novelraw Chapter 728: River of Life.
Chapter 728: River of Life.
The journey to Pyraeth was a rough ride_ and that was putting it nicely. Sunshine felt like she had been shoved into a laundry dryer with a bunch of bricks and set to extra-violent spin. Her stomach was doing back flips, her head was pounding, and she was pretty sure her soul was still somewhere back at the exit bay. The system didn’t help much; it kept sending warnings and injecting her with calming shots that felt like getting stung by a bee on steroids.
[Warning: Heart rate elevated. Administering calming sedative]" It warned her again.
"I’m not... anxious... I’m nauseous! One more shot and I might actually pass out!" She groaned, right before another needle poked her arm out of the blue.
The shot made her woozy for a few seconds and then sleepy. By the time the pod finally screeched to a halt, Sunshine didn’t wait for the safety lights. The door hissed open, and she practically fell out, scrambling onto the ground like a cat escaping a bathtub. She bent over, hands on her knees, taking deep, ragged gulps of air. Or at least, she tried to.
Even though she was in a visor, she could taste the air in Pyraeth, it felt like a hot wool blanket soaked in sulfur. It was the most terrible air she had come across in all the worlds she had been to. This was worse the air quality during the volcano eruptions in her last life.
She looked up, and her jaw nearly hit the scorching ground. The world was a nightmare painted in shades of blood and rust. A thick, burning haze hung over everything, and actual rivers of lava_ bright, glowing, angry orange_ snaked across the landscape. The ground beneath her boots was a mosaic of charred black rock and glowing orange cracks.
"Okay," she whispered to herself, wiping sweat from her forehead. "This is more horrifying than I expected. We are in hell." She was sure that Father Nicodemus would agree with her.
A few feet away, the second pod stood open. Commander Melvin was already out, looking very composed for someone who had just been shot through the earth’s crust. He was deep in conversation with someone_ or something. Sunshine squinted. It was a male creature, roughly the size of a medium giant, who looked like a human made of cooling embers. His skin was red, cracked, and a soft, orange light flickered from within his chest, like he was burning from the inside out.
Vortan’s voice echoed in her head: "I do not trust the higher-ups."
The way Melvin was leaning in, the serious set of his shoulders_ it didn’t look like they were discussing official council business. It looked like a conspiracy. As Sunshine approached, Melvin noticed her and signaled the giant to follow. Before they reached her, the two males exchanged a tiny, secretive nod. It was quick_ barely a second_ but it hit Sunshine like a bucket of ice water.
They aren’t here to help me, she realized. They must be plotting for the prime core.
"Sunshine Quinn," Melvin said, his voice smooth and professional. "Meet Argon, the Flame Heart."
Sunshine stood up, trying to look braver than she felt. "The Flame heart?"
Argon remained expressionless. His voice sounded like two boulders grinding together. "The leaders of Pyraeth are the Flame Hearts. We keep the fires of this world’s core stable." He peered down at her with eyes that looked like glowing coals. "I have been waiting for your arrival for a while. Is it true? Have you brought a Prime Core to be destroyed?"
"That’s the plan," Sunshine said, keeping her voice steady.
Argon looked at Melvin, and that suspicious vibe returned. "Then we should begin. The River of Life waits for no one."
They followed Argon uphill for what seemed like two hours. This world had structures, which stood tall and firm between streams of flowing lava. Young ones bathed in the stuff as if they were bathing in rivers. Life seemed normal!
When he stopped, he pointed toward the bank of a lava river where a sleek, metallic like boat was docked. Sunshine’s heart did a frantic little tap-dance in her chest. River of life my foot, maybe river of death, she thought.
"You have got to be kidding me," She muttered. "We’re going for a row in the fire river. Argon....Flame heart, please tell me that’s a joke and I am supposed to put the prime core in there, not my precious self."
"The River of Life flows to the Source of our fire," Argon explained solemnly. "It is the only heat intense enough to crack the casing of a Prime Core."
"Right, of course this has to be complicated," Sunshine said, her voice climbing an octave. "And just for the record_ what’s the rescue protocol if the boat capsizes? Do we get life jackets? Or do we just accept our fate and perish?"
Melvin stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. "If you are so scared, Sunshine, you could simply hand the Prime Core to me. I will take it to the Source. I can destroy it for you while you wait safely over here."
Sunshine felt a surge of irritation. She let out a dry, uncomfortable laugh. "Oh, I’m nervous, Commander, not scared. And honestly? I wouldn’t miss this for the world. It’s a ’once in a lifetime’ experience, right?" She was not giving even one tiny prime core to him. Trust was very thin between them, on her side especially.
Again, that glance. Argon and Melvin looked at each other with a hungry sort of anticipation. They weren’t even trying to hide it well anymore.
Two Magma-born_ shorter, stockier versions of Argon_ helped them into the boat. The vessel was made of a strange, shimmering alloy that didn’t melt despite the liquid fire lapping at its sides. With the press of a button, the boat lurched forward.
The journey was hypnotic and terrifying. The fire was thick, boiling gold. As they moved further upstream, the river began to shift colors in a way that defied logic. It turned from red to orange, then a blinding white, then a deep, royal blue. By the time they reached the Source_ a massive, bubbling waterfall of light_ the river was a swirling mix of violet and toxic green.
The boat bumped against a jagged rock pier.
"We are here," Argon said, his internal glow brightening. "Hand it over. The core must be cast into the center of the falls."