The Elemental Plane of Fire

*Whoosh—* In an instant, the world before Cassius turned to monochrome. Everything around him fell dead silent, reduced to a narrow conduit. He had entered the Ethereal Plane. The Inner Planes were realms dominated by the laws of matter, and the various elemental planes were connected to the Material Plane through ethereal conduits within them. *Back in the Ethereal Plane again...* Cassius gazed at the black-and-white landscape surrounding him, allowing the magic's power to propel him toward his destination. The energy tides in the distance churned with exceptional violence, yet the teleportation spell pierced straight through them, bound directly for its destination. After a moment's contemplation, however, Cassius forcefully beat his wings, deliberately stepping outside the "safe zone" carved out by the ethereal conduit. *Boom!* A sound like tearing silk resonated, and the surrounding energies seemed to roar and howl in fury. Meanwhile, the fire dwarf held firmly in his talons cried out in distress. "Your Majesty Cassius!" "Wait! Let me out first!" "My Lord, this is too dangerous! The violent elemental tides will tear us to shreds!" The red dragon scoffed. "Heh, aren't I taking you back to your homeland? Rest easy, guide. I will guarantee your safety." A series of explosive cracks from atmospheric friction rang out. His immense draconic form repeatedly broke through the confines of space until at last, he could see a perilous world in the distance—one overflowing with fiery radiance and exuding boundless thermal energy. As the red dragon drew nearer, the howling gales bearing torrents of flame grew increasingly fierce. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* Explosion after explosion erupted around him from colliding energy surges, and the rampant elemental currents surged like ocean tides. The Inner Planes were lands of raw energy and pure elements, existing in the most extreme states and conditions. They were the building blocks of the multiverse, basic matter and energy in their primal forms. As travel destinations, the Inner Planes were the most hostile of all to creatures from the Material Plane. Unprepared travelers were utterly helpless before such overwhelming forces; in the worst cases, their lives were snuffed out like candles in a hurricane. Yet as a red dragon blessed with a progenitor bloodline, Cassius felt no fear whatsoever. On the contrary, he felt thoroughly invigorated. "So this is the energy of the Elemental Plane of Fire? Now this is getting interesting!" *Roar—* Cassius let out a low roar, flames surging within his pale golden slit pupils. He snapped his wings tight, trailing a dazzling tail of radiant flame. A piercing shriek pierced the air, immediately followed by the shattering crash of fractured space. Just like that, the red dragon tore through the surging currents of energy. Like a crimson meteor plunging straight from the heavens, he barged recklessly into that world of fire. *Boom!* The scalding earth fractured, scattering sparks and ash in every direction. The red dragon gazed up at the sky. Everywhere his eyes fell was an expanse of blazing crimson. His scorching, scarlet draconic body did not seem out of place in this world at all; rather, he appeared completely in his element. This was a perpetually burning plane, thick with the stench of charred flesh and ashen dreams. This was the very embodiment of flame—the Elemental Plane of Fire. Everything on the Elemental Plane of Fire gleamed with the light of flames. The ground was nothing more than vast, shifting, flattened sheets of fire; the air shimmered with wisps of heat born from unending firestorms; and the most common liquid was magma rather than water. Oceans were formed of flowing flames, and mountains wept molten rock. Widespread across other worlds, humans could not survive here. This was the shared home of elemental creatures like magmins, fire dwarves, salamanders, and efreet. It was a crematorium for unprepared travelers, and hardly a comfortable place even for adventurers who came thoroughly prepared. The flames here burned without need of fuel or air, yet any combustible materials brought from outside were rapidly consumed. Fire held absolute dominion over this plane, with only scant traces of other elements and matter existing like isolated islands amidst the prevailing force. *Ahhh...* Cassius let out a contented rumble. He stretched his wings, shook his body, and looked down at the dragon crystal embedded in his chest. Surrounding flames poured endlessly into it, causing the crystal to pulse with continuous light. Even the "ground" beneath his feet was made of dense fire, ash, and scorched debris. To a mortal, this was a terrifying purgatory. To Cassius, however, it was practically a luxury resort. Every spark of fire element around him resonated with his being. "What a marvelous place..." A ferocious grin spread across the red dragon's face, as if he were savoring every bit of it. "Ouch!" He released his right talon, and the fire dwarf named Grim Cardoso tumbled to the ground, curling into a ball. After a long while, Grim looked himself over, and only let out a sigh of relief once he confirmed his bronze-cast body had sustained no damage. "By Moradin..." "Breaching the elemental plane with one's bare physical body... What a mad journey, what a dreadful experience!" Soon, however, Grim looked up at the red dragon and said with utmost reverence, "Your Majesty Cassius, to enter the Elemental Plane of Fire in such a manner... your might far exceeds anything I could have imagined." Now back in the Elemental Plane of Fire, the hair and beard of this fire dwarf burned with even greater vigor. Cassius glanced at him and simply asked, "Where are we right now?" Grim looked around, pondered for a moment, and replied, "This is the Burning Wilds, Your Majesty Cassius. It is the territory of the efreet." Hearing the name of the efreet, Cassius's eyes flickered, but he quickly pressed on. "Where is the Empire's outpost?" Grim answered in great detail, "Right inside our fire dwarves' Brass Fortress. Your armies have repeatedly repelled invading salamander raiders for us; you are the benefactors of all fire dwarves." "Very well. Lead the way, then." "Wait, Your Majesty..." Cassius scooped the fire dwarf back into his talons, beat his wings to whip up a scalding gale, and surged into the air. Strange birds with wings of fire scattered in terror, letting out shrill cries. "Is it this direction?" "Yes... Your Majesty. By the standard units of the Material Plane, it should be over one thousand three hundred li from here to our Brass Fortress." "Good. We should arrive in about an hour." Cassius beat his wings once more, his speed abruptly skyrocketing as he cut through the sky, trailing a deafening sonic boom. This was merely his cruising speed. Shielded by the energy barrier enveloping the red dragon, and possessing an elemental body cast of bronze, Grim managed to remain conscious. As they flew, Cassius inquired, "Why did the efreet send armies to invade you?" In the memories of his past life, fire dwarves and efreet were mortal enemies. Countless fire dwarves were captured to serve as slaves, forced into ceaseless labor for eternity. Moreover, fire dwarves were an extraordinarily dutiful race—even when it came to their duties as slaves. Some fire dwarf slaves were even chosen as overseers to keep watch over their own kin. A devotion to order was deeply ingrained in their species; they would rather endure until their contracts expired or their masters died than take the initiative to revolt. This was precisely why Cassius took such an interest in fire dwarves—they were practically born beasts of burden! Their nature aligned remarkably well with the Cinder Empire. Hearing Cassius's question, Grim gritted his teeth and said with bitter resentment, "You might not know this, Your Majesty, but long ago, the efreet and our people were actually allies. "Together with the efreet, we revolted against the tyrannical rule of the fire elemental lords. "We even helped build the home of the efreet—the City of Brass. It was once our proudest masterpiece, an unparalleled wonder. "And that 'City of Pig Iron' Lady Misha visited was constructed under my supervision. "Yet when the work was completed, those despicable efreet betrayed us. They even tried to enslave us to prevent the city's secrets from leaking..." As he reached this point, the fire dwarf's tone grew increasingly furious, and the flames across his body flared higher. Hearing this, the red dragon's eyes lit up. "Despicable indeed," Cassius agreed aloud. Internally, however, Cassius felt quite stimulated, a variety of new ideas already taking root. Easily swayed. Dutiful and conscientious. Extremely lawful, devoted, and possessing masterful craftsmanship. Simply magnificent. Those efreet weren't just treacherous; they were practically squandering heavenly gifts! To brazenly attempt outright enslavement and forfeit their goodwill for nothing... The Cinder Empire would take a different approach. The Empire could become the fire dwarves' most "loyal" ally, guaranteeing that no enslavement would ever be imposed upon them in name. "The Empire is in dire need of faithful, good allies like you..." Cassius remarked with genuine emotion. "Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty." Grim failed to perceive the red dragon's sinister intentions, assuming Cassius was merely commending the character of the fire dwarves, and sheepishly scratched his head.