“Wake up.” the words were fierce from the voice which shook Saki to consciousness. The soft and gentle soles of the strangers bare foot pressed Saki’s head firmly to the ground.

“W-wah…” Saki questioned in a hazed state. She had not a clue what was going on or why she was being stepped on.

“Who are you? And why did I wake up in your arms? Are you some kind of Ice Kingdom pervert?” that foot pressed even more firmly into the cheek of Saki. It felt equal parts nice and terrifying.

“M-my name is S-saki. A-and no! I-i’m not some kind of pervert. I swear! I-i’m just a blacksmith trying her best to make it!” Saki’s eyes finally made their way up to the figure which stood over her. 

She was an absolute beauty. She had long locks of red hair which trailed along her spine until it reached her waistline. Fiery red eyes which seemed to pierce into the soul of Saki. A cute, pale complexion adorned her face without a wrinkle in sight. She seemed very short- even from the position Saki was in- and her revealing threads clung to her figure like a stunning hourglass which reflected from the small rays of daylight peaking into the cave.

“Saki huh?” her eyebrow raised as she released her foot from Saki’s face. “Not a clue who you are. You don’t seem to be dangerous anyway and you could have very well killed me in the state I was in. I’ll let you off the hook, this time. My name is Emarosa, The Queen of Flames.”

Emarosa took a few steps back and sat on the cave floor to inspect Saki from a distance. Her first clear memory was being held by the kitsune with everything before it being like a blurry fog. 

“Suppose I should thank you then.” Emarosa spoke up. “At the rate my flames were burning I doubt I would have made it in that state of hibernation much longer.”

“O-oh. It’s no problem at all! I.. I would have done it even if you weren’t a Goddess! J-just so you know.” Saki affirmed. Emarosa’s revealing attire made Saki blush as it became just a bit clear that the flame elemental was ideal to Saki’s attraction.

Emarosa crossed her arms under her chest and looked out at the frigid landscape that blanketed the entrance of the cave.

“What I should be asking you however is: Where does your allegiance lie? Are you from the Kingdom of Fire? Or from that revolting Ice Kingdom?” Emarosa spoke up. 

Saki quickly sat up and pressed her legs together against the rocky floor of the cave.

“I am an orphan born from the Kingdom of Fire.” Saki responded quietly.

“Good. Then you can help me get back to Bucking. I need to report to Queen Alectrona.” Emarosa said firmly.

“Queen… Alectrona?” Saki cocked her head a bit in confusion. That name was unrecognizable to her. 

“Yes. The Queen of the Fire Kingdom.” Emarosa repeated.

“A-are you sure you're not mistaken?” Saki said with a hinge of doubt in her voice. “The Kingdom of Fire doesn’t have a Queen. Well.. not since Queen Blanche defected to the Ice Kingdom. I thought you already knew that though? Was Queen Alectrona her maiden name or something?”

Emarosa paused and looked at Saki with a face colder than the whipping winds of winter outside. 

“No. I am not mistaken. You’re clearly messing with me. Save my life or not; I don’t take kindly to liar’s or jokers. I’d choose your next words carefully.” 

Saki gulped. 

“No.. No really, I'm not lying! I swear! What would I gain from lying to you?” Saki’s voice shook as she spoke. “K-King Apollo is the only ruler of The Kingdom of Fire. A-and he has been very angry ever since Queen Blanche defected. T-there has been a lot of tension on the Border recently..”

Emarosa focused on Saki’s pattern of speech and determined that she was - in fact, telling the truth. 

“This doesn’t make a lot of sense now does it. The King Apollo I know married Queen Alectrona from childhood. He never had an ex wife.” Emarosa’s face grew a bit colder as she began to realize exactly what was going on. “... What year is it?”

“50AA.” Saki responded, her confusion only growing more on her face. “Magic only came into the world 50 years ago with the Awakening- or so i’ve been told anyway.”

Emarosa stood up with a haste as she looked around the cave system. She had never before felt fear, but this uncertainty of her current situation was likely the closest she’d ever come to it. 

“Somehow…” Emarosa paused, taking in her thoughts and emotions. “Could I have… somehow been transported to the past?”

Saki’s eyes grew wide as she heard this and quickly jumped to her feet. She knew the power of the elements when it came to magic but she had never before heard of someone gifted with the ability of time travel. 

“That- That seems impossible!” Saki protested. “A-are you sure you didn’t just like… Hit your head and forget what year it was?”

The flame elemental made haste towards saki and pressed her against the wall aggressively. Her hand slapped against the jagged stone next to Saki’s head.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Emarosa growled at her in a fit of rage. The small and powerful flames begin to flare up from the corners of her eyes.“You dare criticize me in such a way?”

Saki’s ears and tail perked up in terror as she closed her eyes tight. The aggressive nature of the woman caused a blush swelling with arousal and fear to wash over her face. What could she say? She was into aggressive women like Emarosa.

“N-no I'm not.. C-calling you a liar. I-i promise!” Saki stuttered more. “I-i’m just confused. I-i’m sorry!!”

Emarosa took a deep breath and started to calm down. 

“Well. That’s good then. I still expect you to help me however. We need to figure out what is going on. Why am I here? What i’m supposed to do to get back; and if i can’t, what i’m supposed to do now.” 

Saki’s ears perked up as she was assigned to helping the girl. Honestly, her life was beginning to lose purpose outside of her small smithing business. Helping someone out was just what she needed to change her outlook on life!

“O-of course. I’ll help you!” Saki said with a smile, the sound of her tail brushing back and forth against the cave wall a reflection of her happiness. “I’ve got everything I own in this bag with me more or less. We can go wherever you need to go!”

The elementals eyebrow cocked as she was surprised at how eager the woman she had just threatened was to help her. 

“We should head to Bucking as we planned then and start looking for answers.” 

“Of course! My hometown of Claywind is along the way! I’ll just pick up the little tidbits I have at my shop once we get there!” Saki paused for a moment. “It.. it may be a good idea if you didn’t show those flames in the city. The Guards might think you’re a voidsent..” She said quietly.

“Is that so? I suppose the people of this time have yet to master the conjuring of elementals; they must be afraid of us.” Emarosa spoke matter of factly. The town of Claywind rung a bell for the woman however, but her memory was far too fuzzy to remember anything but the name. “Lead the way I suppose.” 

It took less than an hour for Saki to pack up her makeshift camp along with the help of her newfound partner, Emarosa. The moment the snowstorm outside had died down the two would set off on the short journey to Claywind and the much longer voyage to Bucking, the capital of The Kingdom of Fire. 

The ice cold air of the winter storm slashed at the exposed skin of Saki like a tamer whipping a captive lion. The storm picked up in intensity shortly after the duo made their way from the cave with massive plumes of snow packed high against her knees- and in Emarosa case, her hips.-

"Say.. you're an elemental. Queen of Flames and all that.. can'tcha just melt the snow with your powers?" Saki quipped. 

"And waste all of my mana on a little bit of snow? What if the Ice Kingdom attacks us? Don't be an idiot. We're close to the border after all." The response was blunt and straight to the point. 

"I'm just saying.. at this rate it will take us a day to get back. The normal trek from that cave to ClamyWind is just a few hours at a good pace. The rate we're crawling at however.." Saki grew a bit quiet as her words tapered off. 

They had traveled for a couple of hours but the exhaustion of Saki and the remainder of her reserves wore on her. She only packed enough food for a quick trip back and forth, so her grumbling tummy played ambiance to the whistling of frigid winds. A hunger that would not be satiated until they returned to Claywind. 

"You mortals are weak and frail." Emarosa took a deep breath and recharged from her own fatigue by taking in the mana from her surroundings. While this was something she could do to cure her exhaustion, any form of restoring her banks of mana to a combat ready state would take hours. Something about the energy was… off however.

"The arcane winds are.. different. Less potent. As if I'm pulling from the land itself."

"I've heard of the magically adept being able to absorb mana from their surroundings but I've never before witnessed it!" Saki spoke up with great interest. The clear fact of something being amiss flying far over her head. 

"Interesting." Emarosa smirked. "I believed most mortals in the realm to have the ability to at least control the elements. Are you perhaps mundane in regards to magic?"

"I suppose so. I'm an oddity of this world. I was often cared for by our house mother because I lacked the ability to control the arcane." Saki smiled warmly. "But I tried my best growing up to make up for that with hard work and dedication to a craft. Smithing, to be exact!"

"But how can you compete with a blacksmith who has control of the flames. A master of craft which has no use for coals to burn their furnace? One who can adjust the temperature of their forge with the wave of a hand?" 

Saki's smile grew a bit more sad as she looked down a bit. That was a reality she had been fighting against for years.. but it was a fact.

"I suppose you don't." Saki's tone was somber. "But I'm not doing it to compete. I'm doing it because it's something I love doing."

"Something you love?" Emarosa pondered. "Interesting."

"T-the sun's going down so let's just set up camp for now." 

Saki worked with the remaining energy she had to assemble her tent in a small clearing beneath a dead tree. Normally she would have to dig out an area for her campsite, but with the help of Emarosa the snow could easily be excavated from around the shelter. 

Saki would begin to assemble some dead twigs and branches into a small pitch for a fire. Pulling stone and flint from her pouch and attempting to strike a flame in the cold winter prairie. The branches and twigs however had far too much moisture for her to be able to strike a proper fire. Nevertheless, flames spewed up from the tendering point and the twigs caught fire as Emarosa finger pointed at the pit. 

"Thanks. I suppose those of us who are mundane don't always have the tools of survival." There was more of that somber tone. Like their conversation previously had struck a bit of an emotional nerve with Saki. "Im.. going to sleep now. We should make it by morning. Have a good rest when you decide to go to bed."

Emarosa tilted her head a bit at Saki as she lacked any ability to read the emotions of others. 

"Alright. Sleep well." Emarosa said with a faint smile. 

Saki crawled into her tent, alone, and curled up in a ball under her ragged, worn blankets. Normally she would cry when she felt so hopeless but with the frigid winter winds brushing against her tent she didn't wish to deal with a wet, frozen face. It was as if all of the problems she fought through and all of the truths she had been running from caught up to her at once. 

'What good am I compared to a god? What good am I compared to the common man.' Saki thought to herself. The message repeated like a specter which haunted her psyche, bringing everlasting torment to a fate she couldn't escape. 

Soon the little whimpers that came from under those blankets turned into cute snores and Saki found herself fading into the land of dreams. 

Emarosa had been overhearing the reaction from a distance near the entrance of the tent while keeping guard over their makeshift camp. She didn't need sleep, so she decided to make her time useful and physically protect the kitsune which slept behind her.

"I sometimes wonder what it's like to dream. What it's like to have aspirations." Emarosa spoke only to herself. "What it's like to be human. To be a kitsune. An elf. A chisai. To be someone who can assimilate into a society and not just a tool created for war."

A smile crept up on her face as she stared into the fire. The cinders mimicking her face, reflecting the mastery of control over this specific element. 

"What is it like to love? To have someone you care about? To have something you care about? I wonder. I truly wonder." Her voice a whisper which echoed into the night.

A pleasant scent of roast hare woke Saki from her slumber as she crept from the entrance of her tent. Before her was Emarosa kneeling by the campfire and stirring a pot filled with rabbit meat and a crude broth. It wasn’t anything fancy, but Saki was so hungry after the past few days it smelt like heaven.

“You went hunting?” Saki asked, a bit confused.

“I did. It’s not a matter of difficulty for me.” Emarosa responded, scooping a large cup of rabbit stew out of the cauldron for Saki.

“T-thanks..” Saki accepted taking the hot container into her hands and basking in the feeling of warmth against her hands.

 “Where did you get all of the equipment to make this?” she asked curiously. 

“The cup was in your pack. The pot is made from clay and tree bark that I heated.” Emarosa grinned. “I have no need for survival tactics, however things like pottery and hunting are very simple. Besides, I could hear your stomach grumbling all night.” 

It became clear to Saki that Emarosa wasn’t a cold, sadistic Elemental she may have painted herself to be in their initial encounter. She just seemed to lack the understanding of mortal emotion. Not a lack of empathy, but a lack of functional understanding of what made mortals tick. 

“That was… very thoughtful of you. Thank you.” Saki said with a big smile, digging into the bland, unseasoned mixture like it was a five star feast. It felt nice to have someone go so far as to prepare dinner for her. 

Even though Emarosa was a stranger, Saki rarely ever felt kindness like this. She was alone most of her life, didn’t have any friends, was treated poorly by royalty and left to die on the streets working a back alley smith. It felt… nice. Nice to finally be seen as useful to someone. Nice to be on the mind of someone else. Nice to just… have someone there.

“Eat up quick and pack up quick. The storm has died down, dawn is coming and we need to get moving.” Emarosa spoke. Although the sparks of her being an empath had shown in her act of kindness, she was now back to the same old flame elemental she was just a day prior. Matter-of-fact, to the point, blunt, assertive. 

“Yes ma’am!” Saki said with a giggle. The shift in attitude didn’t exactly phase her, she found it quite attractive.

The pair quickly packed up camp once Saki was done gobbling up as much of the stew as she could stomach and continuing onto the snow covered path. Using the natural landmarks she kept note of on the way to the cave Saki backtracked onto the path slowly. Come noon they finally made it to the base of a large hill which overlooked Claywind. 

“Claywind is just over this hill.” Saki spoke trailing slightly behind Emarosa. “Be careful not to slip!” 

“As if that would ever happen.” Emarosa spat before charging forward up the hill at her much more suitable pace. “Do you take me to be some lowly–”

Just as Emarosa crested the hill her words stopped dead in their tracks. Saki’s slower pace made her catch up a few seconds after.

“What’s the big–” Saki too dropped her words as she looked out on the hill. 

Where Claywind once stood was nothing but arching, snowcovered prairie who’s hills winded like a serpent until coming to rest at the peak of distant mountains. It was beautiful… but it was wrong. 

“W-what. I-i’m sure I retraced my steps perfectly. Claywind should be right here!” Saki blurted out, swinging her bag to the side and beginning to shuffle around for whatever mapping supplies she may have had on her.

That bag however was quickly toppled into the snow as an angry Emarosa swatted at Saki. A ball of flame formed in her palm as she stood face to face with the Kitsune.

“I knew it. You’re an agent of the Ice Kingdom. You lied to me about everything up until now- and I bet you just led me into an ambush.” Emarosa growled. 

“N-no! I swear! I-i’d never do such a thing!” Saki’s tail sprung up and ears folded back on the defensive as the look of fear came over her. 

“Then why did you lie to me about Claywind?” Emarosa pushed.

“I-i didn’t lie! I-i was born in Claywind! W-we must be lost. P-please..! I-i’d never betray anyone..” Saki’s eyes welled up as she sniffled in the cold air. Her sympathy was lost on Emarosa however, who was operating purely on her primal instinct.

“The sob story about being an Orphan? Was that a lie too? How about the equally crass story about being a blacksmith? How could you ever even be a blacksmith? Look at you! You’re frail and weak. How could you ever lift a smith's hammer? Operate a forge?” Emarosa was on a verbal rampage slinging at Saki’s insecurities. She laughed in disbelief. “And what? All of that for what? To lure me out into the open to get me killed? Disgusting.” 

The words of Emarosa pierced through Saki’s heart like daggers and her fear soon turned to apathy. She… she no longer cared what Emarosa said. She no longer cared what happened to her. Half of what she said was true anyway. How could Saki ever be a blacksmith? She was weak and frail just like Emarosa said. 

“If you think I betrayed you then kill me.” Saki weeped with eyes closed. “End this suffering I feel. Maybe in the next life.. I’ll be a little more lucky. And maybe the next person you meet won’t be such a–”

Before she could finish her sentence the sound of horseshoes trotting against the frozen ground began to echo over the hill. With it, a crackling spark of arcane magic as a large bolt of ice and lightning struck the side of an off-guard Emarosa. The lighting surged through her body and acted as a paralysis agent while the ice sealed her lower body to the already frozen ground. 

“What are you doing out here ma’am? This is uncharted territory.” the man on horseback shouted towards Saki over the sound of more calvary trotting behind him. He raised a metallic spear as he crested over the Hill and aimed it at Emarosa.

Saki reacted to this moment in fear. Just seconds ago Emarosa had tried to attack her but she was all Saki had in her life at the moment. The way that the knights and general public treated her in Claywind was far more terrible than the little tantrum Emarosa threw at her. 

Saki had a lot of emotions that bottled up over the years; but she was strong. Strong enough to keep going even in her darkest hour. Strong enough to protect someone who showed her far more kindness than she had ever felt from a stranger.

“W-what. No.. stop! STOP!” Saki shouted at the man, fumbling forward in the snow and crashing to her knees infront of Emarosa. Saki put her arms around her and looked up at the man. “I-I won’t let you hurt my friend.”

Emarosa’s face was taken aback by the statement. How could Saki see Emarosa as any more than an enemy after what transpired? Was she stupid?

“Are you stupid?” Emarosa asked bluntly.

“Shut up.” Saki retorted with an air of assertiveness. 

“I was going to kill you, you know.” 

“Shut up I said!” Saki repeated. “I’d just be all those bad things you said I was if I let you die.”

Emarosa went silent and looked up at the sky with her paralyzed limbs laying across the snow covered banks of the hill. 

“That woman was ready to kill you. What do you mean your ‘friend’?” the man with the spear questioned. 

“Perhaps a lover’s quarrel?” a second man spoke up on horseback behind the first. 

“Must be one hell of a quarrel.” Responded the man with the spear. “My name is Alfred. I am leader of the Fire Kingdom’s border control unit.” 

“You know you just attacked a weapon of the state?” Emarosa spat up at Alfred. “I’m a Flame Elemental for the Fire Kingdom.”

“Quiet woman. Witches like yourself hold no standing within the Fire Kingdom.” Alfred countered, before looking at Saki. “It is none of my business who you decide to lay with, but be warned that these “elemental’s” are witches of the land. They want nothing more than to see your body charred to a crisp. They are Violent. Untamed.”

The third of the trio galloped up behind them and from her horse a small woman would hop onto the ground. She carried a device which brimmed with magical etchings on the outside and approached Emarosa and Saki. Saki closed her eyes and hugged close to Emarosa. Saki was a bit skittish and cowardly in some aspects, so the comfort of having someone to hold onto- even if it was her would-be killer- made her calm down.

*Click*

Saki opened her eyes at the sound as the device locked itself around Emarosa’s neck causing the runes to illuminate bright for a moment before dissipating. Emarosa was now able to move, albeit, she was collared like a dog. She could feel that her magic had been sapped from her and she would be unable to retaliate, even if she wanted to.

“Tsk.” Emarosa shifted her gaze away from the Knight. “I’ve got your name buddy. Once I'm out of this device, you’re dead.” 

“Calm your partner, miss.” Alfred spoke to Saki.

“S-she’s not my..” Saki caught his gaze and realized what this all meant. “Yes.. of course.”

Saki leaned in to Emarosa’s ear, her breath a pleasantly cool contrast to the fiery elemental which tickled the hairs lining Emarosa’s ear.

“Let’s just go along with it… for now” Saki whispered. 

Emarosa’s face swelled with frustration and anger but she nodded at the idea of following through with this ‘charade’ until they had answers.

“So.. we’re trying to get to Claywind. But I think we got lost?” Saki spoke up to Alfred.

“Claywind? Is that one of the small, outer villages in our borders?” 

“N-no it’s renowned for being a strategic location for mineable resources and the home of those who work the forge!” Saki affirmed. 

“In the Fire Kingdom? Nothing like that outside the capital I’m afraid.” Alfred crossed his arms. “Our unit is heading back to regroup with another border patrol along the southern front and are heading towards the Capital. We could escort you there?”

“That’s- that would be perfect actually!!” Saki spoke up. She wore that same fake smile she was so good at fabricating. “Thank you” 

“Just no more temper tantrums from the redhead.” Alfred said sternly. “Hop on Emerald’s horse.. The Troublemaker will ride with me. I’ll take care of her if she decides to bite. ”

Saki bowed thankfully to Alfred and stood up to face the woman who caged the power of Emarosa. Her smaller stature made it a little difficult for her to climb up onto Emerald’s horse but the woman extended her hand to help Saki with a gentle smile. Emarosa on the other hand huffed and stood up, mounting Alfred’s horse and crossing her arms.

“Let’s get going then!” Emarosa spoke up. 

Alfred let out a small laugh, feeling no harm from the flame elemental now that her powers were blocked. 

“Alright. Let’s head out.”

Echoes of the clacking of keys and clicking of buttons traversed throughout the room. Idle chatter between white-coat workers bringing the ambience to form. The illumination of a large screen lit up the dim laboratory and flickered a message across its surface: 

“Dr. Flash. I believe the specimen is ready.” a shorter man announced.

“Good. Prepare to unseal the specimen and monitor vitals.” Dr. Flash responded standing up from his chair and walking in the direction of the containment unit on the other side of the room. 

With a few distant keyswipes the large cylindrical container hissed and began to drain of it’s saline-like filling. Slowly, the glass prison lifted from its position and revealed the naked body of a red-headed girl who slumped to her knees upon exiting the vat. She was young and had a small body not far off from being a teen. She felt so weak, unable to even muster the strength to stand before her creators. 

“Welcome to the world of the living.” Dr. Flash spoke with a smirk. Quickly wrapping a blanket around her nude body to get her coverage.

“What… where am I..?” the red-headed girl asked. 

“I cannot give you the exact location- that is top secret.” he smiled. “What I can give you however; is your purpose.”

“My purpose?”

“Yes. Your purpose.”

“Go on.” the girl coughed up a bit of salinated mixture onto the floor as she became used to breathing in the air of the world.

Dr. Flash kneeled down and took the hand of the girl. He caressed it gently and offered her a comforting, caring smile. 

“Your purpose will be to change the world. Your title as the Queen of Flames for the Fire Kingdom will mean nothing in comparison to the great things you will eventually do.” 

She looked up, confused and entirely desolate of the meaning behind his words. 

“How will I change the world?” she questioned. ”Fire Kingdom? What’s that? Queen of Flames?”

Dr. Flash let out a gentle laugh and ruffled her hair a bit. 

“How you will change the world is not an answer I have.” he paused for a moment. “You have been created from the ancient DNA of a race of elementals who have since been wiped from the face of the earth. You were created as a tool for the Fire Kingdom; a nation who is currently struggling in it’s war with the Ice Kingdom.”

“Elemental?” she questioned again.

“Yes, an Elemental. Your body acts as a conduit for the arcane energies in the land and you are able to pull from it an Element of Mastery.” he affirmed. “As you will be under the command of the Fire Kingdom, your mastery will be that of a Flame Elemental. You have been made as such. Go ahead and try it out. Focus on the Energy you feel in the air around you and bring it down to a single point in your hand.”

The girl placed her hand out palm-side up and focused on it for a few moments. She tried hard to focus and absorb as much of the latent arcane energy in the air as she could but she was unable to muster much. However, a small spark did flicker up from her hand. 

“That’s a great start.” Dr. Flash said, extending his hand to her own. “In time you can focus more and more energy into your hands and have complete control of flames. Your name from this point on will be Emarosa.” Emarosa looked slightly puzzled but accepted the doctor's hand and with that he led her off further into the underground labyrinth. 

She found out that there were no others like her within the compound. Emarosa was alone and left to the confines of a room that was at least pleasant. It housed plenty of entertainment for her age like stuffed animals, a blackboard and plenty of toys in a chest next to her bed. Her diet consisted of anything she wanted- however, it was soon clear to herself and those around her that food was a delicacy and not a necessity. Her ability to absorb the mana around her being enough to satiate her existence. 

Her only ‘friends’ were the multitude of white-coats which would monitor her daily and check her vitals. Only a few times a week would she ever see Dr.Flash, a name which had become synonymous with “Father”. These became special little meetings where she would discuss her progress with controlling flame and the things she did throughout her time away from him. As she grew into her teens Dr. Flash would bring her a companion- someone who seemed to be similar to her, but also different.

“Emarosa, I would like to introduce you to your sister, Misaki.” Dr.Flash announced.”Although you two make look different you were born from the same magic.” 

Fluffy fox ears twitched from the shadows of the doorway as Misaki shuffled in and hid slightly behind Dr.Flash peeking out just barely from behind his side. Big, fluffy tail swishing in the air behind the girl. Arcane eyes glowing bright and blue from the dark corridor behind Dr.Flash as she finally broke the silence.

“H-hello.. E-emarosa. B-big sis…” she squeaked.