanced aside, "He didn't mention the volcano specifically, but..."

He swung his hands out and expressed his belief with a solemn plea, "But I want to believe he's leading me in the right direction."

Justek closed his eyes and slowly nodded, "I would hope so. It would've made our job easier if even one of those other leaders were this cooperative from the start."

But his belief was followed by a minor sigh, which Sarajin picked up on and remarked accordingly, "But...?"

Justek's eyes peered open and looked aside, with him then raising his head and nudging his glasses back into place, "He commands an army and more than likely has slain people on the battlefield personally. What makes him different from a warmonger like Colrez?"

Sarajin crossed his arms and closed his eyes halfway, "I didn't get the sense that Valflame fights for the fun of it like Colrez does. He sounded...tired both times I talked to him. Like he wants to get out of this war more than anyone but has no choice if he wants to keep his people safe."

"And you believe him?"

When Sarajin envisioned the leader's tired face and the words of his dream, he could safely nod his head and reply, "Yeah...I trust him."

"Alright," Justek said with a quiet tone of defeat, "Then let's hope this trust pays off. It would help a lot to have a Tribe leader as an ally on our quest for unity."

"I agree!" Sarajin said with a firm nod.

"HEY!" Temporis shouted from a far distance away, "What's the hold up you two?! Get a move on!"

Justek crossed his arms and muttered, "Demanding as always."

Sarajin rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "I'm getting used to it."

Justek laid a hand on his hip and grumbled, "I doubt I ever will..."

Temporis gave them just a little time to catch up with her before they continued on through the wilds. Along the way they continued to leap past magma flows.

They were caught by surprise when the bats thrust out of the magma sliding down the volcano when they passed in front of them, but Justek's quick reflexes kept Sarajin from being splashed by the droplets flying off their wings.

Temporis, with her hands behind her head wondered aloud, "Are we getting close?"

"The scent is getting stronger. Just a few more minutes and we should be there." Justek said in confidence.

Sarajin looked around at all the cracked ground and bubbling magma some more and remarked, "How can anyone hunt out here? It's so...miserable and ruined."

"Well at least we got each other!" Temporis proclaimed, "That helps offset the dreariness a lot!"

Justek waved his hand back at her and remarked, "I can't imagine we're the only people who'd come out here as a group."

"True. Only a real psycho would put their lives at risk hunting out here by themselves," Temporis leaned her head back some more and closed her eyes, "I heard...that there's a really dangerous monster out here that's just as stubborn to hurt as a Rot Walker."

"R-Really?" Sarajin said, nervously turning back to look at her lackadaisical expression.

"Yep! It's got this HUGE body and this MASSIVE pair of fangs that could chomp through any of those bears in Cryofloe with a single bite!"

Sarajin gulped deep.

"But the really scary part is that even if you manage to wound it enough, it'll release a bunch of heat in a massive explosion to take it's hunter out!"

Justek stopped and turned around, glaring at her with a disapproving scowl, "You're just making a story up, pixie."

Temporis shook her head and declared, "Oh no I'm totally serious. Nobody's ever lived when they run across it either!"

"Then how the HECK would anyone be able to prove it exists?" Justek replied.

"Heh, there's plenty of ways to keep going after you stop living..." Temporis then raised her hands up beside her head and wiggled her dangling fingers around, "You could become...a ghoooooooooost! Ooooooh!"

Justek squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge between them, while Sarajin's expression went blank, only blinking a couple times after.

Temporis dropped her arms before her chest and remarked, "You don't believe me do you? Even you, Sarajin? The heck?!"

Sarajin scratched the side of his head with one finger and whispered, "S-Sorry Temporis, but that doesn't make sense to me."

"Besides, if a monster like that was real, wouldn't that result in an imbalance in the ecosystem?" Justek added on.

Temporis closed her eyes and shrugged her hands up with a firm sigh, "Fine, don't believe me. I'm telling the truth though."

Justek rolled his eyes and they started to return on the path forward. But then the sky trembled, as an inhuman growl filled the air, scattering the magma coated bats out of their hiding places.

Justek and Sarajin froze in place and looked at each other, Temporis whistling innocently as she walked between them, hands tucked behind her head.

She then swung back around and grinned, "Well?"

Sarajin smirked awkwardly at Justek and chuckled, while Justek crossed his arms and shook his head, "That sound could mean anything..."

It was best for all involved if they just shoved that info in the back of their head until further notice.

They kept traveling further onward and, just as Justek announced, a few minutes of travel brought them before the source of that ashen scent...

An odd bundle of black wood trees where the branches were rubbing against one another, with thin, cloudy strands similar to webbing between them, all drowning in ash.

It didn't look like anything could live inside, especially not something as big as a horse.

Justek planted his feet before this miniature forest and squinted, taking a couple more whiffs of the air just to be safe.

Meanwhile, Temporis was leaning down beneath his eyesight and taunting him, "Well? Is it smelling like a horse yet?"

"Quiet you," Justek furrowed his brows and then turned around to look at Sarajin, reluctantly admitting his folly, "I suppose I led us in the wrong direction. Sorry, Sarajin."

Sarajin smiled and remarked, "It's fine. We just have to keep looking."

"Hmmm?" He then turned to the left, guided by the faint sound of clopping in the distance.

Through the warm air he saw a continuous streak of black with legs riding across the land, occasionally enlightened by a flare of red flames off the back of their bodies.

"Isn't that?!" Sarajin ran ahead of his friends to get a closer look. There he could make out the shapes of many horses of different sizes, the largest one at the forefront, clearly acting as their leader.

A smile beamed across his face and he turned back to his friends, gesturing their attention towards the herd of horses, "Guys, I think I found them!"

"Really?" Temporis said with a bit of surprise.

"Of all the luck..." Justek remarked with a mild smile.

They advanced together, Sarajin a little further ahead, towards the horses. The herd stopped near a large magma flow and dipped their long heads down, partaking not of the magma itself, but the dried plants covered in ash near the edge.

The soot falling off the volcano was heavier in this part of the Wilds, at the threat of a normal person's ability to breathe.

Sarajin settled down for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling in tune with his breaths. Justek went to his side and wondered aloud, "Now what?"

Sarajin bobbed his head a couple times and remarked, "Now I just need to tame one."

Sarajin took a couple more deep breaths and then, once properly relaxed, advanced towards the Ashen Mares without another word.

Temporis went to Justek's side and wondered, "Is he going to be ok?"

Justek's smile was faint as he responded, "He was able to tame an Argent Heaver. I have no doubt he can accomplish this..."

Temporis raised her brows and then leaned in front of his face, slowly strutting out in full view in front of him, "You don't seem very happy about this."

Justek squeezed his eyes shut and said in an irritated tone, "Must you pry into my affairs...? Haaa..."

With no ear to lay claim to his feelings but hers, he looked her dead in the eyes and his smile seemed even less enthused, "When I first met Sarajin a year ago, I never would've imagined he'd be where he is now. Bravely daring this harsh wilderness, unafraid of it's rage..."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Temporis said with a tilt of the head.

"Yes, yes, of course but..." Justek lowered his head slightly and murmured, "He's having to rely on me less and less as time goes on. All I've been able to do for him lately is offer him support."

"Sometimes all a person needs is a friend to support them," Temporis said in a rare, serious tone of voice, "I don't think Sarajin would've ever gotten this brave if he didn't have your support."

"Hmmm..." Justek pinched his lips into a wobbly smile and then gestured his hand out, admitting with a sheer deal of reluctance weighing him down, "It seems even you can offer a rare tidbit of wisdom sometimes, Temporis."

Temporis nodded and responded in a humored tone, "I blame Gabriel."

The two shared a quick chuckle, then resumed looking in Sarajin's direction, both ready to leap to his side should something go wrong.

He was nearing the Ashen Mares, their heads rising to the occasion. His footsteps weren't the least bit subtle with his boots weighed down in metal.

But they didn't move...at first. They eyed him with their onyx-like orbs glinted with hints of red, the ash clouds that acted as their manes swaying behind their heads, flickering with fire.

They wanted him to make the first move and he could understand their behavior on the spot. He stood there, knees trembling slightly. The largest of them, standing six-feet tall, couldn't even reach the knee of an Argent Heaver but their strength lies solely in their numbers.

If they went wild he would be swept up under their hooves and buried into the magma.

But all he needed was one horse, just one horse, to make his dream come true.

He was properly equipped to handle their flames no matter how much they raged. Now, he just needed to earn their cooperation by any means necessary.

He took a deep gulp, steadying his gaze towards the leader of the herd, while his heart beat at a heavy, disruptive pace.

With the ground cracking apart and spewing magma around them, Sarajin made the first move at long last, dashing along the ground as quick as the wind.

The lead mare let out a resounding neigh and raised its front legs, clopping down upon the edge of the magma river hard enough to make it break.

The rest of his herd pulled away and started dashing to and fro behind their leader, their manes alight with bright, hazardous fire.

The leader then reared its head down, inviting Sarajin to meet it's challenge straight-on.

Sarajin grit his teeth and with the wind at his back, leaped over the magma river and dropped straight upon the horses' back.

He immediately spun around and dug his fingertips into their grainy, rubbery skin to hold on. The mare made his first attempt at dissuasion by rearing their front legs up again to slide him off.

Sarajin crawled forward and grabbed hold of the bottom of the mare's neck, where it's flames flickered intentionally towards his face.

Sarajin turned his head aside and let the embers stroke his helmet. He then continued to press on, managing to begin sitting upright.

He held onto the beast's neck as they spun around and started marching towards it's herd, swinging its head around to force Sarajin's grip loose.

Sarajin held on as hard as he could, even if it meant digging his fingertips into the poor beast's skin. It neighed in resistance with the strength envious of human leaders.

And it's herd came to it's aid, ramming their heads against their leader's sides to hurt Sarajin's legs. But the metal on his boots were their own hide, cushioning their valiant blows.

"They're willing to attack their leader to get me off?" Sarajin said, wincing as he was dragged through the herd's wrath, and the main mare itself tried desperately to swing him off.

But he kept holding on, leaving his final destination squarely in his sights.

"Settle...down!" He yelled, trying to force the mare's attention towards the volcano, "I want to climb that volcano and I need your help! So please, listen to me!"

His voice showed no fear, just as the mare's neighs showed no signs of submission.

And the longer the struggle, the higher the flames around the leader's hooves rose. And when they were at the peak of it's thighs, the flames let loose a roar and the mare rocketed high into the air, hoping the plummet would be enough to take his aggressor off.

But Sarajin had fallen enough. From the day he first left home to all his failed attempts at climbing the volcano thus far, he had learned what it means to struggle and fall, and keep getting back up again.

Maybe if he was the same naive young boy he was starting off he would fail. But the experiences that led him to this point had changed him on the inside. He was still scared, but strong enough to power through it for something he believed in.

When the mare began to descend from the sky wreathed in flames like a comet, he braced himself against its neck with all his might and declared, "I...I won't let go!"

And the mare crashed down, splitting the ground around it for half a mile, as the rest of it's herd maintained a safe distance away.

The mare continued to walk immediately upon landing, but at a slower pace. It's neighs subdued, allowing Sarajin to hear himself panting once more.

He raised his head and found the mare had turned to look at him. It nudged it's head up and neighed quietly, almost like it was trying to strike a conversation with a respected ally.

Sarajin panted some more, struggling to smile. Without saying a word, this long, minute-length struggle ended with both parties seeming to have come to an understanding of what it is they needed.

The leader mare made one last sharp turn and then reared its front legs up towards it's herd, letting out a resounding neigh that signaled them to ape his authoritative gesture.

And then, upon the leader mare's landing, he slowly turned towards the volcano and sputtered out warmly.

Clopping it's front hooves forward, it gestured it's head towards Sarajin and lowered the intensity of the flames on it's mane.

Sarajin looked him in the eyes and nodded, his heart beat nearing a peak. With a tight gulp and a growing smile, he firmed his gaze with determination and pointed it straight at the peak of the mountain.

"Let's go...!" He declared, grabbing tightly onto the horse's neck as it rode off with it's thunderous hooves, leaving a mighty trail of flame in its wake.

It scaled the volcano without losing it's vigorous pace. The heavy magma flows that once proved troublesome were behind the two in a matter of seconds. And the sulfur geysers soon followed.

Sarajin still had to hold his breath and close his eyes, putting all his trust into the horse's guidance as they neared the ash ring.

The mare's mane flared extra hot, as it felt invigorated by the challenge set before it. Daring the divine power that clouded the path forward, it pierced the dark ash and continued pressing forward, even as the thick cloud of ash consumed the sound of it's stampede.

Sarajin was nervous and wondered if he needed to open his eyes now or wait. Eventually the mare wouldn't be able to carry him any farther and it'd be by his own strength that he'd have to make the final leap to Magmankey's domain.

So he didn't waste a breath or overstress things. He trusted in this sudden new ally of his to lead the way.

There was just so much ash, and it seemed to be fighting back. He could feel the mare's pace worsen and worried that it was exhausting itself breathing in all this ash.

But he was wrong. All this ash in his lungs only made the mare's flames burn brighter, and strength it's resolve.

Like a shooting star streak across the night sky, it pierced the darkness with one sudden burst of speed, pushing Sarajin just barely out of the ring of ash.

Now that they were at the peak of the volcano Sarajin thrust his eyes wide open and stood up, carefully running up the horse to the top of it's head, an unsteady balance standing between him and one final dip into the volcano's molten core.

He focused on the levitating spring in the sky and gathered all his strength into his legs.

The ashes grabbed hold of the horse's skin and dug deep, making him let out a painful neigh.

Sarajin turned his head back and watched as the horse was being dragged back in no matter it's struggles. He wanted to help, but couldn't let it's endeavors be in vain.

He grit his teeth and held on, then aimed for the platform above with his fists clenched. With one mighty leap, he crossed the distance with gravity unable to do anything but pitifully attempt to pull him down.

But even with everything he had, Sarajin just barely grabbed hold of the edge of the spring with the tips of his fingers.

The slick, rocky surface tried to make him slide off to his doom, but he put his strength into his arms to pull himself up.

All of his training with Temporis finally had a purpose, for without it his journey would end here.

But the trial was nowhere close to being over. Magmankey crawled up above him with an omnipresent shadow and a mischievous smirk.

"So, SO close..." He mocked him, taking the tips of his toes and applying just a little pressure to Sarajin's fingertips to loosen their grip.

The Titan's smirk widened and he hunched over, pushing his arrogance and godliness into Sarajin's panicked face, "And so, SO far..."

Taking his time to dismantle his efforts one finger at a time, the Titan soon had Sarajin dangling off the edge by one hand, where gravity then worked extra hard to do the rest of the work on the other hand.

Magmankey planted his hands on his knees and chuckled, "Oooh hoo hoo! Why did you think you'd succeed? Don'tcha get it, human...? You're. Not. Special."

His eyes glowed with a crimson haze that consumed his pupils, making his smile even worse off than before, "Never have been. Never will be."

Sarajin felt a fire grow in the pit of his gut, which made his stare stronger, and poignant, as he looked straight up into the Titan's eyes and did nothing else. His body was trembling and he knew he was in danger of dying...But he didn't care.

All that arrogance and downplaying the Titan was doing was getting on his last nerves. And thus, from deep within, Sarajin found a second wind to say, "I-I don't want to be special...! Rrrghhh!"

He swung his loose arm back and forth, throwing it up at the ledge with all his might as he declared, "I just want...TO SAVE THIS WORLD!"

Magmankey's body froze with a sudden shift in expression to surprise, leaving Sarajin with plenty of time to grab hold of the ledge and pull himself up, toppling Magmankey off his feet when their foreheads collided.

Magmankey tumbled back into the water while Sarajin stumbled and fell onto his stomach at the edge of the spring.

Panting, sweating and tired, Sarajin slowly planted his palms on the ground and lifted himself up just so he could fall back down onto his butt instead.

He then pulled his head back and breathed triumphantly.

After a few seconds of this he grinned and whispered to himself, "I-I did it...!"

"Woo ho ho ho ho ho...!" Magmankey started cackling and splashed his arms in the water with a big old grin on his face.

He did a flip off the surface of the spring and then sat atop it, planting his elbow atop his crossed legs with his fist against his cheek.

"You hit me! Unbelievable...!" He said, sounding more humored than angry.

Understandable too, since Sarajin felt a lot more sore in the forehead than the Titan likely did. As Sarajin rubbed the sore red spot on his skin, he gave the Titan a winced expression and remarked, "I-I passed your Trial. Now you'll give me a piece of the Wellspring like you promised, right?"

Magmankey propped his smirk a little and chuckled, "Not quite."

"What." Sarajin said blankly.

"That was an entertaining romp you performed...But now let's see you do it without outside assistance."

"T-That's not what you said!" Sarajin proclaimed.

Magmankey planted his hands on his knees and shrugged, "Nah I'm pretty sure that's what I said. My memory's pretty darn good, I'll tell ya."

Sarajin arched his brows and stood right up, thrusting his fists by his sides, "We had a deal!"

Magmankey propped his eyes open slightly and chuckled, "And I'm a god. Ergo, I can change the rules of engagement however I damn well please. Oooh hoo hoo hoo!"

Sarajin felt a brief flicker of despair grow in his heart before suddenly, Magmankey's head was clobbered into a comically springy state by a giant, icy steel hammer.

Chillo was standing off to the side and hauled the hammer that was way bigger than him over his shoulder, letting out a groan.

"Stop being a dick, Mags. Do I have to tell Xiark on you for breaking a promise?"

"Grumble grumble..." Magmankey turned his head at his brother and moaned quietly, "I was just playing around, why'd ya have to go and hit me..."

Chillo put his hammer away and then waddled around the edge of the spring to get to Sarajin. He then held his claw out and in it, was a fragment of the Wellspring he guarded.

"Take it kid, you've proven your worth in my eyes."

A second later, Magmankey extended his hand out and unfurled the fingers to reveal a fragment of the Fire Wellspring, which well...looked like a flame.

He was trying his best not to look at Sarajin and rolled his eyes, "Eh fine, take it. What difference does it make anyways?"

He was grumpy but his gesture was genuine. With a firm, satisfied nod Sarajin grabbed hold of both Wellspring fragments and felt them get absorbed into his body with little feedback to his body, which surprised him.

But he could tell he got the power over Fire and Ice now.

He clenched his hands into fists and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"So what now?" Magmankey muttered.

Sarajin looked at him directly and the Titan grinned, "What's your big plan now that you've got seven of the nine elements in your possession?"

Sarajin lowered his head and hands and murmured, "Well...Can't you stop enticing your people to war now?"

"Ha! That's hilarious..." The Titan replied before swiftly dropping into a blunt reply of, "No."

"Why not?" Sarajin said with a slightly angered glare.

"So you climbed a volcano. Big whoop. What, ya gonna climb the Rot out of existence?"

"Mmrrr..."

"You're gonna have to show me some real, tangible proof that you ain't all talk, kid. Or I ain't gonna listen to a word you say about 'peace'" Magmankey closed his eyes and gestured the back of his hand out, "Buuuut there's no way in heck that's gonna happen so go on, just go out there and struggle for my amusement. That ought to pass a good couple of decades I'll bet..."

Sarajin narrowed his eyes more and swung his hand out with a firm declaration of, "I WILL make this world a better place for all of us. No matter what happens I won't give up on this world like you have."

One of the Titan's eyes flared open and his gaze alone enveloped Sarajin in a high amount of pressure, "Them's some pretty bold words, human."

He then grinned as a bit of flame rose around his body, setting the spring to boil, "So you better not back down from them. Cause if you do, I'll happily go to your grave and piss all over it."

Sarajin held his ground with only a bit of trembling in his knees, to which Magmankey respected his stance with a smirk.

"Heh...!" He lowered the intensity of his flames and then directed his full attention at Sarajin, itching at his fur as he commented, "Well, if you're this serious about unity and crap, lemme just give one word of advice...Don't trust any of those bugs from Sancturia."

Sarajin's eyes widened and he stuttered, "W-What are you talking about...?"

"Bugs are good at three things...Being hard to kill, wallowing in the dirt until an opportunity presents itself for them to strike...And swarming around shit," Magmankey opened his eyes with a sly grin, "And boy, if there ain't a lot of SHIT on this planet cause of them."

Sarajin's expression wavered a little before he shook his head and proclaimed, "Temporis is my friend! If it wasn't for her and Justek, I would have never made it this far!"

"Good for you!" Magmankey chuckled coldly, "But that loud-mouthed bitch ain't no different from the rest of her hive. You'll see. The hopelessness of this world will reveal itself to you eventually."

His smirk rose and with one last chuckle he said ominously, "Then you'll see how quickly your smile fades."

"Now run along, I ain't getting any fun out of this if you're just standing there looking dopey." Magmankey wagged the back of his fingers out and with one final glare, Sarajin turned around and made his way for the edge of the spring.

"Good luck, kid." Chillo whispered.

Sarajin looked over his shoulder and said, "Thanks."

With one final smile he took off from the spring, finally able to use the power of the wind to help his descent back to the bottom.

When he made a landing on solid ground his friends were there to greet him. Justek had a slightly more optimistic tone to him as he asked, "Did you do it?"

Sarajin smiled bright and gave a firm nod. Then, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the power of fire. In the blink of an eye he was surrounded in flames and came out of it wearing a soldier's garb similar to Valflame's men, though his helmet and boots remained the same.

His hair was also now hot red and a little spiked up like the tail of an ember.

Temporis leaned back comfortably with a shrill whistle and said, "Looks like your persistence paid off!"

Sarajin looked at her and though the Titan's words bugged him, he shoved them in the back of his head and gave her a smile.

"We did it together, Bunny."

He then looked at Justek and remarked, "Thank you...both of you."

Justek flashed a minor smile and nodded in return.

The three then started talking, unaware of the fact that Valflame had been trailing them on his horse. He maintained his distance, noticing the garb that Sarajin wore was that of his people.

He turned his horse aside and a smile slipped out of his face. With a sense of hope in his voice, he murmured, "Sarajin Stratos. Maybe...perhaps..."

He whipped the reins of his horse and sallied off back to his village, leaving the trio to celebrate their victory over Magmankey's Trial.

But this was only the start...There was still so much work to do.

Next Time: Lost in Abyss