Chapter 22
Ignis stood motionless in front of the spirit portal. It was a large circle which stood straight up, but nothing held it up or kept it from from falling. The center of it looked as though it were made of light blue clouds, but they moved like they were held by a pool of water. Around the entire edge of the circle was a golden ring, yet the ring almost seemed to be separate from the center. It hovered in the area directly in front of the rest of the portal. The golden ring rotated around the edges as opposed to moving fluidly along with the center, and it even seemed to be made of a more solid substance than the center.
"So, this is my fated destination. This must be the portal for which we have been searching all this time. It has a rather odd look."
Ignis took his eyes off the portal for a moment to get a look at the landscape. He had been wondering how the hunters he heard about in Montibus found this portal. He finally got his answer. Though the portal is completely inaccessible without traveling through the tunnels, you could feasibly see it as it was located near the top of a mountain. The hunters must have caught a glimpse of it from their position on one of the adjacent mountains. It was still odd since they would have to have spiritual sensitivities like Thaddaeus, but it happened nonetheless.
Now that his suspicions had been addressed he regained his focus and looked up at the portal, "I am coming, My Flame. Wait for me." With that, he stepped forward and disappeared into the portal.
Thaddaeus ran wildly across the snowy landscape. He was doing his best to track Ignis, but it felt like a losing battle as the difference in their speed was too extreme. Finally, he caught sight of him, but he was too far away to get his attention. As Thaddaeus drew nearer, he called out to him, but the weather drowned out his voice. Then, in a blink, he saw Ignis disappear. He halted in his tracks. He stopped so suddenly he almost tumbled forward.
"Where could he have gone?" He voiced his confusion out loud.
Thaddaeus made his way over to where he had seen Ignis disappear. He stood in his footprints and looked around in all directions. Then, he turned in the direction Ignis had been looking. It was faint, but he glimpsed a strange gold and blue figure begin taking form. In just moments, the entire form of the portal was visible to him. He stumbled backward and fell in the snow.
"Incredible, did he go into this thing? I wonder if I should keep following him," Thaddaeus mused as he gazed at the magnificent wonder that had been revealed before his very eyes.
"Fira!" Ignis called. No one answered.
He was standing just on the other side of the portal. It seemed as though it teleported him into another realm. He was in a hallway that looked as though it wasn't constructed normally at all. It actually appeared as if it was created outside of any intelligent races that Ignis could remember. It was quite elegant in design, and he had never seen anything quite like it. It did, however, remind him of a certain place. The hallway was located in the clouds, he knew this because he could look out and see them. The walls were made of a transparent material, so it was somewhat like he was just floating in the sky. However, the ceiling was made of a less mystical substance. It was clearly visible, but still quite impressive as though it were made for an emperor. In all the corners of the hallway he could see the same golden borders as were on the portal. Then, as he looked closer, the bricks that made up the floors were transparent, but between them appeared to be the same gold material that formed all the borders.
"Very well," Ignis said. "At the least, my path is visible."
He bolted down the hallway in search of his Life Socis. The features of the hallway were a constant surprise at the high speeds he was moving. He tripped over a small flight of stairs, smacked his head on a beam, and eventually ran into an invisible wall when the hallway turned. He grunted in frustration. No one ever accused Ignis of being the most careful or prepared soldier. He always left that up to his friends.
"I would like to have the advantage of Solis' eyes at this moment," he groaned as he pulled himself off the invisible wall.
As he shook his head to recover, he turned to see the direction the path had taken. He couldn't believe it, there was a visible door right next to him. He smacked his forehead out of frustration, but at the same time, it didn't really surprise him that he didn't see it earlier.
Ignis cautiously opened the door that led into a large, open room. There were no translucent walls or floors in this room, only stone and wood. It looked like it wasn't even made by the same people. As he entered the room, for the first time in twelve years his heart leapt with joy. He saw Fira sitting on the stone floor with chains around her wrists. She was chained to the wall so she couldn't lay down, but she seemed to be sleeping in her current position anyway.
Ignis ran over to her and hugged her. He grabbed her shoulders and gently shook her to wake her. The clothes she was wearing looked like they were old and worn out, but they were clearly not twelve years old. They must have kept her under fairly appropriate conditions which relieved Ignis. They also had kept her hair cut, that was a surprise to him. He smiled giddily just thinking about it. He was sure she would become an unmanageable tyrant if specific conditions weren't met. She probably gave them trouble for years just out of spite.
Fira had pure white hair, just like the others, but her hair was short unlike Telu's and Luna's. She always kept it shorter than shoulder length, and it was very thick so it grew out in all directions in spikes. Ignis held her chin with his hand as he tried to wake her.
"Wake up, My Flame. I am here for you."
She began stirring just slightly. Then, she slowly opened her weary eyes to meet his. Her lips slowly moved into a meager smile as she whispered to him.
"It has taken long enough, My Rock. I suppose your strength is still second to mine."
With her halfhearted taunt, she dropped her head and fell unconscious once again. Ignis laughed and sighed with relief. He was happy that she hadn't lost her fire even through all these years of imprisonment. He put his hands on her chains and they melted almost immediately. He carefully worked to pick her up. He was preparing to begin the journey home.
As Ignis was distracting himself with Fira, Chisei, the Alpha's chief science officer, waited patiently for his opportunity to strike. His orders were to conceal himself near the prisoner and destroy anyone who comes to get her. As usual, the Alpha's brilliant plan had come to fruition without a single miscalculation. He expertly predicted the arrival of Lux' group to rescue their friend. Chisei had waited in a secret compartment across the room from Fira along with his special weapon designed to kill them in one strike.
The Alpha had created a spear-like weapon for Chisei. It had exceptionally dangerous properties which were meant to tear through the armor-like skin of his targets. The spear had a special point made of incredibly dense metal. The metal could be sharpened several times finer than ordinary metals and still retain its durability. The spear was also created with the ability for a high rotational force which would increase the power of the weapon for a devastating effect. Their was no question in the Alpha's mind about the weapon. A specialized spear such as this in the hands of a powerful Beta such as Chisei would unquestionably end the lives of their enemies.
Chisei awaited the perfect opportunity to strike. Suddenly, he saw his chance to attack. Ignis had picked up Fira in his arms and looked down at her. He was distracted. In that instant, Chisei came out of hiding. He launched the spear with all his might. Ignis' back was turned. The rotating spear struck with violent power. Blood sprayed out of its victim in terrifying volume.
Ignis laid Fira down on the stone floor. He turned around in time to catch Thaddaeus as he began falling backward. He had no strength left to stand. He could only rely completely on Ignis to keep him up. An enormous, gaping hole had been punched through Thaddaeus' midsection. The spear had traveled through him and barely grazed Ignis.
Thaddaeus tracked the large warrior that he admired so much all the way to this room. When he saw Chisei appear so quickly, he didn't have time to think. His body simply reacted. He threw himself into harm's way as quickly as he could.
"Thaddaeus? Why would you do this? I thought you were with Lux," Ignis said with far more concern than Thaddaeus expected.
He coughed up blood and struggled to speak, "I...c-couldn't let you fight...ah...alo..." Unable to finish his statement, he passed out.
Chisei and Ignis both stared in shock. Both were unable to explain what had just happened. However, Ignis' expression quickly went from shocked to furious. It was as if a demon had taken his place. He stood up slowly and looked at the Beta in front of him.
"First Fira! Then Thaddaeus! When are you satisfied!?"
As he yelled his words, his anger seemed to manifest itself directly into his power. The ground started shaking uncontrollably. He began moving slowly toward Chisei. After he took a few steps, the stone floor erupted. Columns of liquid magma shot upwards through the ceiling. The entire building began shaking and moving unsteadily. The Beta had trouble keeping his balance, he nearly fell over.
Ignis reached Chisei's position. Chisei was horrified. He felt as if he was personally staring into the underworld. He struggled to defend himself with an off-balance punch, but it was useless. As if with the power of a deity, Ignis met his blow with one of his own. Chisei's fist cracked on impact. He pulled back a limp, broken hand.
Suddenly, without further warning, Chisei felt more weight than he believed possible crash into his face. Ignis' fist drove straight forward into his enemy's face, then he directed it down into the floor. Chisei crushed the stone under his body. He was in no shape for a counterattack.
The magma began burning through the entire building so Ignis grabbed his two friends off the floor. He resolved to save Thaddaeus. No matter the cost, he would keep him alive. He knew he had to get him to Telu as soon as possible. He shot down the hallway at unbelievable speed. The invisible stone cracked each time his foot touched down. He was determined to save his friend.
Ignis exited the portal and saw all of his friends laying scattered in the snow. Lux was keeled over in front of a man he had never seen before. He was covered in blood. He was resting on one fist that was touching the ground. Lux and the man both looked over to see Ignis joining the battlefield. Lux' position remained the same, but his mouth curved upwards into a smile.