The Realm of the Sacred Elements.

  Its recorded history spanned thousands of years and contained a rich tapestry of stories about notable figures, civilisations, cultures, religions and historical events filled with twists and turns. The entirety of recorded history wasn't Ana's focus; however, she hinted at more ancient happenings throughout her account to Xyn's delight.

  The young man was enraptured, and Ana greedily fed off his energy, finding his reactions as delicious as his delicacies. She started with the absolute basics.

  Her home planet was called Melano. Water occupied most of its surface, roughly 70%. The ice caps in the north and south covered 10%, islands accounted for 1%, and the remaining surface area consisted of a single unbroken landmass called Battalio, which looked like a banana lying on its side on the world map.

  Ana had conjured flames to give Xyn a visual. She followed by splitting this supercontinent into four roughly equal sections.

  "These represent?"

  To Xyn's question, Ana answered: "The four Sacred Elements. My world is split into Elemental Zones. Unlike this realm, affinities are not randomly scattered about. They are locked in specific regions. The why behind this phenomenon is lost to all, but that's how my world is. Starting from the west, it is fire, then water, then earth and finally wind.]

  "Does that order represent their position in a power hierarchy?"

  [If it does, I'd say it represents the strongest element, fire being first, of course.]

  "No bias in that," Xyn said with a wry smile. "What about the Chaos element? Where is that?"

  [To answer that, know that the Element one wields is determined by where they are conceived. Earth Zone equals Earth Elementalist. Fire Zone equals Fire Elements, etc. Chaos Elementalists cut against the grain. They can be born anywhere in Battalio, between any set of parents. Some people believe they are more likely to be born on the borders of the Elemental Zones, but that's not true. There's no artificially breeding them into existence. Not that people are too eager. While an important element, Chaos isn't a Sacred Element.]

  "What separates it from the rest?"

  [A Sacred Champion. That's the difference. Every Element has a Chosen, an individual born with elemental power far above the average Elementalist. There can be only one Sacred Champion for each element at any given time. They are rare and are seemingly born without rhyme or reason.]

  "I take it you're the Sacred Champion of Fire?"

  [Yes, hence my title, Sun Maiden.]

  "Hm, what would the male equivalent be called?"

  [There is no male equivalent. The Fire and Water Sacred Champions are female, and the Earth and Wind ones are male.]

  "No exceptions?"

  [In all of recorded history, the pattern has held true. It might not be an absolute truth, but there has been no evidence to the contrary.]

  "I see," Xyn accepted the explanation. Sometimes things were like that.

  The topic of Elementalists and their magic was the focus for the next ten minutes. Everyone in the Realm of Sacred Elements was a mage, wielding one of five elements. Talent was not evenly distributed, though, and most people were more or less mundane humans with a party trick.

  Chaos Elementalists evened the playing field somewhat. Their magic allowed them to imbue objects with various concepts. They were responsible for all magic tools and enchantments. Ana's sword, armour and Charms were products of ancient Chaos Elementalists.

  Following an explanation of the magic system, Ana delved into the history of her world. It could be divided into two parts: the realm before demons invaded and after.

  The before times were coloured by a mild peace between the four elemental nations. They warred with each other over every reason under the sun, as humans did. Kingdoms toppled and names changed, but the elements didn't care.

  One event stood out.

  "The Sacred Clash," Ana's mood turned sombre at the piece of history. "It was the start of our realm's downfall. For a reason lost in any texts, the four Sacred Champions of the time met and did battle." The Fire Elementalist sighed. "In the end, none left that valley alive."

  Xyn tilted his head. "What am I missing? It's not like the sacredness is passed down via genes."

  "That's not the point. While rare existences, till then, at least one Sacred Champion had been around. Following the death of all, a drought fell upon us. Whatever entity or algorithm that chose Sacred Champions wasn't pleased. Over a thousand years went by before the world granted us another Sacred Champion."

  Ana moved on to the demon invasion. They came eleven hundred years ago, dropping on the eastern shores of the Wind Nation, Swerses. They came as an endless swarm, many millions strong.

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  "Their numbers were impressive, but Swerses was strong, having both quantity and quality on their side. Demonkind was pushed back toward the ocean, where everyone presumed they came from. However, once the Demon Lord took the field, the tides turned rapidly. There is an absurd gulf between a Demon Lord and the common demon. Swerses fell by his dreadful might. The great nation was destroyed in a matter of hours. Millions died, men, women and children by demonic hands."

  "Brutal," Xyn uttered with a crunched-up expression.

  Ana agreed, wearing her own scowl. "That was only the beginning. The demons then moved westward, and the rampant bloodshed continued. By then, the other nations ceased their petty squabbles. A coalition army was sent out to crush the demons. If it were just regular demons, they'd have accomplished their mission easily. The Demon Lord was the issue. He was an unstoppable force. Also, an unpredictable one. He appeared here and there, randomly, as though on whim. Each appearance saw a sea of blood splurge into existence. The difference in strength was despair-inducing, and each night was a sleepless one for the residents of the three nations as they imagined their deaths at the hands of a demon.”

  The shadow of flames danced across Ana's form as she spoke the morbid tale.

  "A decade of fighting, and the Earth Nation was lost. Another decade more, and the Water Nation fell. With those two no more, it was the Fire Nation's turn to feel the heat of battle. My people fought and died, with the pride of our nation burning in their veins. No inch was given, only taken. This was because a single hope was given to them. Finally, in the darkest hour, when the great nation was reduced to its capital, one revealed themselves to the army of demons. Darazstaia Von Starlight. A Sun Maiden, the first in over a millennium.”

  A fanatical light entered Ana’s eyes as she recounted the legend. Xyn watched on and felt repulsed. He hid his feelings with a raised mug and downed the drink and her words alike.

  "It was on the muddy Duravel Plains that she walked, that she confronted the Demon Lord in mortal combat. She released her seal and became Supernova. The world burned as she repaid the debt of hate the other had incurred. A fiery swing that split the continent killed the Demon Lord, and in the aftermath, she stood victorious, glowing in a cloak of golden flames. Her final act was flying into space. There she became a second sun, albeit briefly."

  "What's the explanation for a Sacred Champion showing up when they did? And why the Fire Nation? What did Ludalsha do that the other three powers failed to do?"

  Ana shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. It's almost certain that something was done, most likely by a Starlight. Sacred Champions appeared randomly. There was no bloodline component. That changed with Darazstaia. Every Sun Maiden since her has been part of the Starlight line without fail, I being the latest one."

  "Hm, what about the other Elements? Did they get a Sacred Champion?"

  "No, they didn't. People suspect that whatever lineage held that power died off. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

  "That does make sense. Okay, continue your tale. What happened afterwards?"

  "The Children of the Elements, what was left of them, celebrated, thinking it was over, but it was not. Without the Demon Lord, the rest of the demons were pushed back. We had greater quality, but their numbers and penchant for violence made for a lengthy affair. It took decades to reclaim the Fire Nation. We rebuilt from the ashes, making something even greater. Then, it took several more decades to drive them all the way to the western edge of the continent. But then the tides turned again. The second Demon Lord appeared."

  "A repeat?"

  "Kind of. The second Demon Lord was just as strong as the first, if not stronger. However, this time, a Sun Maiden was already waiting for him. The Starlight bloodline had popped out another one. Armed in Charms and the sword I now wield, she had already lived thirty years and was considerably stronger than Darazstaia had been. The royal who was closer to a queen than a princess hadn't just been waiting in the capital, either. Her innate powers had been used to strengthen several central cities and weapons for decades already. She stepped up and did her noble duty splendidly. As a Supernova, she slayed the second Demon Lord and scores of demons before dying as the brightest firework."

  Ana showed a proud smile, remembering her ancestor's achievement. And again, Xyn couldn't help but feel an innate disgust.

  "Battalio was cleansed of demonkind within the year. We rebuilt the lost territories, better than before, reinforcing them with powerful enchantments. Practical considerations were priority number one following the arrival of the demons. We thought it was over, and had good reason to feel this way. Nearly a century passed without anyone spotting a demon. And demons, for all their cunning and trickery, were rather straightforward most of the time. The territories belonging to the wind, water and earth elemental zones never reached the same great nation status they had before, with most survivors choosing to stay in Ludalsha. However, cities and settlements cropped up and gave birth to new water, wind and earth Elementalists. We were on the road to recovery...and then it happened again."

  "I'm sensing a pattern here."

  "Yes, that is it exactly," Ana sighed. Her world history and a yo-yo were alike. "The demons invade and win territory until the Sun Maiden shows up. She kills the Demon Lord, and demonkind is pushed back or wiped out entirely. Time passes by, and a new invasion begins, and we have a repeat. It is never-ending. I am the latest in this pointless cycle. I was, in fact, hours away from going Supernova."

  "You were," Xyn's eyes widened.

  "Yes. We pushed the demons to the eastern edge. The Demon Lord was confirmed to be in his obsidian palace. I was in the middle of an inventory check when orange sparkles surrounded me. The next thing I knew, I was here, in this strange land. I was not happy to be denied by destiny - at first," Ana recalled her opening minutes in Manx. Her wrath created a desert of ash, "...but that's changed. Instead of a few decades of respite, I have the opportunity to carve out a permanent peace. A golden chance. And so, I'm glad to have been brought here."

  I'm glad you were brought here, too, Xyn thought. "Speaking of your translocation, did you hear a voice when it happened?"

  "I did."

  "Oh, what did it say?"

  "Your tomorrow is not today." Ana frowned. "I assumed it was a demon, but Drazal said it was not."

  "It's not. It's the former Pixie Queen. She was affected by the strangeness of Universe 10 and became a force that transmigrates others to Machaeverosa. It's a commonly held belief that she lost her sense of self when she was transformed into a Stranger, but that's not the case, as we have witnessed."

  And for some reason, she chose to transmigrate us to Machaeverosa around the same time. Why? What was her play? Does it have something to do with Cabrena's prophecy?

  "What did she say to you?" Ana honed in on his wording.

  Xyn glanced around as he chose his words carefully. "I was alone and made a comment that I was sick of my home universe. She said, "How about another world, then?” in reply and by the next moment, I was in Manx.""

  Ana's eyes flashed with concern. "What would make you sick of your home world?"

  "A long story. Later. You've arrived in Machaeverosa. Pick up from there."

  "Sure."

  ***