An year had passed since that fateful day when Kairo, Yuki, Arson, Sylvia, Glacius, and Peggy had parted ways.
The world, however, hadn't remained still.
Arson, now 25, had carved his path of conquest even further, securing more territories for the Magma tribe. His flames had spread across countless lands, but this time... his path wasn't as destructive as before.
Because walking beside him was Sylvia, now 22-the Restorer, the healer of lands.
Together, they had formed an odd yet effective balance.
Arson conquered territories with his relentless ambition, yet Sylvia worked tirelessly to ensure the people within those lands weren't harmed, healing the scorched earth and protecting the innocent.
It was a delicate dance between fire and nature.
What surprised everyone-especially the neutral territories caught in the crossfire of the elemental tribes-was the strange duality of their rule.
The lands Arson conquered didn't fall into dictatorship or cruelty. Instead, they found a peculiar form of protection.
Because whenever a rival tribe tried to seize those neutral territories, the people had a direct lifeline-an emergency signal Arson had given them: the Magma Call.
A simple but powerful way to summon him.
And Arson always answered.
He would arrive like a blazing storm, his flames tearing through any opposing forces, ensuring those who dared to encroach on his territories faced his wrath.
But the people weren't terrified of him like they used to be-because right beside him was Sylvia, a calming force who shielded the innocent from the battles and healed the land after Arson's fury subsided.
It was an unexpected balance.
The neutrals were lucky-they weren't just under the rule of a conqueror; they were also under the security of a protector.
Arson may have claimed the lands, but Sylvia kept his flames from burning too bright.
One evening, as they overlooked a vast, liberated neutral territory, Arson stood with his arms crossed, his crimson cloak flickering in the wind.
"You know," he said with a smirk, "I used to conquer every territory just to add them to my name. It was about power. About fear."
Sylvia, standing beside him, her hand gently brushing a flower back to life, didn't look up. "And now?"
Arson chuckled softly. "Now, thanks to you, I'm forced to act like a savior."
Sylvia finally looked at him, her green eyes steady. "You're not forced to do anything, Arson."
"Aren't I?" He raised an eyebrow. "If I don't, you'll never let me hear the end of it."
Sylvia smiled faintly but didn't deny it.
Because it was true.
"And what about you?" Arson added, his voice quieter. "You always hated seeing lands dominated, people caught under someone else's rule. But here you are-by my side-while I keep adding territories to my name."
Sylvia's fingers traced the petals of a flower that had once been singed by his flames, now vibrant again under her touch.
"I don't like it," she admitted. "But if this is the only way to stop you from becoming a tyrant... then I'll accept it."
Arson smirked. "So, you're forcing yourself to accept me?"
Sylvia glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "I'm accepting the part of you that still listens to me."
For a moment, silence stretched between them-fire and nature standing at odds yet in harmony.
Arson's voice broke the quiet. "We've created something... strange, haven't we?"
Sylvia tilted her head. "Strange?"
He gestured to the land before them. "These territories aren't just mine anymore-they're under our control. The people don't fear me because they know you're here to keep me from going too far."
Sylvia nodded. "And they don't question my presence because they know you're the reason no tribe dares touch their land."
It was an unspoken truth.
The balance of conqueror and protector.
Arson wasn't just feared anymore-he was a deterrent to other tribes.
Sylvia wasn't just a healer-she was a symbol of security.
And though their methods clashed, they had found a way to coexist-not by changing each other, but by ensuring neither lost themselves entirely.
"Guess we make a good team," Arson finally said, his usual arrogance tempered by a rare, genuine edge to his voice.
Sylvia let a small smile break through. "Looks like we do."
And as the sun set behind them, the lands under their joint rule lay still-safe, for now-under the watchful eye of the Destroyer and the Restorer.
While Arson and Sylvia forged their path of fire and restoration, Glacius and Peggy had carved their own legacy - one of ice and fairy light - through the aquatic neutral residents and islands.
Glacius, now 25, had extended his icy grasp over numerous aquatic territories - lands where aquatic neutral residents lived untied to any elemental tribe.
With his frozen touch, Glacius would freeze entire aquatic territories - his methodical and relentless nature turning oceans, rivers, and lakes into silent, shimmering domains of ice. His focus was singular: conquer and expand.
But he wasn't a tyrant.
Because Peggy, now 21, was always by his side.
Where Glacius froze the land, Peggy thawed what mattered - homes, shelters, and the neutral residents caught in his icy sweep. Her fairy elemental powers would gently melt the frost from doors, melt ice from trees across islands and unfreeze those accidentally trapped.
It was a strange rhythm - Glacius freezing forward, Peggy softening the edges - but it worked.
Without her, Glacius might have become a merciless ruler, a cold dictator who expanded his domain without regard for those who lived in it and would have claimed he is bringing true peace by preserving everything.
But with her, his conquests took on a new form: not just conquest, but protection.
Just like Arson, Glacius became a reluctant savior - not out of his own will, but because Peggy refused to let him rule via his twisted idea of peace.
The neutral aquatic territories(including aquatic neutral residents as well as islands) under his control weren't left in fear - they had a strange sense of security.
Why?
Because Glacius gave them the Ice-Demon Call - a way for them to summon him if any rival tribe tried to seize his frozen lands.
And just like Arson with his Magma Call, Glacius always answered.
The moment an enemy tribe threatened his territories, Glacius would arrive - an avalanche of cold fury - freezing the waters solid and leaving his foes encased in ice.
And while he fought, Peggy ensured the neutrals didn't get caught in the battles - shielding them, thawing the ones frozen by his ice, guiding them to safety, and repairing any damage done to their homes.
It was a stark contrast - the Ice Demon and the Light Fairy - conquering and protecting in the same breath.
But it didn't stop there.
Glacius didn't just defend his frozen territories - he also began liberating aquatic neutral territories that were under the harsh rule of evil tribes.
Tribes who had oppressed the neutrals, stolen their resources, or forced their rule upon them - Glacius and Peggy wiped them out.
Glacius froze the tyrants in solid ice by claiming himself as the bringer of peace.
Peggy freed the people from both the rulers and the frost.
The aquatic neutrals saw it clearly - Glacius wasn't the ruthless ruler they once feared.
Because Peggy wouldn't let him be.
Glacius may have cared only about expanding his territory, but Peggy cared about the people in them.
And without realizing it, Glacius' grudge against other tribes - the bitterness that once fueled his desire to conquer - slowly began to fade.
He was still cold, calculating, and distant - but his goals weren't about revenge anymore.
Now, his focus was simple: bring more territories under his control - ensuring no other tribe could steal them - all while Peggy made sure those living there were protected, not ruled.
One evening, as Glacius surveyed an icy coastline - the ocean frozen for miles, the air crisp with his power - Peggy stood beside him, her fairy light glowing softly.
"You really froze the whole ocean again," Peggy said, sighing.
Glacius didn't look at her. "It's mine now and peaceful"
Peggy shook her head, smiling faintly. "And what about the people living by the ocean?"
Glacius's icy gaze remained fixed on the horizon. "That's your job."
She laughed softly. "You're lucky I'm here."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then, in a rare moment of honesty, Glacius muttered:
"I know."
Peggy blinked, surprised. "What did you just-"
"Don't make me say it again."
The Ice Demon and the Light Fairy - not quite conquerors, not quite saviors - had become something else entirely:
A force of cold protection - ruling without cruelty, conquering without destruction, all because they balanced each other's extremes.
And just like Arson and Sylvia...
The world was starting to take notice.