Chương 391: Chapter 374

After saying that, the Spirit of Flame fell silent, seemingly content to hover in the air as the temperature of the magma chamber gradually began to settle. It was still hot enough to cook an egg without an open flame, but at least they no longer needed to chug resistance potions just to survive. Even so, Clarissa continued refreshing the defensive buffs on everyone. Sam was happy with that. The spirit didn't look ready to attack, but you never knew with guardian monsters.

Keeping one eye on the creature, he took a careful step backward and caught Dan's gaze, motioning for him to take the lead. The next few seconds were filled with an intense, completely silent argument as Dan used his eyes, eyebrows, and increasingly expressive facial contortions to explain exactly how terrible an idea that was, and how Sam was far better at this sort of thing anyway. Sam replied entirely through eyebrow movements of his own, informing him that it was time to be a big boy and handle it.

Dan's shoulders slumped. Letting out a long sigh, he plastered a queasy smile onto his face and stepped forward, craning his neck to look up at the spirit.

"Greetings, o Spirit of Flame!" he called loudly. Sam was rather proud; his voice barely cracked. Dan continued, "Er…" He glanced around as though searching for inspiration, found none, and turned back to the spirit.

"Are you alright?" The Spirit of Flame, still floating in midair, beat its wings once. A wave of hot, dry air rolled over them, buffeting their bodies and nearly staggering them. The massive head lowered until it was level with the group before turning slightly, allowing one of its person-sized eyes to fix upon them. Or rather, upon Dan. The beak never opened, yet they all heard the voice.

Now that Sam could focus on it, it felt less like a sound and more like warm liquid being poured directly into his ears, heated to just above a comfortable temperature.

'Once again, Magic Unbound is revolutionizing VR technology,' he mused while keeping his attention on the conversation.

"Shaper of Fire, this vessel has survived thanks to your intervention," the spirit said.

"You shall have our gratitude."

"That's good," Dan replied nervously. His hands immediately began wandering through several awkward positions, apparently unable to decide where they belonged. He shot a desperate look over his shoulder at Sam, silently begging for assistance. Sam responded with an encouraging smile and two thumbs up. Somewhere behind them, Katie started snickering. Dan mouthed 'asshole' at Sam, then turned back to the giant phoenix.

"What now?" he finally asked.

"I shall bestow upon you fine gifts for your deeds, Shaper of Fire," the spirit replied.

"You freed this vessel from eternal torment. You shall be rewarded accordingly."

"Thank you?" Dan said.

"And, uh... are you going to stay here after this?" The spirit shook its head. Even that slight motion sent another gust of scorching wind washing over them.

"Nay. This vessel is merely a fraction of the true existence. Once our discussion concludes, this vessel shall disperse, the small returning to the large."

"Oh. So the big you is still sleeping under the island?"

"Correct. This vessel is merely a fragment that was caught within the dimensional rift." Then Dan seemed to remember the reason they had come to the island in the first place.

"Ah, one more question!"

"Speak, Shaper of Fire."

"We're planning to build some buildings on the island. Will that be a problem?"

"Nay," came the calm response.

"I care not for fleeting existences. So long as thine group does not disturb our true existence, you shall have no cause for concern."

"Good. I mean, that's good. Thank you," Dan said, bowing his head a little.

"Think nothing of it, Shaper of Fire," the phoenix replied, ending the sentence with a faint trill. For a long moment, the giant phoenix stared at them, and they stared right back. Then it let out another bone-rattling trill and spoke.

"Mistress of Notes, step forward and claim your reward," it spoke, as its giant, unblinking eye settled upon Isabella. She stepped away from the still-snickering Katie and approached, bowing her head.

"Greetings, Spirit of Fire," she said with a smile.

"I'm glad we managed to save you."

"You also have my thanks, Mistress of Notes," the phoenix said. A spark of flame detached itself from the phoenix's body and danced through the air until it came to a stop before Isabella.

"Take this spark of flame and fuel your songs, just as the beings of the universe use fire they sit around to fuel theirs." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Isabella cautiously reached out. The instant her fingertip touched the dancing flame, it vanished, sucked into her finger as though pulled by a vacuum.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, and her eyes immediately began darting back and forth as she read a system screen.

"Thank you!" she said nearly a minute later, still distracted but aware enough to bow. As she walked away, her attention fixed on the screen, the bird continued.

"Dealer of Life, step forward," it called for Clarissa. Clarissa approached and bowed.

"Salutations." Then she caught fire. Everyone shouted in surprise and nearly rushed forward to extinguish the flames before noticing two important details. The fire was golden, and Clarissa was not on fire.

"You keep the flames of those who stand upon the brink of death alive, sustaining them with embers of your own heart," the phoenix intoned.

"Let these flames strengthen thine own." The golden fire burned brightly for only a few moments before fading away. Clarissa immediately began reading her own system screen. Her body appeared completely unharmed, not even marked by soot beyond the grime she had accumulated during the battle. She offered another bow before retreating.

"Child of Chaos," it said with an odd trill. A small globe of black flame appeared in the air and shot directly toward Katie. However, before it could reach her, Puffball appeared seemingly from nowhere, leaped upward, and swallowed it whole. Then the small cat landed neatly, sat back on its haunches, and looked thoroughly pleased with itself. Like a cat that just ate the canary.

"Take this as my thanks," the phoenix said.

"And keep that thing away from this vessel." Katie pouted but nodded before immediately turning her attention to a system screen. Finally, the giant eye returned to Dan.

"Shaper of Fire," it began.

"This vessel shall have an offer for your consideration."

"Yes?" Dan asked nervously.

"This vessel shall offer to inhabit with a fraction of existence thine own familiar, elevating it to height hereto unknown," it continued. Dan and everybody else blinked in surprise.

"What?" he finally croaked several seconds later.

"You want to become my familiar?"

"Nay," the phoenix denied, sounding oddly amused.

"Thine power is not sufficient to contain this vessel. But a fraction of the whole..." The phoenix spread its wings slightly.

"Yes." Dan simply stared at it with his mouth hanging open.

"Thy answer, Shaper of Fire?" He shook himself from his stupor.

"Sure! I mean, yes. Thank you. Thank you!"

"It shall be done then." Silence followed as the team watched, curious what kind of reward Sam would receive. However, the phoenix continued to stare at Dan.

"Summon thy familiar, Shaper of Fire, to begin the process…" Dan just scratched his cheek.

"Er, sorry to ask, but what about Sam?" The heat instantly ratcheted up several levels from merely uncomfortable to painful.

"The Destroyer of Life shall receive nothing. He may exult in the allowance of his continued existence." Sam just shrugged.

'Bummer... at least the XP gain was nice.' Then, despite the phoenix's declaration, a screen appeared in front of him. [Congratulations! You gained a new title!] [You gained the Destroyer of Life title!] [Destroyer of Life: You have been marked by your deeds. Those who represent Life in all its abundance find you horrific and detestable. Most creatures aligned with the Life aspect will have slower reputation gain with you. Some may even attack you on sight. Maybe next time don't do a war crime...] Sam slowly turned his head and sent the phoenix a flat look. The giant bird ignored him completely. Deciding there was little point in arguing with a cosmic firebird, Sam remained silent and watched as Dan summoned Hawky. The small spirit immediately took flight, circling excitedly through the air the moment it spotted the giant translucent phoenix. The Spirit of Flame lowered its head and, with surprising gentleness, touched Hawky with the tip of its beak. White-hot fire erupted around the smaller spirit.

The light was so intense that Sam had to shield his eyes and look away. When he looked back, the giant phoenix was gone, and Hawky sat calmly on Dan's shoulder, preening a wing as though nothing unusual had happened. Then reality broke around them. Cracks spread through the world around them before the entire chamber shattered into countless rainbow-colored fragments. The team had barely enough time to register what was happening before they were unceremoniously dumped out of the fracture.

Sam staggered slightly as solid ground reasserted itself beneath his feet. They were standing inside the magma chamber once more, the fracture portal nowhere to be seen. [Quest 'Bursting Baptism!' completed!] A small screen appeared in front of Sam, and he watched as his XP bar began to climb. And climb.

'Probably, not enough for Level 200 sadly…' he thought. Turning toward his team, he jerked a thumb toward the exit.

"Let's leave before we cook…" Outside, the world was different. The hazardous, poisonous environment had seemingly calmed down, the lingering haze of acidic clouds evaporating, leaving the air almost breathable. In its place, they were granted an unobstructed view of the entire island. Greenery stretched across the slopes in dense, restless waves, vines and grasses pushing through cracks in old stone and hardened lava alike.

Only the very peak of the volcano remained untouched, still bare and jagged, coated in glossy black obsidian. The island was beginning to resemble something closer to a paradise than the inhospitable place it had been when they had arrived. Then, as they stepped out through the hole they had entered, a low rumbling rolled through the ground beneath their feet. Without warning, the earth split open. A glowing fissure tore across the surface, and lava surged upward in a violent, controlled eruption.

Before anyone could react, it had already begun to move toward the bay where they had originally landed, accelerating at an unnatural speed as if something was controlling it.

"It's a road!" Dan called out. Sam took a second look and, against all logic, had to agree. The molten river cooled as it traveled, the surface hardening in real time into a smooth, blackened roadway. It stretched cleanly from the bay all the way up the mountain, as if something had drawn a squiggly line between the two. They stood in silence as it finished forming, the last traces of heat crackling through its surface while faint orange veins pulsed beneath the cooling obsidian.

Then, as the newly formed road settled, another eruption broke out beside them. It burst toward the heavens with unnatural grace, a pillar of lava that twisted and folded in on itself, sculpting and refining its shape mid-flow. It became an obsidian statue of a phoenix in mid-flight. Wings stretched wide, frozen at the peak of ascent, with streams of flame-like lava still clinging to its tail as though frozen in time.

The only reason they knew it was actually lava and not glass was the visible haze of heat around it. As they stared at it, caught between awe and disbelief, magic flared in front of the statue and a portal appeared. It was red, orange, and every color in between. It looked… inviting. Sam stepped forward and touched it without hesitation. [You entered a new fracture!] [Fracture: Flying Free] [A fracture depicting the epic tale of a phoenix fighting for its freedom, dominating over demons and monsters. Join and enjoy this thrilling adventure!] [Time Limit: No Limit] [Charges: Unlimited] One moment, they stood on the mountainside beneath open sky, the next, reality shifted, and they were somewhere entirely different. They stood at the base of a massive volcano, its slopes rising into the sky, smooth at places and jagged at others, ash drifting lazily through the air.

In front of them stretched an army of monsters, all of them very familiar in shape – golems, spiders, bloodthirsty birds, snails, and even rabbits on fire. Sam exhaled slowly.

"Let's do this again…"