Crimson Red, Cerulean Blue

(Blue)

“So, does anyone wanna tell me how exactly Red managed to go all rage-mode and beat up Kyore like that? Because it never really got cleared up.”

I looked expectantly at Orange, since he seemed to know what was going on, but it was Red who spoke, a corner of his mouth quirking upward. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing I haven’t taken Green’s advice and paid for anger-management classes.”

I blinked at him. “That… made no sense. Orange, do you know what he’s saying?”

Orange looked at me sidewise. “Red simply happens to be much more powerful than I’d originally thought.”

“Yeah, okay, so he’s powerful,” Green cut in, apparently just as curious as I was. “But even if he’s the strongest guy in the world, he was out of magic. There was no he could’ve done those spells. So how?”

Red slid his hands into his pockets with a mysterious grin. “It’s not that hard. Think about it for a second. When in your life do you feel most like a fire-user? When do you feel like you could start blasting flames at any moment?”

“Uh,” Green stated, which was actually a pretty reasonable response. “Never?”

But I’d understood. So I turned to him, eyes widening.

“When I’m angry.”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Red clapped and pointed to me, his grin widening. “Give the girl a prize!”

“So… You’re saying you can refuel yourself when you’re angry?” I asked, frowning. “But… How does that work?”

“Well, it’s kinda like that, but not really. Basically, I have the ability to turn rage into fire. It’s not really that hard, ‘cause the two are so intertwined. Actually, it’s almost too easy. Which is why I’ve gotta keep my temper under control a lot of the time.” He looked a little embarrassed under my stunned stare. “But it’s not really easy keeping a lid on the thing.”

“And you never thought to mention this before?!” Green demanded, looking highly irritated.

“It didn’t matter before. And the last time I used it…” Red’s expression darkened. “That was three years ago.”

He shook his head, as if clearing out the bad thoughts, and turned to me. “Anyway, you had a theory about why I can sense all this weird stuff in here, didn’t you? But then we got attacked. So what was that all about?”

“Well, you said it felt like Rogue City, but not really,” I reflected. “So I thought about it for a while. What place is kinda Rogue City, kinda not? I came up with one answer. Guess what it was?”

He stared at me for a while. “… What?”

“The Protectors’ Mountains.”

His eyes widened in realization, but Green cut in before he could say anything.

“We’re in the Mountains? But… But I thought no one could find their way through the place! How did Mask…”

“He didn’t need to,” Orange interrupted, nodding. “It’s ingenious. Have the Portal in the ocean near Viole, the farthest city from where the actual facility is hidden, where no one would think to look. Make it an entrance-only one, and set the end in one of the tunnels you know is there. Use the tunnels around you as a hideout, and drill some cells where you can keep the prisoner. There’s no way to exit the area unless you can find your way around the tunnels, which nobody can. Even if someone did manage to find their way in, they’re stuck. It’s genius.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Green shook her head. “That also includes us, doesn’t it? So that means that even if we could find Violet in this maze, there’s no way to get out. We’re stuck waiting for Mask to find us like sitting ducks!”

“That would be a problem,” I nodded, a slow smile spreading across my face. “If Red and Orange didn’t have little voices in their heads telling them where to go.”

“A little voice that still hasn’t been explained,” Red replied impatiently. “What’s the deal with that?”

“Well,” I started, but Orange cut me off with an urgent warning.

“Stop.”

He was completely frozen, tense with worry, and we all copied his example in alarm.

“Red,” he breathed, “are you getting this?”

Red paused, eyes narrowing, then nodded. “Yeah.”

“Around the next corner, to the left. Correct?”

“Yeah. You can feel their weight, right?”

“Three hundred, approximately. Three surrounded. One’s a little kid.” His brow furrowed. “What’s a kid doing here, of all places?”

“Do we go check it out?”

“Does the idea of suicide interest you?”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

I stepped in, because I was beginning to get a headache from trying to figure out what the heck they were babbling on about. “Mind translating, you two?”

Red answered. “A whole mass of guards are clogging up the hallway ahead. According to Orange, they’re surrounding three people. The question is, why?”

“So what do we do?” Green asked. “Violet might be trapped in there somehow.”

No one replied. Nobody knew the answer.

“Are they fighting?” I questioned. “Maybe we can sneak in somehow through the confusion.”

“I don’t know.” Red frowned. “I can’t tell. RT?”

“I don’t think so. Looks like they’re just talking, for now.”

“You think they might start sometime soon?”

Orange glanced at me. “Maybe.”

“So we wait. There’s got to be some kind of opening sooner or later. Plus, it’ll give us time to refuel. Green, would you mind providing some wood? Because I don’t have a match, so…”

“Nah, don’t bother. I always carry some around, just in case.” Red fished around in his pockets for a bit and came up with a bunch of ashes, which he stared at in dismay. “Or, at least, I did. Stupid new superpowers.”

Green shook her head in exasperation and murmured a spellword. A small bush sprouted out of one of the many piles of crumbling rock lying around on the ground.

“That’s the best I can do. Most plants don’t grow too well on gravel, so you’ll just have to make do. It should be good enough for you.”

Red shot her an irritated look. “You act like I need high-quality wood to light up or something. Geez, I’m not you.”

“Excuse me? I didn’t hear a thank you for the fuel yet.”

“That’s ‘cause I didn’t say it.”

Green’s eyes narrowed, and I could tell that another one of their famous arguments was brewing. Orange must’ve noticed it too, because he stepped in.

“Cut it out, you two. You want all those guys over there to hear you arguing and come charging in?” He paused for a second, then gave Red a sidewise look. “And you do owe her a thank you.”

Red looked at him like he’d suggested he start eating worms. “Are you for real?”

Orange didn’t respond, just stared him down.

He sighed. “Fine, whatever. Thanks. Geez.”

“You’re welcome,” Green replied, a little smugly.

He muttered something unintelligible and lit the bush on fire, soaking up the flames. I slumped against the wall next to him, leaning back and closing my eyes. We were probably in for a huge fight soon. It was probably best to get some rest before it happened.

Surprisingly, it was an almost peaceful scene in our deserted little section of hallway, nobody wanting to waste energy on conversation. I could’ve gotten used to it.

But of course, like all the peaceful moments we managed to get, it didn’t last for very long. Orange was the one who interrupted the silence, sitting up fast and telling us, “They’re fighting.”

Red’s eyes shot open. “Really? Sweet! Some action!”

He leaped to his feet as I dragged myself upright. And, without saying a single word, all four of us immediately turned toward the enemy-filled corridor and started running at the same time.