Kindling for the God's Fire

The blue flame pouring from Evris filled the barrier in the blink of an eye.

The barrier, or sanctuary as Elza-san had called it, appeared sturdy, yet it shuddered under the strain.

The energy was staggering.

A force fit to burst was pressing against the sanctuary from the inside.

For a time the blue flame and the sanctuary held each other in check, but cracks slowly began forming.

They were small at first. But the instant one appeared, a sound like shattering glass rang out and the fractures raced across the entire surface.

"This much power from just that tiny fire… This is far too soon."

Elza-san kept pouring strength into the barrier, but no matter how much she gave, it couldn't contain the flame.

Just as the sanctuary was about to shatter, Elza-san grabbed me and yanked me to the ground.

The barrier broke. Blue flame began to spill outward.

And walls of earth erupted around Evris.

Four panels of earth rose to box him in, funneling the fire skyward.

The soil couldn't withstand the heat and glowed red, melting like magma.

But more earth kept surging upward, faster than it could melt.

Eventually the blue flame's fury ebbed, and the pillar of fire that had been visible above the earthen walls disappeared from view.

"What was that…?"

"Alexia-chan, maybe?"

Elza-san and I huddled together.

It seemed the crisis had passed.

"Are you two all right!?"

Alexia-san came running over.

"Somehow, yes."

"Was that you just now, Alexia-chan? Thanks. You really saved us."

"I did use magic, but that wasn't my power alone. I felt the Earth Elemental Stone lending its strength."

"Huh? But the stone is quite a distance from here, isn't it?"

"Oh, right. Think about it, Azu-chan. The ground is all connected, so this kind of distance doesn't matter to an Earth Elemental."

Elza-san patted the ground as she said that.

I suppose that was how it worked.

The earthen walls surrounding Evris crumbled and fell apart, their power spent.

I readied my sword at once.

Elza-san and Alexia-san shifted into fighting stances as well.

Evris simply stood there.

The blue flame on his right arm was gone.

"Evris, what is the meaning of this!?"

Archbishop Poplas stormed toward him, his face flushed with fury.

"I only brought you because Cardinal Pius recommended you, and now this!?"

He grabbed Evris by both shoulders.

"Hot!"

He let go immediately.

Where he'd touched, his hands were badly burned, his face twisting in pain.

But he was an archbishop. He quickly performed a healing miracle on himself.

"What on earth has happened to him…?"

Evris hadn't moved. His face was turned down, his expression hidden.

Then Duke Baroba and Anatia-san appeared.

"There is much I'd like explained, but first things first. Douse him with water. Archbishop Poplas, unless you want to get wet, step back."

The archbishop tried to say something but thought better of it and moved away from Evris.

At the duke's command, his mage blasted Evris with water magic.

The moment water touched Evris, steam hissed violently, like water striking white-hot stone.

They kept pouring water over him until, at last, the steam stopped rising.

"That will do."

Duke Baroba halted the mage.

The surrounding ground was soaked. The earth underfoot had turned to mud.

"You there. Check him."

He was speaking to me.

I nodded and approached Evris.

The steam had left the air thick and humid, almost stifling.

Evris hadn't reacted at all during the dousing.

I trudged through the mud and touched his left shoulder.

Evris's face slowly turned upward until our eyes met.

"I became kindling. Kindling for the god's fire."

Those were Evris's last words.

Starting from the shoulder I'd touched, he crumbled, turning to ash.

Just like the attackers had.

Kindling. What did he mean by kindling?

Fuel, used to make a fire burn.

He'd said he'd become kindling for the god's fire.

A human couldn't become kindling.

For some reason, a deep and terrible fear settled over me.

"I see. So the attackers turned to ash in the same fashion. How convenient for them. It seems the situation is beyond any excuse. Whether the Sun God statues are genuine or not is beside the point."

Duke Baroba turned his gaze on Archbishop Poplas.

It was the look one gives an enemy.

"This was not our will… The Church of the Sun God is not of one mind…"

"Be that as it may, what I said before stands. What the Church of the Sun God has done, the Church of the Sun God must atone for."

The man who had arrived full of composure was now utterly deflated.

"I expect you to leave at once. And hand over to me whoever ordered the kidnapping of my daughter. You have one year."

"… And if we cannot?"

"I will lead an army to your doorstep personally. This is not a threat. It is a warning."

"A single lord would wage war against our nation, our faith? Are you serious? Without the King of Deianclure's leave?"

"I am entirely serious. This incident will ensure the wavering stance toward the Church of the Sun God is settled once and for all."

"Surely our God would not wish for such a thing."

The air had turned to a powder keg.

The duke's soldiers and guards had their hands ready to draw weapons at a moment's notice, while the archbishop's guards and Temple Knights rested theirs on their hilts.

"Let us take our leave. Regarding the matter of your daughter, Lord Baroba, I pledge a confidential investigation. In the name of God, I swear it. I ask only that you refrain from any rash decisions."

"Once, perhaps, the Sun God's name was worth trusting. Not any longer. But since an archbishop has given his word, I will wait. Settle this within one year."

Archbishop Poplas nodded, then led his Temple Knights away.

It seemed that chasing after Evris had not been in vain.

If I'd left him to his own devices, that devastating fire might have been unleashed somewhere without warning.

The tension drained from me, and I nearly sat down right there.

Alexia-san caught me before I could.

"If you sit down here, you'll be covered in mud. Come on, stay on your feet."

"Thank you. I'm completely spent."

"Good thing we made it in time. If we'd been any later, he might have taken you down with him."

That had been close. I owed my thanks to Elza-san again, and to the Earth Elemental Stone, too.