“So you’re heading back already?” Faced with Hellfire’s disappointment, they can’t help but wonder whether they should remain a little longer. At least, now that they have his phone number and his address, they can remain in contact.


    “We have a few things we ought to take care of. Don’t worry. Next time we’ll stay a little longer,” Shen says. He can’t help but pat Hellfire. Even now he can’t help but feel like there’s something odd about this child.


    “Stop sulking! You can visit us, right?” Nikolay is far less considerate. “I can feel that negativity! It’s so massive demons would love to gobble you up.”


    Hellfire suddenly jumps. A revelation perhaps?


    “You can see dark magic?? Can you take it too? I need some help!”


    As the final hours of the year approach, Hellfire is practing his craft within his very own domain. It is incredibly radiant despite its hollowness. The skyscrapers atop this sunscorched land are falling apart. Cracked roads and dead plants decorate the surface. A few animals turned into ashy husks with a webbed texture. A countless mass of people are standing on the streets just as hollow as these animals. They’re just as hollow and empty as everything else. The only things that differentiate them are their forms of prayer. Each and every single one of them faced the sun within the last few moments of their life.


    “Are these people…?” Nikolay asks. It’s a horrific site to come upon.


    “They remind me of that contemporary witness we read about,” Shen replies


    “Contemporary witness?” Hellfire asks. “What’s that?” He’s completely unbothered and unaffected by the scenery.


    “What did you need help with?” Shen asks.


    Hellfire begins to manifest flames within the palms of his hand. His eyes gain a crimson glow as the fire grows. A volatile firestorm is nested between his palms reshaping itself into an arrow along with a mighty bow. Suddenly, the flames turn purple erupting into a small explosion burning his face along with his hands. For just a few seconds, seconds that felt like an eternity, both Nikolay and Shen remain motionless. Since neither are facing him, they can’t be too sure how much suffering he’s in. Deafening silence, howling winds…


    “See!” Hellfire says as he turns around. His face is scarred but healing. Just a few seconds later he’s back in top shape.


    “Did you see anything out of the ordinary?” Shen asks unwilling to adress what this child had just done onto itself.


    Nikolay takes a closer look at Hellfire and falls back onto his feet.


    “Are you okay?” Hellfire asks.


    Shen lifts his partner back up. He’s trying to keep calm in front of Hellfire but everything here is just creeping them out.


    “That damn Fusion had less dark magic than you do! You feeding on demons or something??”


    Dark magic is raging within him. An abundance of darkness powerful enough to poison the populace of a small city is nested deep within his body.


    “Can you help?” He’s innocently expecting aid from the two of them.


    Nikolay places his hand on Hellfire’s chest. He recoils after just a few seconds of contact almost falling off the building they’re standing on. Such abundance seems dangerous even to a devil. He’s even paler than usual. Yet he doesn’t look unhealthy. Nikolay jumps back onto his feet with great vigor.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    “What’s wrong, handsome! Wasn’t expecting that, huh?”


    Hellfire however is calmer than usual. He’s far more relaxed and composed than usual. His eyes glow again with a new hue reminiscent of sunsets. The emerging flames are calm and far kinder than their predecessors. Their brilliance is far more vibrant and varied. Heat surges and sears as Shen begins to sweat.


    “Look! It’s happening!” He finally fires an arrow towards the distance. Before it can make contact with anything, the arrow erupts into a massive explosion almost blowing Shen off the building while causing those closer to ground zero to collapse or burn.


    Hellfire jumps up down giggling to himself as he pulls off what he’s been practing for so long.


    “Woah! Another one! Another one!” Nikolay adds.


    Meanwhile, Shen is trying to catch his breath wishing they were home instead of in this suntouched hell. “Can we do anything else. Teach him how to control those dark flames or something. Sweating in the winter feels wrong.”


    For now, they’ll put this little experiment on hold. Directly syphoning off of people instead of just from the general vicinity seems new. They haven’t made a lot of new discoveries when it comes to their limits in what feels like forever even though it happened not even a month ago.


    With the night coming to a close, they have to prepare a feast within Hellfire’s shabby little house in the middle of nowhere. It’s a nice gathering of six outcasts connected by their oddities and shared histories of darkness. This final night of the year they’re trying to leave all that had brought them suffering behind. Shen’s lack of autonomy, Nikolay’s loneliness and innocence, Hellfire’s solitude, Elena’s grief… They can’t promise it will amount to anything but they can try.


    “Brownies, fried rice, the few meat scraps we could gather, storebought cake, all kinds of veggies on the side, filets and filets strips, a few sweet things from the bakery,” Nikolay says. “Who’s supposed to eat all that?”


    “Well… maybe…” Hellfire stammers. “Maybe a few more might show up!”


    “And if they don’t, we’ll just dine till we can’t walk!” The last time Shen had any liquor, he was well reserved and hated it yet today he’ll let loose like never before. The fact that none of it burns and all of it is sweet hand-picked deliciousness he can tolerate.


    “I’ve only had one drink though, so you don’t have to worry about me yet.” Consolation for the hangover to come.


    Their first guest finally arrives. Nikolay and Shen hadn’t met them yet, but Hellfire seems to be well-aquainted with them. Their neverending hug at least indicates that.


    “Luca! Where have you been? Is Aqua coming too?? She was with you, right?!”


    “Not yet. But she’s coming soon,” Luca replies. “She might stay for a while!”


    They’re excitedly hugging as they jump and frolic about. Luca seems a little older embodying the age of 14 far more than Hellfire did.


    “Luca is a prodigy prodigy! Aqua says I’m talented but he’s super talented!!” Hellfire claims. Boasting about his close friend has him brimming with joy. Nikolay can spot the dark magic within Hellfire growing restful condensing into a darker yet smaller mass. Shen secretly sneaks in another drink.


    “Yes! I! Am!” he yells letting the praise get to his head. “A grand illusionist that can decide the luck of all! On an expedition to a world beyond untouched by man! Praise my might!”


    Not long after the end of their charades, Elena and Prometheia arrive joining their lovely gathering. After a long meal with too many delicacies to enjoy, they’re hearded outside by Hellfire and Nikolay. They have a little show to present to them.


    Luca twirls around on the spot with his hands shaped into a half-sphere. Hellfire, with a loud bang, begins his ascent along. Nikolay’s wings blow past them with a torch in hand and the mightiest swoosh. Flickers and shine are lightly illuminating this rather dark nightsky blinded by clouds. Right now, the only thing that matters, is this insignificant space unlit and untouched by the surrounding world.


    A loud bang and several flickers of color! One, two, three, four, five lights popped into being.


    Fireworks erupt and hiss with a sudden assault to the senses outside of view. Their gate is tippy taps to the source of the original explosion amassing into a flower of color pompoms.


    Lines form all around the perimeter blasting their eardrums to bits and pieces. Not one, two, or three… Five minutes of festive explosions light up the universe as far as the eye can see before finally coming to a halt. Silence…


    …and one mighty halo of fire appears above their heads gifting radiance. A nightmarish skull of blood wears its halo with terror as both fade into oblivion.


    Only now do they experience the measly fireworks of the common people as Nikolay and Hellfire touch ground. This year has ended with a bang marking a new age for this reborn couple. May they blessed with colorful adventures and a joyful life!