The Flames Lit the Future

"What the hell is this thing...?"

Magical energy rooted in demons ignited the space around Tiadam. Those green flames formed Gundaljika's body. Centered around the discarded box Oyana had thrown away, this lesser fire demon quickly gathered into a physical form several meters tall. Scorching charcoal made up his arms, while boiling magma flowed as his blood.

"Tremble beneath my power, mortals—" Gundaljika swung a sword twisted from flames and slashed at Tiadam. Green fire stretched for several meters, and the foul heat made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

"Is that thing a monster?"

Having narrowly avoided the attack, Tiadam could not help staring at the creature formed from flames. Though most of its body was fire, he could vaguely make out a dark glass bottle at its core. "No... that's not right. This thing is a demon!"

"Die, mortal—" Gundaljika advanced on Tiadam step by step, wielding his flaming sword. Fel energy burned within the green skull.

The demon brought his blade down at Tiadam's head in a diagonal slash, nearly scorching off his hair. To avoid the fire demon's attack, Tiadam rolled across the ground twice before barely escaping its range.

"Human, you cannot escape—" the enormous fire demon roared. "Your soul is mine... You cannot escape..."

"Who said I was running? I'm merely making a strategic retreat..."

Tiadam sidestepped the fire demon's attack. This carefree man casually patted out his burning hair, then began assessing the situation.

"First, this corridor no longer looks like a normal human space. I've run at least several dozen meters, yet I still can't see the end. Running away is probably no longer an option." Tiadam looked to either side. The pitch-black darkness there was as deep as an abyss. "These two sides... perhaps I can make use of them..."

"Mortal, do not think of escaping—" The fire demon Gundaljika swung horizontally again. The flames near one side first vanished into the darkness, then appeared on the other side half a second later. In an instant, the entire corridor was filled with demonic flames.

"So the left and right sides are connected..." Tiadam leaped over the pursuing fire. "Though this thing isn't very fast, I... I can't keep this up for long... After all, it's a demon."

"Human, stop this futile struggle!" The flaming sword in Gundaljika's hand lengthened into a whip and lashed toward Tiadam.

"Damn it—" Seeing no way to evade the whip formed from fire, Tiadam slid into the darkness on the left.

Unlike the flames, Tiadam had a physical body. After entering the endless abyss on the corridor's left side, he did not slide back out from the right. Instead, he slowly began to sink.

"Dear hero... we meet again at last..."

A gentle voice sounded beside Tiadam's ear. He felt his body falling without end. He was alone in the boundless darkness, and amid the sensation of weightlessness, Tiadam realized he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.

"I shall wait for you here..." the gentle voice said. "Until... your awakening..."

"Who... are you..."

Tiadam emerged from the darkness on the right. The fire demon's whip swung again, but this time Tiadam had no way to avoid it. Flames burned across his body, and the stench of charred flesh was like overbaked sweet potatoes.

"Farewell, human—" Gundaljika swung his whip once more.

"In the name of the Fourteen Witches, I summon Water Demon Basatali. Protect the one I see before me, pull him back from death to the hell where I stand, until he is safe—"

Oyana's voice rang out. Foul, sour-smelling polluted water wrapped around Tiadam's body, extinguishing the flames in an instant.

Having barely escaped disaster, Tiadam turned and glared at Oyana. "Witch, if you think this will make me give up on Yalila, then keep dreaming!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I told you to give up on Yalila? Heh." With a snap of her fingers, Oyana sent the fire demon Gundaljika back to hell. "I'd be more than happy for that little XXX to go with you."

"Hey... Yalila, Oyana is back." Lufa in the fireplace glanced at Yalila, who was hiding against the wall. "Why are you hiding over there? Where did all that swagger from before go? Hey—hey—I'm talking to you, XXXXX."

"D-Damn it... Oyana is back..." Yalila said, trembling. "Damn it! Damn it! Why? Why didn't the fire demon kill that bandit sooner?!"

"Yalila—" After dispelling the Endless Corridor, Oyana casually tossed Tiadam onto the floor. "Yalila, bring me my hookah. My craving's acting up."

"Yes~ Teacher Oyana~" Yalila smiled as she handed Oyana her hookah, as though nothing had happened.

"Yalila—Yalila—" Tiadam desperately crawled toward Yalila. "Are you all right? I was worried about you. That witch Oyana didn't do anything to you, did she?!"

"What are you talking about?" Yalila instinctively took two steps back, then looked at Tiadam with contempt. "Lady Oyana is my teacher. Why would she hurt me?"

"But you—"

"But what?" Yalila cut Tiadam off. "Teacher Oyana wasn't here, and I was alone in the shop. I was afraid thieves might break in, so I opened the Endless Corridor to keep them out. Is there a problem with that?!"

"But I'm not a thief..."

"You're a bandit, though~" Yalila said lightly. "Aren't bandits even more annoying than thieves? At least thieves are more skilled than bandits..."

"Then I won't be a bandit, Yalila!" Tiadam crawled at the girl's feet like a dog. "As long as you're happy, I won't be a bandit. I'll be a law-abiding good person!"

"If you can't even be a bandit... then what use are you?" Oyana took a puff from her hookah and exhaled at Tiadam. "As your former partner, Tiadam~ don't make me look down on you~"

"I don't need your respect—witch!" Tiadam roared.

"Please believe me, Yalila... I will definitely make you happy. You... have you forgotten the time we spent together..."

Yalila: "Don't remember—get lost!"

Tiadam: "Yalila, please tell me, did you ever like me? Even for a single moment?"

"Like you..." Yalila touched the pearl earring on her ear. "I did quite like the things you gave me, but... I never cared much for you as a person... After all... you're just an ordinary human. Even though you said the Hero's Bloodline runs through your veins, who knows whether that's true or false?"

"Yalila... It must be! It must be! It must be that old witch Oyana who taught you to say that! I don't believe it!"

"Is it that you don't believe it, or that you don't dare believe it..." Oyana slowly exhaled smoke. "Yalila has made herself very clear. If you're a useless human, then don't come see Yalila again. If you're a hero, then slay a Demon King and prove it..." Oyana's eyes slowly narrowed, like a fox wearing human skin.

"Teacher Oyana, please don't joke about something like that..." Yalila grabbed Tiadam by the hair. "S-So heavy... Teacher Oyana, I can't lift him..."

"Forget it... I'll do it myself..." Oyana gently stirred the smoke she had exhaled. "Wind, in the name of the Fourteen Witches, I command you to cast away the object before my eyes, until it reaches somewhere beyond my sight—"

Smoke wound around Tiadam's body, and an unknown gale carried him into the fireplace in the living room. A while later, the unlucky man shot high out of the chimney before being flung into the distance.

"Cinnabar, mercury, lizard eggs, snakeskin..." Sitting amid the ruins of Hero Square, Denolan silently worried over the materials listed on the parchment.

"I've gathered most of the materials needed to refine dragon blood. Now all I lack is a dragon's blood... But... I'm only an ordinary person. How could I possibly obtain dragon blood..." Denolan lay atop the remains of the Holy Son's statue and muttered to himself. "Besides, miracles have been set up outside Canfor... I can't leave at all..."

Denolan shouted, "God! Please give me a hint! What must I do to succeed? I don't want to go on like this anymore. I want a wonderful future! I want wealth! I want to leave this decaying city!"

"Seems like God heard your answer~" Eliyi said faintly as he stood beside Tiadam.

"Mr. Eliyi... Why are you here too..." Denolan asked.

Eliyi said nothing and pointed toward the sky with one hand.

"You want me to look at the sky?" Denolan looked upward. A black dot slowly appeared before him. "What is that... a rock?"

"No... it's a person!"

By the time Denolan realized it, he had no time to run. Tiadam crashed directly into Denolan's arms, and the tremendous impact knocked them both unconscious.

"Oh~ the first meeting between Destiny's child and the hero. What a memorable scene," Eliyi said with a smile as he stood nearby.

If you enjoy Ben's book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you can find it next time.