"..."
It is midnight, and yet Flare couldn't get a good night sleep…
"..."
7 days ago…
"Brother…brother…" Claire Ahsenar, who was around 7 years younger than Flare, was trying to wake Flare up from slumber
"...FLARE! YOU'RE LAAAATEEE!!!"
"Eek?!"
Flare woke up and realised that he was late for his daily affairs as the Flame Ruler
"O-Oh, morning Claire! I'm late again, right?"
"You are…" Claire said while watching Flare's panicking mood with her arms crossed
"Well…I'll get going then!" Flare hurriedly left his dorm
*sigh* "You really are a careless Ruler, Flare"
While he was on his way, Flare met his subordinates along the way
"Sir, you're late today"
"Yeah, if not for my sister, I would've been confronted by one of other Rulers"
"Haha, well said"
Their conversation eventually fades…
Back to present
"...I need to seek help from Raika" Flare says to himself before he enters into deep slumber
…
7 hours have passed, and Flare has already reached the Raikiri City after passing through the Thundranian
"Raika…where are you…?" Flare searches for Raika but to no avail
"Huh? Is that…"
A woman approaches Flare slowly from behind
"Flare, is there something bothering you?"
Flare turns around after hearing the soft and gentle voice calling for him, and he stumbled upon a familiar face and the heroine of the Thunder Region
"Rosaline…?"
"Let's go to a café and talk, it'll be my treat!"
"Wait…this region doesn't utilise currencies…"
"Oh right, my bad! I'm too used to greet Flame Region's visitors like this, and it hasn't changed until this day!"
"It's nothing. In fact, I'm honoured to meet you. After all, you're the heroine of this region"
"Likewise, Flare, likewise"
After arriving at the café and ordered drinks, Flare and Rosaline take a seat nearby before Flare explains the details thoroughly to Rosaline
"So…you believed that your younger sister, Claire, is now trapped in another dimension"
"That's my assumption"
Flare says before Rosaline takes a sip of the tea she ordered just now. After that, Rosaline proceeds to enlighten Flare
"Flare, your assumption may be true. I did, in fact, discovered a dimensional rift that emitted extreme temperatures, but…"
"What's on your mind?"
"The dimension…was not something to be reckoned with. I thought it was related to the Flame Region, so I didn't intervene and closed the dimension. But now it seems quite the opposite"
"I see…By the way, Rosaline, have you seen Raika by any chance?"
"Yeah, but she has recently retrived her pet dragon, Rastrina, from a fierce fight against the Corruption's representative. So, she'll need to take a break"
"Ah…I see…damn" Flare thought all hope is lost
"Hm? What's on your mind, Flare?"
"Nothing…I thought I could ask Raika to rip open the dimension once again, but I don't think I can disturb her now…"
"I see, so that's why you're here"
Rosaline smiles and asks
"What if…I'll do it on behalf of her?"
"Wha…there's no need, Rosaline. Your heroic acts has rendered you unable to battle anymore…"
"The Core still resides within me, Flare. Ripping open a space dimension is a walk in the park, though I'm not sure about maintaining it open"
"Maintaining it…?"
"Ripping open a space dimension only requires at least a Thunder-imbued Imaginary Blade to do so with a swing. Closing it is easier by just using hand gestures"
"..."
"However, maintaining it open consumes moderate amount of Thunder energy. Unfortunately, I can't do that, and I apologise in advance"
"I should be the one apologising, Rosaline. I'm here, requesting for a retired heroine for help due to my own incompetence"
"Don't pressure yourself, Flare. Your younger sister's life is at stake, and I'm willing to lend a hand"
"Well if you insist…"
"There's something else"
"?"
"Reality and space dimensions are not often linked with each other"
"In other words, when I or Raika rips open a space dimension, it will not always be your destination for you to enter and get out, no matter where I rip it open"
"...So if I enter the dimension, there's only a slim chance that I can get out?"
"Correct. Plus, the only way we might be able to communicate is through our Cores of Definition"
"..."
"Flare, are you willing to take the risk in order to save your sister?"
"...Very well"
...
Both Flare and Rosaline arrive at a plain field known as A Field's Sight, where Rosaline thinks is the best spot for Flare's goal in case anything happens
"This'll be a great spot. If anything happens, the entire Six Regions will back you up"
"...Thank you"
"Now then"
Rosaline closes her eyes as she needs more focus than before to gather up a small amount of Thunder energy. After a short while, she successfully activates her Imaginary Blade
Flare watches everything right beside her
"Alright, here goes nothing…"
Fwoosh
Rosaline swings her blade towards an empty space, revealing a space dimension, but its interior is pitch black
"..."
"You'll have to wait, Flare" Rosaline says before the dimension interior reveals a place that's dominated by lava and magma
"...Lucky us"
At the same time, the dimension emits a gust of wind that carries an extreme temperature
"This heat…it's greater than any heat found in the Flame Region"
"..." Rosaline watches in silence
The gust of wind continues to blow in the direction of Flare and Rosaline so strong that it nearly blows away one of Rosaline's ornaments
"Well…what do you think, Flame Ruler?"
"...I'm still going in"
"I see…may Duke the Flame protects you during your journey"
"Duke the Sustainer…I appreciate it, Rosaline"
And just like that, Flare sets his foot into the rift. After that, Rosaline is forced to close the rift's entrance
"What is this…?"
Upon arriving in the rift, he is greeted by none other than a place that embodies Hell itself
Volcanoes erupt, lava replaces water in rivers, magma and ash continues to wander around the place, and the estimated temperature there is at least 1500°C
"I'll…definitely congratulate Claire if she somehow survives in this kind of place…" Flare says before he ventures deeper into the place
…
…
After a while of traversing through lava rivers and volcanoes by foot for energy persevering sake, an enormous castle stands before Flare
"...?" Standing speechless, Flare walks along the walls of the castle
"*unintelligible*"
"??"
Flare turns around and sees two humanoid creatures holding their axes
"*unintelligible*"
"What in Sudania are you two talking about?!"
Flare is confused, but the creatures start to charge at him
"Well at least I know that these aren't allies"
…
Meanwhile in the castle's interior...
"*unintelligible*" A similar creature says to an young adult woman, who is sitting on a throne
"...Noted. Now move"
The creature leaves in a rush
"Red haired man…uses fiery magic like us…?"
The woman, with red hair and dressed in red, realises the person who will be coming for her
"I guess…it's too late now…"
The woman slowly stands up and leaves her throne
"Brother…"
...
Fwoosh
"Phew…that's the last of it, but…"
Flare observes the creatures closer as he senses that something's off
"What's this…?" Flare grabs the ashes of the fallen creature and realises that they were not using the original Flame element
"This is…the Fernus'Flame…?"
Flare then experiences several dialogue flashbacks from his parents when both he and Claire were still young
20 years ago…
"My dear children, while treading on the path of Duke, you two shall not be influenced by a fraud deity known as Fernus" A woman says gently
"Fernus is a fallen deity who wanted to overthrow Duke using his own element copied from our Sustainer: Fernus' Flame" A male adult voice echoes through Flare's memory
"That Flame appears darker in red than the original. So promise me, my children, that you two must be very wary of that Flame, alright?" The woman voice continues to utter
"OKAY!" Two spirited kids reply, before Flare's memory eventually fades…
Present day…
"...Lone intruder"
The woman confronts Flare with a huge army of Fernus' Flame creatures behind her
Flare immediately knew that she's her own sister, Claire Ashenar
"You haven't changed a bit"
"And you're the one to talk, brother. Still treading on the pathetic path of Duke?"
"The promise we made to Mom and Dad, have you forgotten?"
"They were fooled. Fernus is always the superior, and its Flame will soon become the strongest one out of all elements, after taking over the original Flame"
"You certainly know how to talk…"
But deep down, Flare knew that Claire is manipulated by Fernus
"Thanks for the praise. Now you DIE, brother!" Claire commands the creatures to charge alongside her towards Flare
"Heh"
Flare welcomes them with open arms
"If you dimwits really think Fernus is the king, THEN I'LL SHOW YOU ALL THE MIGHT OF DUKE!"
"KILL HIM!"
The creatures swing their axes towards Flare's wide-open body
Flare is at least impaled by 9 axes from the creatures and 1 blade from Claire
"Heheheh…"
Despite bleeding profusely, Flare smirks and alerted Claire and her minions
Claire tries to pull out her blade, but she can't, and so does the creatures with their weapons
"Crap!"
"HAAAA!!!"
In an instant, an explosive Flame energy is unleashed from within Flare, eliminating all the minions and sent Claire flying towards a nearby volcano, 100km away, within a second
"I HAVEN'T WORKED UP SO MUCH IN SUCH A LONG TIME!!!"
Flare instantly recovers from his wounds he suffered earlier and enters his newfound transformation, Scaled Flame State
"..." Claire, who is watching the transformation from afar, is extremely frustrated
"SHOW ME WHAT YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE FLAME DO, CLAIRE!!" Flare taunts her sister before charging towards her
"Hmph, he lost his sanity in exchange for power. Fool"
Claire forges a lance in order to retaliate Flare's upcoming punch attack
Claire's statement is partially true; Flare did somewhat lose his sanity, but his main goal to save his sister remains intact with him
"NOW TAKE THIS!" Flare's speed is too fast for Claire to retaliate, so she left no choice but to block it with her lance
And with that…
Meanwhile, in A Field's Sight, Thunder Region
Tremble
"Yep, they're definitely here, Rosaline" Frost says
Frost, Daydrine, Rosaline and Raika gather at a spot 200 metres away from where the rift was originally opened by Rosaline
"Hey Daydrine, aren't you supposed to be on the bed?"
"The doctor checked my condition and I'm fine, you need not worry about me, brother" Daydrine says with her arms crossed
"Master, why did you call us all here?"
"You'll see…"
In a destroyed volcano, Unknown Dimension
…
20 minutes have passed, and while Claire stood firm with Fernus, Flare eventually overpowered her due to the Scaled Flame State's nature of constant power increase when receiving damage
Their battle shook the dimension a lot of times, and almost everything of that place was destroyed, Flare's Scaled Flame State was the root cause of all of these
*pant* *pant*
Now, Claire lies unconscious, while Flare's Scaled Flame State has long been expired, leaving him exhausted
"..." Flare gently touches Claire's face, thinking he finally found peace after a long time
"Worthless vessel…" An unknown voice echoes throughout the dimension before a glowing ball of light emerges out of Claire's chest, flying towards the half-destroyed castle
"?" Flare locks his gaze onto the ball of light before that ball of light…
Eventually turns into a gigantic, semi-transparent Fernus' Flame creature, which is 0.5 times larger than Rastrina, engulfing the castle
"Tch…" Flare attempts to activate Scaled Flame State once again, but his reserved energy is nearly depleted
"THIS VESSEL TRIED, BUT SHE HAS NOT ENOUGH COURAGE TO BE MY VESSEL!!!"
"You may be…Fernus himself…but…you don't talk about…Claire like that…" Flare collapses out of exhaustion
"FOLLOWERS OF DUKE, BEGONE!!"
Fernus prepares to execute the Flame Duo with a spear he summoned
"..." Flare's Core of Definition begins to emit some sounds
"Hello, bzzt bzzzt anyone there?"
"If you receive this message, it means we're making our move"
"If you heard this message, good"
"If you ignored this message, we'll make our move anyway"
Flare's Core stops emitting sounds
"DIE YOU TWO!!"
Just as the large spear is about to hit the Flame Duo, the space dimension in front of Fernus starts to freeze
"WHAT?!"
Just as Fernus becomes confused, a shattering sound followed by a shouting can be heard from afar
"FLY HIGH, RINA!!"
5 minutes ago, in A Field's Sight, Thunder Region
Frost and Daydrine channel their Ice energy on one specific spot as per Rosaline's instruction
"You sure this'll work, Rosaline?" Frost questions
"Trust me on this one" Rosaline says with a confident expression
After channeling enough Ice energy, a small amount of Ice energy bursts out, which is part of Rosaline's plan
"Now Raika!"
Raika swings her Imaginary Blade towards the same area where the Ice energy is heavily concentrated. Hence, the dimensional rift leading to Flare's whereabouts is open
The Ice energy immediately enters the dimension with a rapid pace, influencing the rift's interior in the meantime
The synergy between Ice and Thunder kicks in, with Thunder acting as the catalyst for Ice to spread its freezing influence further than original
"Rina!" Raika calls out for her just-recovered pet dragon, which arrives immediately beside her
"Um…will it be too big for your dragon to fit in the rift, Raika?"
"Heh, Daydrine, I bet you haven't seen this trick"
Raika expands the rift so that it's as big as Rastrina in terms of size
"Keep channeling the Ice energy until I return, Frost, Daydrine"
"Sure" Both of them reply
Afterwards, Raika and Rastrina enters the rift…
In the Unknown Dimension
"FLY HIGH, RINA!!" Raika shouts as she successfully enters the rift
At the same time, the Ice energy channelled by Frost and Daydrine continues to spread throughout the entire dimension
"YOU SCUM!!!" Fernus, using his enlarged body, attempts to impale Rastrina using his aforementioned spear
Rastrina swiftly dodges it
"HUH?!"
"GO!!"
Rastrina, having better agility, uses her body to collide Fernus' body centre
"GAH…NOOOO!!" Fernus screams in agony
After struggling, Rastrina eventually busts through Fernus, leaving a giant hole on the latter
"Rina, see the ones sleeping on the ground? Go fetch them"
Rastrina immediately flies to the Flame Duo, who were unconscious for a long time
"HOW DARE YOU!!!" Fernus, being stubborn, attempts to grab Rastrina using his right hand
But…
Brrrr
"!!"
The Ice energy has reached Fernus' whereabouts, freezing him and rendering him immoveable
At the same time, Rastrina uses her claws to grab Flare and Claire before flying towards the rift's exit
But seeing that the entire dimension is frozen entirely, Raika decides to destroy it to prevent further influence from Fernus
"Rina, throw an energy ball to the ground"
"ROAR"
Rastrina charges up a Thunder energy sphere before unleashing it towards the ground
"Let's get moving"
Rastrina continues to fly towards the exit.
As they exit the dimension, the sphere makes contact with the frozen ground, destroying the entire place and the dimension itself…
Back in A Field's Sight, Thunder Region
Fwoosh
Rastrina flies around before landing on the ground smoothly
"Phew, this couldn't have gone easier without you two, Daydrine and Frost"
"Don't thank me, Raika. Thank your mentor here, she's the mastermind behind all of this"
"I'm flattered, Frost"
Daydrine shifts her gaze towards the unconscious Flame Duo and asks
"So…what are we gonna do to them?"