Page 44 of Axis of Fire

A quiet sigh.

Then, calmly:

“The first world created was Saquararus. It’s tied to primary energy—lightning.”

“Terrible storytelling,” Aars scoffed.

“He has no sense of drama.”

“The hummingbird who created the first world is called Saquaku,” Aars continued proudly.

“His name means ‘small brave bird.’ And the world’s name means ‘lightning.’”

Airis ignored him.

“The second world was Vuduarus. Then came Miriarus—the world of dreams and illusions.”

“Which, by the way, was created by a sleeping moth named Miraru,” Aars added enthusiastically.

“Literally in its sleep.”

His tiny fists clenched as he gestured wildly—

like he was arguing during some dramatic debate.

“And Miraru’s name translates to ‘a flower that lives in our consciousness.’”

I didn’t even want to ask how that translation made sense.

“You should know,” Airis added,

“the world of dreams and illusions ranks among the most dangerous in Noveris.”

That surprised me.

In a good way.

At least he chose to share that himself.

“Why is it considered dangerous?” I asked immediately, already feeling slightly overwhelmed.

Saquararus—lightning.

Vuduarus—humans.

That was manageable.

Miriarus—dreams and illusions.

And there were twelve of these worlds I had to remember.

And Aars kept adding extra details about their creators, and I had no idea what to do with them.

“Because only its inhabitants truly understand it,” Airis said.

“To outsiders, Miriarus appears differently to each person.”

He paused briefly.