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Chapter 31: At The Mercy Of The Fire

Keahi felt numb.

Nothing felt real, like he was asleep. A dream. A very bad, terrifying dream. The one where he had many times before. Volcano Obsidian was finally erupting, the earth shaking as plumes of swirling, fiery smoke blocked out the sun, turning day into night. Ash raining down, casting a thick shadow across the lands. Then rivers of lava would flow down the side of Obsidian like burning veins.

But it wasn’t a dream. It was real. All too real.

As soon as the plumes of burning ash started to rain down from the sky, an emergency meeting was called by the Councilmen. Keahi was immediately escorted into the Council Chamber, where he stood before the Fire Elders of this island. Every person who was considered important was there, talking amongst themselves, all of them wondering why the Volcano had chosen to erupt now.

There was only one conclusion.

It was time for Keahi to fulfil his duty.

It was something that Keahi had been raised to do. It was his destiny. It was his obligation.

But…

The doors to the Council Chamber suddenly flung open and there, hastily dressed in his Priest robes was Bharath. He still looked pale and weary, and there were obvious signs of the bandages around his injuries. The other Elders seemed surprised to see him in such a state, and yet Bharath regarded no one else, didn’t even glance in any direction. He simple looked at Keahi, utmost fear on his face.

“Master Keahi!”

“Bharath,” Keahi whispered as he slowly turned around to face him, his eyes and expression numbingly blank. “What are you doing? You should be resting.”

Bharaths shook his head in a somewhat frantic notion as he stumbled into the room. “How can I rest when…?”

“I know,” Keahi said in a soft voice as he reached out to Bharath to aide him. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“No…” Bharath shook his head in denial as he clutched onto him. “No, there must be another way!”

“No, it is our only option,” an Elder spoke out, who it was Keahi wasn’t sure as he didn’t turn to see. “We must ready the Sacrifice Ritual.”

“Yes,” another Elder agreed, her motherly voice filled with a sense of regret. “Master Keahi is the Peace Keeper; it is his duty to ensure the safety of everyone on this island. I just wish it wasn’t so soon.”

“But-!” Bharath tried to protest. He wanted to say that Keahi wasn’t the one who should be punished. He had done nothing but serve the people of this island. The one who needed, deserved punishment was no one other than their very own Princess.

“I...understand,” Keahi said as he swallowed the sudden, but understandable need to cry. “It is my duty, what I was born for.”

With his hands still holding onto Bharath, Keahi began to guide Bharath gently back to the Fire Temple. The Fire Elders needed time to prepare the ceremony and for his very own cousin, Flamenca to get ready as well. After all, it was her duty to push him into the fiery pit. Something she will find great joy with.

“Master Keahi...” Bharath, too, held an overwhelming sense of sadness.

“It’s...alright,” Keahi said as he gave a very shaky and fake smile as they continued to walk, for once Keahi not stopping to gaze up in awe of their mighty volcano. “I am the Peace Keeper, after all.”

Bharath continued to hold onto him, tears pooling in his eyes. “It’s not fair.”

Keahi continued to hold his smile. “Very little is fair. Please, don’t do anything reckless. Not for me.” He made them both pause in their movements so they could turn to face each other. He then reached up with a shaky hand and tenderly brushed the tears from Bharath’s cheek. “Don’t cry, Bharath, please.”

Bharath had his eyes tightly closed. “I don’t…I don’t want this, Master Keahi. I don’t.”

As soon as they were back inside the still heavily damaged Fire Temple, Brendis was there to greet them. Bharath collapsed into his arms, clinging onto him as he shook his head. It was a silent confirmation that the day had come. The look of disbelief and then sheer devastation on Brendis’ face was too much.

Keahi spun around on his heel, a sob lodging its way into his throat as he hurriedly made his way to his room. When he was called for the Council Meeting he had asked Masou to stay in his room. He needed to see him again. For the last time.

But as he flung open the doors to his room, it was empty. Masou wasn’t there. There was no sign of him.

Keahi stumbled into his room, frantically looking around. He didn’t have much time left. The ceremony was sure to start soon.

“Masou, where are you?” Keahi whispered as tears now freely fell from his eyes and he collapsed on the edge of his bed. “I want to see you again, one last time. Please.”

For the next few minutes all Keahi could do was cry. He tried to smother his heartbreaking sobs with his hands. Yet, the tears wouldn’t stop.

He shouldn’t be crying like he was. He had been preparing his whole life for this moment. It was the reason he was born. What he must do. He knew all that perfectly well. And yet…he wanted to live. He wanted to spend more time with his friends. He wanted to learn more about his fire abilities.

He wanted to…fall deeper in love with Masou.

But it was too late.

“Master Keahi?”

Keahi gave a soft sob when he heard Bharath’s gentle voice and felt his arms wrap around him. “Just a little bit longer, please.”

“I’m sorry, Master,” Bharath whispered as he tightened his arms around him, his chin resting on the top of his head. “It’s...it’s time. They’ve come…”

“I...see,” Keahi murmured as he let his hands fall from his face, leaning against Bharath in defeat. “Very well then.”

Slowly, Keahi disentangled himself from Bharath’s grip as he hastily wiped at his eyes. He took a moment to make him look respectable, Bharath helping straighten his clothes. They shared a look, no words being said, before Bharath abruptly looked away and all but fled from the room.

Turning to look out his window at the now very dark sky outside his bedroom, Keahi whispered softly, “Goodbye, Masou. I...I loved you, you know? Heh, idiot.”

He then left his bedroom for the final time. It was time for him to leave this place.

Keahi was greeted by the Fire Elders and a few of the older Fire Priests and Fire Guards. They were to escort him up the path to the peak of Obsidian, where a wooden platform hung over the lake of lava that fed the constant flames.

The trek up the volcano’s side was a long one, and yet it seemed so short. Before Keahi realised it he was nearing the peak. And there, ready and waiting, was none other than Flamenca. And she was smiling.

“Oh, I have been so looking forward to this day,” Flamenca said with obvious triumph in her voice. “Finally, I can live in peace and rule this island the way I wish.”

Keahi found himself shaking his head as he and Flamenca was escorted to the awaiting sacrificial platform. “This is...this is wrong,” he muttered as he was shoved out onto the wooden deck. A sudden sense of unspeakable anger filled him and he spun around to face Flamenca. “Why am I the one to die when you’re the one displeasing the Fire God?!”

“Me?” Flamenca’s head reeled back in a mocking manner. She looked positively aghast that he would even suggest such a thing. “Maybe it’s you that’s been angering our God all this time, Cousin.”

As sudden as his anger appeared, it dissipated, fear and sorrow taking its place. “...I’m not ready yet. I don’t want to...”

“You’re so selfish,” Flamenca snarled at him. “It has been your duty since birth to die for the sake of the people and you’re always harping on and on about how you would do anything for them. And yet, here you are, totally wimping out on them. You’re a hypocrite, Keahi. You deserve to die.”

Tears formed in Keahi golden eyes once more. “I wish...I wish I could see Masou one last time,” he whispered, his head dropping in defeat. “I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Rained Down from the Heaven’s upon the Petals of Fire!” a familiar voice was heard over the rumbling of the volcano. “Kotori Hakan!”

Suddenly, a majestic Fire Beast formed from the flames of Obsidian, a beautiful owl with wings of fire and eyes of rubies. The spirit’s wings cut through the falling ash easily, the power of its mere presence causing those who had escorted Keahi to the volcano’s peak to scatter, trying to hide from the burning flames. And standing before this Fire Beast, his dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, his priestly robes replaced with the clothes he would wear while practicing was none other than…

“What is-?” an elder murmured as he lifted his arm to shield his face.

“Bharath?!” another elder called out with blatant shock and disbelief. “What are you doing?!”

Keahi felt his eyes widen. “Bharath?”

“I apologize, Master Keahi,” Bharath said as he lifted a hand to push back some loose strands of his hair that was being moved by the heated winds his Fire Beast was generating. There was no fear in his expression, only determination. “But we cannot let this Ritual continue.”

“We?”

Suddenly, another column of flames appeared, sending multiple guards into the air before crashing back down to the ground. “Don’t forget about me.” It was Brendis, and he had that overly confident smirk on his lips, he too ready for battle as he positioned himself near Bharath.

“What are you doing?!” Flamenca’s outraged scream was heard easily. “You fools! You’re going to kill us all!”

“Fire God Obsidian would not want this!” Bharath called back, a sense of deep anger in not only his voice, but his posture as well. “He would not want Master Keahi to die in such a way! You are the one who angered the Fire God by killing those innocent villagers and then attacking the Fire Temple with your Dark Fire! You’re the one who deserves to be punished!”

Even over the sound of the crackling flames and the pool of lava bubbling and boiling just under Keahi’s feet, he could hear a gasp ripple amongst the elders. Clearly, none of them were aware of what Flamenca had been participating in for so long.

“What?” an elder questioned, turning to face his Princess.

But Flamenca blatantly ignored him. She was utterly enraged, utterly disgusted that some lowlife Priest would make such accusation. “You would turn your back on our Fire God for this weakling?!”

“I would never turn my back on my God,” Bharath replied, easily holding his own against Flamenca’s glare. “But I don’t support you. Our Fire God would not want this!”

“You have no say in this matter,” Flamenca snarled. “Guard, kill the two traitors!”

“No!” Keahi yelled out, his heart skipping multiple beats. “Stop!”

But Bharath wasn’t worried. He simply lifted his arm in a sweeping motion to his side, the flames of his Spell Binding Circle increasing in size and strength. “We won’t be so easy to kill.”

Brendis continued to look confident as he called a Fire Lance to his hand, spinning it around with expert ease. “Heh, that’s right.”

Suddenly, before any of the Fire Guards could fulfil the orders they were given, the lake of lava erupted into life. The tremors increased with such ferocity that it was hard for anyone to stand.

Slowly, Keahi turned around, watching with unblinking eyes as chunks of molten rock blasted up into the sky to rain down upon them. The lava was acting violently; something was forming just underneath the surface. Something powerful and absolute.

It could only mean…

“It’s the Fire God!” someone yelled as the lake of lava literally began to boil over. “He’s coming forth!”

A look of fear appeared on Bharath’s face. “Master Keahi!” He tried to make his way over to him, but Brendis suddenly snared him by the arm, abruptly pulling him back, narrowly missing a bit of burning debris.

“Watch it, Bharath!” Brendis said as he held Bharath tightly in his arms, the two finding shelter under Kotori Hakan’s fiery wings, the Fire Beast standing protectively over the two of them.

Bharath rested his hands on Brendis’ chest, looking up at him. “Brendis…”

“I know,” Brendis murmured, holding him closer. “We’ll be together, I promise.”

“I love you,” Bharath whispered as he nuzzled his head under Brendis’ chin.

“I love you, too,” Brendis replied. The two of them were excepting the fact that they were going to die.

Smoke, thick and pitch black, filled the sky as streaks of red lightning and glowing, white hot lava rained down upon the mortal plain. The lava was no longer contained in a lake. It was swirling into a tall column of molten rock that reached toward the heavens, towering over everyone in a massive display of sheer power.

Then, a pair of red glowing eyes appeared. They were large and awe-inspiring. And yet, as Keahi gazed up into those eyes, he felt a sense of familiarity. He had seen those eyes before. He couldn’t take his own gaze off of them, even as a large claw like hand formed, breaking through the column of lava.

“Well now,” an all too familiar voice suddenly mused. “This won’t do at all.”

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