Mukoku stared at Ran for a long time, her countenance marked by indecision.
She looked unsure about this.
Ran wasn't. He had made his decision and was going to stand by it.
If serving Xin for a blaze would get his father out of here, he would do it.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Ran?" Mukoku asked.
Ran nodded without hesitation. "It is," he said, promptly.
"Xin is beyond evil, you have no idea what serving him is like. Disregard all his talk about rewards and favor towards his Knaves, demons have no heart and he's one of the worst of us," Mukoku said, sounding almost pleading.
I gave her a kind smile in response. "I appreciate how much you're looking out for me, but I need to do this."
She sighed and looked at me ruefully. "You are a fool, Kaito Ran," she said, then turned around to regard the Prince of Soul who was no longer lounging on his throne.
Xin was about fifty meters away from them, kneeling down with his palms flat on one of the cracks leaking lava.
Mukoku made to step towards him but Ran grabbed her by the arm.
She turned back and glanced at him inquisitively.
"Ca…can you ask him if maybe I could speak to my father before he returns him back to Kurana?" Ran asked her solemnly.
Mukoku nodded and turned around but before she could move, Xin's aura washed over them.
It was an aura that made one's spirit feel like it was on fire. Ran flinched and thanked his stars that he had Mukoku's aura protecting him.
A glow formed around the hand Xin had pressed to the ground. The ground shuddered and convulsed, cracks bursting open as lava erupted from the depths of the Naraku.
The molten rocks surged upwards in the motion of vascular liquids, twisting and turning like living vines. As it rose, it took shape, forming pillars that supported arches of flickering flame.
Towers burst forth, their walls constructed from solid fire that seemed to defy gravity. Fortresses materialized, their battlements crafted from glowing embers that pulsed with inner heat.
The city grew, expanding its boundaries as more cracks opened and lava poured forth. Markets took shape, their stalls made from glassy fire that refracted and reflected the surrounding flames.
The streets themselves were rivers of liquid fire, flowing and churning as they were set to carry the inhabitants of the city towards their destinations.
Every building was a masterpiece of fiery architecture, each one unique and awe-inspiring. Some were crafted from gases that burned with a soft, ethereal light, while others were forged from solid flames that seemed to have a life of their own.
Xin raised his head high like a lion and roared into the vastness of his realms, meteors began to drop.
Ran took a step back quickly and breathed down in relief when he saw that they weren't falling stars, just descending genies. Each one carrying hundreds of souls that had fled the city during the attack.
The old city's inhabitants moved through the new streets with ease after they were settled down, their faces aglow with the light of the fires that surrounded them.
More genies landed and Xin's roar continued to echo throughout the realm, and the city was slowly being filled up.
As the city expanded, it seemed to grow without bounds. It sprawled across the landscape, consuming the surrounding terrain and incorporating it into its own fiery fabric.
Mountains were subsumed, valleys were filled, and rivers were redirected as the city continued its relentless growth. Everything followed the sake theme—hot and fiery.
Right before his eyes Ran saw a Lake of Hell form, it was like a moat around the city walls and was as big as an ocean which was understandable as the city became a continent, a vast and sprawling metropolis that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Its towers pierced the sky, casting shadows that danced across the surrounding landscape. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and ash, but beneath that lay a deeper scent, the scent of creation, of fire and stone and molten rock.
The inhabitants of the city moved through its streets with purpose, their horrific life after death driven by the constant flux and flow of the fires that surrounded them. Xin crafted and built, everything moving with precision as he shaped the flames into works of art.
His people continued life like it was just another Tuesday. They traded and bartered, exchanging goods and services across the city's vast expanse. They went back to living so quickly that Ran could do ought else but gape.
Despite its infernal origins, the city was alive, pulsing with energy and creativity. It was a place of wonder, a realm where the impossible became possible and the boundaries of reality were stretched to their limits. And at its heart, the fire that had created it all continued to burn, a fierce and unyielding flame that seemed to drive the city forward with an unstoppable force.
As the city continued to grow and evolve, it seemed to take on a life of its own. Its buildings shifted and changed, adapting to the needs of its inhabitants.
New districts sprang up, each one unique and vibrant, while others fell into decay, their fires burning low.
The city became a living, breathing entity, its fires burning bright with a fierce and primal energy. It was a place of wonder, a realm of kin and possibility.
The city's growth seemed endless, its fires burning brighter with each passing moment.
Ran just stood there and stared.
~Break~
When the bell tolled the next morning, Ran was not in the city, he still heard, the entire realm heard it.
But he was too tired to care.
He stared ahead at the figure of Xin, his eyes burning with hatred.
He was not in the city because someone had decided that they ought to travel to the Noxsphere, the Babylon of Naraku, and use the Hakokage to kill all the Lagarakeis left.
Ran now, was on a journey to a place that made hell look kind.