Soon after, we left the dining hall as Kia was going to show me my room. We continued walking through the same long hallway and eventually reached a set of spiraling stairs. We climbed up the stairs and arrived at, you guessed it, another long hallway. I’m never going to remember the layout of this place, am I? Fortunately for me, we didn’t need to keep walking for that long, as we arrived at a door with a golden nameplate attached, reading:

GUEST BEDROOM.

“Do not mind the plaque on the door. I shall have it changed as soon as possible.”

Kia grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. To say the room was spacious would be an understatement. There was a king-size bed, several bookcases and drawers, a large writing table, and still enough room to walk around comfortably. A red carpet with golden edges covered the entire floor, while a small lamp hung from the ceiling, casting a warm light over the room.

“Wow… ”

Kia then led me towards the bathroom. Yes, you heard that correctly. I even had my own bathroom. The floor and walls were covered in black-and-white tiles. But what caught my attention the most was the giant bathtub standing at the far end of the room. It could probably fit four–no, maybe even five people my size.

“Is this really all mine?”

“Yes. You are free to use anything in the room.”

I stared at the bathtub for another few seconds. This place was ridiculous. Once Kia had finished showing me around, I finally collapsed onto my new bed. So much had happened today, I could feel the exhaustion catching up with me.

“So, does this room meet all your needs?” Kia asked.

“This is more than I could ask for. Thank you so much, Kia!”

“I am glad to hear that.”

She sat down beside me on the bed.

“I still have some time before I must leave. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. What would you like to know first?”

“Well, first, I want to know how you set your sword aflame?”

She glanced at the sword resting beside her and remained silent for a few seconds. Then she turned back towards me with a smile.

“Would you mind if I explained that to you tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“It would be much easier to show you than to explain it. Unfortunately, this is not the best place for a demonstration.”

“Fair enough.”

I thought for a moment.

“Do you know how I got here? I mean… to Fira?”

Kia shook her head.

“No. I’m afraid I do not.”

I sighed. I thought long and hard about what to ask next. There were so many things I wanted answers to that I didn’t even know where to begin.

“I guess… what I’d also like to know is how I’m still alive after Lucifer killed me.”

Kia’s expression became more serious.

“I promised I would tell you that, did I not?”

I nodded.

“Well, to keep it brief, it has to do with something we Firans call The Flow of Life.”

“The Flow of Life?”

“Yes. It is an energy that exists within every living being. It is what allows life to continue within us.”

She paused for a moment, making sure I was following.

“The Flow of Life consists of three parts, which we call Life Spots. They are located within the brain, heart, and diaphragm. As long as even one of these Life Spots remains intact, a person can still recover from injuries that would otherwise be fatal.”

“So… I wasn’t actually dead?”

“You were–but not fully.”

She looked at me carefully before continuing.

“To truly die, all three Life Spots must be destroyed simultaneously. If that does not happen, the Flow of Life will eventually repair the damage and restore the body.”

I slowly looked down at my hands.

“So that’s why I’m alive…”

“Precisely.”

I sat there in silence for a moment, trying to wrap my head around it.

“A world where you can’t die, huh?”

Kia let out a quiet, pained chuckle.

“It is both a blessing and a curse.”

“A curse? How?”

Her smile faded slightly.

“Because not being able to die does not mean being unable to suffer.”

Her words left me silent. Just the thought of it–losing a limb or suffering fatal injuries, only to wake up and remember all the pain you experienced. In that case, maybe eternal life truly is a curse.

“Well then, I think it is best if we leave it at that. I reckon you must be feeling pretty tired right now. Take some much-needed rest, and I will see you tomorrow morning.”

Kia stood up from the bed and left the room. I stayed lying on my bed for another minute before going to the bathroom. When I turned the bathtub valve, the strange orange liquid Kia called Ignis poured from the tap. I took off my clothes and waited for the bath to fill before carefully dipping my toes in it. Once I discovered the Ignis wasn’t actually lava, I resumed taking a nice, refreshing soak. Kia was right, the Ignis really feels wonderful here. It felt like all my worries were slowly washing away.

“Ah, this is what I needed.”

I don’t know how long I spent in that bath. Thirty minutes, an hour, or maybe even longer. Not that I was too eager to find out. When I finished bathing, I dried off, put on my underwear, brushed my teeth, and jumped straight into bed.