(Hairz POV)

[Ignis has been slain]

My heart stopped for a few seconds after reading the message. I only just hit level 60 yesterday, and now the first real message I read was that of a god’s death. I thought the bizarre magical weather around the mountains was already a bad omen, but for a god to die? And an old god at that? What could have happened? Before long, I found a burning sensation in my heart. It didn’t hurt, but it felt odd, in the sense of having hot blood circulating through it. My body heated for a short while before it slowly cooled to normal temperatures. I thought it was strange, but directly after, my body started shivering uncontrollably. Shaking from side to side, jittering and jolting like I was possessed. Small hairline cracks appeared over my body, revealing the shapes of scales, or something similar.

[Domain of Fire has been claimed by Ashen Fur]

It was Ashen? I suppose it made sense. He was strong, probably on par with the gods, even without magic, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he killed one. But still, the choking, suffocating feeling that made my stomach churn didn’t subside, it felt wrong in a way. The feeling was akin to knowing something was wrong or bad, yet still knowing that it wasn’t particularly good either. It could be seen as a massive act of treason, or even place him under the target of the entire world. Though, few could ever hope to match him in any aspect of power. Regardless of the process, he was able to slay an old god, and that goes a long way to describe his power. In addition, he has at least one worshiper and the stats to be able to claim a god’s domain. I’m sure there are still people that will try to kill him, either being ill-informed, ignorant, or just plain stupid.

Still, even if it doesn’t sound like the best news, that he killed a god, it doesn’t have to be something bad. It could have been something like a duel, or it could have resulted from some hidden information, like Ignis doing something wrong. I can’t say for certain, but it isn’t likely that Ashen kill him for no reason other than power, it just didn’t seem like the kind of thing he would do, right? He was never interested in gaining power, which he already has in spades, yet he always acted like any other person, regardless of how crazy some of the things he does seem. He helps those in need from time to time, if they cross his path, and if it’s not out of his way. Despite the obvious gap in customs that we share, and despite the immense difference in power and personality that we share, he still seems like a decent enough person, even if people are constantly wary of his next actions.

From what I can tell, he isn’t evil, like everyone claims all demons are, but that could just be him as an individual. I haven’t met a demon before him, and still have yet to see one, so it could be a one in a million experience. But it kicks up the sand of thought in the desert of my mind, since he is the demon lord, and there exists the cult of demon lord worshipers, what does that entail? Even before him, the cult existed, so it isn’t a perfect connection so that rules out an individual connection. But before that, the old demon lord wasn’t particularly known for her hospitality or generosity, rather her cold front and hostile nature towards the armies that were sent to end the demons. Though I suppose it was only natural that she’d be mad, I would too if legions of soldiers were always breaking into my land and trying to kill all my people.

But that leaves the question unanswered, why does the cult exist? Could it be that they just hate the non-demon races? Are they just demons in disguise? It leaves too many questions unanswered, but I suppose that was only natural. If it were easy to get the answer to those questions, then the identity of the cult would have been widespread by now. I will never learn the truth unless I were to meet some cult members and demons. If only I had a lead, I’d be able to investigate further, but that would have to wait. I still got a few jobs to do, just to stockpile money so I can laze around or use it for whatever purpose I need. Maybe if something pops up here in Wheatberg, I can dedicate my time to it, but unless something comes up, and until it does, I’ve still got tasks to occupy my free time.

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Somewhere in an underground facility, deep under the capital city of the Bandarainian empire.

“Aye boss, we got another confirmation for the death of Ignis, it seems like the message is widespread all around the world.” A man dressed in shadow black armor said to a hooded man sitting on a throne.

“I guess that means the other half of the message is also true?” The hooded man spoke with a heavy voice, forcing the man in armor to shift slightly.

“Yes sir, it seems like the second message was true as well.” The hooded man on the chair moved from his relaxed position and slowly made an effort to stand from his throne.

The faint sound of footsteps was heard in the dark halls connected the room with the rest of the facility, heavy footsteps belonging to someone the hooded man knew well. "I see that you’ve finally found me, did I prove difficult to track?” The man spoke in a joking manner.

“You know your games are no more fun now than they were before. But I am glad to see you are well, Lord.” The sound of the woman’s voice sounded fine-tuned.

“Please, don’t tell me none of you found my makings amusing, surely one of you would have?” The man tilted his head in a gesture of questioning, revealing a small yellow mask under his hood, with two dots and a curved line painted in black, resembling a simplistic face.

“Despite the long time since I’ve seen you, I’ve yet to hear of anyone’s muse being fulfilled by your actions.” The woman spoke in an even tone, yet a sliver of joy was heard in her voice.

“Truly? Oh, it pains me to hear, but alas, I can’t say I’m surprised. Say, did anyone find out about Abrideel?” His body started to shift and his voice became pitched with curiosity and giddy.

“Yes, and they swore your end from the discovery.” The hooded man couldn’t take the news for more than a second and failed to restrain his laughter.

“I knew someone would one of these days, but the real question is who?” He spoke his curiosity through the gaps in his laughter.

“Aeyrs.” The man stopped in a flash, his lungs no longer filling or draining of air, his body not moving in the slightest.

His body and mind froze for a moment but slowly returned to normal. “Ah, so I take it he is here as well?” The woman confirmed his question with a nod.

“I’m sure you know what my visit entails.” The man nodded and turned to the other man in armor.

“Leave us for now, I have something to discuss in private.” The man obliged and bowed respectively before leaving.

“Are you ready to begin?” The two looked at one another, both preparing for a long conversation.

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(Erik von Ranznedese POV)

I had hoped the news was a lie, but it seemed like everyone I knew had gotten the same message. I forced myself to withstand the news, not allowing it to influence my actions or personal health. Melia tried to do the same, and we both knew the course of actions we had to take. Despite the prearranged plans to make an alliance with the other kingdoms once again, we both agreed that we stood to gain nothing from it. If we wanted what was best for ourselves and our people, we would have to put aside our humanity for the sake of the kingdom. To kill a god, was something that brought the world against a man, but for a man to kill a god, he would have to be ready to take on the world. This sentiment was passed down ever since the first time a god was slain, and it seemed like we had to choose between ethics and survival.

Either we fight until the end, certainly losing regardless, or we swallow our pride and thoughts, and join the man who so boldly sought to cause uproar across the world. I knew what the optimal choice was, as it was the only real choice, so with a heavy heart, we signed our names at the bottom of the document, and sent it to the Demonican kingdom’s castle. After the letter left my hands, I felt a weight off my chest, like a heavy blanket was finally removed after waking from a long night’s rest. Melia felt the same, we were both able to sleep peacefully that night. We thought that was all the heavy news that would befall us, but as fate would have it, another tragedy occurred. It has been some time since the last one, so I should have seen it coming, and our soldiers have already known about the looming danger to come.

[The Fire Plane is invading the Physical Plane]

Great whips of fire exploded in the sky, eventually leading to the eye-shaped hole in the sky to open, the gate between planes. “Get the guards on high alert, and send word for the adventurer’s rewards for the slaughter of the Fire Plane’s attackers!” I called out to one of the many guards that dotted the walls of my throne room.

Within seconds of the message, general Zair burst into the room. “Your majesty, the Fire Plane is invading, as always, I’m here to protect you.” He spoke kneeling at the doorway.

“I understand, please rise and do your duties without fail.” Could this invasion be linked to the death of Ignis somehow? Did his death make them lash out in anger?

[Fire Plane Lord, Innus, has Invaded]

The Fire Plane Lord himself has invaded? This can’t end well. “The- the lord?” General Zair spoke our shared confusion.

“General Zair, the situation has changed drastically, get Sir Gal, and tell him to send an envoy to the Demonican Kingdom’s castle for an emergency meeting.” He looked at me in a slightly odd way, suggesting something was wrong.

“Your majesty, I hate to decline you, but Sir Gal has already departed for the envoy yesterday, I’m afraid we will have to ask the great mage Zarrill for a communication spell.” Curses! I forgot he was the one that went personally.

“Fine, get in touch with Zarrill, and tell him to send a message as quickly as possible.” General Zair knelt in understanding and took off to the wizard’s chambers.

“Melia, I’m afraid that the arrival of the Fire Plane’s Lord is likely a foreboding message of the future.”

“Yes, it seems like the recent events have all but messed up the future peace that could have been. But this isn’t the first time a lord has invaded, isn’t it?” I believe I read it in the great library before, of the Water Plane Lord, and Lightning Plane Lord’s invasion.

“Yes, but it was a lunar mage that fought them off, wasn’t it? And last I knew, our country only has three in our ranks.” Zarrill, Fairn, and Vorrilli, the three great wizards of our country.

“That might be so, but I hear the Shotsfar Kingdom has a couple of their own that they have been dedicating to invasions and monster raids. Surely they would aid us in this battle?” We did have a good relationship with them, so it was likely that they would send lunar mages if we sent ours, a mutual agreement of trust.

“Very well, I’ll have Zarrill message their great mage, and see if they are open to forming a fighting squad. Oh, and don’t we have the heroes now as well? Can’t we see if they are willing to fight instead?” They were heroes after all, so they would be the first line of defense when it comes to attacks on the Physical Plane.

“Well, the human hero, Tycho, has already fought the demon lord and lost, so he is looking for ways to increase his own strength at the moment, so I doubt he would be up to the task. And the elf hero, Melida, was said to be actively attacking the Demonican Kingdom, so it was unlikely that she would be able to help either. It also doesn’t help that the dwarf hero, Draagen, and the orc hero, Ooruull, has yet to be seen outside of their home countries. And the new batch of heroes isn’t nearly strong enough to fight the Plane Lord, even with numbers.” She made a good point, the heroes that were summoned were preoccupied with their goals, and the new heroes, that were summoned for whatever reason, don’t have the levels to fight the lord just yet.

Perhaps, if they fought the Fire Plane Lord’s minions, they would level enough to stand a chance against the Lord himself, but it was unlikely. “Has any word on the new heroes' locations arose yet?” There were six new ones, and they were all of the races that were less common than the other heroes before them, it also didn’t help that heroes of those races haven’t been summoned before.

“Well, yes and no. Some of the new heroes have been spreading their name, while others have been quieter. We know that the ogre hero and the centaur hero have been actively making their name known, while the gnome hero and the fairy hero have yet to be heard from. The goblin hero and lizardman hero have been spotted a few times, but have mostly kept away from major cities outside of their home countries.” Melia has always had a knack for heroes and their origins, so I figured she would have heard of this sort of information.

“So, out of the ten heroes in the world, four of them have been isolated, another two actively engaged in warfare with the demon lord, and the other four have been slowly working their way up in power?” She nodded, and I took a mental note. “And out of the six that we know are active, two of them are actually willing to go out adventuring and are the most likely to fight the Plane Lord?” She nodded again.

“The two heroes are the most likely to fight the Plane Lord out of all the heroes, at least with the knowledge readily available to me. If I had to guess, the orc hero and dwarf hero will likely come out and fight if they think their home countries are in danger. I would strongly advise not luring them out with false danger as well, like the fallen kingdom of Baroothill, oh so many years ago.” I wasn’t planning on forcing danger to the orcs or dwarves, but perhaps a negotiation could be met where they come out of the shadows to help the world for once.

“Any ideas of what to offer the countries in exchange for their hero’s help?” Melia shook her head in a disagreeing manner.

“Heroes aren’t a good that can be bought and sold, they are people the same as you and I. You don’t buy or trade for their help, you ask for it, and compensate them for their effort. The same as you would with an adventurer, the same as any other worker. Being a hero doesn’t naturally mean that they are required to help nations outside of their home one, so it would be wise if you kept that in mind. Other than that, I think it would be best to just ask them for what they would want in return for their help, that way it makes them happy and think of you in a caring light.” I see, so they weren’t just servants of the gods as the churches keep saying, how foolish of me to believe.

“If you play your cards right, you might just get a hand in protecting your country.” A voice echoed throughout the halls of the throne room.

“Who’s there!?” The voice was familiar but oddly not.

“A man clad in yellow, bleached in green.” It was him, that jester of the underground walls.

“What do you want? Have you finally found it time to make yourself useful to the rest of us?” He always does something mildly shady in the under portions of the castle, but whatever it is, has been slowly filling our treasury.

“Oh? I thought I have made myself quite useful before, but alas, I guess my musings missed their mark.” A small bubble of black smoke popped in front of my throne, and the hooded man appeared from it.

“So what are you offering?” He always plays word games, and it annoys me so much, if he would only speak in a flat tongue, I wouldn’t hate him so much.

“Do you remember what I said to you forty years ago, when we first met?” Here he goes again, bringing up random topics to dilute the conversation.

“Something about midnight and a dragon’s eye, what of it?” I swear if he makes another jest at a time like this, I’m going to have him beheaded.

“Well, don’t you remember seeing a dragon’s eye somewhere before?” I don’t believe so, I would never let a dragon near me, and I have no use for magical ingredients.

“No, never. What are you getting at?” My patience is nearing its end again.

“Maybe think back to the wedding?” There were no dragon eyes at my wedding, what does he talking about?

“The banners in the black castle?” Melia spoke out, sparking my memory of a thick cloth banner with what seemed like the eye of a dragon on it.

“Correct.” So what does this have to do with anything?

“What of it?” The man stood tall and went to take his mask off.

“The Dragon Eye Alliance, the guild that Ashen Fur and Aeyrs Dragonheart belong to. The guild that I belong to.” He took his mask off for the first time, revealing the face of a race similar to human, but not quite.

His left eye was blue, and his right was yellow. He had grey hair and slightly white skin. His ears were larger than human, but still the same shape. His face looked mature, but his voice was still young. There was a small set of scratches above his right eyebrow, and a few black lines under his left eye. There weren’t many races he could have been, but a few came to mind. A Rellin? No, they were too short for his stature to match. Perhaps a Zheln? No again, they were always youthful, even their elders, never showing signs of obvious old age. Perhaps he was an Akette, it seemed like the closest fit. He matched the large ear criteria, and fit the age requirement as well. His skin being close to white was also a good match, and the mismatched color of his eyes was a common feature as well, but it’s been too long since I’ve seen one that I wouldn’t know for certain.

“You’re an ally of the demon lord?” Melia spoke out, her disbelief was evident in her voice.

“An ally of the demon lord is a bit too formal for me, we are just friends. Long time friends, but it’s been too long. I haven’t seen him in years, so I haven’t really heard much about him, but yes, you can consider me an ally of his. And before you start worrying, no. I didn’t set you up or use you in a manipulative way, I didn’t. I will still honor the trust you gave me, and the hospitality you served me, and for that, I am willing to help with the Plane Lord, in exchange for your help.”

It still came as a shock to know he was secretly a friend of Ashen, but I guess It doesn’t change anything anyway. “Very well, so you’ll help us to relieve your debt, I take it?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you won’t hear from me again, I’ll still be in touch, just the same as before. But, farewell, for now, dear friends.” The guards didn’t know how to react, most just staring with a mix of emotions, and a few more confused than anything.

We watched as his body was covered with black smoke and disappeared with it before taking in all the information completely. “So the clown was working with the demon lord, who could have guessed?” I mumbled to myself, not expecting a response.

“I wouldn’t call him a clown, even if he is one.” A woman’s voice now filled the air, one that still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand in fright.

“M-Misfortune?” If he was a friend of Ashen, and Misfortune in one of Ashen’s underlings, then…

“I’m not here to slice your throat or harass your knowledge, so calm yourself. I’m not here for jokes either, so you can rest assured that I won’t make any. I’m here as a request from Cloud, to make sure you stay alive, so don’t move from the castle.” Slice my throat? Harass my knowledge? Was she already considering those choices before?

“Cloud?” I presumed it was the masked man’s name since I never really got one before.

“The man that was just here, his name is Cloud, Small Cloud.” I give him credit, his name was as odd as Ashen Fur’s, so it made sense for them to be friends.

“I would also suggest you not try looking for the new heroes, as they are all tasked with enough, and will only fail if the task of fending off the Plane Lord was pushed to them. As for the old heroes, they wouldn’t stand that much better of a chance at facing such an opponent either.” The heroes were in the mid hundred range, in terms of levels, how much strong could the Plane Lord be?

“And what’s the level of the Plane Lord, if you know?” She slowly made her way from behind me to in front of my throne.

“I’d say high 800’s to low 900’s. Give or take another ten levels or so.” A Plane Lord was as strong as an old god? But how!?

“And what about Cloud? What level is he?” To try and fight an opponent of such level by himself and with such confidence, he would have to be on par with its level at least.

“Level 973, the seventh strongest member of the Dragon Eye Alliance.” There were more members of the guild? And he was only number seven, even at such a high level? What kind of guild is this?

“I take it he will be able to force the Plane Lord back to the Fire Plane then?”

“If by force, you mean to kill, then yes, he will have no problem. If by force, you mean it, then he might struggle to withstrain himself.” The thought of a man like him fighting a Plane Lord like it were a child was both amusing and horrifying.

“If he can fight it himself, then why did he ask you to protect me?” If he could kill the Plane Lord so easily, there was no point in having a bodyguard for me, was there?

“Stragglers, defiers, and stray wanderers from the Fire Plane might still try to cause havoc, even if their Lord is slain. And knowing that their level can reach high 300’s, it is wise to allow me to defend you, especially since you have no choice.” Despite the offer that was being made, to protect me from harm, the way she phrased it, and the way she said it made it sound like torture.

“If you say so, I guess I have no objections.” If she could read my mind, I might just die from it.

“I’ll be in your shadows, waiting for danger, lurking in wait for your protection…” She slowly sank into the ground and forced a shiver up my spine.

I guess I have no privacy anymore, so I might as well tend to the duties I need to with honesty and haste. “Melia, let’s finish the paperwork for the trade agreements, alright?” She nodded, and a guard soon left to retrieve the papers.

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(Ashen POV)

[The Fire Plane is invading the Physical Plane]

The message came the morning after I returned home, so It came as a surprise. I wondered if it was because I killed Ignis, but remembered some of the reports Misfortune made, some of them were about the previous planar invasion that took place, but I guess it just seems like a result from the death of Ignis, just because the attribute of fire was shared. The death of the goddess of the night didn’t result in a planar invasion, but it could be due to the fact that the plane of night doesn’t exist, or does it? I guess It’s possible, but I haven’t seen any evidence of it, so it remained a mystery. Perhaps it was a prime time to invade? The death of a god and the transference of their domain to another god could be seen as a good time to try invading, it certainly made sense to me, so why not.

[Fire Plane Lord, Innus, has Invaded]

Wait, Innus? Like the Fire Plane Lord Innus in Sugarea? If he was here, then that means… “Xylith, do you know about the Planes?” I asked her since we were still in bed from this morning.

“The Planes of Existence? Well, yes, I know of them, but is there something more you want to know?”

“Plane Lords, why do they invade the Physical Plane?” There was a good chance she didn’t know, but perhaps since Innus was here, the reason was the same as in Sugarea.

“Nobody can know for certain, as everyone has different motives, but some invade to attempt to take back their portion of the world that they lost to the dungeons.” So it was different from Sugarea, I should have guessed.

“So the dungeons took the land from the Plane Lords?” But that leaves the existence of the Planes up to question as well.

“Yes, and from the loss of their land here on the Physical Plane, they used their combined strength to create their own Planes of Existence.” If I remember correctly when the Planes were created, everyone called it the Great Shatter, so what did that entail?

“And what about the Great Shatter?”

“The Shatter? Let’s see… If I remember correctly, the world suffered a great pain when all the Planes were made, and were said to split into fragments, with each residing in a different Plane, with the largest remaining here, in the Physical Plane. If I remember correctly, It’s also said that the Physical Plane’s fragment will split a piece with its moons, giving each moon a fraction of its power.” So the world gave a piece of itself to each moon?

“Are these fragments conscious?” If they were alive in a sense, then it would explain the world’s attempt at killing Melida when her staff broke, but that would also leave the question of the other Plane’s fragments being alive as well.

“As far as I know, yes, each piece is as alive as you or I, but they are all independent, all except for the moons and the Physical Plane since they were willingly split from a single source. Unless they were recombined, they will all act as different sources, each with its own will and memory.” It was a fascinating subject, that the Planes were all sentient to a degree, and the idea that they were the result of the same thing that sparked the vast amount of life on this world was also interesting.

“So what do you think of it all?” She laid in thought for a few seconds, trying to piece together each loose thought she had.

“I know it was likely as horrible for the Plane Lords as it was for all of the other races, but It’s not their fault. If anyone was to blame, it would be the dungeons, as they were the ones to steal the land in the first place. But if you were asking about the Planes themselves, and the Plane Lords, then I would suggest making peace with them. They aren’t evil, most of the time they lend their power to those that pay due respect to them, so it’s not like they are hostile either, so if nothing else, try making friends with them, it might make it easier to resolve the invasion wars.” That was a good point. I’d be upset or angry if my home were stolen from me, and for them to be peaceful to those that didn’t directly wrong them, it was more than enough to show their innocence.

“If I can, I’ll try.” It wouldn’t hurt to try at least, if I can make peace with them then it would end a long series of wars, and prevent future casualties, so maybe I should pay the Plane Lord a visit. “I’ll go talk to Innus, and see if we can come to an agreement.” With a hug and a kiss, I left to do just that.

I gave a quick message to Aeyrs about my plans, and he said he was going to continue with some war preparations, as well as helping Melida. I just left the castle when something I didn’t expect happened, a message from Misfortune, via the Telepathy spell.

“Lord, apologies for the sporadic message, but it’s urgent. I have just had contact with Lord Small Cloud. He is currently heading to deal with the Plane Lord, and he entrusted me to protect King Erik. Please pardon my hold on the investigation of the other countries.” It took me a moment to process the words that she spoke.

“Did you say that Small Cloud was in this world?” My mind still couldn’t comprehend the thought, but my heart tingled with the faint feeling of joy, and it was growing.

“Yes Lord, Small Cloud is here in this world, I caught him up with everything that happened since we last had contact with him.” Soon a smile pierced my face, I couldn’t believe the words she spoke.

“Continue protecting King Erik, you can return to your duties whenever your current one is fulfilled, please inform Aeyrs next.” Despite his words from long ago, about pounding his face in, I knew he would be as happy to see him as I am.

“Of course Lord, I will report to him at once.” The spell ended, and my face was left with a large smile and my heart was beating at a rate more human-like, nearly eighty beats per second, as compared to my normal two or so.

If I knew where the Plane Lord was, I’d be able to find Small Cloud, so I started looking around and found a fiery magical presence, and teleported straight to it. I looked around, scanning for the Plane Lord or Small Cloud, but only saw a somewhat burnt forest. I felt eyes on the back of my head and turned swiftly to find a small imp-like creature. It was close to what was on the Fire Plane in Sugarea, a Firespawn, but it was different. It had two tails, each tipped in yellow, and their skin was a mild orange. Their eyes were a bright ruby red and they had no horns. It had clothing and armor, even held a small dagger in each hand. At first, I thought it was just another race of the world, but upon closer inspection, it held the mark of the Fire plane on its body. Although it was obstructed by its armor, the magical signature was still there, over its heart.

“Iil, iil, ool, nho?” It spoke in an odd verbal gargle, but I somehow knew what It meant, ‘speaker of flames?’.

“Yes, I suppose I am a speaker of flames, in a sense.” It looked in shock for a moment but soon started dancing for some reason.

Almost ritualistic, it danced in an oddly soothing fashion and chanted more gargled words. “Iil, iil, ool, del de brac, de nach, de nach, eer sol! Eer sol!” From what I could tell, they said ‘Speaker of flames have come today, we saved, we saved, thank you! Thank you!’.

A light rustle from the bushes nearby, and a few more jumped out and joined the other in his dancing and chanting. “Iil, iil, ool, del de brac, de nach, de nach, see, see roo, see roo! Rooh, roo, ool roo, del roo!” I felt the presence of a stronger magical entity nearby, but their chant continued. “Fel, roo fel, dee grel de, de roo lii iil. Dee de iil, de ill, dee iil, de iil.” Their chant meant ‘Speaker of flames have come today, we saved, we saved, yell, yell loud, yell loud! Celebrate, loudly, speak loud, scream loud! Joy, loudly party, he has come, his flame comforts. Be bright flame, his comfort, bright flame, his flame.’.

I understood it poorly, but I guess my fiery mana was soothing to them? “Flames of bright, flames of light, who’s flames burn tonight?” This time in human, a larger one emerged from the woods.

“My flames burn eternal.” I didn’t know what their motive was, or what they were celebrating even, but it felt like they were worshiping me to a slight degree.

“Burn brighter than a thousand stars?” Was it asking me about my fire’s strength? Because, if so, mine was far more powerful than anything they have likely seen before.

“Brighter than ten billion.” It looked at me in my eyes, this time asking me directly.

“Hotter than molten steel?” By a long shot.

“Hotter than the sun.” It stopped for a moment, likely trying to think of something else to ask, but failed.

“Fire hot, fire bright, fire brings eternal light.” It started to mumble to itself, and something started coming over to us.

Its magic was strong, and its mana was thick, but still much less than my own. “Seeker of flames, have you no embers?” Was their entire gimmick just asking questions about fire and speaking in a broken language?

“No embers, only ashes.” I felt tired of this already and decided to answer somewhat sarcastically.

“What’s the god of fire doing on the Physical Plane?” A very heavy voice flickered around me, one I knew well.

“Innus, It’s been too long, you know.” The voice started to laugh, long crackles of fire were mixed in as well.

“And here I thought you were but a nightmare.” I suppose it’s a lot weirder than I thought that I am talking with someone I have killed several times before.

“And here I thought you would have forgotten me.” I didn’t know how this would affect our future relationship, but at least he wasn’t angry, or at least it didn’t seem like it.

“Forget you? The one so bold to play games with me during our training sessions?” Is that what he considered them?

“If you would put up a challenge, maybe I would have paid more attention to you, besides, it looks like you’re fine regardless.” His bright flaming body emerged from the woods into the clearing I was in.

His body was an ever-flowing flame, with hard magma-like plates and spikes, slightly reminiscent of the armor I wear. His head had two magma horns, curving backward, and his eyes were a bright red flame. He floated above the ground, fire jetting from his feet, keeping him afloat. He held no weapon in his fiery hands, but from my knowledge, he did have one. The grass under him caught fire, and the air around him almost glowed from heat. It was equivalent to the Nova Body skill, if it were always activated, still two tiers behind what I have, but still quite potent. Even without a face in the traditional sense, his emotion was portrayed through the color of his eyes, and despite the bright red color, it meant he was pleased. Perhaps seeing a familiar face after all this time made him nostalgic.

“Even after all this time, you still insist that I’m below you. You don’t need to act so highly about your flames, otherwise, they will extinguish in that pride.” Was he giving me life advice?

“I’m not insisting that you’re below me, it’s just my form of a playful tease.” A blanket of fire was expelled from his skin in what seemed like a laugh.

“A tease, after all that, it’s just a tease. You never change, do you?” I suppose not.

“Do I hear a good time?” A lively voice spoke to us, and a smile sprung to my face.

“Cloud!” I turned around and saw him for the first time, and we just hugged.

“Hey, it’s the fire kid! What’s up, old friend?” I let go, and a devilish smile took to my face.

“You should already know everything, didn’t Misfortune tell you?” He chuckled a few times to himself.

“Oh silly me, I must’ve forgotten!” I could tell he knew, even without how terrible his act was.

“I’ve been trying to establish a kingdom in this world, and now that I have one, I’m just focusing on maintaining it. As for you, what the hell have you been up to? And when did you arrive here? The same goes for you Innus, I need to know.” Innus waited for Small Cloud to speak first.

“Well, firstly, I got here about six hundred years ago, and I had to use a few items just to expand my life span, it was scary to think I can just die of old age so soon. As for what I’ve been doing, I’ve just been hopping from job to job, researching everything I can about this world and its history. And I’ve come to know a bit more about the demons then I’d like to.” I would have to pry into his knowledge later, as that can wait.

Innus spoke next, and his voice sounded saddened. “It was nearly 7600 years ago. Along with the other Planar Lords, we were all brought here in a flash. Along with us, were some of the gods, and we thought it was all strange, but we got used to it after a few years. Then, after a few decades, the dungeons started to appear, and slowly stole all of the terrain we used to keep ourselves bound to the world. For, if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to resurrect ourselves if we perished. After 3000 years, we lost the war with the dungeon races, and the world fractured in what would soon be known as the Great Shatter. And we used what power we had to create realms for us to survive. Over the many years since, we have been trying to invade to get our land back, but have been stopped every time, even after we reclaimed land. We have just kept trying, not allowing the dungeons to get away with their crimes. But, as you can probably guess, It’s not been a rewarding journey.” His eyes shifted to a blue color, and his fire dimmed.

Small Cloud pitched in his side as well. “From what I know, the Plane Lords haven’t killed unjustly, they only went after the area they had before, and nothing more. But the kingdoms that now inhabit those lands are too greedy to let them go. Hey, Innus, where was your old domain?” That was a good question, if we could give some land to Innus, and the other Plane Lords too, that would stop the whole invasion wars that were going on.

“Around this area here. What is known as the Bandarainian Empire today.” I wonder…

“Innus, does the location matter to you, or is just the amount of land that you need?” Innus thought for a moment.

“I just need the land to inhabit, it matters little where, but since this was my land before, I have been trying to reclaim it, why?” Then I could do what I thought.

“Does it matter if there are people or structures on your land?”

“No, not really, but underground cities might be a slight issue, but nothing major.” Perfect.

“Then, If you want, you can have a portion of my land to dedicate to yourself.”

“Really? You wouldn’t mind?” His flames got brighter with hope, his eyes turning white.

“Of course, as long as you don’t start fighting people, it’s not an issue in the least. And if you’re willing, you can protect over a city in your domain.”

“I have no issues with that, I only need a hundred square kilometers or so of territory, can you spare that much?” That should be fine, in fact, that might mean I can fit all the Plane Lord’s territory in the Demon Lands alone.

“That’s perfectly fine, so I guess it’s settled then?” His eyes glowed brightly, sheets of flames started falling in rapid succession.

“Yes!, Thank you Ashen.” Something about a world boss addressing you by your name just feels satisfying, like you finally made it.

[Blessing of Innus Obtained] [Title Gained: Blessed by Innus] [Awarding 100 Attribute and Skill Points]

“I guess you should have your people move over to your new territory soon, otherwise you’ll likely be fighting a war again.” I didn’t notice it until now, but thousands of those little imps were standing all around us.

“Ah, you’re right. Can I request a portal?” A portal shouldn’t be an issue, my mana will last years before the spell drains me.

A large vortex of purple appeared next to us, about ten meters tall, and forty wide, and the imps started walking through. “Small Cloud, return to the castle, I’ll have a long chat with you once you’re nice and cozy. Innus, let’s start with your land.” Small Cloud gave me a wink as he disappeared into his black smoke.

“This shouldn’t take more than an hour as long as I’m able to do this freely. That is to say when I’m not under attack by an army.” We walked through the portal together, and Apoctaclass was only a few kilometers away from it.

“Well, here is the town I was speaking of, think you’re up to the task of watching over it and protecting it in times of peril?” He looked back at me after taking in the terrain.

“It will be no issue.” He stopped for a second and tried to speak slowly. “I apologize if this sounds needy, but I must ask. Do you plan on doing this with the other Plane Lords as well? I know they will only grow jealous if I were the only one…” His flames were slowly dimming, so I reassured him.

“It’s not a problem for me, in fact, it’s a boon, having Plane Lords watch over my land is a win-win for the both of us. I just want an end to the warfare, and this is an easy solution, one I’m happy to propose to them. So tell them that they can use my land if they can meet the few criteria I set.” His eyes turned a gleeful yellow, and his flames brightened again.

“I’ll tell them, as I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to accept that offer.” With that settled, we moved on to establishing his domain...