A few minutes after we left, I realized how crazy it was that Kia had found me at all. The cave was a nightmare to get through. The ground was uneven and shaky, which was especially worrisome because of the many holes scattered around. Sharp rocks were everywhere, and the huge rock formations hanging from the ceiling and rising from the floor kept forcing us to change direction. At this point, I wondered if the cave itself was trying to kill us. Even the smallest rock looked sharp enough to cut my skin if I wasn’t careful. And despite all that, Kia reached me without a single scratch. Given that and her build, she must be used to tough places like this.
According to her, we were inside a mountain called Sharp Peak. Long ago, it had been a very active volcano, though it had remained dormant for centuries. Back then, every eruption was seen as a bad sign. People believed the spirits of gods who once lived on this planet were punishing them. So to calm them, they brought all kinds of offerings and valuables deep into the mountain. And yes, you read that right. From what Kia told me, I had somehow ended up in a different world called Fira. As strange as it sounded, I had no way to prove she was wrong. And given all the other weird things that had happened to me, there was a good chance she was telling the truth. But that’s not important right now. For now, I told her I was from a planet called Earth and that I’d lived a pretty normal life there until I got possessed and ended up killing myself. She looked a bit more doubtful this time, which I couldn’t blame her for. Still, she chose to believe me.
We kept moving through the mountain but made little progress. Dead ends made us turn back again and again. Even Kia didn’t seem completely sure where she was going.
“Are we lost?”
She hesitated.
“I must confess that my navigating skills are not outstanding,” followed by an oddly long pause.
“Nevertheless, I am sure we will reach the exit soon enough.”
I nodded, thinking:
“So we are lost.”
…
After wandering around aimlessly for a while, we finally found a path that seemed to lead somewhere. A faint light shone through a large crack at the end of the cave. Kia gave me her torch before slipping through the narrow gap. For a moment, all I could hear was silence. Then I heard her voice from the other side.
“It is safe.”
Once I was sure I wasn’t walking into a trap, I followed her. When I got to the other side, my body froze. We were standing on a small flat area sticking out from the side of the mountain, with a large town far below near the mountain’s base. Thousands of lights lit up the place, making it look as if every building were made of gold. A huge stone wall surrounded the town, but my attention was drawn to something else. At the center stood a giant castle. It was so big I could barely see what was behind it.
“Welcome to Fira! What you see in front of you is my hometown, Gehenna, and the capital of the Kingdom of Elysium.”
“It’s… beautiful.”
This sight left me completely speechless.
“Gehenna is often referred to as The Town of Gold,” she added. “I imagine you can see why.”
It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. Although some of Japan’s biggest cities are famous for their amazing buildings, they didn’t compare to what I was seeing now. It even touched something inside me. Maybe because I realized the things I once took for granted had suddenly become very precious.
“What is the matter, Shako?”
Kia noticed the sad look on my face and decided to ask about it.
“I… I still can’t believe that I’m dead. Why did it have to be me? Why?”
I clenched my hands in frustration. Why did I have to die? What had I done to deserve this? Could I have done anything to stop it? Frustration. Anger. Sadness. All the pain I had kept inside until now came out all at once. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Before I knew it, Kia grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it.
“I cannot answer those questions for you.”
I lowered my head.
“And if I may be frank, I do not think anyone can give you an answer that will make you hurt less.”
Her grip tightened slightly.
“However, blaming yourself will not change anything. Neither will asking what you could have done differently.”
She paused. It sounded like she was speaking from experience, but maybe I was just imagining it.
“What happened to you was unfair, but know this: you did not deserve it.”
Then she offered me a small smile.
“And right now, you are not alone. So stop trying to carry all of that by yourself, okay?”
I looked up at her. With the sunlight beaming behind her, flowing over her snow-white hair and tanned skin, she looked almost angelic. She was so gorgeous; for a moment I completely stopped breathing. I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Maybe I found an angel after all.” My heart began racing, and my face became quite hot.
“Is something the matter?” she asked curiously.
“N-No! It’s nothing! Shall we go now?”
Embarrassed, I turned around and returned to the crack in the wall.
…
The deeper we went into the mountain, the easier the ground became to walk on. The rough, rocky floor changed to firm dirt paths, and we saw fewer holes to watch out for. Kia also seemed more sure of where she was going, which was a big relief. It felt like we were finally making good progress. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Except for our footsteps and the crackling of Kia’s torch, the caves were eerily quiet. It was as if Sharp Peak itself was holding its breath. It was the kind of silence that made me think something was waiting for us just out of sight. That kind of tension you feel just before a jump scare. And judging by Kia’s face, I wasn’t the only one feeling this. We finally reached a large cave with a big open space in the middle. Kia started looking around carefully, as if to make sure everything was okay.
“Kia, is something wro—”
She raised her hand. Almost immediately, a loud roar echoed from deep inside the cave. It was a deafening, terrifying roar, unlike anything I’d ever heard before. The ground shook hard beneath our feet. The ceiling trembled as dust fell on us. The walls shook as if they might collapse. I was frozen with fear, unable to move a single step.
“What was that?” I whispered.
Slowly, from the darkness ahead, a giant beast appeared. Its legs were much shorter than its tall, strong arms. Black fur covered its whole body, and its head looked like a dog’s skull with antlers attached. Its small, yellow eyes darted around the room before fixing on us.
“Here, take this.”
Kia gave me the torch and drew her sword. What happened next left me speechless. As she held the sword in front of her, big, colorful flames burst from its handle and covered the blade. The heat was intense, but Kia didn’t seem bothered. She changed her stance, took a deep breath, and ran toward the beast. The monster threw its head back and spat a blob of green spit at her. She jumped to the side, barely avoiding it. The blob hit the ground where she had stood a moment before, instantly melting the stone. Before she could recover, the monster slammed one of its huge claws down at her. She jumped back but was thrown high into the air as the attack broke and lifted the ground beneath her. Now floating helplessly, the beast spat another blob right at her. There was no way she could dodge it in time, and for a moment my heart sank.
“KIA!!!”
She swung her sword at the blob. The moment her blade made contact with it, the flames crawled around the green liquid, evaporating it. Her blade was extinguished, but it was reignited a few seconds later. She landed softly on the ground and dashed towards the beast. Seeing her close in on it, the monster lashed out at her repeatedly. However, Kia managed to evade every single attack with elegant moves. It almost looked like she was dancing instead of fighting. She slowly climbed her way onto the monster’s head. Once there, she raised her sword above her.
“Perish!”
With a powerful thrust, she planted the blade deep inside the creature’s skull. A sea of flames covered its body almost immediately. The monster screamed in agony, though its cries quickly died down. After that, there was nothing left of it but a big pile of ash. Kia sheathed her sword and dusted her clothes.
“Phew… stupid Heldebeasts! Why do they always need to cause me so much trouble?”
I stared at her in awe. What had I just witnessed? The monster. The fiery blade. Kia’s impressive swordsmanship. And then there were all the other things I hadn’t gotten any answers to. None of it made any sense to me.
“What… was that?”
“A Heldebeast,” Kia explained. “Annoying creatures, really. They may look intimidating, but they are rather easy to deal with once you know their weakness.”
“I didn’t mean that.”
I hesitated before pointing to the sword at her side.
“I meant that. Those flames… how did you do that?”
Kia smiled faintly.
“In due time, I shall explain everything. That said, let us concern ourselves about finding an exit first. Unless you wish to stay here?”
I immediately shook my head and followed her lead.
She took the torch from my hands, and we continued our journey down the mountain.