“…All Fire,” the Whitebud Wanderer mumbled once again, stroking his chest, as he stared at the space in front of the ancient being’s chest with awe and fear. “So, that is the Origin of Fire.”

  “Not quite,” the Fire said, withdrawing his hand from the spark, letting it float on its own. “It may have given birth to all Fire, but it is not the Origin of Fire. At best it can only be considered to be ■■■■■■■■… Why am I explaining this to you anyway? It is not as if you… any of you can understand what I am saying.”

  “Forgive me for my ignorance—

  “I told you before, there is no need for you to play your games with me,” the Fire said, waving his hand to dismiss the Fire Servant’s gesture. “And like I said, do you really have the leisure to worry about other things?”

  “…I can withstand this level of Spatial Storm.”

  “Spatial Storm?” the Fire said, not even othering to turn towards the Fire Servant, as he stretched his hands out into the depths of the forest, and clenched his fist, only for the ripples around him to multiply in both, numbers, and intensity. So much so, that even those who had run hundreds of metres away could still feel the space around them shake. It was as if they were facing a Spatial Storm once again, just, without any Spatial Cracks.

  “When did I say anything about a Spatial Storm?”

  “…Please, let me witness your miracle from up close, my—

  “Miracle?” the Fire said, and paused for a moment, before finishing his words. “What you do with your life is up to you. I have already paid off the favour I owe you anyway, so whatever happens to you next does not have anything to do with me.”

  “…I understand.”

  “Then, just stand back and watch,” the Fire said, as he borrowed from his Origin once again. Though there was not much left to borrow. He had already sacrificed his ■■■■■■■■—his Concepts, his essence, to the Origin Sea. All that was left, was just some of his perceptions and understandings he had accumulated before breaking the limit of the Origin Sea. But for his purpose, that was enough.

  After all, he already had the Original Tinder. Though it was more like a spark than a tinder. Maybe the Original Spark would have been a better name. But that was not up to him. The tinder was named long before he was born, in the Dawn of Time. He could not change it on his whim, just because he thought that it was not appropriate. Perhaps, if the tinder was the ■■■■■■■■, through which he broke the limits of the Origin Sea, then he could think of it.

  Then again, it would have reverted back to its original name the moment he sacrificed it back to the Origin Sea, so it did not make any sense. In any case, he had the Original Tinder with him to act as the spark. Next, he just had to turn that spark into a Flame. His Flame. And what better way was there to rekindle his Flame, than to burn his own perceptions and understandings?

  Alright, maybe there were better solutions. Like using some of the rare trees, the kind that came into being when the world originally formed. He could even search the depths of the Origin Sea for some alternatives. In his situation though, it was the only way he could think of. Besides, he had already sacrificed all that he stood for. What more was he hesitating for?

  Burning away his hesitations, Fire reached into his Origin, and borrowed his perceptions—

  Fire.

  —throwing them into the spark floating in front of his chest one by one—

  Was it the byproduct of the process of combining two or more substances with each other?

  —transforming the spark into a Fire—

  Or was it the sensation that came with the rising temperature?

  —Small at first, barely the size of his thumb—

  Could there be a fire without light and temperature?

  —growing into the size of his head—

  Could there be a fire without anything to burn?

  —before expanding to match his height in just a few moments—

  And what about the Fire within everyone’s Heart?

  —And as the Fire grew, it finally became visible to everyone—

  Was that also a kind of Fire?

  —To even those, who did not have eyes, or were in another part of the prison altogether, let alone those who stood just hundreds of metres away—

  Or was just a mass of emotions and desires?

  —A splendid Fire, shining in all its glory, its sacred light illuminating the entire world. Even the Fire itself. And it asked him a question.

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  What exactly was Fire?

  That was a silly question. Fire was… Fire was… Fire…

  What was Fire?

  …He did not know. He did not know anything about Fire. Because everything he knew, he had already sacrificed to the Original Tinder, turning his accumulation of millions of years into the Fire before him.

  No, he knew the answer.

  He…

  What was Fire?

  He was Fire.

  Indeed, the Fire said, and welcomed his back. He was Fire. And much more.

  He was the Origin of Fire. Or at least, an Origin. It did not matter if he had lost all his perceptions, and millions of years of accumulation. He would just have to reclaim it back from the Origin Sea. As long as he had his Origin, nothing was impossible. After all, he himself was Fire. And all Fire came from him. Including the one in front of him.

  So, what was he waiting for?

  To complete a promise, the Fire said. Or he would not be able to answer the Origin Sea. Breaking a promise with the Origin Sea was not a good idea. Especially one made in the witness of ■■■■■■■■. Even in his heyday, he would never have dared to defy its will, let alone in his current state, when he barely had any strength left. Fortunately, he knew what would happen once he went through with his plan, and had prepared accordingly.

  Reaching into the part of his strength that he had left in ‘his’ body, he first returned it back its old, human self, healing all ‘his’ injuries, and restoring ‘his’ Spirit Power, before transforming ‘his’ body according to ‘his’ wish, carving the path ‘he’ had imagined. One that gave him a rather familiar feeling. Strange. Why did he not pay attention to it earlier? Did it matter though? It was not as if he had the leisure to reminisce about the past.

  Burning away all the strange thoughts, he concentrated on completing ‘his’ wish, exhausting almost all his strength in the process. By the time he was done, he barely had any extra strength left. And what he had left was also slipping away from him. After all, it was strength of the past him. He did not have the qualification to hold that strength anymore. At least not at the moment. But he needed that strength to escape his prison.

  Thus, before what little strength he had left could also slip away from him, he quickly left ‘his’ body, and returned to his Fire, becoming whole once again. Not the same whole he used to be in the past, but a whole, nonetheless. A Fire Spirit. Maybe the only one left in the world. That was all the more reason why he could not let himself be caught once again, or the Fire Spirits would truly become a part of history.

  Still, he did not leave right away either. Instead, he shaped himself into a form similar to the humans around him. He even manipulated his Flames to put on some clothes, similar to the one that ‘he’ was wearing, just in a shade of blazing red. Though he did take the effort to change his face. He did not mind using ‘his’ face when he was in ‘his’ body, but talking with someone having the same face was a little unnerving. It was like two Fires having the same Flames. Such absurdity…

  “…As promised, I have returned your body to you, and also fulfilled your wish.”

  “…You did,” Alnea said, flexing his fingers, and moving his hands to relish the feeling of having a body once again, before turning towards the Fire Spirit. “But do not think that I will thank you for it.”

  “Of course,” the Fire said. “I was just fulfilling my part of the deal. If anything, I should be grateful to you for helping me rekindle my Flame.”

  “…As long as you stay away from me in the future, and do not come trying to take over my body again, we will be considered even.”

  “Rest assured. I have no intention of taking over your body again. It is too weak, and—

  “Just get to the point,” Alnea said, interrupting the Fire Spirit before he could go on another tangent. “Why have you not left yet?”

  “…I have something that I must warn you against.”

  “…If you want to warn me against the people orchestrating your escape, then do not bother. I was able to hear all your thoughts, remember?”

  “No, I am not talking about those people, though you should be wary of them anyway. Beings capable of such subtle manipulation—

  “I thought that you were running out of time.”

  “…You get my point. Be wary of everything. Especially coincidences.”

  “…I know that better than you.”

  “Then why do you still insist on transforming your body?”

  “What does that have to do with coincidences?”

  “…It seems that you are still not ready to face those questions,” the Fire Spirit said, and paused, glancing towards the skies. “My time is running out.”

  “Then you should not waste your time talk about some strange things that do not make any sense. And why are you trying to help me anyway? You have already paid the favour you owed. Why have you not left already?”

  “…All things said and done, we did share a body, even if only for a while,” the Fire Spirit said, turning back towards Alnea. “In a sense, we could even be considered as brothers. Naturally, I would not want any Ill Fortune to befall upon you.”

  “…Do not worry. I can take care of myself,” Alnea said, and paused for a few moments, glancing at the three girls, braving the Spatial Storm just to stay by his side, before turning back to the Fire Spirit, with a smile on his face. “And I have the help of some very capable girls. They would not let anything happen to me.”

  “…That is another thing I must… Forget it. It would be best if you discover it yourself. At best, I can just give you my blessing,” the Fire Spirit said, and flicked his hand, sending a trace of fire directly into his head. “Do not worry. You should feel it too. That trace of fire will not bring you any harm. On the contrary, it will help you in comprehending the Mysteries of Fire.”

  “…And you should also know that my affinity with Fire is not very high. What use would your blessings be, if I cannot even encounter the Mysteries of Fire?”

  “Impatient as ever,” the Fire Spirit said, showing a smile on his face. “You should at least first explore the effects of the blessings before coming to a conclusion.”

  “And you stop being so nosy,” Alnea said, returning the Fire Spirit’s smile. “Just leave already, or do you really want to be captured once again?”

  “…Goodbye then, my dear brother,” the Fire Spirit said, widening his smile, before blinking out of existence. Literally. One moment, he was there. And in the other, he was gone. And as he vanished, so did the cause of the Spatial Storm. It was only natural then, for the ripples in the space to also subside and dissipate. The only thing left behind in the Fire Spirit’s wake was ruins and destruction. And a flower. A blazing red flower, that against all odds, grew right in the centre of the Spatial Storm.

  Such a strange thing, Fire. To some, it was a tool to kill, an instrument of chaos and destruction. To others, it was a means for salvation. A sacred object that gave birth to life and wisdom. Maybe, even entire civilisations. Yet, those were just some of its expressions. Fire, True Fire, was not something that mere mortals could handle. It was a realm best left to the Fire Spirits. After all, they were the Origin of Fire.