The warm air embraced the Blaze family in their living cave, the spatious and cavernous space guarded by a large and heavy iron gate that kept Ashlynn and her daughter safe in their own home, veins of motionless lava in the walls providing visibility.
"Was catching some iron crabs in the rivers shortly after I woke up. Peeled them by hand. Some still had eggs. It's your lucky day, Cali." Ashlynn said in a stoic voice with a slight smirk, savouring the pleasant atmosphere. She sat down on a natural stone bench at the antiquated tungsten table, two marble plates with crab meat and eggs in hand. "Here you go." Ashlynn handed her daughter a plate, golden utensils placed on it as well.
"Thanks, mom." Calidia responded, her eyes widening in excitement.
"You want something to drink, too, Cali?" The muscular woman asked.
"No, I'm good, thanks..." Calidia replied as she dug in, excitedly pricking her fork into the crab meat and eggs as she ate her breakfast with glee. The act was enough to make Ashlynn smile warmly.
"Let me know if you need anything else." Ashlynn said as she started eating her own breakfast, her portion considerably larger than Calidia's and placed on a bigger plate. Concentrated, Ashlynn took many bites of the crab meat and eggs, the cooking aroma filling the cavernous space with a sense of tranquility as the food sustained the athlete's demanding body.
"Since you've bathed in lava often, I was just wondering... is it something you'd recommend to me, even though I am not partaking in a professional sport? I have considered the idea of muscle training, and if lava bathing helps soothe the muscles... " Calidia asked as she broke the silence.
"It does help relaxing after training. It is very hard to get used to, but if you participate in Eruption, you have to. The process is difficult and harsh, but rewarding. But you should not do it if you're not comfortable and if you don't have to do it in the first place. But for me, there's also another reason." Ashlynn hesitated for a moment.
"Oh?" Calidia asked.
"A similar lava river was where I first met Brock. It was after I finished my training of that day. There I was in my early twenties, strong but far from the jacked lady that I am now. And that young man just walked up to me, asked if he could join in. I said that he could. And then we began talking." Ashlynn said with a melancholic smile. "You know the story from there."
"I still miss dad..." Calidia sighed.
"I do too, Calidia. It's been four years since his disease took him away from us. Grieving and mourning him was a very painful process at first. But I also realized that I had to keep my life going. Having one lengthy moment each day where I can relax in the same way when I first met Brock, reminiscing about him and processing the loss properly without it being a detriment to my training... I call it an ideal solution. I need to relax after each training session anyways, so may as well use that time to think about all the great times we've had." Ashlynn explains.
"Isn't that still very painful, constantly thinking about the past?" Calidia asked. "I... I don't get the idea that it'll help let go."
"It's not painful at all, Calidia. I shouldn't cry because one is gone. I smile and be content  because those memories I had with him are real. I can still cherish them. I don't feel a sickening sense of longing or grief, for I have already accepted that he's gone a long time ago, even if it took a while before I could." Ashlynn explained while continuing to eat her food as she talked inbetween bites and swallows. "Besides, continuing to train and maintain my strength, it's what Brock wanted me to do. He hated seeing me sad and broken and he wanted me to keep a levelhead as much as possible. Before he died, your dad recommended me to just keep my head up and be content that he was always there for me and that he was proud of us. He did not want me to cry every day after his death - he hated the thought of it. Brock was a good man. A good man who wanted what was best for us. He wanted me to stay strong. And by combining my training with fulfilling my late husband's wishes, and by realizing that it's better to be content with all the things that happened instead of crying because it all ended, my heart is not heavy with grief and my body is still going strong."
"Wow..." Calidia smiled with an impressed look in her eyes. "That's... inspiring."
"Brock truly was an inspiring individual." Ashlynn showed a faint smile. "That said, he also agreed with me that it's okay to be sad sometimes. If you want to cry out, do it. He wanted me to move on eventually, but he did not want to forbid us from crying about his passing. Remember that, Calidia. Suppressing emotion for too long only smothers one. If you are not ready to move on yet, if you want to cry out your frustrations... no one should stop you from doing so." She stoically continued eating her food, her levelhead apparent.
"Thanks, mother." Calidia replied with a smile. "And... I was wondering something..."
"What is it, Calidia?" Ashlynn asked.
"How... how are we even able to live here?" Calidia asked. "This lava, this intense heat, this seering atmosphere... how does it not kill us?"
"That..." The athlete widened her eyes in a moment of surprise as she held her fork in mid-air. Placing the utensil on the table, she blinked her eyes in thought. "That's an interesting thing for you to ask..."
"At school, we were learning about the existence of these creatures, these 'identical-looking' people called 'humans' who live on this planet that some call Earth. I was told that the heat of Magma Heaven would turn them to ash within seconds." Calidia crossed her arms. Ashlynn listened attentively, waiting for a few moments before giving her response.
"It is indeed a fact that there is this planet inhabited by people who look like us. But appearance aside, there is a fundamental difference in physiologies. We don't disintegrate because our bodies are fire-resistant by nature. We are blessed by the heat. We are sustained by these conditions. Altezar terraformed this formerly dry and barren planet with his fire, turning it into a paradise of flowing lava rivers while forming a dark star to keep Magma Heaven the way it should be. Pumisse, the first of all Tephra, was created by Altezar's seering breath. From there, more Tephra were born from her and the surrounding elements, fire-resistant by nature and embracing the heat. There is no other climate in which we can thrive as much as this one, Calidia. As Tephra, we should be content and proud of who we are." Ashlynn replied calmly and matter-of-fact, Calidia's eyes lighting up in intrigue upon hearing her words.
"We... we are blessed?" Calidia replied. "Altezar... you've met him. Is he truly as fantastic as others say he is?"
"We are indeed blessed, Calidia. What Altezar did to build this world and keep it intact is admirable. I commend him for what he did for us." Ashlynn responded. To Calidia's surprise, her mother frowned a bit. "But staying in power for too long can take its toll on a soul, and a mighty dragon is no exception. Power is exhausting and can make you do things you may not want to do. Well, Altezar lost a lot of his power in his early years. It is why we have a Council and a Court to maintain order in this world, as well as the Cavalry. The task of looking after two million Tephra is not something he can do on his own. Not that he should, for he has rules to follow as well."
"Rules?" The twintail-haired girl raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"As our creator, he has a responsibility. Part of a contract that he made with his creation. First, he has no right to decide over a Tephra's life and death. Second, he shall never bring other planets under his rule. And third, he has no right to break up any governmental institutions created and held together by Tephra, unless the institutions are a threat to the people or the constitution." The athlete explained.
"And what if he breaks a rule?" Calidia asked, fidgeting her legs in anticipation, the intrigue boiling over.
"It's very straightforward." Ashlynn stated. "If Altezar breaks the rules, the Tephra can force him to leave this world and have our Council continue ruling us without him. Simple as that."