The rich, savory aroma was just beginning to waft through the modest confines of their makeshift camp when the ambient temperature of the rocky outcropping abruptly skyrocketed.

  The howling wind of the volcanic wasteland simply stopped. The drifting flakes of ember lit ash hung suspended in mid air and looked to be frozen by an overwhelming and suffocating pressure that descended from the sky.

  Li Yu didn't panic. He simply reached over and carefully moved the pan off the direct heat so the meat wouldn't burn. Beside him, Demon Lord Malos looked up and a wide, knowing smile spread across his face.

  A pillar of white hot flame struck the basalt rock just ten paces from their campfire. There was no explosion or shower of debris. The fire simply parted like a curtain and Sovereign Ignis stepped out into the twilight.

  She looked different than she had in the grand hall of Cinderholme. The explosive rage of a grieving mother had cooled into something far more terrifying: the serene satisfaction of a completed vengeance. The heavy scent of ozone, melted rock and vaporized blood clung to her shifting robes of woven embers. Her twin sun eyes were slightly dimmed. They betrayed an underlying exhaustion.

  Ignis looked at the two travelers sitting on their cushions around the small fire. Her gaze lingered on the sizzling pan but then shifted to Malos.

  "You did not travel very far, Malos," Ignis noted. Her voice was a low rumble that made the surrounding rocks vibrate.

  "We are taking in the sights at a leisurely pace, Ignis. Of course we wouldn’t be able to travel quickly that way." Malos replied cheerfully and gestured to the empty cushion he placed on the opposite side of the fire. "We were just about to dine. The timing of your arrival is impeccable. Will you join us?"

  Li Yu kept his expression perfectly neutral but internally, he marveled at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

  ‘Am I some kind of Demon Lord magnet? Why do they keep running into me? I heard people in the taverns say that you can go a whole lifetime without ever seeing a Demon Lord. Why do they seem like the common weed with me?’ Li Yu couldn’t help but think to himself.

  They were sitting in the dirt and in the middle of a hostile wasteland. Malos had just offered a pan of camp food to one of the most terrifying entities in the realm.

  Ignis stared at the empty cushion. For a moment, Li Yu expected her to scoff at the offer. To demand they grovel or to simply melt the campsite into slag for the perceived insult of offering a Sovereign traveler's rations.

  But Ignis didn't do any of those things. To refuse a direct and polite invitation from a peer like Malos was a breach of ancient etiquette. Despite her volatile nature, Ignis respected the old ways and most importantly Malos’s strength and abilities. Furthermore, she had just spent the last several hours slaughtering an entire hidden network of elite assassins; she was, surprisingly, a bit hungry.

  The Sovereign of Flame stepped forward and gracefully took a seat on the modest cushion. The heat radiating from her immediately brought the pan of food back to a rolling sizzle, despite it being off the fire.

  "I suppose I can spare a moment," Ignis said softly and almost kindly.

  Li Yu didn't miss a beat. He retrieved a set of clean wooden bowls and chopsticks from his spatial ring and portioned out the spiced meat and vegetables. He quickly handed a serving to Malos before offering the largest bowl to Ignis.

  "Careful, Sovereign," Li Yu murmured respectfully. "The peppers of this region are aggressive. I attempted to balance them but they still carry a significant bite."

  Ignis took the bowl. She looked at the human with a mix of curiosity and mild amusement. She was the absolute master of the Law of Flame, a being who could drink from magma rivers and a human was warning her about a spicy vegetable. She picked up the chopsticks and took a bite.

  Her fiery eyes widened fractionally.

  The heat of the pepper was definitely there. It was a sharp and localized fire that danced across the tongue. Instead of the blunt and agonizing assault favored by the cooks in her border cities that she had tried before. The spice was immediately tempered by the rich and savory fat of the beast meat. The smooth and cooling sweetness of the spiritual sap. It was a harmonious balance that enhanced the flavor rather than masking it.

  "This is... surprisingly adequate," Ignis admitted while taking another bite. "The cooks in Cinderholme could learn a great deal from your skills, human."

  "A high compliment from the Sovereign of Flame," Malos chuckled openly while happily eating his own portion. "I told you, Ignis, my companion is a man of profound, albeit mundane, talents. Now, tell me. Did you find the Green Syndicate?"

  Ignis’s expression hardened instantly. The brief moment of culinary appreciation was quickly replaced by cold reality.

  "I found them," she stated but her voice was devoid of emotion. "They had retreated to a subterranean fortress buried deep beneath the Obsidian Steppes. They believed their spatial and layered defensive arrays would hide them."

  "And?" Malos prompted.

  "I did not bother breaching their doors," Ignis said simply, taking another bite of the food. "I stood above their fortress and brought down the flames. I melted the bedrock around them. I turned their entire subterranean network into a solid block of fused glass. They suffocated, burned and died in absolute darkness."

  Li Yu chewed his food slowly and found swallowing hard. The casual, clinical description of an entire organization being entombed in molten glass was a stark reminder of the company he was keeping. Ignis hadn't just killed them; she had erased them from the geography of the realm.

  "A thorough and efficient method," Malos nodded approvingly. "The ledger for Lord Vael is balanced, then."

  "The ledger for Vael has barely begun to be balanced." Ignis countered. She set her half empty bowl down on the rock beside her. The flames comprising her hair flickered and lost a bit of their aggressive edge. "Vengeance does not fill the silence left behind. It only ensures that no one else dares to cause it. I am not done making the world bleed for this crime. I will find the ones who are actually responsible."

  She looked directly at Malos with her eyes piercing through the gloom of the twilight.

  "I did not come here to share my war stories with you, Malos," Ignis said. Her tone shifted from that of a terrifying Sovereign to something far more vulnerable. It was a subtle shift but to Li Yu's highly observant eyes, it was monumental. "I tracked your aura because I have a request. A favor to ask of you."

  Malos paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. He slowly lowered his bowl and his cheerful demeanor fading into an ancient stillness.

  "You know I despise reading the threads of fate for others, Ignis," Malos said quietly. "It is always the same. They ask to see their triumphs, they see their inevitable tragedies instead and they blame the mirror for the reflection. I am enjoying a vacation from the burden of the future. I am currently reveling in the unknown."

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  "It is not for me," Ignis interrupted as she leaned forward slightly. The heat radiating from her was no longer oppressive; it felt heavy and burdened with sorrow. "It is for my daughter. My youngest."

  Li Yu remained perfectly still and was trying his best to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible. He was currently witnessing the private and deeply personal vulnerabilities of a Demon Lord.

  "Asha?" Malos asked with his brow furrowing. "I have not seen the child since she was born. I recall the celebration was somewhat... subdued."

  "She was born with a core of ash rather than a core of flame," Ignis confessed to Malos. The words were clearly painful for her to speak.

  "In a lineage defined by explosive, boundless energy, she is a dying ember. She has been weak and frail since her first breath. I’ve tried everyone... none of them can stoke the fire within her. She lives in a constant state of exhaustion. She is confined to the deepest and warmest chambers of the central capital just to keep her spirit from dispersing."

  The irony of the tragedy was staggering. The Sovereign of Flame, a being capable of melting mountains and projecting her presence across continents, was utterly powerless to warm her own daughter.

  "I worry for her, Malos," Ignis continued. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "I worry every time I leave the capital. I worry that one day, the ash will finally smother the spark. I need to know. I need you to look into her fate. Will she survive this affliction? Is there a cure waiting in her future or am I simply prolonging her suffering?"

  Silence descended over the small campfire. The only sound was the crackling of the burning wood and the distant howl of the volcanic wind.

  Li Yu looked at Malos. He expected the eccentric Demon Lord to politely but firmly decline. Malos had made it very clear over the past weeks that he was thoroughly sick of the future. He wanted to live in the present. To bargain for cabbages, to eat spicy noodles and to be surprised by the actions of others.

  Reaching into the grand tapestry of fate for a tragic diagnosis seemed completely antithetical to his current mindset. Malos looked down at his wooden spoon and was tracing the grain of the wood with his thumb. He sat in silence for a while.

  Then, surprisingly, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

  "You know, Ignis," Malos said while his voice returned to its cheerful cadence. "Normally, I would refuse. I would tell you that fate is a cruel master and that knowing the end only ruins the journey. But... I find myself in a remarkably good mood as of late. My travels with my young companion here have been deeply fulfilling. I have not had to look into the suffocating abyss of destiny in quite some time. Perhaps the eyes of foresight are rested enough to grant an old peer, no, a loving mother, a favor."

  Ignis’s shoulders dropped a fraction of an inch and a silent exhalation of relief. "You will do it?"

  "I will," Malos nodded. "I will come to your capital and I will read the girl's fate. But, as you know, a sovereign's services are never free. And mine are extremely expensive as everyone knows."

  Ignis straightened up and her regal authority returned. "Name your price, Malos. Territory? Slaves? Name it and I will make it happen."

  "Please, Ignis, what would a humble wanderer do with territory?" Malos scoffed playfully. He reached out and clapped Li Yu firmly on the shoulder.

  "My price is simple. My companion here is a collector of experiences and trinkets. In exchange for peering into the grand tapestry of your daughter's life, you will allow Li Yu to enter your main vault in the capital and select a few items to take with him."

  Li Yu choked on a mouthful of air. He coughed violently as he stared at Malos in horror. He didn't want to go anywhere near a Demon Lord's main vault! He was trying to stay out of her attention.

  Walking into the supreme treasury of the Sovereign of Flame was the exact opposite of staying under the radar. It was an invitation for every greedy warlord and paranoid royal in the capital to memorize his face and put a target on his back. They didn’t know it but he had already absorbed five full vaults of roughly the same level from when the Veiled Lotus took action for him.

  "Malos, that really isn't neces—" Li Yu started to protest.

  "Nonsense!" Malos talked right over him as he patted his back aggressively. "You require baubles for your journey, Li Yu! And Ignis has some of the finest, dustiest baubles in the realm."

  Ignis looked at Li Yu. Her eyes scanned him once more and were clearly trying to calculate his true worth. A human Core Formation cultivator, given free rein in her main vault to pick a few items that he wanted? It was an absurd request. But if it bought the peace of mind she so desperately sought for her daughter, it was a price she was willing to pay.

  "A strange bargain," Ignis noted while her gaze lingered on Li Yu. "Trading a Sovereign's vision for a human’s greed. But very well. I accept your terms. The human may select three items from the main vault."

  "Excellent!" Malos beamed. "Then we are agreed! Shall we begin the long trek to your capital?"

  "We are not walking," Ignis said dryly.

  She stood up and raised her hand. The air before her violently tore open. It was a roaring, circular gate of condensed white fire that melted the rock beneath it into liquid slag.

  "Step through," Ignis commanded. "It leads directly to the inner courtyard of the Aegis of Flame."

  Malos happily stepped into the roaring fire gate without hesitation. Li Yu sighed as he quickly packed his things and the leftover food into his spatial ring. He cast one last longing look at their quiet and peaceful campsite before following the two Sovereigns into the portal.

  The transition was jarring. The howling wind and open expanse of the volcanic wastes were instantly replaced by the stifling and oppressive grandeur of Sovereign Ignis's central capital.

  They stepped out of the fire gate into an enclosed courtyard paved with seamless blocks of polished ruby. Towering walls of black stones were veined with flowing channels of actual magma. They rose hundreds of feet into the air on all sides. The architecture was aggressively militaristic, yet possessed a brutal beauty.

  Hundreds of the elite Ash Guards were wearing armor far more ornate and heavily warded than the border patrols. They all quickly dropped to their knees the moment Ignis appeared.

  "We go to Asha's chambers," Ignis ordered a nearby captain. She did not break her stride as she marched toward a set of colossal iron doors leading into the main palace. "Clear the corridors."

  Li Yu and Malos followed closely behind. The interior of the palace was a labyrinth of heat and stone. The air was thick with the scent of flames and a rare burning incense. They passed through grand halls filled with kneeling nobility, winding staircases that seemed to spiral into the core of the earth and heavily warded checkpoints.

  Eventually, they reached the deepest and probably the most secure wing of the palace. The ambient temperature here was staggering. It was maintained by massive, subterranean arrays designed to flood the area with pure fire Qi. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was a flame cultivator’s paradise for cultivation.

  They stopped before a set of delicate and intricately carved wooden doors that stood in stark contrast to the heavy iron and stone of the rest of the palace. Ignis placed her hand on the wood but paused for a moment. Her fiery aura completely retracted and left her looking almost like an ordinary albeit exhausted woman.

  Before she could push the doors open, Malos held up a hand.

  "A moment, Ignis," Malos said. His voice lost its cheerful bounce and adopted a serious, professional tone. He turned to Li Yu.

  "Li Yu, my friend," Malos began as he placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "Foresight is a remarkably delicate art. It requires absolute stillness of the ambient fate threads. The presence of another, especially one with a... let us say, unique density to their own destiny, can severely muddy the waters. It creates ripples that obscure the truth."

  Li Yu looked at Malos. He knew exactly what the Demon Lord was doing. He was being sent away so Malos could actually use his abilities. For one reason or another, his ability couldn’t work towards Li Yu or the area he was around. Malos had to get rid of him in order to actually do his work.

  "I understand," Li Yu said smoothly. "I wouldn't want to interfere with the reading."

  "Furthermore," Malos added while winking subtly, "this is a highly private family matter. It is not for the ears of wandering travelers. You should stretch your legs!"

  Ignis looked back at them and nodded in agreement. "Malos is correct. This is not a spectacle for outsiders. Captain!"

  An elite Ash Guard immediately stepped forward but was bowing deeply.

  "Escort the human out of the palace grounds," Ignis commanded. "Show him around wherever he wants to go. Let him see the sights of the capital. Ensure he is not bothered but do not let him return until I send word."

  "Yes, Sovereign," the Guard replied mechanically. He gestured for Li Yu to follow him.

  "Enjoy, Li Yu!" Malos called out cheerfully as he turned back toward the wooden doors. "Buy some things for our travels and anything you see that is useful! I will secure your vault pass while you are gone!"

  Li Yu offered a polite bow to Ignis, turned, and followed the heavily armored guard back down the heated corridors of the palace.

  He was escorted out of the oppressive fortress and into the bustling, highly disciplined streets of the capital city, Li Yu let out a long breath. He was finally free of those Demon Lords but only for just some time.