Shadow swooped down from the sky, and Phoenix raised his fist and smacked his brother even further below. Phoenix engulfed his hands in ice and sliced at the ground with the makeshift blades. Shadow pulled himself away and gripped Phoenix's body with a set of black hands. The youngest Elemental burned the hands away, and Shadow flew from the coming heat wave.

  A thunderclap echoed through the woods

  "For two people who want to keep their powers hidden, you're both doing a really bad job!" yelled Zappary.

  "Stay out of this!" yelled Phoenix and Shadow as they both attacked the middle brother.

  Zappary was thrown back into a tree, but planted his feet on top of the trunk. He bounced back to the battlefield.

  "Fine," Zappary adjusted his bandana. "This is what I get for being so –Tssst!- nice."

  "Bring it on," said Phoenix.

  "Gladly." insisted Shadow, dropping his suspenders.

  Zappary circled his brothers, shooting several bolts in rapid succession. The middle brother then ran after the youngest, but ran right into Shadow's trap, being held down by several black arms. The eldest cast a moon barrier between himself and Phoenix, but the youngest gave his all with each blazing punch. Embers flew when the barrier broke. Shadow retracted his wings as he fell. Phoenix wrapped his arms and legs around his brother and pinned him to the ground, continuing his onslaught until Zappary got out.

  Over time, their punches gradually grew weak. The three Elementals stumbled with every step, but they continued until their bodies gave out.

  "Okay... five-minute break?" asked Zappary.

  "Agreed," agreed Shadow.

  "Fine," said Phoenix.

  They closed their eyes, catching as much air as they could with each inhale. It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe, too difficult, and then it became too hot. They opened their eyes to trees engulfed in flames. The brothers did not move, fully willing to deal with it later. Then Zappary shot up.

  "Neko! Koma!" He jumped back on his feet. "They're still at the cottage!"

  Phoenix and Shadow forced themselves to stand up. The main path had already been cluttered with fallen trees. Phoenix ran straight through the fire. Zappary jumped over each pile of flowers and bushes turning to ash. Shadow avoided every animal that was scurrying in whatever direction they deemed safe. The cottage was no exception to the inferno.

  Phoenix broke through the door, "Neko! Koma!"

  He barely heard Neko's and Koma's cries coming from his bedroom. He ran toward the whimpers and found the cubs huddled together in a corner.

  Phoenix scooped them up into his arms, "Thank goodness!" He joined Shadow in the burning hallway. "Where's Zap?"

  "He is looking for something!" hacked Shadow.

  "What could he possibly be doing right now!?" asked Phoenix.

  "Found 'em!" yelled Zappary as he tossed a red cylindrical device with a metal mouthpiece into the eldest brother's hands.

  "What is this?" asked Shadow.

  "Invention of mine!" said Zappary. "Let's you –tssst!– breathe underwater, it'll let you breathe through the smoke! Now go!"

  Shadow and Zappary popped the center of the devices in their mouths and ran out of the cottage. Phoenix took off his scarf and covered the cubs' faces with it.

  "There's a cave near the river!" yelled Phoenix as everything he had was going up in flames. "We can head there for shelter!"

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  "Help!" someone screamed, and the youngest could recognize that voice from anywhere.

  Zappary tapped him on the shoulder, "Why'd you stop?"

  Phoenix faced the middle brother, "Sunny, I can hear her!"

  "Where?"

  Phoenix pointed. "That way!"

  "And the cave?"

  "Go to the river and head left!"

  "Go ahead, I'll –tssst!– get her and meet you –tssst!– at the cave!"

  "Okay!" said Phoenix. "Don't shock her!"

  "I won't drop her!"

  "I said– Oh! Forget it!"

  Zappary rushed through the forest, dodging flames and jumping over fallen trees. The thick branches cut his arms, and the ash burned his feet as he ran through the inferno.

  "Just had to leave the –tssst!– boots!" complained Zappary as he sped through the fire. "Why do I hafta be so –tssst!–nice? It's his –tssst!– girlfriend!"

  He spotted her.

  "Help!"

  "Because I'm such a –tssst!– good freakin' person." he thought. "I'm coming Sunny!" he yelled as he arrived, only to see her trapped beneath a large fallen branch.

  "Zap!" Sunny reached out to him.

  "Don't –tssst!– worry," Zappary reassured as he lifted the branch off of her.

  "Thank you," Sunny tried to get up, but collapsed as soon as she got her footing. "I can't move my foot, my ankle really hurts!"

  "I can't hear you, but it looks like your ankle really hurts!" Zappary scooped Sunny into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll take you somewhere safe!"

  Eventually, the middle triplet reached the cave. Zappary dropped Sunny to the ground and collapsed, coughing up black. While Sunny was turned away, Shadow blocked the cave with an airtight shield of darkness.

  "That –tssst!– was –tssst!– hot –tssst!–." said Zappary. "Whoo my feet hurt! Talk about hot dogs amiright?"

  Phoenix shook his head, "Good thing we heal fast."

  "Phoenix," Shadow nodded at Sunny.

  "Sunny, however, does not..." said Phoenix, barely seeing that Sunny's ankle is out of its socket. "Let me take a look at that." He knelt beside Sunny and gently took her leg in his hands.

  The poor girl winced in pain as a mere touch sent shock up her leg. "Phoenix, it really hurts," she said, trying to hold back the tears.

  "I know, I know," Phoenix said calmly. "Okay, okay, just k-keep breathing normally, I-I've had this happen before once or twice or s-sixteen times. I'm just gonna reset it, it'll be quick."

  "Will it hur–ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

  Phoenix hissed, "Sorry! Just take deep breaths."

  The tears kept rolling as Sunny slowed her breathing, "I'm okay... I'm okay..."

  "Don't move it, let it rest."

  Neko and Koma ran up to Sunny, licking her face and making her laugh.

  Phoenix scratched the cubs' little ears, "I am so sorry I left you two behind." They got off Sunny and jumped on Phoenix, licking his face repeatedly.

  A few quiet hours later, the crackle of the fire could not be heard anymore. While Sunny was distracted with the cubs, Shadow let the shield come down. The group emerged from the darkness, blinking in the brightness of a gray sight. The forest was now a desolate expanse of ashes stretching as far as the eye could see. The air was heavy, and the crackle of embers still echoed in the distance. Blackened trunks barely stood, their branches disappearing in the wind. The soil around the cottage was scorched into a cracked surface, and the wildlife was eerily silenced.

  Everyone made their way back to the cottage, but Phoenix could only cover his mouth and force himself to stay calm. The wooden structure had been reduced to a large pile of charred debris. The roof and walls burned away, and the few belongings Phoenix had were now unrecognizable lumps of plastic and metal. Phoenix stood there, keeping the tears in his eyes. He fell to his knees, staring at the remains.

  Everyone gathered around Phoenix. Sunny leaned on his right shoulder, Zappary placed a hand on his left, and Neko and Koma nuzzled against his legs. Shadow stood behind them all, astounded at the destruction.

  "We will rebuild it all," swallowed Shadow. "Make it even better."

  "Rebuild it?" Phoenix stood up. "Rebuild it? Shadow, there's no rebuilding this! Do you know what I had in there!?"

  "..."

  "We could've been done with this whole fiasco, but no, 'big brother' Shadow just has to be right all the time!"

  "Phoenix you can't–"

  Phoenix was doing his best not to yell. "You went behind my back!"

  "You started the fire!"

  "Because you started the fight!"

  "I wanted to protect you!"

  "Like you have for the last two years?" Phoenix choke.. "I was better off without you."

  "Phoenix," said Zappary. "Don't be so harsh."

  "Harsh?" said Phoenix, his eyes flickering as he grasped at the ashes. "Everything I had was in that house! Do you understand!? Everything I had that kept me sane was in that house! My records! My books! My satchel!" He noticed a familiar handle and pulled up what was left of his violin. "Do you know what I went through for this violin? Do you!? This belonged to one of the greatest men I ever knew, he left it to me as a gift before he died!" He threw the handle at Shadow. "Tell me! How am I supposed to rebuild that Shadow!? That man took better care of me than you ever did! All you did was lie to me, argue with me, and go behind my back since you returned! You want to keep me safe? Well I want my house back! My house kept me safe! I want my stuff back, I want my forest back, I want my life back! This was my life, and it's all gone! For an entire year, I was alone there! Where were you!? Where were you when I needed you!?" He turned back to Shadow. "I did fine without you, and I'll do fine without you. So just go."

  Shadow tries to defend himself, "Phoenix, I–"

  Phoenix pulled Shadow close by the shirt with red eyes, "I. Said. Go." He shoved the eldest away.

  Zappary rummaged through the wreckage.

  Phoenix stared at his hands and joined the middle brother.

  Shadow stayed quiet and walked away.