Chapter 13: Orientation and Erupting Volcanoes

The time had finally come. The convoy had arrived on the outskirts of a new galaxy. After centuries of traveling through the void between galaxies, we had finally arrived at a potential new home. There was no way that humanity could have had any comprehension of what lay ahead. We stared into the void that lay before our eyes with mixed feelings of wonder and consternation. And yet, despite our apprehension, we set out into the unknown with a feeling of prideful ignorance that bordered on arrogance. As far as mankind knew, we were still alone in this universe. As far as mankind knew, there was no greater power than the human spirit. We had no idea how ridiculously wrong we were.

In another district of Tarrus, thousands of miles away from Fernady City, a dark conspiracy was underway.

            Two men stood alone in a large launching chamber with a satellite in the center being prepared for take-off. The shuttle was shaped like a circular UFO from Ancient Earth science fiction movies. Several antenna and dishes projected from the top of the unmanned vehicle. Nearby, several dozen droids carefully handled a large warhead which they prepped to place inside the shuttle’s cargo hangers. The warhead rose into the silo like a massive sword ready to deal out righteous fury. This silver missile held the emblem of Gregory Industries emblazoned on its blade.

            “Is it ready yet?” questioned the nobleman in blue robes impatiently.

            “All systems are operational and ready for launch, sir,” replied a scientist in the white lab coat as he worked at the computer station.

            “Place the warhead within the shuttle and prepare for launch,” ordered the nobleman.

            “Y-yes sir,” said the scientist with obvious hesitation.

            The scientist typed in a few commands on his keyboard, signaling the droids that floated nearby to gently store the warhead in the containment chamber of the satellite. The orb-shaped droids complied immediately and slowly lowered the missile into the open doors before two mechanical arms from the satellite placed the missile within the center of the unmanned vessel.

The doors on the satellite quickly closed, shielding the missile from view, though its presence was no less lost on the scientist, who now sweated profusely. The scientist gave another command and the engines on the satellite ignited. A computer voice rang throughout the chamber as the timer counted down from sixty.

The scientist turned to his employer nervously as the timer continued to count down.

Fifty-five … Fifty-four … Fifty-three…

 “Once the shuttle breaches the atmosphere, it will cloak and go into geosynchronous orbit around the planet as a satellite, responding only to your command.” To relieve some of the pressure, the scientist adjusted the collar on his shirt before addressing his superior. “The missile was especially designed to your specifications, sir. The Omega will wreak devastation never before seen on Tarrus.”

            Forty-seven … Forty-six … Forty-five…

            “Very good, Dr. Mansly,” said the man in the blue dress suit as he took a step closer to the scientist. “And since it's unregistered, it should give us an edge over those Elemental animals.”

            Forty-one … Forty … Thirty-nine…

            “If I may ask, sir,” said Dr. Mansly as his hands started to shake. “The Omega, it's only precautionary, right? A deterrent for war. I mean, you aren’t really considering using it, right? At least not on Tarrus?”

            Thirty-three … Thirty-two … Thirty-one…

            The nobleman smiled sweetly. “That is no longer your concern, Doctor.”

            Twenty-nine … Twenty-eight … Twenty-seven…

            “Sir?” asked the scientist in confusion.

Without a word, the man fell face-first to the metal floor. A crooked dagger with a black blade protruded from his back. A figure in a gray robe stood hunched over the scientist’s body.

            Twenty … Nineteen … Eighteen…

            The nobleman smiled at the hunched figure and said, “Merci beaucoup.”

            Fifteen … Fourteen … Thirteen…

            Out of the shadows stepped a man with green skin, yellow eyes, and sharpened fangs. “My Lord Gregory. You know that weapon won’t do any good against the Ministry of Fire’s shields, so you can’t be planning to use the missile on them,” said the creature in a whispering voice.

            Ten … Nine … Eight…

            “Of course I know that, you Goblin twit,” replied the nobleman angrily. “But I also know that in this sort of game, it’s good to have an ace in the hole.”

            Three … Two … One … Launch!

            The thrusters ignited. The ignition roared. The burners blazed. The fuel pumps churned. With a flash of light, the vessel took from the ground and sailed off through the portal at the top of the chamber, flying far off into the night sky before disappearing from sight.

Planet Tarrus: District 8: Headquarters of the Ministry of Fire.

Éclair Hamashe sat in silence with her curious companion. Éclair knew it was risky using one of her family’s custom-made transports, but she didn't have much of a choice. They needed to get Ryan to the Ministry as safely as possible. Right now, most of the Gateways were down for maintenance, and Éclair wasn't a spiritual psionic type that could teleport anywhere she wanted to willy-nilly. Besides, it's not like her Swan Flyer would be detected, not while equipped with its psionic cloak.

However, something else worried Éclair. Apparently, Black Dragons had hunted this boy, but he had escaped miraculously. Two questions haunted her thoughts; why were they after him and how did he escape? The Black Dragons had kept a low profile for centuries now, showing no interests in humans or Elementals. Why choose now to start a ruckus? Éclair recalled something her godfather had once told her.

Why can’t we know all the answers to the mysteries that our realm hides? Then let me answer your question with another question. What’s the point of a mystery if you don’t have to look for the answer? Life would seem rather bland if there were no surprises left.

Old Starbeard had taught Éclair that there were too many mysteries out there to even begin to imagine. Never be bogged down in ignorance, rather see it as an opportunity to learn. Éclair remembered fondly the old man’s kind green eyes filled with the wisdom of the ages and the wonder of a child. His smooth, eloquent voice had lulled her to sleep many times as he told her stories of all the magic the universe held for those courageous enough to search for it. Éclair sorely missed her mentor … sometimes the pain felt unbearable. 

But her circumstances weren't all that bad. After all, she'd met Grafael and Leon, and even her annoying stepsister counted for something. Yes, in the Ministry of Fire, Éclair had found some semblance of the family that she'd lost.

On a different note, the recent encounter with Hannah Lioness had raised even more questions. It surprised Éclair to find out that the Lioness woman knew the Prime Minister’s old nickname. But then, Hannah Lioness was a name almost as famous, or infamous, as Eramar Razor himself. Heaven only knew what secrets that woman held. Fortunately, it seemed that Lioness could be considered an ally, at least for the moment. Why else did she seem so compliant with Éclair’s wishes to keep her secret hidden from Ryan?

Still, it was a little unsettling that a complete stranger knew Éclair’s most closely guarded secret. If only Éclair knew the right way to ask Ryan about it. But then again, Starbeard always deterred her from worrying too much. Trusting in the teachings that her godfather had instilled in her at a very young age, she decided to be patient, and seek out the answers to this particular mystery when it seemed most appropriate.

Besides, the poor fellow looks frazzled enough already. It won’t do to grill him when I can already tell that he knows as much as I do … probably less based on his crude mannerisms.

The boy was a bit of a curiosity to Éclair. Of course, she had been slightly put off by his appearance when she first met him, but she also found him quite intriguing to look at. His orange, gold skin and bright scarlet hair gave him an otherworldly appearance. Plus, his passionate red eyes made him seem almost devilish, but in a good way.

Though his attire wasn’t nearly as impressive as his physical attributes. For some reason, he refused to wear shoes despite the fact that Éclair knew that Lady Lioness had packed him some. His sleeveless shirt and black jeans seemed to be new, and yet there were still holes in the fabric. Though the sleeveless shirt did give Éclair a nice view of the boy’s strong arms which bulged with muscles unseemly for a fifteen-year-old boy.

The boy’s rugged appearance was almost a match for his garish personality. One second as bold as a lion, then the next as sheepish as a mouse. He obviously had no idea how to properly treat a lady, otherwise, Éclair wouldn’t have the impulse to smack him every time he opened his obnoxious mouth.

And yet, despite his harsh accent and flamboyant arrogance, Éclair got the feeling that it was more for his own sake than anyone else. The boy probably went through a lot, what with growing up on the streets and having to defend himself from prejudiced humans. He must have felt so alone, so isolated. Éclair related to that sentiment. For a while, she'd been on her own too.

There was something else about Ryan Uruks, something deeper. A quiet dignity that refused to bow down to any authority, no matter how powerful. True, the boy was obviously naïve, immature, and clumsy. But even so, Éclair admired Ryan if only just a little for his pure foolhardiness.

Despite their disturbing conversation with the old Weretortoise just moments ago, the boy seemed as riled as ever, raving on and on about some tyrant or whatnot. Truth be told, Éclair felt slightly annoyed, despite resolving to treat Ryan more gently due to the gravity of the news he'd just heard.

However, Ryan could drive a saint to sin; the sin in this case involving strangling Ryan just to get him to shut up for five seconds. Éclair gave Ryan every facial expression she knew to convey the message that he needed to stop talking. But apparently, the boy seemed inept at reading inaudible signals, or even audible ones for that matter.

“I’ve already told you a dozen times over,” started Éclair once again. “We can’t go back or else we risk being discovered. I would think you’d want to avoid running into more mercenaries … at least until you’ve been trained in the Ministry … which, need I remind you, is the only safe place left to you.”

            If Ryan Uruks could be credited for anything, it would be the art of keeping an argument going for as long as possible. “You don’t understand! This is more than just a pet! He’s my best friend in the world … or worlds, I guess. Look, just tell the driver to land and give me five minutes. He’s probably going out of his little bird brain just looking for me.

“I’m the only one who feeds him, and he gets cranky when he’s hungry. He starts pecking at anyone in sight and dropping poop bombs in the most unexpected places possible. He even got some into this rich guy’s flying yacht. I can’t even tell you how he got in there, but he did. The bird’s like a ninja. Trust me, if I don’t find him, it’s going to be Armageddon at the least.”

            He certainly has a flair for the dramatic. Kind of reminds me of Grafael. It might actually be cute if it wasn’t so agonizingly frustrating at the moment.

Since reason clearly did not exist within the boy’s vocabulary, Éclair decided to take a different approach of diplomacy. “Look, it’s not that I don’t care. I’m sure that Tyrant is a very good bird. It’s just that you need to consider what’s best for everyone. If we land this vessel, even for a moment, it could risk exposing you. Elementals are not particularly popular these days, you know. Besides, he seemed to get along just fine without you before; and if he's as resourceful and clever as you say, I’m sure he’ll be alright.”

Éclair was unsure how Ryan even found a hawk. There weren't any forests left to sustain it, except for the Ministry of Fire hundreds of miles from the place that Ryan supposedly found the creature. Éclair decided that it must’ve escaped from a petting zoo, or the black market that occasionally smuggled animals from the human’s original homeworld.

            Ryan then pointed at the windshield and screamed, “WATCH OUT, DRIVER!!”

The vessel flew straight into a towering skyscraper. However, the Swan Flyer passed through the skyscraper’s walls like smoke through a vent. Figures of people and aliens passed through both them and the vehicle harmlessly as if they were ghosts. Despite Ryan’s subtle reptilian scales, a very human and very boyish expression of confusion washed over his features as he tried to come to terms with what transpired.

After flying through the building, Ryan spoke in a shaky, squeak-like voice, “Are we dead?!”

            Éclair sniffed. “Of course not, dumb, dumb. I forgot to tell you. This vessel is … well … it’s somewhat special you might say. A Spiritual-Type Elemental used Elemency to psionically cloak this vessel, as well as give it the ability to phase through solid objects. It’s a little complicated to explain, but basically, as long as we are in this ship, nobody can see or touch us.”

            Ryan appeared unconvinced as his head swiveled back and forth, as if expecting to fall through the seats. “Then how come we can see and touch it?”

            “The vessel is made to recognize certain types of DNA. In this case, being my DNA since the ship was created to protect me.”

            “Protect you?”

            Éclair mentally scolded herself for revealing more than she needed to. “To protect me and those like me. Young Elementals just learning to control their powers.”

            Instead of asking her anything else, Ryan addressed the driver. “Hey, driver! What did she mean by that earlier? Come on, be a friend. I can keep a secret.”

            Éclair tried to stop Ryan before he upset her rather grouchy chauffeur. “Um … Ryan … my driver is-”

Too late! Ryan could only see the back of the chauffeur’s black suit and bowler hat. As the driver turned around, he revealed not the face of a man, but the white head of a bird; a bald eagle to be exact.

Felix decided to respond to Ryan’s rude questions in kind. “AACK!” screeched Felix in his native bird speech.

“AAAH!” yelled Ryan.

“YEEEK!” screamed Éclair, startled by Ryan’s scream.

“AAAK!” screeched Felix again in an attempt to calm Ryan down, only it seemed to have the opposite effect.

“AAAH!” screamed Ryan again, apparently still shocked by the giant bird chauffeur screeching at him.

“Ryan!” cried out Éclair, trying to take control of the situation before it became a scream fest. “Calm down! This is my chauffeur, Felix. He’s one of the aerial races. A Harpy. He understands Basic, but he can’t speak it himself because his vocal cords are not designed for it, and he refused to get the proper implant. You see, the bird peoples are natural Spiritual-Type Psionic Users, so that’s why I need him to do the driving. He makes cloaking and phasing easier on the ship because he’s feeding it a little of his own psions while he's piloting.” Not that she expected him to understand, but Éclair enjoyed explaining things; it was habitual.

Felix puffed up his feathers, apparently miffed at being yelled at, and said, “AAACK,” one last time for good measure.

Ryan relaxed a little. “Okay, nice to meet you, Felix. Sorry for screaming at you, man. I mean bird … or birdman. It’s just that for some reason, I thought you were my bird, Tyrant … like he’d been turn into a birdman, or something.”

Éclair frowned in confusion. “What?”

“We were just talking about Tyrant, alright! It got me thinking about birds. Plus, I’m just a little shaken by the fact that we’re in a ghost ship. I apologize.”

Felix eased up a little as he continued piloting the vehicle. Éclair almost wanted to laugh. There was always something with Ryan Uruks. Not just his mannerisms, but the way he conducted himself when something unexpected came along. It made Éclair feel like chortling until her sides ached. But there seemed to be even more to it than that. Though she'd just met him, Éclair felt a familiarity for Ryan; a warmness, as if they'd known each other since they were kids. It made Éclair feel like an innocent little girl again, living life for the sake of enjoyment and fun. On more than one occasion, Éclair caught herself telling things to Ryan she'd normally keep to herself.

Is there something different about him that I’m just missing, thought Éclair to herself.

Then Ryan tried to make a grab for Felix’s hat like a kindergartener on a bus might do. She decided that she must have imagined there being more to this boy than met the eye. The phrase ‘what you see, is what you get’ applied most adequately to Ryan Uruks. The boy seemed to forget his troubles with his bird, Tyrant, and instead pressed Éclair for answers on just about every question he could think of. Éclair remembered when she first joined the Ministry that she had a lot of questions to ask as well, so she tried to be patient with him.

“So what is that stuff you were talking about? Psionic Users and psionic abilities and stuff? What does any of that have to do with the elements?”

Éclair knew that telling him too much now would only confuse him and impede his journey into Elemency, so she decided to be brief and save the really important lessons for his instructor to explain in more clarity. “As I’m sure you've already guessed, Ryan, there's more to Elemency than simply shooting fire out of your hands. Just trust me. Everything will be explained at orientation.”

Ryan frowned. “Oh yeah, what’s orientation again?”

“Let’s just say that it’s not something that can be properly put into words,” replied Éclair cryptically.

After a brief journey, the Ministry of Fire lay just ahead of them. Ryan gasped, clearly blown away by the amazing image. Sometimes, he acted as giddy as a 7-year-old, but in this case, Éclair shared his feelings of childlike wonder.

The Grand Ministry of Fire stood in stark contrast to the rest of the surrounding buildings of Tarrus, contained in one single dome structure much larger than most cities. Inside the massive dome, trees sprouted everywhere, massive trees of every shape and color. The very notion of trees seemed inconceivable on a planet with little to no vegetation, yet there they stood.

The forests in the dome had been divided into several sections. One section had normal green trees. One section had pink trees. One section had bright red trees. One section had yellow trees. A section of trees existed for every color of the rainbow, as if the inside of the dome itself had been made as a massive art project.

One section conflicted with the rest of the forests, the final section closest to the center of the dome which contained foreboding dead trees with branches that jutted out almost like hands. Éclair knew that to be the section where they undertook weapons testing, so the plant life that developed as a result had a very sickly appearance.

The dome stood taller than most mountains, but even then, some of the trees inside were tall enough to reach the top. At the very center of the dome stood a massive volcano that almost reached to the top of the barrier. The volcano appeared to be active, but Éclair knew there to be no danger.

The natural Fire Elementals of the Ministry simply relied on the volcano because it increased their power and could even be used as a devastating weapon in case of attack. The lava was constantly kept at bay by Erupters, Elementals whose natural element controlled magmatism. Special vents scattered across the dome dispersed the smoke and used it as a means for energy. Ryan’s jaw dropped overdramatically, transfixed by the sight.

Éclair pointed at the volcano and explained. “Our central headquarters is located at the base of that volcano. You can see the structure if you look closely.”

Ryan soon beheld the two giant statues that guarded the entrance to the central headquarters of the Ministry of Fire, the entrance being two massive gray-stone doors that appeared to be on fire and yet stood stable. One statue was a gigantic bronze Lion poised to strike, its large mane indicating it as a male African Lion. The other figure was an even more intimidating bronze Dragon on all fours, its shoulder wings spread as far as they could reach. The statues themselves were roughly the size of two skyscrapers.

As for the fire on the doors, the flames made letters from the ancient tongue that shifted and changed with the churning of the flames. Éclair wasn't quite sure what the fiery writings meant; in fact, nobody she knew did, but she felt determined to find out eventually. One of her lifelong ambitions involved discovering all the mysteries that the Ministry of Fire had to offer.

            Ryan sat somewhat in a daze as he said, dreamily, “Look at all the trees.”

            Hmm. Tree hugger! Who knew?

“Yes. The Elementals feel more at home in nature than in cities. We take care of the forests, and they, in turn, take care of us. It is another quality of balance in the universe, one of the many concepts you will become familiar with in your career as an Elemental.”

            “I think you might be right about that,” commented Ryan quietly.

            Éclair frowned in confusion. “Right about what?”

            “About Elementals being more at home in nature. Ever since I saw those trees, I’ve felt more alive than I have in ages. It reminds me of when I was younger.” Ryan’s voice changed somewhat as he spoke. He sounded like he just grew into adulthood within the few seconds that he'd seen the forests of the Ministry of Fire. His voice seemed to become timeless, ancient even, as if Ryan no longer spoke as a boy.

Before Éclair had time to consider it much, the ship came in for a landing. Felix brought the vessel to one of the many landing platforms that dotted the dome. The landing platforms looked like tiny white plates connected to the surface of the dome. Each landing platform had tubes that connected to the volcano for instant transmission.

Felix then said, “AAAACK,” which roughly meant something like “Get the hat-stealing brat off my ship before I peck his eyes out.” Luckily, Ryan didn't quite comprehend his meaning.

As they descended from the vessel, Leon greeted them to Éclair’s pleasant surprise. Éclair absentmindedly started fidgeting with herself, hoping that she at least appeared presentable in front of the cutest boy in the universe. Éclair had never met a man with a more perfect face, or a more complicated personality.

His face was pale and his hair dark, but not as dark as his eyes. His features were perfectly positioned, as if chiseled from marble by a master sculptor. Everything looked sharp as a sword, from his well-featured chin to his prominent cheekbones that jutted out in perfect aesthetic harmony. Éclair silently prayed for the strength to keep from blushing. She had known Leon for years, but she still failed to work up the courage to confront him about her feelings. She just hoped to find that courage before her conniving stepsister whisked the man away.

Barely keeping her voice from breaking, Éclair said, “Leon! I wasn’t expecting you. As you can see, I have everything well in hand. So I guess there really was nothing to worry about.”

Leon regarded Ryan with slight annoyance, and Ryan returned the gesture in kind, although that might’ve been Ryan’s normal face. Éclair didn't know him well enough to judge his emotions accurately. 

Leon then turned to Éclair and smiled pleasantly, and in the sweetest voice ever to come from a boy’s lips, he said, “He’s late for orientation. The Fire Minister has already started her speech.”

Getting ahold of herself, Éclair grabbed Ryan by the wrist and ran to the nearest transmission tube that exited to the volcano. After a short ride in the cramped chute, Éclair led Ryan to the assembly meeting place located at the steps to the volcano. Ryan's face showed only bewilderment, as usual. Breathless from the run, Éclair and Ryan finally made it to the assembly meeting place. Surprisingly, Ryan managed to keep pace with Éclair even though she had often been called one of the fastest runners in her sector.

But then again, he is part Saurian, and I know better than most just how strong and tenacious the Saurian people are.

As they came out of the trees - that contained hidden structures and facilities throughout the forest - they walked into a clearing where literally tens of thousands of new recruits, as well as their protectors, had gathered for orientation. There was a good smattering of children ranging from the ages seven to ten standing around looking nervous. A good number of older students like Ryan attended too, though some were even older than him.

Most of the candidates were young humans, but a decent number of nonhumans gathered as well. Some were Werewolves or Werecats, some were Satyrs or Elves. There were even a few Dwarves, Gnomes, and Trolls in the mix as well. All in all, a motley-looking group of candidates for this year. The Grunts were only allowed to train after orientation, and orientation was held only once a year at the beginning of summer.

Every year, Elementals ventured out into the universe and sought possible candidates for Elemency. The candidates they found were kept in secure facilities and instructed in basic Elemental lessons, such as history, ideology, and other lessons ranging from any imaginable topic. The Ministry of Fire expected all of its students to be well educated in every facet of society, so lessons continued during the training.

There was a very important reason that the Grunts couldn’t begin their official training until after orientation, and there was also a very important reason that orientation was only held once a year. Out of the roughly one hundred thousand candidates that came to orientation, only about ten percent would be accepted for training, and even less than that would one day go on to be full-fledged Elementals. Seeing as how he seemed to be on the dim side, the odds weren’t stacked in Ryan’s favor. It made Éclair sad to think about it; not only because he'd been her first protectorate, but also because she kind of enjoyed his company … in a weird sort of way.

Éclair pointed to the top of the steps, drawing Ryan's attention. In between the two gargantuan statues stood the Minister of Fire herself, Saria Kaves, an imposing figure and a very intimidating woman, with a powerful voice that easily carried over all the grunts gathered. She herself didn't possess the ability to increase the volume of her own voice, being a Fire-Type Elemental, but she had several assistant Screamers who could. They remained hidden, but Éclair knew that they were there amplifying the Fire Minister’s voice because of the subtle traces of sound Elemency in the air. Éclair had started getting the hang of her sensing abilities as well as her healing abilities.

Éclair gestured for Ryan to listen carefully as Saria came closer to the important portion of the speech. “One word, my children. Legacy! Legacy is what really has brought you all here today. For an Elemental, there is nothing more sacred than the legacy that they leave behind. The legacy that you leave behind cannot be measured by acts and deeds alone. For you see, the eyes of man can fall into deception. But the eyes of Destiny cannot be blinded. To put it simply, your legacy is a means to answer one simple question. Who am I?”

Saria Kaves paused as her eyes scanned the ranks of grunts with a hard expression on her face. “Well, who am I to you? Am I simply an Elemental? Is that all that defines me? Am I simply a warrior to fight when I’m needed? Am I simply a woman? Or maybe even more obvious … am I nothing more than the Minister of Fire? Is that the length of my existence?

“My answer to you is no. None of those things are what defines me, none of those things tell you who I am. You see, as much as you may judge and evaluate me based on what I say and do, the only one who can say who Saria Kaves is … the only one who can decide my destiny is me. Who am I? I am Saria Kaves and I serve the Empire.

“If any of you think you are here simply to become an Elemental, if you think you are here just to learn how to kill monsters and criminals and anybody else who gets in your way … If you are here simply to gain power, then you’d best leave right now, because there is no room for your kind in the Ministry of Fire … not so long as I am the Minister.

“That is my choice, my legacy that I wish to pass on to all of you. The legacy that I wish you to learn from. And yet, each and every person here has a different destiny to fulfill, a different legacy to find. You want to know why you’re here? You’re here to find your legacy. Whether or not it can be found through Elemency is entirely up to you.”

Éclair heard a similar speech when she first joined the ranks of the Elementals. As much as she wished to warn Ryan of the somewhat disturbing event he would bear witness to, she knew that he had to face it on his own strength. There was a very specific reason that an Elemental’s training began after orientation.

Ryan listened with a growing sense of inspiration at the intensity in which Saria Kaves delivered her speech. Ryan had been a little surprised that the Minister of Fire, one of the most powerful and influential people in the Tarrus Empire, was a woman. But he hid his surprise so Éclair wouldn't think him sexist, which he really wasn't … most of the time.

As the Minister of Fire wrapped up her speech, something strange happened. First, the mystical fires on the massive doors appeared to glow brighter. Then the volcano itself shimmered with a powerful red light. The sky seemed to darken and the leaves on the trees glowed brighter. The very air itself felt thicker somehow, as if preluding to something momentous.

Ryan heard a powerful thud! in the air that sounded like an earthquake, and yet nothing moved. A roar at the top of the volcano drew Ryan's gaze, and thousands of fireballs shot out of the mouth. He turned to Éclair to ask if this was normal only to find that she had left. Alarm slowly building, Ryan realized that the fireballs were heading straight for him and the rest of the assembly.

The volcano had erupted, and he almost turned to flee, but something told him to stand his ground … that the threat was only imagined. As the flames started to descend, Ryan’s rational mind screamed at him to run and save himself. The other candidates were already fleeing. Mass hysteria prevailed as thousands of frightened children ran in terror.

Ryan wanted to join them, but he stubbornly refused to move. It felt like a voice in his head whispered to him that he needed to conquer his fears and stand his ground. He didn't want to listen to it, but deep down in his heart, he knew that the voice told him the truth.

Just for reassurance, Ryan looked to the Minister of Fire, who stood stoically on her pedestal, betraying no emotion whatsoever. She glowered intently on the gathered crowd, as if gauging their merit. Ryan then hypothesized that the erupting volcano was some kind of test and how he reacted would determine if he passed or failed.

I came this far. There’s no way I’m going back now! Not after the promise I made both to Hannah and to myself. Man! That sounds really melodramatic when I say it to myself.

Despite every sense of self-preservation screaming at Ryan to turn and run, he stood still to face his fate. He would either unravel the mysteries of Elemency or die trying; there was no going back.

The fireballs came so close to hitting the ground that Ryan felt the awesome heat emanating from them. It reminded him of the fires that started the day his village had been destroyed. One of the fireballs seemed to come straight for him. Ryan had one more impulse to run and save himself, but before he had time to make up his mind, the flames engulfed his entire body. Ryan flinched, shutting his eyes at the brightness.

            The first thoughts in Ryan’s head ranged from, Dying is a lot less painful than I thought it would be, to, OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I’M DEAD!

As the seconds went by with nothing happening, Ryan slowly opened his eyes. Flames surrounded him, but they didn't harm him. Ryan knew from his experience with the candle that external sources of fire could still hurt him, but he felt no pain. If it wasn't right there in front of his face, he might not have believed that the fire existed at all.

The flames turned a much whiter shade than normal for fire. Then a figure materialized from the magical inferno. The silhouette of a lion on four paws stood before Ryan. Though he couldn't make out the lion very clearly, he got the faint feeling that it was the same lion on the Fire Ministry’s medallion.

It was there, and at the same time, it wasn't there … a very odd contradiction. The lion had fire covering its whole body, not that the lion was simply on fire or that it used fire like Ryan had earlier; but rather, the lion seemed to be made of fire. It would've been weird enough to meet a real lion, but here was a lion made out of fire. The lion slowly walked toward Ryan, sniffing him. Not knowing how to respond, Ryan just stood there hoping that the fiery lion wouldn't eat him … or set him on fire … or both. The lion studied Ryan with red eyes that looked like rubies. Then the lion almost seemed to smile warmly at him.

In a voice as ancient and powerful as time itself, two words resonated within Ryan’s mind. “Squad 99.”

And then it vanished as well as the fire that surrounded him. Ryan stood dazed for a few moments until he realized that he wasn't alone. All across the assembly, young candidates who had stood their ground just as he had shook themselves in confusion. Ryan realized that they all must’ve had a similar experience, for they seemed just as terrified as he felt. Ryan turned around and was relieved to find Éclair standing close to him with a look of bewilderment on her face.

Before Ryan could say anything, Éclair beat him to the punch. “What did you hear?”

Ryan didn't know how she knew that someone, or something, had spoken to him, but then he figured that she went through something similar to this. “It said, 'Squad 99’.”

Éclair seemed even more concerned than before, which made Ryan feel a little worried. “It’ said? You mean to say that you saw something too?!”

Ryan nodded.

Éclair seemed like she wanted to throw up. “You said it told you Squad 99. That’s my squad. I was the last to join. No one else has been a part of Squad 99 for years, and certainly not a Grunt who hasn’t even passed the qualifying exams yet.”

Ryan didn’t know what the big deal was, but by the sound of her voice, he figured that it must be urgent. “So what does that mean?”

Éclair spoke in a voice that almost seemed to be pity. “It means that you are now a member of the Grim Team! My Team!”