There wasn’t a peep to be heard. Not that we were surprised, considering the explosion that’d taken place the day prior. I doubted anyone wanted to be near the wall during or after the collapse.

“The silence is unnerving,” Tristan said.

“I’m sure Sanrai would have advised everyone to hole up in Magni’s citadel,” Zahra reasoned. “That is something I would expect from my sister.”

I shared admiration and concern for Zahra in equal measure. I was sure the people of Ichi Island were accustomed to watching their own flesh and blood die by now, but still. If it were me, I don’t think I’d be able to keep it together after watching my sibling’s head get caught off, no matter how estranged.

“I believe you are correct,” Cailu replied.

I inhaled deeply. “Straight to the castle, then.”

The First Shell, to use one of Tristan’s favorite words, was opulent. For starters, the paths. I’m not sure I’d ever walked on a more intricately made walkway in my entire life. The longer I stared at them, the sooner I realized that small dragons were carefully carved into the stones. The multi-colored reflections gave the impression that an ancient civilization had built these roads. With how nice they looked, part of me wondered if they were meant to be treaded barefoot.

I almost felt bad walking on them with my boots. Almost.

“Think we’ll find the Mall of Rājadhānī in here?” I murmured to Tristan.

Tristan chuckled. “I don’t know. Would ‘Fashion Square’ be the rich version of a mall?”

“You have a point.”

Every structure, every monument looked as if it had been painstakingly designed from scratch. The homes bore a theme similar to those I’d seen on San Island. They were triangular, pointed at the tops. At the center of each roof was a four-legged dragon made of gold. It reminded me of the ones I saw in medieval-themed video games.

“Subtle,” I mumbled sarcastically.

“Which bit? The dragons on the roofs or the ones in the yards?” Ravyn spat.

“Wait. The yard?”

Now that she’d mentioned it, most homes had a garden dragon among the flora. Unlike the ones on the rooftops, these dragons were black. The detail of the scales and faces was impeccable. Just counting the ones I could see, there were a dozen. Ruby and emerald eyes reflected the morning sunlight, and their bodies glowed in the dawn.

Garden gnomes were creepy, but honestly, given a choice between the two, I would’ve taken the gnome. I wanted to snap every one of those damn dragons in half.

Tristan walked up to one of the black dragons, looking at it from every direction. “Polished obsidian,” he muttered, grazing his finger across the figure. “Not an easy thing to make.”

“Or find,” Naeemah added.

“No expense spared,” Kirti said with an air of amusement.

“Every aspect of this king leaves much to be desired,” the [Assassin] hissed.

“We should probably keep moving,” Keke said as she came to stand beside me.

I looked at Cailu to my right. He drummed his fingers against the hilt of his sword, his gaze glued to Magni’s sanctuary. He hadn’t said anything since we entered, but he bore a colder stare than any I’d seen from him so far. His added silence just made me more uneasy.

“Yeah. Let’s keep moving,” I agreed.

The extravagance continued to shock and awe me as we continued to travel the winding paths. The number of water fountains was insane. Each of them was comically sized as well, easily dwarfing any of the ones I’d seen in Washington. On top of that, no two fountains looked identical. One had a horse at its center, another a gigashank. They came in white, black, and even red. It saddened me that Ceres couldn’t see this right now.

“What’s that?” Keke frowned, pointing.

Something I’d learned during my time with Shizen was that plant life was just as much part of the culture as anything else. Many of the other islands had lush, vibrant life. Ichi Island was… lacking in that area. If not for the sun and occasional pit of sand, I would’ve struggled to tell the difference between here and San Island.

That’s why I nearly gasped when I saw what had caught Keke’s attention.

Huddled between two homes was a house of glass interconnected by steel shafts. Beyond the glass were plants and flora of all shapes, sizes, and colors. It was an enormous greenhouse.

“My lady!” Zahra called after Naeemah. She’d zipped past us while we were staring, making a beeline for the glass building.

We followed, watching as Naeemah snapped the handle off the door and tossed it into the dirt beside her. The crash of glass followed, and she and Zahra entered the greenhouse just as we’d caught up.

“Incredible,” said Tristan. “They built a greenhouse.”

“A greenhouse?” asked Keke.

“It traps warmth and humidity inside so plants can grow in any weather,” I explained.

Tristan nodded. “Matt has the right of it. If done properly, you can grow almost anything you want in one. Normally, that’d be a great way to roast them in a desert, but— ” Tristan’s gaze shifted between the houses flanking the glass house. Afterward, he looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun. “Looks like they use the homes to create shade for the plants.”

“That actually works?”

“It must,” Tristan said, shrugging. “I’m sure they still struggle to grow anything that needs a cold temperature, though.”

“Not if they have a [Wizard] or [Sorcerer],” Ravyn said as she came to stand next to me. She fetched a cookie from her pack and fed it to the quiet parrot. “Ice magic can be used to control how hot it gets inside, as well as the humidity.”

I frowned. “How do you know that?”

“Remember Felsi’s ice cream shop?” Keke pointed out. “She used magic to keep the ice cream cold.”

“Exactly. Same magic, different house,” Ravyn replied.

“No less impressive,” said Tristan. “I wonder how many they have.”

“I have to see what’s inside,” Keke said, gingerly stepping over the shards of glass littered around the hole Naeemah had made. Most of us followed her inside, but Cailu and Kirti stood where they were.

“Coming?” I asked.

Cailu shook his head. “Is this errand necessary?”

“Probably not.”

He frowned.

I didn’t want to stop Keke’s exploration, and taking a quick inventory didn’t sound like a half-bad idea. “We’ll be fast. Maybe we’ll find something useful.”

“I will remain here.” Cailu sighed. “Time is valuable, Matt.”

“I know. I’ll be right back.” I turned and hopped over the glass to join Keke.

The smell was amazing. Scents, both familiar and foreign, bombarded my nose. To my left were flowers of countless colors and shapes—to my right, fruits and vegetables of every variety. Each plant was nestled into a small clay pot, not unlike the ones I would’ve seen back on Earth. I took a step forward, and I felt a minor stab of pain where my ear was pierced.

I looked up and saw a series of poles attached to the walls, crossing over one another like a grate. Every other bar had been garnished with a tiny blue rock. A gentle light radiated from each one, bathing the area around it in a soft blue.

“Ravyn,” I said, catching her shoulder as she brushed past me.

“Kuso! Don’t just grab me like that!” She spun on the spot, batting away my hand.

“Don’t touch Master, squawwwk!” Ball Gag screeched, spitting cookie crumbs all over me and the floor.

“That’s right, Bally. At least you know some manners.”

I sighed. “What is that?” I asked, pointing at the rock. She blinked, then turned around to where I was pointing. “My ear hurts. That got something to do with it?”

Ravyn shrugged. “Probably.”

Thanks for your illuminating reply. “Should I be concerned?”

“Let’s find out.” Ravyn put her hand out and shut her eyes. Mere seconds passed before she spoke again. “Those are how they control the heat. There’s an ice enchantment on them.”

Safe enough, then. “Is that something a [Sorcerer] can do?”

“My, this is rare,” Ravyn cackled, looking over her shoulder. “In the mood to ask questions about Nyarlea for once?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.”

“I will. But not before I answer.” She looked back up at the stone. “[Sorcerer]s can do that, yes. Whoever did it most likely has an affinity for ice-related magic.”

“Figured that part. Is that something you can do?”

Ravyn shook her head and approached a plant resembling a lily. “No, not right now,” she said, brushing her fingers against the flower’s petals. “Bally doesn’t know the trick yet.”

Yet, huh? Didn’t know it was something Bally had to be taught.

Cannoli picked through a nearby garden of vegetables and herbs, refilling some of her emptied [Cat Pack] supplies. I spied a plot of spices—ones I’d grown with Shizen and other unfamiliar sprouts. They’d be worth coming back later for, but I grabbed a handful of the ones I knew would help restore Ceres’ [Energy]. It was easy to get distracted when there wasn’t anyone or anything to stop us. I could practically feel Cailu’s weighty gaze from outside the greenhouse as I waved to the others to leave.

Naeemah was the first to exit the greenhouse wearing a dark scowl. Zahra remained at her heel.

I found Tristan sifting through a berry bush, plucking and sniffing dark purple spheres with interest. I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “We still have a king to overthrow.”

“Right.” He pocketed the berry and followed me out.

Having grown so accustomed to sand finding its way into every damn spot of my skin, my hair, and my clothing, it was weird to see so little of it here. Unlike the prior shells, the sand in the First Shell was sectioned off for aesthetic effect. Bricks placed in triangle formations contoured to the shapes of the homes and monuments. With how little sand littered the paths, I wondered if someone had made a habit of sweeping it.

We were fast approaching Magni’s keep when something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. To our left was the spitting image of a park I would’ve seen back on Earth. It had everything—a swing set, a sand pit, monkey bars, benches for the moms, hell, even one of those weird iron web deathtrap domes. An entire jungle gym was right in front of me, shaded by ample trees and twin cloth awnings.

What doesn’t the First Shell have?

“Matt, are you okay?” Keke asked, breaking me out of my reverie.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. I gestured to the playground equipment. “Just distracted by that stuff.”

“What is it?” The tone in her voice said she was just as confused to see it as I was.

“A jungle gym. With enough imagination, you could do anything.” I furrowed my brow. “There must be a lot of kittens here.”

“That looks like an obstacle course for adults,” Keke replied lightly.

“Like I said, you just have to have enough imagination.” How long has this been here?

When we reached the citadel's entrance, we were forced to stop at a giant door that was nothing short of imposing. Walls for what felt like miles stretched above our heads, forming a decorative arch at the top.

“So, how do we get inside—” I started.

“Ravyn,” Cailu said.

Ravyn clicked her tongue. “I know what to do.” She stepped up to the entryway, motioning for everyone else to stand back. “I’m trying a new Spell that Bally and I have been practicing, so I need space.”

When did she find the time to practice?

“Ready, Bally?” she asked. Ball nodded and flew up to the door. “Let’s melt this gaudy hunk of metal.” Ravyn drew a deep breath and put a hand to her chest. “I call upon the scorching fires of the deep.” An orange glow surrounded Ball’s shape. “Raise your sword against those who would defy me. Grant me a fury greater than any other.” With each word spoken, Ball became brighter and more difficult to look at. Eventually, I had to shield my eyes. “[Flamethrower]!”

An unearthly growl escaped Ball’s beak just before a torrent of fire followed. As the seconds passed, the flames grew larger and hotter. Beads of sweat collected on Ravyn’s skin, and her breathing began to shake.

Is she going to be okay?

After a while, I could no longer see anything past the blaze. It’d grown so large that I became increasingly concerned that Ravyn might burn herself. But then it stopped.

Ravyn trembled, then fell to her hands and knees, gasping for air.

“Ravyn!” I raced to her side and bent down on one knee, a gentle hand on her back. “Are you okay?”

“I… I’m fine,” she breathed. Ball fluttered down and landed before her, returning to his usual blue hue. He nuzzled his cheek against her forearm.

“Master,” Bally crooned.

“You did great, Bally,” Ravyn said, bowing her head.

I rubbed Ravyn’s back, glancing at where the door used to be. A pile of orange goop sat where a great door of obsidian and gold once was. It smelled like Espada’s forge.

Cailu strode past, observing the door. “You have my thanks.” The others came to stand behind him. The smoke made it difficult to see what was beyond, but that would soon change. Cailu tightened his grip around his sword.

At last, the end was finally in sight.