Heroes On Holiday

Everyone in the nearby town had started talking about them—ever since the dramatic fight in the mines. The battle had gone viral, with blurry videos of Varun dodging attacks, Ignis raining fire, and Sofia slicing through debris like a ghost with a sword. The strange trio that caused explosions, the fire boy with glowing eyes, the fearless girl with sword scars on her hoodie, and the one with the sarcasm of a full-time clown. Rumors flew like wildfire. Some called them heroes. Others said they were dangerous.

But none of that mattered right now.

In the heart of a peaceful, isolated area—where birds chirped, leaves danced in the wind, and animals peacefully minded their business—chaos was unfolding.

Ignis's house, a crooked old hut that looked like it was one sigh away from collapsing, was under attack.

Not by monsters.

By its residents.

"VARUN, MOVE! That cabinet's coming down!"

Sofia yelled as the entire kitchen wall began to tilt.

"I GOT IT—wait no I DON'T—AHHH!"

CRASH!

Dust exploded everywhere. Varun rolled out from the wreckage with half a wooden spoon in his mouth. "I'm fine!"

Ignis peeked through the front window casually, chewing on a piece of toast. "That was my kitchen wall, you know."

Sofia huffed, brushing plaster off her hoodie. "It needed to go. It offended me."

"Same," Varun coughed. "Even the fridge smelled like betrayal."

Ignis walked inside, arms crossed, lips smirking. "You two sure love breaking my stuff."

Sofia turned to Varun and whispered (not quietly), "He's so rude."

"I know, right?" Varun whispered back, grinning. "He acts like we're the guests and he's the king of Trash Palace."

"I heard that," Ignis said flatly.

Varun blinked. "No, you didn't."

"I have fire-enhanced hearing."

"That's not a real thing," Sofia muttered.

Ignis stepped into the center of the destroyed house, raising a finger like a dramatic villain. "Listen up, children."

"We're the same age—" Sofia began.

"I'm the oldest," Ignis cut her off, puffing his chest. "I'm twenty. That makes me the wisest. So from now on, follow my orders."

Varun tilted his head. "You mean like how you ordered the living room to catch fire last night?"

"That was... controlled chaos."

Sofia rolled her eyes. "You set your socks on fire trying to heat soup."

Ignis pointed a finger. "One time! One time!"

Varun looked at Sofia. "I vote we overthrow him."

"Agreed," Sofia said.

Ignis groaned, "Can we at least build the base before the coup?"

Three Hours Later:

They got to work.

Well—kind of.

Varun tried to help by carrying heavy wood, but dropped a whole stack on his foot and hopped around yelling, "MY TOES! I NEED THOSE!"

Sofia got serious, measuring and cutting logs, but accidentally built a ramp that launched Ignis into a bush.

Ignis kept adding "cool fire features" that Sofia immediately banned. "No flamethrower mailbox!"

Varun rigged Ignis's toolbag so that every time he opened it, glitter exploded in his face. Ignis sparkled for hours—literally. His hair, eyebrows, and even his eyelashes twinkled like a disco ball. Every time he turned his head, sunlight scattered around the room. "I look like a fire fairy!" he yelled, chasing Varun around with the sparkly hammer.

Sofia wasn't far behind in the chaos. She sneakily replaced Varun's water bottle with pickle juice. When he took a massive gulp, his entire body froze. Then he gagged, stumbled backward, and collapsed onto the grass dramatically. "Why would you DO this to me?!" he gasped, clutching his chest like he'd been poisoned. "I taste betrayal!"

But Ignis wasn't letting them have all the fun. He got his revenge by sneaking an extreme hot sauce—called "Dragon's Scream"—into their chips. Sofia didn't even blink. She just looked him in the eye and said, "Weak." But Varun? He shrieked like a banshee, sprinted in circles, dunked his head in the water bucket, and still cried for fifteen minutes straight. His tongue flopped out like a dying lizard.

The prank war kept escalating. Ignis woke up one morning to find his favorite hoodie sewn shut. Varun's boots were mysteriously filled with jelly. And Sofia? She opened her toolbox only to be greeted by a dozen fake spiders. The base became a prank battlefield.

Later that evening...

The three sat around a small campfire in the middle of their half-built base.

Sofia munched chips. "So what's the next plan, 'wise leader?'"

Ignis smirked. "Simple. Phase two—training, upgrades, and snack organization."

Varun added, "Phase three—kick you off leadership."

"Phase four," Sofia said, "elect me as the actual leader."

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Ignis shouted.

"We know," they said in unison.

Ignis then pulled out a fake spider he had been hiding in his pocket and casually tossed it onto Sofia's lap.

"AAAAHHHH! WHY IS IT SO BIG!?" Sofia leapt up and stumbled backward, nearly knocking over the fire pit.

"It's rubber," Ignis laughed, wiping tears from his eyes. "But good reaction time. Training success.""

Just then, Lucy's voice buzzed in from Varun's watch, clearly amused. "Wow, Ignis. Throwing fake spiders now? What's next? Scaring squirrels with fireworks?"

Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

Lucy responded dryly, "Congratulations. You've officially reached the maturity level of a campfire raccoon."

Varun laughed. "Oof. That's a direct burn."

Sofia grinned. "Lucy's got more fire than you, Ignis."

"Okay okay," Ignis groaned. "Why does the AI roast me more than my enemies do?"

Lucy chimed in again, "Because your enemies don't have as much material to work with."

They all burst into laughter again, the sound echoing through the night air.

As the sun dipped lower, Varun and Sofia decided to explore a nearby lake.

The water sparkled in the fading light, peaceful and calm. They crouched down, cupped their hands, and drank from it. But the moment they swallowed, both of them froze. Their muscles locked up. They couldn't move.

Then came the whistling.

Dozens—hundreds—of arrows came soaring from the treeline, aimed directly at them.

It looked like their end.

But before the arrows could strike, Ignis appeared in a flash. He stood between the barrage and his friends, taking the arrows on his back. He didn't stop them all. A few pierced deep. Blood soaked through his shirt. He winced, breathing heavily, legs wobbling.

Still, he didn't fall.

"Nothing… happened," he muttered through gritted teeth.

From the shadows, a group of tribal warriors stepped into view. But when they saw Ignis still standing, eyes glowing, arrows sticking out of his back, blood dripping down—

they ran.

The moment they vanished into the woods, Ignis collapsed face-first into the dirt.

Varun and Sofia regained movement just in time. They rushed to him, panicked.

His body was covered in arrows, blood pooling beneath him. His breathing was shallow, strained.

"I just… need some sleep," Ignis muttered, blood trickling from his lips.

They both smiled weakly, relieved, and carried him back to Base—his blood leaving a trail through the dust.

Later, after Ignis recovered, Varun finally asked, "Who were they? Why couldn't we move after drinking the water? And… why didn't you burn the arrows?"

Ignis sat up, his expression serious. "They were tribal hunters. They believe in protecting their land by eliminating those they think are dangerous. The lake was poisoned—designed to paralyze anyone who drank it. Then they kill."

He paused. "I didn't have time to use full power to burn the arrows. And if I used a weaker flame… the arrows might have turned into fire arrows. Instant death."

There was silence.

Then Sofia quietly said, "Good thing you didn't miss."

Ignis smiled faintly. "I never do."