Chase looked at the bright green flames that swirled around his fingers underneath the night sky.
He was sitting on a blanket that had been thrown over top of the cold forest grass.
About twenty meters ahead of him was the sizzling light from the camp they had set up.
It had been about a week after the journey had started, and Chase had found himself finding quite the comfort being away from his allies.
Even though he was clearly stronger with his friends, he preferred to be alone.
He had even asked Luna to not bother him in his time of meditation.
As flames danced around his casually positioned body, he let his eyes flutter open, trying his best to keep concentration as the green flames listened to his every command.
They would sometimes stutter or flash with violence at times of loss concentration, but had gotten quite good at controlling them.
'Poppy is probably still mad at me...'
He thought, as he began to perform the dance of the gods.
It was an ancient tradition for the god's bannermen to perform a dance with their body's lit aflame.
Luna had said that it was the origin of all flames during the great war, when the skies began to crumble and the ground grew cold from the titan's power.
The god's needed to light the world aflame in order to gain warmth within such a dark time.
So they had created a dance to ignite their hearts, this dance had been lost within the sands of time; however, Luna was able to translate some books for Chase and teach him the first stage of the dance.
She had told him that he would never be able to gain the strength of his own flames without performing the dance as a form of meditation.
Thousands of years ago, the bannermen of the gods had stood atop the southern mountains that stood past the ocean of Napharia, where the jagged peaks of Napharian stood at the edge of the world. Those bannermen were brought there by the greater gods as the war was about to be lost and they were on their last ditch effort.
Although he was sitting with his legs crossed, he flinched as his arms began to move in slow circular motions.
The gods had all sat around the bannermen as they began to dance with nothing but bull skin stretched across their skin and bathed in the blood of the titan of life.
They danced as the skies began to thunder, and the Titans, Giants, and Necrians began to step across the vast oceans of Vallmora's coast in slow but massive motions.
They towered above the skies and each limb could make up the entirety of the continent Chase sat upon.
The bannermen were not phased, although they were terrified, they knew that they would die no matter what.
So they danced.
And danced.
And continued to create a tradition as their skin began to sizzle with the first sparks, and only then did a bright ball in the sky began to light up with a bright and vibrant light.
The sun had been bestowed upon them, as one of the bannermen caught aflame.
Another soon caught fire, as limbs shot from the ground around them, bringing the first true life into the world they strived to build.
Then as the first Titan arrived, striking the jagged mountain, the third bannerman caught aflame. His fire was onyx and caught the arm of the Titan, burning it from the hand all the way up to his jaw.
That bannerman had brought upon the flame of death onto this world, then the fourth bannermen stumbled onto the ground, as his fire refused to light, but his soul was not afraid.
He looked at the ground, ignoring the oncoming onslaught of gods was about to kill him and his allies.
Chase lifted his arms up in the air, pointing two fingers of each hand downward, as flames caught on the edges of the fingers.
The bannerman felt the ground below him begin to burn, as a green light lit up within his eyes.
The flame of curses was born from unwavering faith, as it shrouded him in endless agony.
However, he turned and took on the force of the Titan's with his fellow bannermen.
Chase felt the green flames slowly shroud his entire being, as he spotted a bunny stop and stare at the tradition being performed before it.
The green flames reflected in the bunny's eyes, as it hesitated.
Then as Chase slowly shifted his position, he spoke quietly.
"Do not run... Turning your body on the flame of curses will only cause it to snare you in its death..."
He felt true fear as he wielded the flames with such an ancient tradition, but he knew better than to show his fear. If he did he would be overtaken, as he had not broken his first seal yet...
Which only meant that the flame would destroy him the moment he lost control of it.
He steadied himself, as the flames slowly crawled across his skin.
Then as he heard an oncoming footstep, he quickly shut his eyes and inhaled the flames around him.
"You do know how creepy that is... Right?"
The dark skinned archer laughed quietly.
Chase took a deep breath and relaxed.
"You know better than to interrupt me when doing that correct?"
Chase let himself calm down as he looked around to make sure that none of the sparks remained.
Equan shrugged.
"I don't fear the flames, and Luna already warned me, so I'm not really worried about it. Plus I'm just checking in... Ya know?"
Chase frowned as he let his shoulders slump.
"Why? What's up?"
Equan shook his head and leaned against one of the trees.
"They are telling stories over at the fire, and you have been pretty distant from everyone since we left. Just wanted to tell ya, it's a long way till were where we wanna be, and we all gotta be on the same page when it's time."
Chase sighed.
"I know, sorry I've been like this."
Equan shrugged and smiled.
"You're good, I get it, trust me I do. You wanna get stronger, but you weren't the only one who was utterly overpowered by him..."
Chase nodded.
"It's still not enough."
He pushed his tired body up, and stretched his arms behind his head.
"Ever since that day, it's like I was forced to be some sort of leader. At times I wish Vivian were here, or maybe Zelenna would have chosen to stay with us."
Equan nodded, looking up at the stars laced across the sky.
"She had to go gather troops, same with Zephyr and Neo's team. And you are a leader, and probably the best we've got..."
Chase looked at the ground.
"I doubt that..."
He whispered, as he tugged on the chain of his necklace that rested underneath his leather tunic.