Pretty much the "blooper reel" of the main story, with lighthearted non-canon shenanigans with short stories.

The Flame and the Cube: An Unlikely Bond

Chapter 1: A Curious Spark

In the endless inferno of the Scorchveil, where molten rivers carved glowing paths through blackened stone, Emberyx, the Infernal Empress, surveyed her domain with her usual fiery pride. She reveled in her power, her form shimmering with molten light as she commanded the very heat of existence.

But that day, in the ashen wasteland bordering the Frostbound Realm, she stumbled upon a sight that made her pause.

A single, perfect ice cube rested atop a soot-streaked boulder, untouched by the oppressive heat. It sparkled defiantly under the blazing sun, as if daring the inferno itself to melt it.

Emberyx narrowed her blazing eyes. "What sort of mockery is this?" she murmured, bending down. Yet, as her fiery fingers hovered near it, she felt... something.

She hesitated, then, with an uncharacteristic gentleness, cupped the ice cube in her hands.

Chapter 2: A Quiet Companion

Back in her molten throne room, her advisors were at a loss. Their ruler—an unstoppable force of chaos and fire—had brought home an ice cube. Not a powerful artifact. Not a stolen treasure. A cube. Of ice.

"My lady, it will melt," one ventured cautiously.

Emberyx’s glare silenced them. "It will not," she said, her tone unyielding. "It’s... different." She placed the ice cube on a pedestal of obsidian and conjured a cooling barrier around it, borrowed from the frozen magics of the Frostbound Realm.

Days passed, and to everyone’s bewilderment, the ice cube remained intact. Emberyx took to visiting it often, speaking to it in the quiet hours of the night. Her fiery presence, usually suffocating, softened in its glow.

"You don’t flinch," she said one evening, her voice barely above a whisper. "You don’t run from me like the others. You just... stay."

The cube, of course, did not respond. But somehow, its silence was comforting.

Chapter 3: Melting Hearts

The Scorchveil began to notice a change in their Empress. Her notorious temper seemed... subdued. When a servant dropped a molten goblet, instead of unleashing a wave of fire, Emberyx merely sighed and waved them off.

She spent more time in the throne room, sitting near the ice cube and recounting stories of her past. Stories she had never shared with anyone.

"I wasn’t always like this, you know," she said softly. "Once, long ago, I lived in a place where the skies weren’t always burning. There were trees, rivers... quiet things." Her molten gaze flickered as if remembering something long forgotten. "I lost it all. Burned it down myself. I told myself I liked it better this way. But you... you remind me what it felt like to care."

The cube, though silent, seemed to shimmer faintly in reply.

Chapter 4: A Gentle Goodbye

Inevitably, the Scorchveil’s heat began to take its toll. Despite the protective barrier, the ice cube shrank with each passing day. Emberyx knew it couldn’t last, but the realization weighed heavier than she expected.

One evening, as the cube had dwindled to a mere sliver, Emberyx sat beside it, her flames dimmed. "You were never meant to survive here," she said, her voice breaking slightly. "I know that now. But... thank you. For staying as long as you could."

She reached out, her molten hand hovering over the tiny remnant of ice. With a final, gentle touch, it evaporated, a wisp of steam rising into the air.

For the first time in centuries, Emberyx wept—not tears of molten rage, but quiet, glistening droplets of sorrow.

Chapter 5: A Flame Rekindled

The Scorchveil changed after that day. Emberyx became a quieter force, her fiery wrath tempered by something softer. She rebuilt parts of her domain, creating spaces for growth and reflection amid the chaos.

On the pedestal where the ice cube had once rested, she placed a small, frosted gem imbued with the last of the Frostbound magic. It shimmered faintly, a reminder of the quiet bond that had melted the edges of her blazing heart.

To her people, the ice cube became a strange legend—a symbol of defiance and resilience in the face of overwhelming fire. But to Emberyx, it was something more. It was a reminder that even in the harshest of infernos, there could be something worth protecting.

"Thank you," she whispered to the empty pedestal, her flames flickering warmly. "You showed me there’s still a piece of me that can care. Even if it melts away."

And with that, the Infernal Empress rose, a softer fire burning within her, ready to embrace the next chapter of her existence.

Blaze and the Fire Extinguisher: A Match Made in Chaos

Chapter 1: Sparks Fly

Blaze was having a bad day. A really bad day.

The Vanguard of Ember was in the middle of a skirmish against a faction of rogue Flux manipulators who apparently thought "setting everything on fire" was a strategy. For Blaze, the Inferno Mind, it was her element. But even she had her limits.

"Rika!" Blaze yelled over the crackling flames. "Stop throwing fuel into the fire!"

Rika, grinning ear to ear, tossed another barrel into the chaos. "It’s working, isn’t it?"

Blaze sighed, her twin ponytails practically fizzling with frustration. She turned to deal with another flaming structure when she spotted it: a fire extinguisher, bright red, pristine, and completely out of place in the middle of the Nexus.

She froze.

Time seemed to slow. The flames around her dimmed, and for a brief moment, it was as if the world was just her... and the extinguisher.

"Where have you been all my life?" Blaze muttered.

Chapter 2: A Cold Reception

The fire extinguisher was efficient, controlled, and effective—everything Blaze wasn’t used to. She picked it up, testing its weight in her hands. "You’ve got potential," she said, almost to herself.

Her teammates were less impressed.

"Blaze," Lexi called, wiping soot off her face, "are you seriously talking to that thing?"

"Mind your own business, Lexi," Blaze shot back, clutching the extinguisher protectively. "This beauty just saved my ass."

"It’s a tool, not a partner," Lexi muttered, rolling her eyes. "Don’t get attached."

But Blaze wasn’t listening. She was too busy marveling at the extinguisher’s sleek design and no-nonsense efficiency. For someone whose life was an endless blaze of chaos, it was... refreshing.

Chapter 3: An Unlikely Bond

Over the next few missions, the fire extinguisher became Blaze’s constant companion. Where others saw practicality, she saw brilliance.

"You’re the only one who gets me," she said one evening, sitting by the campfire with the extinguisher at her side. "Everyone else just wants to add fuel to the flames. But you... you know how to cool things down."

Rika walked by, raising an eyebrow. "You’re really talking to that thing, huh?"

Blaze glared. "Jealous?"

"No, just wondering if we should start calling it your boyfriend."

Blaze smirked. "More useful than any guy I’ve met."

Chapter 4: The Breakup

All good things, however, must come to an end.

During a heated battle (pun intended), Blaze found herself cornered. The flames were too intense, even for her. She reached for her trusty extinguisher, ready to put out the inferno—and disaster struck.

It jammed.

"No, no, no!" Blaze yelled, shaking the extinguisher frantically. "Don’t do this to me!"

The fire raged closer, and Lexi swooped in at the last second, dragging Blaze to safety.

After the battle, Blaze sat in the ruins, holding the now-empty extinguisher. "I should’ve known this would happen," she said quietly. "Nothing lasts forever, not even you."

Her teammates, sensing her genuine sadness, didn’t have the heart to tease her this time. Lexi placed a hand on Blaze’s shoulder. "It served you well, Blaze. But maybe it’s time to let it go."

Blaze nodded slowly, setting the extinguisher down. "You’ll always be my first... extinguisher."

Chapter 5: Moving On

Blaze eventually found another extinguisher, but it was never quite the same. She kept the original in a place of honor back at the Vanguard’s base—a quiet reminder of the odd yet oddly meaningful connection she’d formed.

The others stopped questioning it after a while. Blaze was Blaze, after all, and if anyone could find romance in an emergency fire suppressant, it was her.

"To each their own," Rika said one day, watching Blaze polish the old extinguisher. "As long as she’s happy."

And in her own fiery way, Blaze was.

Lexi and Her Sniper Rifle: A Love Story on Target

Chapter 1: A Match Made in Precision

It was a quiet evening in the Nexus camp. The stars above shimmered faintly, but Lexi’s attention was elsewhere. She sat cross-legged, her beloved sniper rifle resting across her lap. Her hands moved with practiced ease, cleaning every piece of the weapon with a reverence most reserved for divine relics.

"You’re my everything," Lexi murmured, inspecting the polished barrel. "When everyone else misses the mark, you’re always on point."

Rika walked by, overhearing the heartfelt statement. She stopped, hands on her hips, and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you seriously sweet-talking your rifle again?"

Lexi didn’t even glance up. "She listens better than you do, and she never talks back."

"That’s because it’s an inanimate object," Rika deadpanned.

Lexi smirked, finally looking up. "And yet, she’s more reliable than you in a firefight."

"Touché," Rika muttered, walking off. "Enjoy your... date, I guess."

Chapter 2: Rifling Through Feelings

The next day, Lexi found herself deep in enemy territory. Her sniper rifle rested snugly against her shoulder as she lined up her shot.

"You’ve got this," she whispered to the weapon, her voice barely audible over the hum of the Nexus. "One clean shot, just like always."

The bullet fired, cutting through the air with perfect precision and hitting its target. Lexi smiled, leaning back against the rocky outcrop. "You never let me down, babe."

Blaze, crouched nearby, stared at her incredulously. "Did you just call your rifle ‘babe’?"

"Yeah. So?" Lexi shrugged. "What, you don’t name your weapons?"

"I name my fists," Rika interjected from behind them, punching the air. "Lefty and Smashy. But even I think this is weird."

Lexi patted her rifle affectionately. "You wouldn’t understand. She’s a sniper—silent, deadly, and always hitting the mark. We’ve got a bond, okay?"

"You need help," Blaze said flatly.

Chapter 3: Scope of Affection

During downtime, Lexi decided to tweak her rifle’s scope. She spoke to it as she worked, her tone affectionate and teasing.

"I know you’ve been feeling a little... off lately," she said, carefully adjusting the calibration. "Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m just fine-tuning you. Can’t have anyone out there thinking you’ve lost your edge."

"Do you seriously talk to that thing like it’s alive?" Vorynthia asked, leaning casually against the doorway. "You’re not going soft on us, are you?"

"Soft?" Lexi scoffed, placing the rifle down with a flourish. "Please. She’s the hardest-hitting partner I’ve ever had. And unlike some people, she never misses."

"Ouch," Vorynthia said with a mock wince. "I think your scope’s not the only thing that’s sharp."

Chapter 4: When Things Go Off-Target

Disaster struck during a particularly chaotic skirmish. Lexi’s sniper rifle jammed, leaving her momentarily defenseless. Her heart sank as she stared at her weapon, disbelief etched across her face.

"Not you," she whispered. "You’d never do this to me."

"Lexi, move!" Blaze shouted, tackling her out of the way of an incoming attack.

Later, back at camp, Lexi sat with her rifle, the campfire casting flickering shadows over her. She held the weapon close, muttering, "I don’t know what happened out there, but I forgive you. We all make mistakes, right? Just... don’t do it again."

Blaze sighed from across the fire. "You’re talking to it again, aren’t you?"

"Shh," Lexi said, placing a finger to her lips. "We’re having a moment."

Chapter 5: Sniper Goals

By the next mission, Lexi and her rifle were back in perfect harmony. She landed shot after shot, her grin growing wider with each hit.

"That’s my girl!" she crowed, spinning the rifle dramatically as she reloaded.

After the mission, Rika nudged her. "So, when’s the wedding?"

Lexi grinned. "Soon as I find a priest who can officiate for a girl and her rifle."

Blaze rolled her eyes. "You’re impossible."

"Yeah, but I’m impossible and accurate," Lexi shot back, holding up her rifle. "And that’s all that matters."

Chapter 6: Locked and Loaded

Lexi’s bond with her sniper rifle became legendary among the Nexus factions. Some laughed, others shook their heads, but no one could deny the results.

"I don’t need anyone else," Lexi would often say, cradling the weapon. "She’s the only partner I’ll ever need. Silent, precise, and deadly. What more could a girl ask for?"

From that day forward, Lexi became known as the Sniper Queen—not just because of her unmatched skill, but because of her unwavering devotion to the weapon that never let her down.

The Great Nexus Bake-Off