~.Coal.~

I end up back in the Volcanic Territory, which is exactly where I wanted to go. I know what I need to do, but it scares me all the same. The journey up the giant volcano is daunting enough, but in addition to that, I have to steal an infertile egg from the nest of the Mother and hurry back down before she returns. It's a journey only for the bravest or the stupidest, but for me, it's a mandatory journey that I need to start right now.

I walk around town to find a store of provisions. Once I find one, I hurry to buy as many things as I need for the journey. I take dried food and some water that the people managed to pull from the chemicals all around them as well as food to keep the Mother off my back. This is a new thing; they must have made it recently. I fit all of these things in my travel bag. Immediately after, I hurry along a path to exit the town. 

The road to the giant volcano is unmarked due to the small weak spots on the ground. Laying down a road would be suicide with all the sensitive areas that could explode at any moment! Maybe when I arrive at the volcano, I'll rip out a sturdy chunk of rock to fly up to the top, but that's only if the rock around the volcano isn't sensitive. Otherwise, I'll have to walk. 

Afternoon sets in. I stop only long enough to eat something light, have a drink, and keep moving. It feels super hot, but my body is built and conditioned to survive in the harshest of heat. I still feel it, but it doesn't affect me. In fact, I use the growing heat to guide my way to the giant volcano. Sure, I could just look at the towering figure in front of me, but using its heat is much more accurate. 

Suddenly, I hear some sort of scuttling sound coming from the general direction of the volcano. Smaller versions of the Mother on top of the volcano scurry toward me and right past me, as if I'm no threat to them. It's strange that they chose to come this way instead of right back to their little nest in the complete opposite direction of here. I set my jaw and keep moving.

~.Crystal.~

It's just as I remember it. The Floral Territory, lush and filled to the brim with beautifully deadly creatures and plants. I'm not going to be staying as a citizen this time; I have business to attend to. The magic grass is far from here, so I can't waste time.

Making sure to avoid the places with incredibly dangerous creatures, I start on my way to the clearing of the magic grass. Just like any other Territory, there's a powerful creature guarding the clearing, but I should be fine since I know how to outmaneuver it. It isn't so fast, but right now, I have to be. After all, I can already feel the effects of the Border breaking down in the area. The animals look incredibly uneasy, and the ground trembles slightly. In the first town I enter, the people are friendly enough, but underneath that friendliness is a deep unease that I'm sure they don't know the cause to. 

"You seem troubled," I tell the man at the first market I encounter. "Is there something wrong?"

The man, who's selling various fruits and vegetables, adjusts his sunhat slightly. "I wish I could tell you, Miss, but I  just don't know. Some months ago, everything started to feel off. The animals won't come out, not even those in the wild, and the crops haven't been growing as well. Not that they're rotten, mind you, but the harvest hasn't been yielding much crop."

I nod. "I hope this passes soon."

"As do I."

With that, I know for sure they don't know. I talk to a few more people, and it seems like only a few know what's happening, but they don't know how to fix it. I don't tell them what my plan is, though. It's best if only one person goes to face the beast alone. It's safer that way.

~.Ichigo.~

The moment I enter the Ice Territory, I know it's doomed. The city is broken down, the ground itself is breaking up and lifting, forming huge chasms and mountains that are nearly impossible to cross. I can still save it, though, I can feel it, but I can only save it if I act fast. I only have a small window of opportunity here! I form myself a chunk of ice, jump on, and ride it at a high speed to find the pool of warm water. My block of ice weaves through the wreckage. With the high mountains formed by the lifted ice, my block can't fly high enough to go over them. If I do, I'll risk flying in thin air with hardly any breathable air to support me. 

I look down briefly. The people are panicking. They don't know what to do while the world is destroying itself for seemingly no reason at all. Poor things. At least they had a good mind to make a sturdy shelter in the areas of stable ice. It should keep them safe until I fix their border. If I can't, well, they're doomed.

Finally, I exit the forest of buildings and lifted ice chunks to the place I think is the warmest. That's where the hot water should be, right? Will it also be boiling? I mean, I've never seen this pool, so I don't exactly know what it looks like or what the signs are that I'm getting closer. Maybe I'll just stick to finding the warmest spot.

~.Number Border.~

A Territory is on the verge of falling; it can no longer be repaired. It was beyond help by the time the child of the red hands realized the crisis. I cannot blame him for realizing too late; he does not have ears like mine, ears that hear the Borders. I would go help the Territories, but my place is here, and I am the only reason why the Number Kingdom is still intact. The creatures behind me are my responsibility.

The Natural Territory perishes. I close my eyes, silently mourning for the beautiful Territory. The ones living on what they called Earth all perished in various ways: wind storms, water storms, electrical storms, chasms, sand storms, extreme heat, extreme cold,and everything in between. There is nothing I can do, though, except protect this one. This is my duty, but it takes too much energy now.How long until I have to give my life to protect these people? Very soon, no doubt, unless someone finds the special item to heal this Border.

I keep my eyes focused straight ahead and my sword firmly planted in the ground below me. I need to focus.

~.Astral/Nova.~

I'm back in the pitch black lands of the Obscure Territory. I quickly put on the mask Crimson made me to filter the air. Last time we were here, Blackie, Amber, Bura, and I passed out on the first "night" here because of the air. It was something about the air being bad for us. I do not know the details, but I definitely learned my lesson!

It's not hard to find the light I need from here since the location is absolutely obvious, but the fact that my eyes are useless here is frustrating! I reach into my travel bag and pull out the light I got from Crimson. Its eternal light cuts right through the darkness beautifully; this will be a perfect light source.

I don't think the animals know their Border is cracking yet. They are as calm as ever, some resting, others grazing. I know, though. Many Borders have been breaking down, and this one is no exception. I'm sure the chimera that guards the light is very much aware, though. How could it not be?

Holding the candle in front of me, I continue walking through what feels to be a bog. The ground is mushy and sucks my feet in, and frankly, it smells horrible. I dwell on how funny it is that I can move from one ecosystem to the next in such a short amount of time. It's as if this Territory takes up only the smallest room. It's good for me, though. Traveling through many ecosystems means I don't have to sleep here come "nightfall." I'll most likely be able to rest in a cave to keep hidden from the predators that stay awake. 

The ground suddenly quakes violently, throwing me and a few animals face first into the bog. I lift myself back up with a gross suction sound and look around. Now, the animals are freaking out! That tremor shook them out of their comfortable habits, and now they're running amok. I hurry straight on to get out of their way, lest I be crushed underfoot because there are some enormous animals living in this bog!

Another quake shakes the world, this one more devastating than the last. It takes me a long time to even be able to sit up. Well, I suppose this means I have to move quicker than my current pace. I grab the candle, which flew out of my hands with the second quake, and stand up. My hands turn purple, and my body lifts off the ground. It takes a lot of energy to maintain this spell, but right now, it's my best option if I don't want to be thrown face first into the ground by another quake.

I make it to a forest ecosystem when another quake hits. By now, the animals are freaking out, glowing like crazy, which lets me see the world without the darkness. Everything except the animals would be a stark white if not for the residual darkness that still hangs over the world. The only reason why I've never seen them this way is because the darkness here is so absolute that only the light could cut completely through the darkness. Even the glow of all these animals together does nothing to remove the darkness completely. 

While I take a few precious seconds to look around, I feel something approaching me. I turn around and-