The sound of the Achans approaching snapped me awake.
Morning.
Not the peaceful kind either. The "you-are-about-to-be-sacrificed-to-a-volcano" kind.
The cage bars rattled violently as they were opened, and the same grumpy Achan from yesterday leaned in with pure hatred in his eyes.
"GOD TACHUTA SHALL TASTE YOUR BLOOD!" he screamed.
I blinked slowly.
So… we were still on that nonsense.
Ariam stood up immediately, calm as ever. "Time to go."
Jayka rushed forward like a man on trial, gripping the bars. "Hey! Hey! Listen! We're not even that tasty! And I'm not fully human! I'm like… 30% problem and 70% regret!"
I gave him a quick chop to the head.
"OW! I'm negotiating!"
He turned back to the Achans.
"Okay, seriously. Your god is probably busy. Maybe reschedule the sacrifice?"
A Dracula-faced Achan suddenly leapt forward, grabbing the bars. "GOD ACHAN HAS WAITED FIFTY YEARS! HE IS STARVING! HE WILL ENJOY YOUR FLESH!"
Jayka froze. "That is not a comforting sentence…"
"All hail God Tachuta!" they roared.
The cage was lifted.
And we were carried out.
Jayka whispered, shaking. "What even is Tachuta… a god or a barbecue menu?"
We moved through a tunnel until—
A massive temple opened before us.
Dozens… no, hundreds of Achans surrounded us, chanting like maniacs.
"All hail God Tachuta! All hail God Tachuta!"
And in front of them—
A volcano.
A literal, bubbling, glowing volcano.
Jayka stared. "They are NOT normal people. No society should have a volcano as a dining table."
The grumpy Achan stepped forward. "Behold! God Tachuta awaits! The God of watery fire shall feast!"
"Watery fire??" Jayka repeated. "That's not even physics!"
Ariam didn't respond.
That was worse.
I turned to her. "You have a plan, right?"
She didn't look at me immediately.
Then she did.
"…What are we going to do?"
Silence.
Jayka's soul visibly left his body.
"I thought you HAD a plan!" I whispered.
"I had a plan for a cage sacrifice," she said quickly. "Not a volcano crowd-surfing execution!"
That did not help.
I felt my stomach drop.
So this was it.
No backup genius. No miracle exit. Just… volcano time.
I exhaled slowly. "Do it anyway. When I say."
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
The drums started.
The chanting got louder.
We were lifted toward the volcano.
Jayka lay flat in the cage like a dead man. "Tell my story… I died because I followed a singing mouse into a cult."
"I don't even sing anymore!" he shouted.
The Achans raised the cage higher and higher toward the volcano's edge.
Heat hit my face.
Now.
I nodded at Ariam.
She placed her hands on the cage.
"Please work…" she muttered.
The cage glowed.
Bright.
Too bright.
Then—
BOOM.
The bars vanished.
The entire cage transformed into a massive metal slab.
And dropped.
Right onto the Achans carrying it.
A shockwave of silence hit the temple.
Then chaos.
The slab crushed them instantly.
The chanting stopped.
Ariam collapsed.
"I leave the rest to you…" she whispered.
And passed out.
Jayka slowly stood. "Okay… I don't like when she says dramatic final boss lines like that."
I grabbed Ariam and threw her over my back.
"Run," I said.
So we ran.
Down the volcano.
Behind us—
"GET THEM!!!" the leader roared.
The entire temple erupted into pursuit.
Jayka glanced back. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS US?!"
We stopped halfway down.
They were closing in.
Too many.
Too fast.
I stepped forward.
I stretched out my hand.
Nothing happened.
"Come on…" I muttered.
Nothing.
Closer.
Closer.
Jayka stared. "Uh… we might want a different—"
Then I pushed harder.
Something snapped.
The air shifted.
And suddenly—
WATER.
A massive tsunami exploded out of nowhere, crashing down the volcano like the ocean itself had been summoned.
The Achans screamed as they were swept away.
Jayka's jaw dropped. "OKAY THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL HUMAN MAGIC!!"
I turned, half-smiling.
"…I did it."
But Jayka wasn't smiling.
He was staring past me.
I turned.
Some Achans were still climbing.
Still alive.
Still coming.
My body gave out.
I dropped to my knees.
"Not again…" I whispered.
Everything felt heavy.
My vision blurred.
Ariam slipped off my back.
Jayka's voice sounded far away. "Hey… hey don't pass out now—"
But my strength was gone.
And then—
I saw Jayka change.
He started growing.
Getting bigger.
Taller.
Massive.
Like reality itself was stretching him.
"What… are you…" I tried to say.
But my mouth wouldn't move properly.
He stepped forward, now towering over everything.
The Achans froze.
Even the volcano felt smaller.
Jayka looked down at them.
"…Oh no," he said softly.
And then everything went dark.