"Where Fire Waits" [Part 20] Leonida's Quest - An Infinity Kingdom Story

🔷 Introduction

Welcome to part 20 of Leonidas' quest. This is a special chapter that is working in harmony with my Wukong’s Quest. If you are following both stories, please read part 47 of Wukong’s Path after this story!

We will be following the story of how he became one of the most formidable leaders in history and all of the trials and challenges he faced in his lifetime to get to the pinnacle of life. It started when he was a young boy and had some incredible moments in his life, which led him to be the incredible leader he is today.

🔷 Summary of Part 19: “The First Awakening”

As ancient fire awakens in the Foxfire Basin, a troll-blooded boy called Ash-Tongue rises as the vessel for the Worldfire, shaking the balance of power and belief. Haunted by prophecy and past choices, Leonidas resolves to face the boy himself, believing not in control, but in connection.

🔷 Part 20: “Where Fire Waits”

The wind hit harder once they left the safety of Sparta’s walls. Leonidas rode ahead, quiet and focused, his cloak stiff with frost and dust. Wukong walked a few paces behind, staff over one shoulder, eyes alert to the unnatural stillness creeping through the woods. The fire warriors said little. They all felt it. This wasn’t a mission or a patrol. It was something older, heavier. A reckoning waiting to happen.

The northern road had changed.

What used to be a familiar mountain pass now wound through a twisted forest. Trees leaned unnaturally toward the trail. Their bark was cracked and blackened, their roots glowing faintly in the cold dirt like dying coals. Nothing made a sound. No birds, no wind, not even the usual groan of shifting ice. It was as if the land itself held its breath.

At night, the fire warriors circled close to the flames. They sharpened their blades, spoke in low tones, and tried to ignore the shapes moving beyond the firelight. Strange creatures stared from the dark—deer with too many eyes, wolves that watched but didn’t approach. Wukong said nothing at first, but he didn’t sleep either.

On the fourth night, a voice drifted through the trees. High, distant, and impossible to ignore.

“Why do you follow the fire when it burns you?”

Everyone froze. The warriors drew their weapons. Wukong scanned the woods, his grip tight around his staff. The voice didn’t return, but something shifted in the air. Warmer. Closer. They were nearing the basin.

Leonidas didn’t rest that night. He stood by the fire and watched how the flames moved. They didn’t flicker with the wind. They leaned, almost pulsed, like they were listening. Or maybe waiting.

By morning, the snow beneath their boots had vanished. Steam rose from the ground where frost once clung. They crested a ridge just as the sun broke through, revealing the Foxfire Basin below. The land glowed. Rivers shimmered like liquid glass. Vines pulsed with orange and gold. And at the center, standing calmly among cracked stone and watching elders, was the boy.

Ash-Tongue.

He looked older than before. Taller. The broken fox charm still hung at his chest, but now it burned like a second heart. Gold and violet light coursed under his skin. He didn’t speak, but the flame around him moved like it knew what was coming.

Leonidas stepped forward. Ash-Tongue turned toward him, and their eyes met. The boy’s gaze was calm, unreadable, and far too deep for his age.

The warriors behind Leonidas waited. Some gripped their weapons. Others looked unsure whether to kneel or turn back. Wukong broke the silence.

“We don’t know what he’ll do.”

Leonidas gave a small nod. “That’s why I’m going alone.”

He started down the slope, slow but steady, the heat rising with every step. Fire rippled along the rocks around him. At the bottom, the boy waited. Still silent. Still watching.

Leonidas kept walking.

Whatever happened next, it had to begin face-to-face.

📄 Recap Questions

How has the northern landscape changed during Leonidas’s journey, and what does that reveal about the growing influence of Ash-Tongue and the Worldfire?

Why does Leonidas choose to face Ash-Tongue alone, and what does this decision say about his sense of responsibility?

🔷 Conclusion

Leonidas's path into the heart of the basin isn’t just a mission; it's a confrontation with fate, legacy, and the power he once believed could be contained. As the fire answers to a new voice, only one question remains: can the past reach what the flame has already claimed?

See you next week!

🔷 Hades, Press Officer.

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