"You get back here, Kaos!" Chihiro demanded as she shook her fists towards the flash of teleporter light where Kaos and Glumshanks once stood. "Or, I'll, or I'll—"

Chihiro fell on her butt as a massive rumble shook the entire cavern, scuttled back and screeched as boiling hot magma leaped from its pools and splashed against the rocks! As the magma cooled against the rocks, Chihiro skirted around it and winced as she examined the magma around them.

The once tepid and peaceful magma completely changed in demeanor. Its orange surface turned to a bright, violent red as it bubbled and shook like crashing waves, all while it slowly rose and ate up whatever stood in its path. Looks like Kaos wasn't lying about making the whole place blow!

Chihiro gritted her teeth and hastily stumbled backwards as more magma spurted from the ground. She lost her balance, and fell back into the open center of their rocky battleground that started to completely fill with magma!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—" Chihiro screamed as she windmilled her arms around in some desperate attempt to regain balance!

But, right before she hit the lava floors, something warm in the good way formed behind her as something pushed her back to her feet.

"Careful there, Chi!" Sunburn warned as he flew around beside Chihiro. "If it weren't for me, you'd be a lot crispier right now!"

Chihiro giggled, and breathed a sigh of relief as she whipped around to Flameslinger and Eruptor. "I don't know about you guys," Chihiro said as she turned her attention to the other side of the platform, where a stone bridge stood firm, "but I don't feel like becoming barbecue! Let's go out of—"

Chihiro bolted towards the bridge, gasped and jumped back as a massive magma blob ate the bridge up in one gulp!

"HERE?"

Chihiro winced, and turned her attention back to the ground as the magma's bubbling and heat grew more intense. The magma got a lot more aggressive, and not only that, it started to sink the platform entirely! Though it wasn't super noticeable now with only a slight tilt, the whole place would go under before they knew it!

Eruptor and Flameslinger seemed to have noticed as well, for they both dashed towards the cavern entrance from where they came. Just before they could run inside, the rocks poured out from the ceiling and completely sealed off the entrance way!

"Now what?" Eruptor grumbled as he and Flameslinger stepped back. "There's no way we're getting off of here alive!"

"I wouldn't be so quick to say that, Eruptor!" Chihiro shouted as she bit her lip and scanned the premises before them. "There's gotta be some other way out of here!"

At least, Chihiro wanted to believe that; but, everywhere she turned, all she saw was bubbling, scorching hot magma, bright red rocks and structures made with those rocks, and even those didn't last long before the magma ate them up! Just how would they get out of this one?

Chihiro winced and held the Eternal Fire Source close, but as its red light flared so bright that it forced her to look away, Chihiro gasped. She found her answer!

Just ahead of them, a fleet of stone rafts that sat firm atop the rocky magma sea sailed between series of tall, stone pillars, with the final one just a few feet away from the path they took to get to where they stood now! It would be a long shot, but if they could teleport there…

"Sun, Flames, Rupty!" Chihiro shouted as she waved them over. "I found out how we're gonna get out of here!"

The three of them dashed to Chihiro's side and followed her finger as she pointed towards the pillars and rafts.

Chihiro gave them a soft, confident smile. "Sunburn, think we can teleport everyone over there?" Chihiro asked as she gently nudged him with her shoulder.

Sunburn's beak twisted into a frown, but he shook that frown as he peered back up at Chihiro.

"Who do you think I am, Chi?" Sunburn asked as he flared his wings, and turned back to Eruptor and Flameslinger. "Hands in, you two!"

Chihiro held out her hand, which was soon joined by Sunburn's claw, Flameslinger's hand, and Eruptor's… Well, whatever that rotund magma orb at the end of his arm would be considered. Though the magma bubbled and broiled and stole away the rocks around them, Chihiro screwed her eyes shut and tried her best to drown out the noises of her impending doom.

Rather, her entire focus set on teleporting! She just envisioned that first, tall pillar and its smooth, hopefully not scorching hot surface, and she could only assume Sunburn did the same as his claw squeezed Chihiro's hand tight. Finally, the sound of magic and crackling flames swirled around Chihiro!

The ground disappeared under her feet for a few moments, but her sense of gravity returned to normal as her feet hit something that felt kind of like hot concrete on a scorching summer day! She popped her eyes open, and grinned as she found not just herself, but Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn on top of that pillar! Albeit, they squeezed together so tightly that she could barely move her elbows without hitting someone, but it was better than getting burnt to a crisp.

"Owch!" Eruptor exclaimed as Chihiro accidentally jabbed him in the back. "Watch it, Chi!"

"Sorry, Rupty!" Chihiro shouted as she turned around, giggled and held her head. "In my defense, this place looked way more spacious from way down below!"

A loud pop sounded off, then Chihiro blinked and shook her head.

"We don't have time to talk!" Flameslinger shouted as he looked back down at the ground and winced. "That lava's getting faster!"

Chihiro turned her eyes down to the ground as magma splashed against the base of the pillar! The magma bubbled faster than before, and it already got halfway up the pillar they stood on; it wouldn't be long before it completely enveloped the entire system! If they wanted to make it out alive, they'd have to be fast.

"Alright guys," Chihiro shouted as she tapped Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn with a glowing hand. while the three of them radiated with a blue glow in response. "We're gonna have to book it!"

Chihiro turned back ahead, where a simple stone bridge linked the pillar they stood on now with a second pillar that held a simple bounce pad.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Chihiro knelt forward, dashed across the bridge and stomped on the bounce pad! That simple leap launched her high in the air, so high that her head nearly brushed paths with the stalactites that barely hung from the ceiling, and finally she landed right on a lower pillar's bounce pad as well!

"WOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!" Chihiro cheered as she flew ahead, turned around and grinned.

Flameslinger and Eruptor both dashed across and leaped from pillar to pillar, complete with Eruptor screaming as he flapped his arms in the air in some kind of attempt to keep balance. Sunburn, however, forwent the bounce pad route as he swept down, latched onto Eruptor's shoulders and teleported him onto the second bounce pad!

As Eruptor dropped down onto the bounce pad and flung forward, Chihiro gripped and whipped back around!

Her feet hit the next bounce pad and launched her in the air. She pirouetted in mid-air, leaped onto a stone raft, and sprung up to the raft ahead of it as she teleported onto the next pillar! Chihiro grinned as she watched the path ahead, for there were only a few more pillars in sight—it wouldn't be long before they got back! Unfortunately, the popping of magma bubbles down below reminded her that it wouldn't be long before the magma caught up, either!

In fact, the magma got dangerously close to just gobbling up the last few pillars entirely! There was only a little more space left before the first few pillars before the train went down. But, judging by the distance between where the train rested and where the first pillar was, there was no way they could make it without at least one teleport! Just when will the others get here?

"Eruptor!" Flameslinger shouted in the distance. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying, Flameslinger!" Eruptor shot back. "I was built for strength, not speed!"

Something told Chihiro that this meant they wouldn't be back very soon. Chihiro winced as she cast some springy shoes around her feet, leaped across the pillars and slammed down on the first pillar's bouncepad! She soared through the skies in a mere instant, narrowed her eyes and teleported in mid-air to the train's side. With her feet on ground safely high enough to escape the magma for the time being, Chihiro whipped around and held her hands out.

"Alright," Chihiro said as her hands flared with a bright blue light, "give me the strongest bridge you've got!"

Chihiro's hands crackled and popped, and out from her palms came a massive, solid magic bridge that crashed down on top of the pillars' surface, just before the magma pulled the first two pillars under! It took all Chihiro's might to keep it up, and every muscle in her body ached like she just ran a thousand-mile marathon. Despite the exhaustion and the oppressive heat, she had to keep this going; she wasn't going to leave her friends behind!

Flameslinger and Eruptor gasped as they hit solid, magical ground, and Flameslinger grinned as he dashed up the ramp so fast that it left a huge track of flames behind him!

"Close one," Flameslinger sighed as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

Eruptor, meanwhile panted as he dashed up the bridge, screamed and stumbled back as he nearly ran face to face with Flameslinger's flames! The shock threw him off balance, and before he even knew it, he skittered and stumbled about!

Chihiro gasped and yanked back, and in her brief moment of shock, her bridge completely let up and vanished underneath his feet!

Eruptor hovered in midair for a few moments as he flailed about, looked back down and blinked. "Uh-oh," was the last thing he said before he plummeted down towards the magma!

"Eruptor!" Chihiro called as her eyes went wide!

The magma below him grew faster and faster, higher and higher, and something in Chihiro's gut told her that he wasn't going to float! Chihiro leaned down and crackled with magic as she got ready to teleport…

But before she could, a bright swirl of flames darted down across the magma seas and grabbed Eruptor! The flame swirl itself erupted into a bursting inferno! Chihiro jumped back as another burst of flames manifested before her, but grinned as it evaporated into Eruptor and Sunburn!

"Phew, close one!" Eruptor remarked as he wiped warm pebbles from his forehead. "For a moment, I was really starting to regret not learning how to swim!"

"But, why would you know?" Chihiro asked. "Why would they have pools in—"

The whole world rumbled around while decently-sized rock chunks fell from the ceiling and smashed against the ground, a firm reminder that the eruption was not going to wait for some small talk! With all four of them reunited, they all dashed up to the train and tried to yank open the doors, but they were closed shut! So, they did the next best thing…

"DIGGS! OPEN UP THE TRAIN!" they all shouted at once as they banged on the side of the conductor's cab!

The magma seas bubbled so high that when it popped, its magma sloshed and lapped against the cliff they sat on! Of course, that only made them more frantic as they banged even faster!

"SERIOUSLY, DIGGS!" Eruptor cried as he continued to bang. "THERE'S AN ERUPTION WAITING TO HAPPEN! AND I DO NOT WANT TO GET CAUGHT IN ANOTHER ONE!"

Finally, Diggs rolled down the window while the sounds of heavy metal blared out the window at what was probably the highest volume they could go at! Heck, it was so loud that it nearly blew everyone away! Diggs groaned at first, but his grim expression turned gleeful as he caught sight of Chihiro, Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn!

"Took you long enough!" Diggs chirped as he looked back at Chihiro. "So, didja send Kaos running home to his mom?" Diggs' grin turned wider as he laid his eyes on the Eternal Fire Source. "And ya got the Eternal Fire Source too! Tell me, just what happened?"

"There's no time to talk!" Chihiro shouted. "This volcano's about to blow! We need to get out of here!"

Diggs just blinked and held a hand to his ear. "What was that? I've got my music up, sonny! You're gonna have to speak up!"

"I said…" Chihiro heaved a deep breath in and out as she summoned a magical megaphone. "THIS VOLCANO'S GOING TO EXPLODE! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE FAST!"

Diggs was blown back from the sheer force of Chihiro's voice, but blinked for a few moment as he cleaned out his ear.

"Say that again? I couldn't hear you!"

Chihiro snarled and gritted her teeth as she went to scream once more, right as another rumble shook the entire caverns once again! This one was bad enough that everyone fell to the floor, all while the magma rose higher and higher against the current and eat up the islands below!

Diggs blinked as the quakes receded, but the sounds of bubbling magma rising up the way caught his attention! He turned his glance out to the rising lava seas, screamed and jolted back to the control panel!

"ACTUALLY, THAT CAN WAIT!" Diggs yanked down a lever and the passenger cab's doors flung open. "GET IN!"

"You don't have to tell us twice!" Chihiro exclaimed as she sprinted into the passenger cab and plopped down in one of the seats.

She bit her lip and hugged the Eternal Fire Source tight as Eruptor, Flameslinger and Sunburn dashed in, yet screwed her eyes shut as the train spun around and zoomed off! Everything around turned so fuzzy and shaky from the intense speeds that for a moment, it felt like the whole world had vanished! Chihiro popped her eye open just to make sure that wasn't the case, screamed and screwed her eyes back shut as magma splashed against the windows!

She wasn't the only one who watched their little race against the oncoming explosion, either! Flameslinger and Sunburn both grimaced as they pressed their faces against the windows while the rising magma charged after them like a herd of raging bulls. Beside them, Eruptor groaned as he was rolled from side to side, though Chihiro wasn't entirely sure if that was out of fear or trainsickness. Maybe a little bit of both.

Chihiro winced, but shuddered as the warmth of the Eternal Fire Source flooded into her body and made her hot under the collar. She pulled her arms away from it, held out her hands and trapped it within a magical cylinder—yet, the heat didn't seem to reside! For that matter, this whole cab was concerningly, blisteringly hot, and she wasn't the only one to notice this given that Flameslinger panted and tugged on his shirt's collar across from her.

The sound of sizzling and searing popped in her ears and gave her a headache as it sounded off nearby. Wait, sizzling? Searing? Chihiro clenched her teeth, laid the Eternal Fire Source on her seat and dashed over to the dining car's door. With a firm yank, Chihiro pulled open the door and gasped!

The dining car was lit with bright orange fire that burned away at the wood and metal, all while magma seeped in from open holes and cracks formed from the flames! At the very back of it all, waves of magma flooded in and melted down the very back of the car until it was little more that hot, rocky sludge!

Chihiro gasped, knelt down and scanned the floors. If that dining car stayed attached any longer, the magma would catch up with them in a flash! Surely there had to be something keeping this car attached that she could release.

"Chihiro, what are you doing?" Eruptor groaned as he rolled past Chihiro, but promptly cried out as he smacked his face into the side of the car.

"Come on, come on, where's the connector thingie?" Chihiro asked as she pressed her hands against the floor. "All train cabs have one, right?"

Chihiro narrowed her eyes and shuddered, but those narrow eyes went wide as she caught sight of a small, metal latch that linked both cars together.

"THERE!"

Chihiro snapped her fingers and the latch came undone! Chihiro grinned and stood as the dining car rolled back down into the magma, but another jolt from the train pushed her over and she lost her balance! Chihiro screamed and flailed about as she tried to regain it, yet the force from the train's gathered speed was so great that she couldn't! She pushed over in an instant, and would have toppled onto the tracks had somebody not grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back!

"Careful now, Chi!" Flameslinger warned as he yanked her back into the passenger's car. "I don't think this is the time to play on the railways!"

Chihiro giggled, but her frown turned a bit solemn as she turned back and caught a glimpse of the dining car's last remaining bits before the rushing magma completely swallowed it. That should at least buy them a little more time, right? That's what she'd liked to believe as she slammed the passenger's door shut.

Chihiro bit her lip as she sat down back on her seat and hugged the Eternal Fire Source once more. She hoped that they would make it out safely, but the sounds of rushing, churning magma told her otherwise!

"It's catching up!" Sunburn exclaimed as he turned away from the windows!

Chihiro looked back down at the windows and froze, for Sunburn was right! Just behind them, the magma flood turned to a raging storm that chased after them like a tsunami's waters, harsh and fast and unrelenting! It wouldn't be long before it swallowed them all whole!

"Wait, what's going on?" Eruptor asked as he popped off the floor, climbed onto the seats and took a peek out the window. As soon as he did, Eruptor screamed and stumbled back.

"I don't want to be a downer," Flameslinger said as he bit his lip, "but something tells me we aren't gonna make it!"

They all froze in fear as the magma climbed higher and higher, when the sound of crackling static over the intercom made them all jump out of their seats!

"THAT MAGMA'S NOT GONNA MELT MY TRAIN!" Diggs proclaimed over the intercom. "NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

The intercom crackled as Diggs cleared his throat.

"ATTENTION, PASSENGERS! WE'LL BE GOING PRETTY FAST, SO HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS!"

The train dashed at bullet speeds, so fast that the only sounds were that of metal screeching and screaming! Everybody blasted back and practically plastered to the walls as a massive explosion blew them forward, and their train soared in the air… But, that train landed back on the tracks and chugged along. Behind them, the sounds of bubbling magma finally drew to a quiet gurgle. Had they outrun it?

Everybody peered out the windows, and breathed sighs of relief as the magma streams behind them became little more than a slow trickle. They had!

The train chugged slower as sunlight poured through the windows, but not the kind that was harsh and overbearing. Rather, it was the soft, pleasant sunlight of their objective, of getting back home!

"Last stop," Diggs panted as he hobbled out of the conductor's room and leaned against the seats, "Ancient's Peak."

Eruptor, Sunburn, and Flameslinger breathed sighs of relief as they pulled themselves away from the windows, all while their very, very, very dizzy heads finally settled. They slumped down in their seats with sighs all around.

Chihiro popped off of the seats and stumbled about, turned her gaze back under her arm and grinned—for despite all that travel, the Eternal Fire Source was still intact!

"Man, talk about an intense day!" Chihiro chirped as she patted the Eternal Fire Source's top. "But this baby makes it worth it!" Chihiro's grin stretched to her cheeks as the tunnels and rocky walls made way for raw, unfiltered evening sun. "Especially when we can finally put it in the Core!"

The train finally ground to a stop, and everybody stumbled out on dizzy, shaky legs as the doors drew open. Chihiro was the first to pop out as she skipped down the stairs, followed by Flameslinger and Sunburn as they heaved out a very tired and very woozy Eruptor.

Outside, a tense, anticipating crowd chattered among themselves, but quickly drew to a stop as Chihiro stepped forward, grinned and held out the Eternal Fire Source! Though she said no words, the message she brought with her was clear—we won!

The wasn't the only victory had today, either! Chihiro couldn't help but smile as her triumph against Kaos flashed back into her mind, and her heart swelled with fires as warm as the ones back in the railway. After all that time she spent worrying, the times she trained, and fought, and stayed awake wondering, she could finally rest her heart. She beat Kaos at last, and more importantly, she finally proved to herself that she had what it takes! Not just to beat Kaos, no, but to protect the ones she loved and fight alongside them without worry, too! It almost made her worries of the past seem kind of silly and pointless, but she couldn't hold it against herself.

Rather, she just breathed in the crisp, cool evening air and smiled. If anything, all those worries she held only served to make the victory that much sweeter, like the cherry on top of the sundae!

You did it, Chihiro, Chihiro thought as evening sunlight dappled her smiling face. You're finally strong enough.

"Pardon me, coming through!"

Out from the back of the crowd, the Skylanders parted ways as a pair of furry brown paws shuffled through the masses, and out popped Hugo! His eyes went wide as he dashed up to Chihiro, but grew smaller as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come along now!" Hugo exclaimed as he grabbed Chihiro's hand and dashed towards the Core of Light. "We can't waste any more time! After all, who knows what could happen now? Kaos could ambush us out of nowhere with a surprise attack, or an earthquake could happen, or the Eternal Fire Source could roll off the side of the island—"

Of course, while he ran, Hugo didn't take notice of a rock underfoot, tripped and took Chihiro with him! The two of them got up and shook their heads, but Hugo screamed as he found that their hands were both barren! That is, until Chihiro yanked the Eternal Fire Source's container off the ground and placed it back in his paws.

"Or we could trip on a rock?" Chihiro teased as she jumped back to her feet.

Hugo chuckled as he got up and dusted himself off, and he led the charge as they all crowded around the Core of Light. The anticipation was vast as Hugo pulled off his book, dusted it off and turned to one of the later pages in the book.

As he recited the incantation from the pages, the Eternal Fire Source shuddered and rocketed straight into the Core of Light's heart. In minutes, it vanished into the depths of the Core, but the impact it left was astounding. Bright flames ignited from the Crucible and swirled around the Core's lower half!

Chihiro jumped to the skies and let out a cry of raw, utter cheer as her work finally came to an end, and yet, the others couldn't feel as comfortable as Chihiro did. They all seemed so tense as they gazed at the Core in complete, quiet silence.

"What's got you so glum, Flames?" Chihiro asked as she walked up to Flameslinger and patted his shoulder. "I mean, we got the Eternal Fire Source and everything! Shouldn't we be happy right now?"

Flameslinger lifted his head, then shook it and forced a smile back at Chihiro.

"I'm not upset, Chi, it's just," Flameslinger said as he looked down at Chihiro, then turned back to the Core of Light, "true, it looks pretty! But even so, it's still incomplete."

Chihiro pointed a finger towards the Core and swirled that finger around. "I guess I get what you're saying. It's still super slow and it kind of looks empty, if you know what I mean."

Chihiro looked back at Hugo, who seemed to share the others' concerns as he poured through the pages of his book.

"Then what do we need?" Chihiro asked as she turned to Hugo and gestured with her hand. "After all, I'm sure whatever it is, we can get it no problem!"

Hugo's page-flipping came to a stop as he glazed over the last few pages of the book, and he frowned and shook his head.

"I wouldn't be so certain about that!" Hugo proclaimed as everyone around tensed and frowned. "After all, the last components of the Core are the most elusive ones by far! So elusive, in fact, that they haven't been seen for millennia!"

Hugo turned around the book and held it out for all to see its final pages, which depicted a diagram of an oval with a gigantic star in its center and a flask of some kind of liquid.

"The last components are none other than the magical oil known as Quicksilver, and the Core of Light's last Eternal Source, the Eternal Source that binds the entire Core together… The Eternal Magic Source!"