Day 1

 

Today I started my journey with Chris and his friends, Tsubaki and Guilian. They get along very well, they are always talking, Guilian always plays pranks on Tsubaki, and she fights him, they even argue verbally while fighting with her elemental powers. The two know each other well enough to weigh in on anything the other says.

 

Chris always keeps seriousness, it seems as if for him there is no noise of discussion, but in reality, he pays attention to details, if anyone shows tiredness from traveling a long distance, if they take the discord too far, he will always be watching you, he will always protect you from the shadows. It's as if he doesn't want to show concern for his loved ones, but he does it in secret as long as he doesn't abandon something inside.

 

After a whole day surrounding the outer mountains of Vodheim we arrived in a small village and stayed in an inn, it seems that we will have to travel a long way due to the storm damage in the mountains. Today I will sleep next to Tsubaki and not with Lillian, I hope I can sleep even a little.

 

Day 2

 

I just had the most agitated night of my life, it turns out that Tsubaki has a lot of anxiety when sleeping alone, so she was a long time squeezing me to sleep and did not let go for anything in the world. Was I that way with Lillian? I'll be sure to apologize and thank her when we see each other again (even if she doesn't really see). Although... it makes me happy to be the one who helps someone, I feel that we are already good friends.

 

I asked Tsubaki how she slept until now, it turns out that if she can't sleep on the branches of the trees, she ends up having nightmares. If she doesn't have trees at her disposal, she simply chooses to stay awake until she finds one and forces the group to camp nearby.

 

We all left the village as soon as dawn began, not even the sun had come out. Although it feels strange that the horizon is so low unlike Vodheim, where daylight lasts less than half a day because it is between mountains. Guilian gave us more problems when getting ready to leave, it turns out that it takes too long to collect his five senses when he wakes up, is that called being heavy sleeper?

 

Once again, we were running all day, but we didn't get to any village, so we ended up camping, we all helped so it didn't take us more than an hour to start having dinner and sleeping. It is in this kind of situation that Tsubaki and Guilian make a truce. After trying Chris' cuisine, I think I already understand the motivation of the two of them when it comes to preparing food.

 

Since Tsubaki took me quite the confidence sleeping together, we bathed together in the moonlight. She takes her privacy very seriously, as she used her Air power to perceive the sounds and aromas and verify that Chris and Guilian did not spy on us, although I think she is being too cautious with them, she does not give them enough credit.

 

I used to bathe with Lillian at her house, but with Tsubaki it was very different, my heart beat a thousand for showing her my body covered with burn scars. She was very uncomfortable, but I don't blame her, I explained and understood very well. Tsubaki is a great person, she accepted my past just like that, just like Chris.

 

It wasn't as hard for me to talk about my past with Tsubaki as it was with Chris, I think I'm really stronger than I was back then. Although I'm not as strong as I'd like, nothing would prepare me for the biggest surprise I've ever had.

 

Grabbing confidence, Tsubaki undressed, and I could see her attributes, her great attributes, as big as Lillian's, I think a little bigger. My body gained muscle mass and toning thanks to training with Chris, but those floats, God, that was a very hard blow to my self-esteem.

 

Tsubaki explained to me that she hides them so that they don't get much in the way of the archery, but that restricts her a bit when she breathes. I understand, my hair is my biggest risk when it comes to using my powers, so sometimes I think about cutting it, but I don't do it because of my scars, although I hope that I finish developing my body and reach her in that area.

 

Day 3

 

As soon as we got up Tsubaki and Guilian started arguing, even while we were getting ready, they spent it bothering each other, I can't help but start getting used to all this noise, or I won't keep up with Chris. What worries me a bit is that Chris remains just as distant with me as he is with the two of them. He was a completely different man in Vodheim than traveling together, what is his problem? It would be easier for him to simply open up with them as with me.

 

As we ran Chris mentioned that we should start seeing the Maxim volcano during the afternoon, he always gives us details of what is coming according to the plan, although he starts talking too much in his explanations. Guilian always interrupts by saying that he pays attention only to the beginning and the rest is unnecessary and Tsubaki does not waste to complain about him.

 

We arrived at the volcano earlier than expected and it was not at all what we expected, it was erupting non-stop to the point of darkening the whole sky and the air was too vitiated by the ash. I proposed to surround it to Chris, but he flatly refused, we had to reach the Heinburn kingdom in the next days or they were not going to participate. The way he told me was cold and made me feel bad, but I realized that Chris really wants to participate in the tournament, almost instantly I felt motivated not to delay them.

 

As we approached the base of the volcano the air was getting heavier and heavier, but Tsubaki created drafts and Chris controlled the ash so that we could breathe without problems, although it stalled the pace. As we ascended, we noticed that the eruptions became more and more intense and chaotic, to the point that the fumaroles began to expel lava instead of steam.

 

Every minute I thought, "Oh! I'm going to die here right now." But my body always reacted, and I stole the heat from the lava, and without realizing it I was in front protecting them all. It really made me happy to be of use to them and they tried to take care of the rear so that I would advance at my own pace.

 

When we reached the top, we realized that the eruptions had stopped, but Chris was more alert than ever. We realized that in the very air there was enormous pressure, as if the sky were falling on us. And then something came out of the crater, a reptile.

 

Red-hot scales, its breath turned into fire from the heat and with outstretched wings it looked more than imposing, then it attacked us with a huge shot of fire breath and Chris covered us with the earth but being too hot we began to see the light of the earth being melted by the attack and we ended up underground, being an oven by the temperature of the place and the conditions.

 

Chris immediately came up with a plan to escape and keep moving forward, descend from the top, and hopefully escape the monster. But neither Tsubaki nor Guilian agreed and proposed to defeat it to advance, and Chris agreed with relief. His answer perhaps concealed the possibility that Chris wasn't going to move forward. Doesn't he trust us? Or is it that he easily resorts to sacrificing himself for others? If so, with more reason we should not leave him alone, who knows what crazy things he can do if we are not to worry about him.

 

As soon as we got out, Tsubaki shot out from being thrown by Chris with his strength, she controlled the wind to position herself on top of the monster and shot wind to make it descend, Guilian concentrated the fire from his hands and released it by striking the blow to its abdomen, maybe the fire is not hot enough to damage its skin, but the force of the shock wave was effective in hurting it.

 

Chris got into position while they were doing their thing and it was surprising that he could impose as much pressure as the monster, he was concentrating his strength in a single blow and the way he moved his arm in conjunction with his body unleashed a current of air that cooled the monster and managed to weaken it. But it immediately began to wreck everywhere and threw its fire breath directly at Chris, that way our formation was undone.

 

I jumped to protect him and as if it were someone else's work, the fire deflected and formed a dome on us and hit the monster head-on, dropping it into the crater and we stayed without moving for a few moments. Then that creature came out once again, bigger and with more power than ever and just as we were about to resign... it spoke!

 

It turns out that it is a salamander that protects that territory and a strange man hit him with a kind of spell and he began to feel strange, he could not distinguish reality, it was a complete chaos inside his head. The fire that I returned to him accidently made him come to his senses and stabilize his power, although he was hurt so I felt sorry.

 

From his gaze I would say…that he like it? to receive such a powerful attack, and it was not even mine. Once the conversation was over, he took us to the end of his territory, he carried me on his back, but he held the rest with his hands and Guilian held his tail. Surprisingly his body did not burn us, the salamander told me that with enough training you can control the heat so that it is not transmitted to other things and therefore does not burn. Choose what things burn and what doesn't? It's something I want to achieve definitely.

 

When we said goodbye, he mentioned that we will most likely see each other again and he left without further ado, but I doubt very much that we will return to such a place in a long time. We walked a bit and decided to camp after such a desperate fight. We were all exhausted and couldn't even enjoy the food, even Guilian and Tsubaki didn't argue, that's what it means we went through a lot.

 

Day 4

 

We advanced a lot of thanks to the salamander, so we kept the pace constant until we began to notice the black sands of the desert. It was something surprising, I had never imagined that something like it existed. But at the same time, I felt something strange inside me, I don't know how to describe it in words, only that... I felt it up to my guts.

 

We were walking for half a day until we began to find fragments of buildings scattered around the land and to our surprise, we found some ruins. The symbolism in the structures alluded to fire and the union of the community, as crowds of people were portrayed in a pose of connection and what seemed a kind of ritual with fire elemental power.

 

When we arrived at the main building we discovered even more things, a library, relics and what seems to be the site of the ritual, because in the center of that room there was a magma spring and the designs on the floor indicated the positioning of the people. The feeling of discomfort I had when I arrived was more and more intense, I began to feel very sick, and they had to get me out of there while I lost consciousness.

 

Chris stayed to inspect the place and at dusk, during dinner, he explained that, in fact, the designs of that hall indicated that there was a ritual, and it was a large-scale one. Throughout that ruined city were everyday objects eroded by the conditions of the place, but the strangest thing is that, inside the castle on the site of the ritual, the deepest and most isolated rooms seemed as if people had simply disappeared, there were even the clothes in places where people had normally been, in chairs, corridors, beds.

 

We almost couldn't sleep in a place like that, it was too gloomy to rest even a little. I confessed to them that my father was an archaeologist and his greatest hobby in life was the study of the Phoenix Clan, which turns out to have lived in these ruins.

 

From Vodheim I brought my father's diary that Lillian stored in the Great Library, more as a memory of my family and home than anything else. Although I don't understand much about the diary, I have a lot of information about this culture thanks to the stories my father told me.

 

In fact, it was precisely because of his fondness for legends about this place that he ended up making my mother fall in love. One more reason to keep the diary with me, I wish they could have come to this place.

 

Day 5

 

At dawn, Chris gave me some books from the library because they seemed interesting and asked me to research them, maybe we'll get to know what happened there that long ago. Although in the surroundings it is said that the desert appeared overnight, I had never heard about these ruins, these kinds of mysteries are what encourage me even more to travel with Chris and company.

 

Something I noticed as we walked away from the ruins is that in this desert there was no wind at all, it was as if it was frozen in time, nothing changed except for what was exposed to sunlight. And the strangest thing of all is that, despite all the discomfort I experienced in that place, as we moved away, I began to feel nostalgia, as if something wanted me to stay there a little longer. At least now I have something else to tell Lillian when I come back.

 

By the time it was noon we managed to see on the horizon a castle glowing with a vivid bright yellow, almost like gold. It was the distinctive land from which the Heinburn kingdom was founded, after so many difficulties we came to our destination, to begin to write our destiny.

 

We arrived at sunset at the gates of the wall, but we met a young man who had broken the front of his wagon and it was impossible for him to carry his cargo with his horses. Then Chris offered to push from behind and the young man helped us through the door full of security.

 

The young man turned out to be the most competent blacksmith in the kingdom, all the people greeted him as if he were a kind of hero, he was somewhat embarrassed to receive so much attention in front of us and without realizing it we arrived at his premises. We helped him unload all the material he was carrying on the cart and while we were at it, the young blacksmith was very struck by Chris' sword.

 

According to what Chris said once we were all inside, that sword was forged by his teacher (maybe it's the one he told me when training). He aimed to create the most powerful sword in the world, one that could go through any adversity in the world, I think it's something symbolic. As Chris was his disciple, he ended up inheriting that dream and with it, the sword.

 

We were all silent to hear something of Chris' past, even though it's actually about someone he knew. But it was at that moment that an old woman began to scream inside the blacksmith shop, turned out to be the young man's grandmother and repeated over and over again that Chris was cursed because of the sword and asked him to retire immediately, to get away from everything.

 

It turns out that her grandmother has special abilities, something called ki, the energy of the body according to the Far East, which is where she comes from. Chris didn't want to sit idly by and asked her for an explanation of what she meant and if possible, learn from her. Grandma refused because the curse made Chris reek so much, although in my opinion, even if he is sweaty, he smells good, especially his hair.

 

Chris lowered his sack and paid her with all his savings for the trip, Guilian and Tsubaki tried to convince him otherwise, but he made use of his authority for the first time. The blacksmith's grandmother flatly refused and then Chris used the most unexpected method: blackmail.

 

Using his sword, Chris proposed to leave it in the blacksmith shop if he were to die in the tournament or because of the curse. If he does not learn about ki, about his curse, about the sword, then the sword will serve as a curse as revenge for not helping him. While he said all that the grandson blacksmith was holding back the laughter, I think even her own family considers that she exaggerates.

 

So, Chris left his sword in the blacksmith shop while he was going to train with grandma, and we stayed in an inn to wait for the tournament. There is only a week left for it to take place, I hope he manages to get there on time, after all, he trained me instead of training by himself.

 

Day 6

 

Tsubaki and Guilian signed up for the tournament and invited me to do the same, but I decided not to do it, I still think I am not prepared for such a big thing, it is said that adepts from many kingdoms and nations of adepts have gathered so everyone is expected to be quite powerful.

 

No matter where you are going to register, there are always many adepts doing the paperwork, some of them are quite famous as adventurers and world travelers and even as part of the military force of some kingdom. I think I heard that there are some people from the Empire loitering with the aim of recruiting them to their Guard.

 

I haven't seen Chris since yesterday afternoon, but I'm sure he must be trying hard, although according to the regulations it is not allowed to carry weapons so Chris will not have his sword during the fights. Still, I think something big is going to happen, there's something in the air, that pressure, just like before the storm in Vodheim.