The Tragedy of Flameza: Chapters 11 & 12

The Drawing World Elementals: The Tragedy of Flameza

Chapter XI: "Look After Me"

The next day, after the funeral at Cumulus Sanctuary, Lavia Scensear is all alone keeping an eye on her best friend's treasures feeling hopeless and helpless. Now that Flameza is dead, Lavia thinks that there is nobody to look after her or become the new hero of the Realm of Elements. While Lavia sits in the treasure room feeling like she's truly lost her best friend, she sings a melancholic tune about how much she misses Flameza and who's going to be the next hero to look after her.
Lavia starts singing all by herself:

         I guess I have no choice
         Now that Flameza's dead.
         This breaks my hurt so much
         That I can't go to bed...

         I just simply can't bear
         Losing my best friend this way.
         I've been lonely and helpless
         From his death to today!

         Now I'm in his treasure room
         With nothing to embrace
         And nothing to do
         While I'm stuck in this empty space.

         Losing Flameza was the worst thing
         That's ever happened to me!
         No, it can't be because I
         No longer have any esprit.

         Now that Flameza's dead,
         Who will look after me?
         Maybe there really are
         Other fish in the sea.

         Who will look after me
         As the new hero?
         At this point right now,
         I've dropped down to zero.

         I don't want any villains
         To take Flameza's place,
         Ruin everything,
         And make everything debase!

         Who will look after me?
         Who will look after me?
         Who will look after me?
         Because I'm alone you see!

"I'm going to miss him so him so much," Lavia said after finishing her song. "He really was a great friend to us all, despite his short temper, his ambition to become the greatest hero of all time, his recklessness when he's angry, and his strong self-will. Sometimes, he likes to be somewhat set in his ways whenever he goes on any adventures, even when he invites his friends, including myself. Now that he's gone, what else would I do without him?"
She starts to hear some eerie and ghostly whispers. "Lavia..."
"What was that?" Lavia gasped. "Who's there?"
Among the ghostly whispers Lavia heard, she heard Flameza as his spirit approaches her. "It's me, your best friend," he said.
"Flameza? I thought you were dead!" Lavia said as if she's shocked from looking at a ghost.
"Yes, but now I'm a ghost." Flameza said.
"During the funeral at Cumulus Sanctuary yesterday, Hypnomind told me that you would come back as a ghost, like all of the other fallen heroes."
"Of course. I didn't get a chance to talk to you before I died, so I'm here to chat with you now." Flameza starts his monologue telling his best friend that she and everybody else will still encounter challenges along the way when it comes to saving the world. "In case you don't know this, when heroes obtain the Elemental Hero Badge - which used to be on my vest - and die, it returns to Princess Arunika. There will always be new heroes that are willing to save us from evil, even after one passes away. We all have a life outside of adventures and saving the world, especially our past heroes. You may still encounter a few problems along the way in your life, especially regarding our friends or other places around or far from Elemental City. Before I died, I sacrificed myself by pushing you off that park bench that day."
"What? Why would you do that?" Lavia asked.
"To save your life, of course; that's what heroes do," Flameza answered. "Your adventures will still continue without me, and you will still face some greater threats in this world, a lot of obstacles getting in your way, and some new monsters throughout your later adventures. You and the rest of my friends may even fall into some new traps, mostly pertaining to some of King Florine's evil plans to take over the universe. Before I leave, I want you to know that another old, super-close friend of mine will look after you when I'm gone."
"What?"
"Cinder Pyros will be your new hero. I wish I could chat with you more, but I can't. I must go now."
"Flameza, please don't go! I need you!" Lavia begs Flameza to stay with her as she starts crying.
"Everything is going to be okay, Lavia," Flameza said. "I will always be with you, even when I'm not around because we're best friends. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Flameza," Lavia said. She didn't want her best friend to go. And now Flameza's spirit is gone, and then Lavia thinks to herself, "Who's going to look after me now?"
Cinder Pyros enters Flameza's treasure room. "I will," he said.
Lavia gulps as if she's nervous to meet Cinder. "Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Cinder, one of Flameza's close and long-time friends," he answered. "You must be his best friend, Lavia, right?"
"Yes. How did you know me?" Lavia asked.
"Flameza told me all about you back when we were kids," Cinder answered. "I was at Cumulus Sanctuary for the funeral at Cumulus Sanctuary yesterday, and you are feeling alone and miserable right now, so I decided to come here and talk to you for a while."
"How close were you two?"
"We were somewhat very close, but not as close as his relationship with you. Even though I'm not as self-assured or adventurous as he is, we pretty much go on a few adventures together, just like when you two liked to go on some together. I'm also not ambitious or hot-headed either, so we might not have too much in common, but we seemed to get along very well."
"Good for you." Lavia said. When Leafy enters in the treasure room again, Lavia asked him what he needs. "Hi, Leafy! What do you need?"
"Lavia, Cinder, Hypnomind is calling for a meeting, and he needs everyone to attend," Leafy answered.
"What is the meeting about and where is it held?" Lavia asked.
"It's about facing the X Enders and defeating them once and for all," Leafy answered. "I don't know where the meeting is held, so I would better ask Hypnomind about that. Let's go, attendance is mandatory!" He leaves the treasure room, but Cinder and Lavia don't follow him right away.
"You heard him, Lavia," Cinder said. "We better go follow Leafy and ask Hypnomind where he's going to hold the meeting about the...X Enders." He leaves the treasure room.
"I don't think I've ever seen or heard Leafy speak so firmly," Lavia said, "but he's got a point, no matter how modest he is. It's fine, I guess." She leaves the treasure room.

Chapter XII: The Meeting

Meanwhile, during stormy night at a big tree house deep in the Blue Leaf Forest, all the elementals are sitting together waiting for Hypnomind, Cinder, and Lavia to start the meeting about the X Enders. While everyone is waiting for those three elementals to start, they all talk quietly before the meeting starts.
"So wait, why are we all here, exactly?" Aerial asked.
"We're here for the meeting about defeating the X Enders and saving the universe, of course," Ratchet answered. "Were you not paying attention?"
Aerial nods her head. "Yes, but-"
Aerial's younger sister, Rainbow, rudely interrupts. "Maybe you didn't remember when Hypnomind announced the meeting and said it's held here in the woods while it's storming outside?" she said.
"Shut up, Rainbow. Get a grip!" Ratchet said.
Thunder strikes, and nearly shakes in fear of lightning.
Rainbow gulps. "Sorry..." she said.
"I am really not looking forward to this meeting at all," Yukio complains.
"Come on, Yukio," Antimony said. "You must at least give Hypnomind, Cinder, and Lavia a chance to start their meeting."
"Hmph!" Yukio sulks.
"Yukio, have a heart!" Electrass said. "Where are your manners?"
"Shut up, Electrass," Yukio said to Electrass, still sulking. "Why would I want to give those three elementals a chance to start the meeting? I don't want to hear about those gory villains, especially the fact that they kill on sight and laugh maniacally while murdering anyone!"
As Hypnomind, Cinder, and Lavia step up on the small stage in the tree house, Antimony tells everyone that they're here. "He's here, everyone. Keep your eyes and ears open!" she said.
"Alright, everyone, now listen up!" Hypnomind said as he steps up on the stage. "This is a mandatory meeting, so you better pay attention to Cinder, Lavia, and myself if you want to defeat the X Enders and save the world. We only have one shot at this; there are no second chances when it comes to true villains like them. So all of you be silent and make no sound whatsoever."
"When are the X Enders going to invade Elemental City?" Aerial asked.
"According to my future sight, they'll attack at midnight on Saturday, but right now it's Tuesday," Hypnomind answered. He crosses to Cinder. "Cinder, take it away!"
"Alright," Cinder said as he prepares to start the meeting. At the start, he sings a gothic synthwave song about the X Enders, how to defeat them, and what will happen to everyone when no one listens:

         It's a stormy night at Blue Leaf Forest,
         So don't be scared when lightning strikes.
         Listen up and keep all your eyes on me
         'Cause we're having a meeting tonight.

         The X Enders are the types of villains
         That will haunt you and ruin your life.
         Pay attention and listen closely
         If you want to avoid eternal strife!

Lavia continues the song while nearly everyone in the audience starts to feel shaky and haunted as the song continues:

         Be careful, it might be scary.
         You may be haunted because this fight will be gory.
         Cinder, Hypnomind, and I are trying to get you ready
         To face the X Enders because they are deadly!

Hypnomind starts to explain to everyone about the X Enders and how to defeat them:

         Now listen closely if you want to face the X Enders.
         Please pay attention because it is now or never.
         No, you can't make it back alive without help from us.
         Place your trust in me, you don't have the guts!

         Ignatius is the leader who will kill on sight.
         Ivy is the X Enders' healer, and she'll give you a fright.
         Zephyr likes to be in the air
         While Gaia can shake the ground.
         Duskdy is the summoner,
         And Bayou wants to see you drown!

Cinder continues:

         We know some of you are scared,
         But I promise you that we'll be on guard.

Lavia continues:

         We're only trying to get you ready to fight
         The X Enders until they're out of sight.

Hypnomind continues:

         And most importantly, we must save the day
         Before the world turns into chaos and disarray!

Cinder continues:

         It's for the better, so stay with me.
         Soon enough, we'll once again be free!

Even though Cinder, Hypnomind, and Lavia have not finished the meeting or their song yet, everyone just starts to think that the meeting and leave like they basically forgot about it all. Half of the audience is about to leave while the other half is dragging them away from the exit and back to their seats.
"Welp, I guess that's it, then," Rainbow said, thinking that the meeting was over even though it's not.
"Where do you think you're going?" Aerial asked, pulling her sister away from the exit.
"Yeah, I am sick of those bloody X Enders," Yukio said as if he's fed up.
"Get back here! The meeting's not over! SILENCE!!!" Hypnomind shouted. When he shouted out loud, the music stops, lightning strikes loudly, and everyone freezes, especially those about to leave. "Everyone, get back to your seats!" The entire audience heads back to their seats. "All I asked you was to shut up and pay attention as Cinder, Lavia, and I explain what those morbid X Enders are planning to do and how we will defeat them, and none of you were listening to me! It's like you forgot about this whole meeting already."
"That was not cool, guys!" Lavia said in disappointment. "That was so not cool."
Thunder strikes.
"Why do we have to do this again?" Cole asked.
"Trust me, the X Enders are way more dangerous and brutal than you think they are," Hypnomind said. "For the rest of this meeting, I want no talking and all eyes on me." He continues the song with an even more eerie tune and finishes it himself:

         I feel like you forgot about the meeting
         And you start to leave in the middle for no reason.
         Though it's true, the end is coming, and the misery within.
         Don't keep me waiting because the end will soon begin!

         Get ready for the end
         And don't keep me waiting.
         That the X Enders are creating.
         You can't take them on unprepared
         For absolutely no reason
         Because when you tried to leave,
         It feels like that you forgot about the meeting!
         About the meeting, you forgot about the meeting!

"That song sounded so...creepy. Proceed," Antimony said as she seems to feel queasy after the song was over.
Thunder strikes.
"As you can see, everyone, you can't just arrogantly face extremely powerful enemies unprepared without knowing what dangers you will encounter," Hypnomind said. "So until Friday night, you better do some training, get some exercise, and most importantly, get some rest, but don't do too much or you'll become vulnerable. We do not want a skeleton crew because we all have to work together to rid this world of those bloody villains!"
"Like he said, the X Enders will invade Elemental City on Saturday at midnight," Cinder added.
"Whoa, that is a terrible day and time of day to invade a city." Electrass said. "Why would they do that?"
"Because they think it's more evil that way!" Lavia said.
"Uh huh, that makes sense," Electrass understands.
Thunder strikes.
"Pay no attention to the thunder and lightning," Hypnomind said as he's about to conclude the meeting for the night. "After this meeting is over, starting tomorrow morning, get started with training and exercise, even if you guys aren't much of a fighter. That means go home, get plenty of rest, and get ready for the fatal X Ender finale. Lastly, Duskdy the summoner must be defeated first, then Ivy the healer, and Ignatius Brenton, the leader, will be defeated last! Zephyr, Gaia, and Bayou can be defeated in any order between Ivy and Ignatius! So get ready to save the world and free the Realm of Elements once again! You are all dismissed!"
Feeling relieved and thinking they're all ready to go, everyone leaves the tree house and walks home to start getting ready to fight the X Enders. But then when Hypnomind realizes that something went wrong, he doesn't go with them. "Oh no..." he said, preoccupied.
"Hypnomind, where are you going?" Aerial asked, following him.