When they finally reached the cabin, exhaustion weighing heavy on their bodies, Winter carefully laid Kyo's scaled form on one of the beds. The strange iridescent plates covering portions of his skin continued to pulse with electrical energy, but his breathing remained steady.
Eldo collapsed into a chair, his mind still reeling from both the mountain's destruction and his encounter with the flame being. The debt he now owed weighed heavily on his conscience.
But their brief moment of respite was interrupted by an otherworldly sight. Through the cabin's window, a swirling vortex of crimson energy had materialized, its heat so intense they could feel it even from inside. The portal pulsed with an familiar energy that made Eldo's skin tingle.
"That's..." Eldo's voice trailed off as he stood, recognition dawning in his eyes. The same presence he'd felt in that realm of eternal flame now called to him through the portal.
Winter turned from checking Kyo's vital signs, his expression hardening as he saw the supernatural gateway. "What is it?"
Eldo took a deep breath, his hands clenching into fists. "I have to go. Just like how you faced Strider—I need to meet him. The spirit tied to me."
"The Flame Spirit," Winter said quietly, understanding in his eyes.
"Yeah." Eldo's gaze remained fixed on the portal. "I made a deal, and now... now I have to face whatever that means."
Winter was silent for a long moment, his eyes drifting between the unconscious Kyo and the determined Eldo. Finally, a slight smirk crossed his face. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
Eldo blinked, caught off guard by Winter's casual acceptance. "You're... okay with this?"
"Look," Winter replied, adjusting Kyo's position on the bed, "we all have our demons to face. Some more literal than others." He glanced meaningfully at Kyo's transformed body. "I'll keep watch over our lightning rod here. Just try not to get yourself killed."
The portal's crimson light cast dancing shadows across their faces as Eldo nodded, determination replacing uncertainty in his eyes. He took a step toward the swirling vortex, feeling its heat calling to him like a siren's song.
"Hey, Winter?" Eldo paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Thanks."
Winter just waved him off with his free hand, already focused on tending to Kyo. "Yeah, yeah. Just hurry back. Someone's got to help me deal with this one when he wakes up."
Eldo turned back to the portal, its flames reaching out to him like welcoming arms. Whatever awaited him in the Spirit's domain, he knew there was no turning back now. With one final deep breath, he stepped forward into the crimson vortex, leaving Winter to guard their unconscious friend.
As the boy stepped through the portal, reality warped around him. The air itself seemed to burn, distorting like heat waves rising from summer asphalt. But this was different—everything here was twisted, wrong. The sky above blazed crimson, while the ground beneath his feet was black as coal and cracked like shattered glass, revealing molten streams that pulsed with unholy light.
Grotesque stone formations jutted from the landscape at impossible angles, defying gravity and sanity alike. The very air felt alive, thick with ash and embers that danced like malevolent fireflies. Each breath Eldo took tasted of brimstone and char.
Through this hellscape, a path of concentrated flame carved its way forward, the fires burning so hot they appeared almost white. The trail led toward a massive structure in the distance—a palace formed from obsidian and magma, its spires reaching up to tear at the blood-red sky.
As Eldo followed the blazing path, the flames around him seemed to whisper, calling him forward with promises of power and purpose. The heat that had once threatened to overwhelm him now felt almost... comfortable. Natural.
When he finally reached the palace gates, they swung open of their own accord, revealing a throne room that defied description. But it was the figure seated upon the throne of living flame that caused Eldo's heart to skip a beat.
"Uncle Sam?" he whispered, disbelief warring with joy on his face.
The man smiled, and it was indeed the same warm smile Eldo remembered from years ago. "It's been a while, hasn't it, kiddo?"