Note: Read the Prologue before starting this story.

A dance. A wonderful life. Only joy on the horizon. Only happiness in the air.

(Wasn’t there some kind of issue? Wasn’t there something wrong?)

As their bloody tears drip onto the ice floor, it changes completely to blood red from its original shimmering white. The sky continues appearing blue.

The music they have been dancing to still hung in the air as the sole noise around them. Only the music can be heard.

Ajax and Shaula continue their dance.

Fire burns in the distance. A large, roaring flame. The kind of fire that would destroy ecosystems if left unchecked.

Shaula notices the blaze. Is it the entire forest? There used to be piles of frozen, shattered trees but... they’re gone now.

Burned to ash long ago.

(Long ago? How long have they been here? Do they remember arriving here?)

Shaula laughs at how beautiful the fire is. She looks at Ajax’s face. There are no tears of blood anymore on his face. No trace of them.

Only bright eyes and wide smile. Shaula’s face changes to a cheery grin just the same.

(Weren’t there tears of blood falling from his face? There are none on her face either...)

All that is left is the blood-red floor and the warmth and intensity of the burning flame in the distance. This inferno is the love in her heart. It is the sweetness of being with him.

Hasn’t fire saved her before? Hasn’t fire made her life move forward? Wasn’t it fire that brought her to Ajax? Why was she ever afraid of it?

“Why was I so afraid of you before?”

Shaula questions her fears as she pulls Ajax by the hand in the direction of the inferno. Holding each other’s hand, they run towards the fire.

The fire gets bigger and bigger in their perspective. The sky brightens the closer they approach the fire.

(Something used to be wrong, wasn’t it? Weren’t they forgetting something?)

No. The world is only now. They only exist here. Whatever will have to be reckoned with when they return will be dealt with then and only then.

(Return? Return where?)

“Shaula... what is that? Do you hear a... something... I can’t remember...”

A voice... it feels like a combination of their thoughts. It is trying to warn them. But as soon as it appeared, it disappeared from their ears, even from their memories.

They weren’t... in a fully lucid state, it seems.

“Just... just ignore it! Come on Ajax, we’re together here right now! We’re about to do something wondrous!”

Shaula has heard it as well. Shaula doesn’t care though. She’s a live-in-the-moment kind of person here.

They are a few metres away from the fire now. Its size is fully clear to them now. It is an incredibly tall fire, obstructing their view as if it were the side of a cliff face on the surface of the sun.

The sun itself disappears behind it. Rather, the entire sky turns bright white and the sun cannot be seen. Only the bright orange-red fire in front of them

“Ajax, let’s go!”

Shaula pulls Ajax by the hand. What better way to celebrate Shaula losing her pyrophobia by running straight into it? It simply cannot hurt them. Could it ever?

Ajax would normally hesitate to walk into a fire. Such a thing would be too dangerous, too odd.

Or would he hesitate? Did he ever have such limitations?

(You need to... you need to run into it... in order to survive here... you have to accept it.)

Accept? Accept what?

Shaula has such a thought. She responded to the voice around her. The voice in her head. The voice trying to... to protect her.

(The gift... the gift of Him. The gift of Oro--)

Before hearing any more, Shaula runs into the fire with Ajax. She doesn’t want to hear the name. She doesn’t wish to shatter everything by hearing the name.

Ajax follows her.

They run into the fire. Their lives are covered by fire now. They have no difficulties breathing. They do not feel the heat on their skin or their eyes. They continue dancing together, hand in hand.

Shaula feels the wonderful sensation of the fire. Not the burning, but the feeling as if it were... a living liquid extending over her skin. A liquid that snakes her body with its wonderful feeling.

Such was the fire on their bodies.

(Do you feel it? Do... do you... do you understand it? How to... how to...)

I... I feel... It’s wonderful! It’s my strength. I will never fear it again. I will use it to burn everything away.

Shaula lets go of Ajax’s hand. She is no longer there. No longer in the fire. No longer with Ajax.

She looks down at the hand holding Ajax.

It catches fire.

Fire emanates from her fingertips, her palm and her entire hand bursts into flames.

A bright blue as opposed to the red-orange from before. A flame that can never consume her.

But it can consume everything else.

She looks at her other hand. Fire springs forth from it as well.

Soon fire springs from every single spot on her arms. Soon it springs from her legs, her torso, her face, her hair. She will use it. She will use it to--

Shaula awakens.

Ajax is standing there in the inferno. Ajax cannot Shaula’s hands anymore. Ajax feels confused. Where did Shaula...

“Shaula?”

He calls for her. The fire isn’t making any noise around him. She should be able to hear him.

“Shaula...”

Where did...

“Shaula!”

Ajax runs through the fire. He runs frantically trying to find her.

Where is she? Where is Shaula?

(Consume it. Consume the fire.)

Ajax continues running. He runs. He runs and runs and runs. He ignores the voice. Now is not the time. Now is the worst time to listen.

The inferno has no end. Ajax cannot find his way out. His way back to Shaula.

Its light and intensity are so invasive that day could turn to night and he would never notice. The fire cannot end. Is he in... he--

(Consume. You can return to her as soon as you consume. Consume it.)

Ajax hears the voice again. It tells him to consume. Consume... something...

A way to return to her if he... consumes? Such a way to her would be preposterous if he were in the real world.

But of course, right now, Ajax is dreaming. What could loosely be described as dreaming.

Consume? What is it... what do I have to consume?

(All the light. All the heat. Consume it.)

But... how would Ajax... how would he do that? How could he do that? What does that even mean? What could that possibly mean!? This is the price to return to Shaula?

What does... what the fuck does that mean?

Before he can hear an answer, the inferno surrounding Ajax brightens in every direction. The fire turns from its red-orange brightness to a blue-white brightness. It burns hotter.

Still it feels like nothing to Ajax, but it is the fire that is obstructing him. The fire that is eating everything away.

If the fire wasn’t here, he could see her. He could see Shaula.

Ajax wishes to wipe it away. He wishes to make it disappear. He wishes to--

Suddenly, the flame falls away before him. He can feel empty space around his arms even though he can still see the fire before his eyes.

The blaze slowly disperses from his sight.

As it vanishes slowly from his sight, Ajax feels... a sensation. An odd sensation, like his body being invaded through every pore, through every nerve, through every blood vessel by... something.

Not exactly heat. Not pain. It feels like his body had been thirsty all his life and his thirst is finally being quenched.

This feels... this feels good...

Perhaps, odd sensation is too weak a description.

Ajax feels a rush of strength. A rush of vitality. A rush of palpable power.

He feels giddy. He feels euphoric.

The light of the fire diminishes sharply.

Then, the fire disappears. The light disappears. Only a pitch black vacuum is before his eyes now.

Ajax awakens.