The first difference Aelwen noticed was the water's temperature. Formerly cold, now it was exceedingly warm, almost burning. Aelwen's scales protected her nicely, but Gerel certainly didn't appreciate it. The heat of the cave's air that blasted into their faces was almost as overwhelming, the smells of soot and smoke rising into Aelwen's nostrils. Qianru turned and licked one of the digits on her paw. She then touched it to the foreheads of each of her followers, whispering words as she did so.Aelwen looked up to see a halo of fire circling her horns. These same spectres graced the heads of her friends before disappearing. As soon as they did, the blistering heat that prickled against Aelwen's eyes greatly subsided. A comfortable room temperature now felt by the group caused all to relax.

"You are now protected from our element. As soon as you leave this place, the blessing will leave you, too." Qianru gave a curt nod and continued forward. It now seemed like her flames had grown in both intensity and brightness. Perhaps because she no longer had to worry about roasting her guests. However, she intentionally snuffed out the purple flames along her spine. Aelwen wondered why.

A quiet mew drew Aelwen's attention behind her. A set of Kana guards stood on either side of the waterfall, their ember eyes focused with an intense curiosity on their visitors. Unlike Qianru, these two looked to be small tabby cats. Stripes of orange and white fire lines their coats, even spreading to their graceful wings. Little white paws completed their look. Aelwen's heart swelled. She hoped her wide, fanged smile upon seeing them didn't scare anyone.

As Qianru led them out of the cave and up over the side of the pit, the sun began to blossom, casting rays of warm light upon the city of the fire Kana.

Aelwen and Jane gasped in tandem at the sight. What in the normal world was a field of red-brown grasses was now culturally styled similarly to the residency of the Koana, except in the stead of round tents and tree platforms were fully realized buildings. Roofs curved outward like upside-down square flowers, painted red pillars supported criss-crossed wooden beams, and windows were latticed with complex square carvings. Pathways between houses were layered with ground up volcanic rock so fine it was like sand. The edges of the paths had been painstakingly raked through to create vivid patterns. Red paper lanterns lit with Kana flame hung from archways and the ends of roofs. They were painted with various characters similar to those Aelwen had seen in the Koanan village. She wondered if it was the same language. Even more of them were carved into the red pillars and walls of the houses. An open-air pagoda at the center of town hosted a group of paper sculptures floating at different heights above the ground. The large colorful creations were in the shapes of dragons, humans, and other species. At this distance away, though, Aelwen couldn't make out exactly what they were. Gerel gave a whistle of appreciation for how beautiful everything was.

Perhaps the strangest (and most alarming) characteristic of the city, however, was the lava. In this pocket reality, the volcano was active and oozing out its innards onto the mountains below. Veins of the molten rock cut through the village between houses, along the sides of pathways, and even pooled in backyards and gardens. Thousands of glowing embers took flight through the air of the village, making the place look populated by fireflies.

(((YOU WOULD NOT BELIVE YOUR EYES, IF TEN MILLION----)))

In reality, of course, it was populated by many, many Kana. Flaming cats of all kinds roamed the glowing town, from tuft-eared lynxes to proud lionesses, from tiny calico kittens to fierce leopards. Each was rather unique in its structure. Some were made of pure flame, while others had lava flowing from their manes or sparks of lightning thundering from their paws as they walked. A commonality among all were the pairs of feathered wings gracing the backs of each.

After spotting a few little cats who were presumably their friends, Qianru's cubs raced off to meet with them. The eyes of the Kana villagers were all immediately drawn to the newcomers, their stares burning into Aelwen's own. A great hush came over the land like a candle being blown out. Panthers lept down from their cushioned pedestals, servals padded out of their pagodas, and cheetahs peeked out from behind red pillars. A crowd soon formed before the newcomers. Qianru remained calm, her head turning to take in the Kana around her.

"After hundreds of years of waiting, we have finally received new orders from Auria. No longer are we left to rot in fear of the dangers of Cainen's demons, for now the lost King Jesoph Gwrtheyrn Lahiffe and Princess Aelwen Alastrine Lahiffe have returned!" Qianru unfurled her wings, one pointing to Jesoph, and the other to Aelwen. "Once thought dead, sacrificed to Cainen, in reality they were kept frozen in time by Liriel's forces. Auria's peryton told me of their struggle, and their quest to free us."

Aelwen now realized that her surname was now completely different from what she remembered. While Liriel had raised her as Aelwen Waldron, in reality, her family name came from Kaleign and Jesoph's reunion. She was a Lahiffe, apparently.

Jesoph raised his head proudly, a warm smile appearing on his snout. The way he glanced at different members of the crowd and smiled at each made Aelwen wonder how many of the Kana he recognized. Aelwen, in kind, raised her head, too. A swell of honor filled her as the Kana cheered and sung in delight upon realizing who she was. Just as she'd always dreamed, she was becoming a leader for her people, a princess who would take back her kingdom. The Kana, as Delku had told her, would become the basis of the army she would need to fight both Liriel and Kaleign. Once she had the help of all previous Lords and Ladies of the rebellion and all four sects of Eveanoran Kana, she would hopefully have more than enough soldiers to lead to victory. This was her mission. This was the task that kept her mind at ease, yet simultaneously overwhelmed her. In the end, she remained grateful that a possible solution was even available to her. It was something to work towards.

A few Kana broke from the crowd and rushed to King Jesoph, their happy cries indicating their familiarity with the man. However, as soon as they drew near Aelwen's group, purple flames burst from their spines. They recoiled in fear, their heads whipping toward Gerel and letting out hisses of surprise and anger.

"Evil!" "Demons walk amongst them!" "It is the boy!" "He has Cainen's touch!" they cried.

The crowd heaved backward, their horror palpable by the untamed state of their flames.

Qianru sighed. She cocked her head at Gerel's frustrated face. "The boy is a Koanan. Their blood-oath has been passed to him. He is of no danger as long as he stays human. Auria told me that his presence here is important, and he must be given refuge just as the rest of them."

Gerel perked up upon hearing the last sentence. He gazed at Qianru inquisitively.

"He is the Golden Dragon? When was the last time we dealt with that mess?" asked a cheetah female, her ash-tipped tail whipping from side to side in agitation.

"Have the Koana turned back to Cainen?" a serval questioned. "I thought we'd saved them from that travesty!"

"We can get the curse off of him, can't we? We've done it before, Golden Dragon or not," said a long-haired white cat with a scrunched-up nose. "Let us simply take him to the Heart."

Qianru nodded at the white cat. "That is what Auria intends. Now, let us speak with Bai Hu." The great tigress sauntered forward, the crowd of felines making way for her and her entourage before following behind.

Jane could barely contain herself. She and Aelwen once again exchanged excited giggles, though Aelwen's heart wasn't in it as much this time, her glances at Gerel making this apparent.

Whenever Gerel moved relatively close to any of the Koana, purple flames would burst out along their spines, and they would regard him with looks of utter distaste or even outright fear.

They were referring to the Hearts of Kana. Auria said these could help lift Gerel's curse. She said it may take all of the hearts, not just one, though... In any case, I am glad her messenger stated Gerel's importance. If not his importance to our mission, he's certainly important to me.

Jesoph was speaking animatedly with a lava-maned lion. "This is Chen Ho! He served as a guardian Kana for many of our top generals," he explained to Aelwen, face alit with both joy and the Kana's fire.

Aelwen graciously nodded at the lion. "Pleasure to meet you!"

The lion gave a fanged grin. "I saved your father's arse many a time back in the day! You'd've never been born if not for me, girlie!"

"And your hide would have been made into a demon's slippers if not for me!" Jesoph cried.

Seeing her father so happy made Aelwen feel like she was walking on air. She couldn't recall the last time she'd heard him laugh so hard. Besides her, these Kana were his only connection to the way things used to be. Aelwen almost didn't know whether to be joyful or mournful at such a thought. She decided to feel happy. Even so, small pangs of melancholy still struck her. She possessed a deep longing to remember what it had been like two hundred years ago. If her memories were still out there somewhere, she intended to find them.

Erno gazed at the village in admiration as he walked with them. Aelwen noticed a small journal was held open in his hand, a bit of charcoal in the other. He scribbled furiously, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated.

Devin slunk behind everyone else, his tail slithering along the ground like a particularly depressed snake. Aelwen had a feeling that at least some of his attitude was an act, though. She caught him looking in genuine surprise and wonder at a few of the sights in the town.

Qianru stopped before the largest house in the town. It was at the end of the main road and one of the only buildings to have more than one story. Great black doors painted with gold and silver lettering stood almost twice Aelwen's height, even in dragon form. Twin statues of stylized Koanan dragons flanked them. Qianru and Chen Ho took gold rings acted as door handles in their jaws, and with a single, powerful pull, the doors yawned agape.

A cavernous room lined with thick red pillars opened up before them. The floors were lined with bamboo fiber mats, ornate wooden mouldings decorated the walls, and stone statuary of various stylized animals sat between each pair of pillars at regular intervals. At the center of the room was a pool of lava lined with obsidian rock. Just behind this pool was a huge rectangular platform holding hundreds of silken pillows and blankets. Upon this platform was the grandest sight of all.

An enormous white tiger bigger than a full-grown dragon lounged lazily, his great tail making small, relaxed movements. The white flame that poured from his body crackled and sparked, and his huge wings hung gracefully at his sides.

Despite his regal nature, Aelwen couldn't help thinking of the stable cats from her castle, and how they would lay just like that before her in order to get in her way and make her pet them. She would pat their bellies and scratch their soft chins with a smile, but she doubted that doing such a thing to this tiger was a good idea.

"Bai Hu," Qianru began, "I met with the peryton Auria sent. He told me of her next orders, as well as who our guests are."

The great tiger licked his paw before turning to look at Aelwen. His tail's motion began to increase in tempo as his blue eyes widened in curiosity. He scanned the newcomers. "Greetings, Shifters and fairy. I have dearly missed the sight of Auria's children. We have been cut off from our creator for a long, long time, hiding within the safety of this place to escape Cainen's legions. However..." His gaze burned into Gerel's as his voice darkened. That familiar line of purple flame crawled from his head to his tail. "I see we have the Golden Dragon with us as well."

Gerel gulped. "Y-yes. I have come to use the Heart of Kana to get rid of this curse."

Bai Hu nodded sagely. "It has been done before, many moons ago. With this, we can help." He turned to face Aelwen. "And who are the rest of you?"

Qianru took the liberty of repeating what she had said outside, as well as Auria's orders to the Kana. "We are to become a part of this great army, along with the other Kana and the soldiers of rebelling Lords and Ladies. In addition, we shall house the Koana, as their position has been compromised by the possession of one of their own by Queen Liriel Waldron. A peryton has been sent to guide them here."

Aelwen gave a start. She'd been worrying about the fate of the Koana ever since she'd discovered Liriel could look through Kera's memories and find where the Koana resided. While she knew that Gerel had warned them of this through the spirit world, the thought that they would be staying here, in the safety of the cat spirits, gave her peace. She noticed Gerel and her other companion's postured become noticeably more relaxed.

Qianru continued on to explain some general details about Aelwen and her father's story, details that could have only come from the mouth of an all-seeing creator, since some parts of the story Aelwen hadn't even told to anyone else. She suddenly hoped Auria hadn't said anything embarrassing about her.

"It is an honor to see you again, King Jesoph." Bai Hu smiled. "Fighting along your side again will be a day I relish to see soon."

"As do I," Jesoph replied.

"Princess Aelwen. You have been through much. I remember seeing you when you were but a babe, and then as you grew to three years of age. Is it true you remember nothing of those days?"

Aelwen nodded. "I'm afraid so, sir. Nothing but a song."

"Hmm. I have heard enough. Aelwen, Gerel, come forward. The Heart of the Fire Kana shall be yours to experience." Bai Hu stood up, his height towering over all others.

Exchanging curious yet worried glances, Aelwen and Gerel walked around the pit of lava and stopped just before Bai Hu.

"Declare your curses," the great tiger's voice thundered.

"I am the Golden Dragon," Gerel stated, his hands curling into fists.

Aelwen looked up, confused. "Curse?"

Bai Hu nodded. "You are cursed, young one. By Queen Liriel."

Aelwen was still confused.

Relization dawned on Gerel's face. "Oh, yea..." He faced Aelwen, eyes somber. "Listen... uhh... when I went into the world of spirits, I found out something about what Liriel did to you."

Aelwen blinked, brows arched.

"While you were frozen in time for all those years, Liriel was storing energy in you. Whenever she died, she was planning on possessing you and using this great store of energy to become incredibly powerful. If she got her weird ghost claws on you, she'd be unstoppable. That's your curse. We have to get rid of that energy." Gerel stopped, sighing. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

Aelwen's gaze grew unfocused. She could hear her father gasp behind her. "So that's... So that's why Kera didn't let Liriel's spirit go. She saved everyone." Aelwen didn't feel like reminiscing on this newfound knowledge. The idea of stores of Liriel's energy writhing around inside her made her begin to feel very sick. "Let's break these curses," she said defiantly, facing Bai Hu. Her hand found Gerel's and held it tightly for support as her legs grew a bit wobbly. He held hers firmly in kind.

Bai Hu dipped his head low. "Declare your curses."

"I am the Golden Dragon," Gerel stated.

"I am Liriel's Chosen," Aelwen stated.

With that, Bai Hu licked both of their foreheads with a sandpaper tongue. Standing with his paws spread apart, he held his head high. A beam of light shone from his chest. Slowly, a ball of holy fire emerged from where the light shone. It was the most beautiful thing Aelwen had ever seen, made of all the kinds and colors of fire possible. Blues and whites snapped and crackled alongside reds, oranges, and yellows as embers and sparks flew.

Aelwen and Gerel stood transfixed by the Heart of Kana, their eyes dancing with the same holy light of the flame. The crowd behind them looked on in awe.

"Reach out and let the warmth cleanse you," said Bai Hu, gently closing his eyes.

As one, Gerel and Aelwen lifted their hands. Slowly, they extended their arms, the light bathing their palms.

Gerel gasped. Something was wrong. Aelwen glanced at him just in time to see him recoil from the Heart, his face contorted in pain.

"Gerel--?" Aelwen cried. "What's--?"

Gerel looked up at Aelwen, their stares locking for one tense, fearful moment. She could see the utter terror in his eyes. He was trying to tell her something, but only choked gasps escaped his throat. He stepped backwards.

And then, golden wings burst from his back.

Aelwen screamed.

The room's light changed. Purple and gold shone everywhere as the Kana's coats burst into shades of lavender that shone off of Gerel's growing sets of scales. His snout grew longer, a long tail whipped behind him, and his nails became claws.

He gave one last look at Aelwen, his brown eyes quickly being overtaken with gold, before he lurched backward, falling into the pool of lava behind him.