Fire Burns Both Ways

Chapter 2: Vines over thorns

Kai slashed through the vines, he felt like his arm would fall off at any moment. The journey had been long and angonizing, monsters and danger at all turns, he even fell off a waterfall! "Guess the name isn't an overexaggeration after all"  Kai thought to himself.

Hopefully by the time he found this lost temple the others would have patched up the bounty. As he slashed through what felt like the millionth vine, a rocky mountainus scape landed into his veiw. The rock looked mossy and broken, and the entrance inside seemed to have a purplish glow. "The hidden Oni temple!"

Kai's face lit up with relief, as he picked up the pace, practically running to the entrance. He was immediately greeted with the first puzzle. Rock pillars scattered around a seemingly endless abyss below. Though there were some spaces bigger than others, "perhaps there were once pillars there before…?"

Kai brushed the thought to the back of his mind, as he jumped on the first pillar, ready to strike at whatever came at him. His hands ablaze with his green energy he landned and…..! Nothing. No fire, no spears, no falling to his death. "I guess the unmarked pillars are safe?" He looked at the surfaces of the other pillars, some marked but most plain. "Why is this puzzle so… easy?" Kai questioned as he stepped on to the last pillar.

As he walked through the entrance to the next part of the temple, Kai felt as though that purple light was getting more visible. It was.. familiar. He looked around to see a broken wall, leading to….somewhere? Wherever it was, the purple light was the brightest it's ever been. "Ok I'm pretty sure I'm not the first person here…" Kai thought. "Hello? Is anyone there?!" Kai said, poking his head into the broken wall. No response.

"Hello?" He said again, stepping into the hole. The air became chilling, the hair on Kai's neck stood up straight. He reached back for his katana in preparation, as he headed deeper down. He eventually reached a bridge, and on the other side he saw someone just..standing there. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Kai yelled at the figure, his katana out now as he crossed the bridge. "Who are you?!" As Kai got closer he could make out some features of the figures backside. Short black robes and medium length blonde hair. "I asked you a question! Who are you?!" Kai was getting angry now, his fist clenched. Just as Kai was about to touch the figure, he was thrown into the floor. When he looked up he saw the figure wearing.. "The third mask!"

Kai leapt up immediately trying to hit the figure. "Who.Are.You?!" Kai said between grunts. The figure was moving faster than Kai could strike, it was like it's very movements were taunting him. However after a while of this back and forth Kai managed to hit him! "I-I did it!" Kai whispered to himself. He saw as the mask flew off the figures face and on to the bridge. He was about to run to grab the mask before he glanced at the figure.

It was a boy, definitely younger than Kai, his hair a familiar blonde, the scars on his face reminiscent of burn marks. "Come on Kai," the boy said getting up slowly. Kai recognized the voice too.. "there's no way.."  He thought. "That's no way to treat a old friend." The boy opened his eyes, they were green and filled with a rage with the likes that Kai has never seen.

"Lloyd?"