Kit Mi Kai was panting heavily, feeling his muscles burning from the intensity of the fight. His grandmother, however, showed no signs of fatigue, her steely eyes still focused and her aura as fierce as ever. Kit Mi Kai had never fought like this before, but his grandmother seemed like she had barely scratched the surface of her power.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Kit Mi Kai's chest, and his heart skipped a beat. His eyes glowed with a bright crimson light, and in an instant, he was no longer in the volcano. His surroundings blurred and morphed, transporting him to a mysterious domain.
In this strange realm, three enormous lions materialized, their majestic forms towering over him. They let out a synchronized roar, shaking the ground beneath Kit Mi Kai's feet. From the ground, skeletons of long-dead wildlife—giraffes, antelopes, rhinos, elephants—rose, assembling into a macabre army. Kit Mi Kai watched in awe as these skeletons gathered around the lions, as if awaiting some command.
The lions bowed. For a brief moment, Kit Mi Kai thought they were bowing to him, but when he turned, he saw the real reason for their reverence: a glowing star behind him, shining brightly in the dim, shadowy sky of the domain.
"COME!" a deep, commanding voice boomed from the star, shaking Kit Mi Kai to his core.
"Do you hear him?" his grandmother's voice suddenly cut through the scene, though her body was nowhere to be seen. "That is your ancestor. He's been calling for help, imprisoned by enemies long before you were even born. For so long, you were too weak to hear his cry. You still are. With your current power, how do you expect to save him? How do you expect to survive the enemies he made as a god?"
Before Kit Mi Kai could respond, his grandmother's foot struck him in the chest, sending him flying out of the trance. He gasped as reality snapped back, and he was once again standing in the crumbling volcano, lava bubbling and flowing around them.
"I will make you a demigod today," his grandmother declared with unwavering determination, "even if I have to kill you to do it!"
Kit Mi Kai's eyes narrowed as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "You talk too much, bitch," he growled, his breath steadying as he regained his strength. The air around him crackled with tension as he prepared for the next round of the fight.
Without warning, the two clashed again, this time using the debris of the volcano as weapons. The once-mighty mountain was reduced to rubble as the lava spilled out like a river, flowing toward the nearby forest. Kit Mi Kai threw chunks of rock with all his might, while his grandmother parried them with ease, her attacks as relentless as ever.
Kit Mi Kai was caught off guard when his grandmother suddenly lunged at him, her teeth bared. Before he could react, she sank her teeth into his shoulder, tearing away a chunk of flesh.
"Stop biting me, you damn beach!" Kit Mi Kai howled in pain, shoving her away.
His grandmother wiped her mouth, grinning maniacally. "There are no rules in a fight, boy. The only thing that matters is who wins. You'd be wise to learn that sooner rather than later."
Kit Mi Kai, his face twisted in pain and frustration, knew he had to find a way out of this. "This bitch is insane," he muttered under his breath, formulating a plan. "I've gotta escape before things get even crazier."
Feigning a powerful attack, Kit Mi Kai gathered as much energy as he could, his eyes flashing with crimson light. His grandmother's grin widened, thinking he was about to unleash his most devastating move yet.
But as she braced herself for the attack, Kit Mi Kai turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
"Pant… pant… pant…" he gasped as he sprinted through the crumbling landscape, barely able to believe he'd gotten away.
"Where do you think you're going?!" his grandmother's voice echoed behind him. "I'm not done with you yet! Don't you dare disrespect me by running away, boy!"
Kit Mi Kai glanced over his shoulder and saw her hot on his heels, moving faster than he could believe. "Damn it," he muttered. "She's not gonna let this go!"
As he looked ahead, he saw a familiar figure running alongside him. It was Jajwok.
"Oh, it's you again," Kit Mi Kai groaned, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
Jajwok didn't seem to notice the danger they were both in. "I've been running since we parted ways! I got bored, so I started playing with the crow!"
Kit Mi Kai blinked in disbelief. "You know that crow is trying to kill you, right?"
"What?" Jajwok looked genuinely shocked. "I thought it was my friend!"
Kit Mi Kai slapped a hand to his forehead. "Are you stupid?"
"Yes," Jajwok replied cheerfully. "What's stupid?"
Kit Mi Kai stared at him for a moment, speechless. Before he could respond, the crow in question swooped down from above, cawing menacingly as it chased after them. Jajwok, still oblivious to the danger, giggled and waved at the bird as it dove toward them.
"Run faster, idiot!" Kit Mi Kai shouted, picking up the pace. Behind them, his grandmother was gaining ground, her eyes alight with fury as she prepared to unleash another earth-shaking attack.
"I'm gonna kill you for real this time!" she roared, causing the ground beneath their feet to crack and splinter.
Kit Mi Kai knew he was running out of time. He couldn't keep running forever, and his grandmother wasn't the type to give up. He glanced over at Jajwok, who was still running with a goofy grin on his face, completely unaware of the chaos that was about to catch up to them.
"We're doomed," Kit Mi Kai muttered under his breath, hoping he could come up with a plan before his grandmother caught up. The only problem was, Jajwok was not the best partner for survival in this moment of madness.