SPIRIT OF FIRE

Two years had passed, and Louis never returned to Green. We only received news about him from Mr. Derick, who told us that Louis was staying in the Capital with other women.

I thought Aunt Izra would throw another tantrum when she heard the news, but surprisingly, she didn't seem to care about him anymore. Perhaps she had already moved on and decided to focus on making Izael and Izaeron happy, noticed, and loved.

____________________________________

That afternoon, I was sitting in my room's balcony, reading a book beneath a clear blue sky.

Then, someone knocked on my door.

I looked up and saw Athea peeking her head through the doorway with a mischievous smile.

I sighed. "What do you want, Athea?" I asked, keeping my eyes on my book.

She walked inside and approached me before sitting down on the chair beside me.

"I have good news," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Prince Leonard will become the next king next month."

"So?" I replied, uninterested, my eyes still fixed on the pages.

"So... I was thinking about going to the ceremony to witness him becoming king. What about you? Come with me. What do you say?" she asked quickly.

I closed my book with a loud thud and turned to look directly at her.

"You're not just going to the Capital because of Prince Leonard, are you?" I asked, staring intensely at her.

She immediately looked away, avoiding my gaze.

I knew it. Athea wasn't the type of girl who would travel all the way to the Capital simply because of a boy. She must have another reason for wanting to go, but I wasn't sure what it was.

"Haha..." She laughed awkwardly. "You caught me."

She blinked several times before rubbing the back of her head.

"Actually, I want to go to the Capital because I want to see the flying thingy."

"Flying thingy?" I asked.

"You know, a small airborne paper that rises into the night sky when a small fuel cell or candle is lit," she explained, though she clearly didn't know its actual name.

"You mean sky lanterns?"

"Yes! That's the one!" she exclaimed loudly.

The sudden volume made me cover my ears.

"So? What do you say about coming with us?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I stared at her, already knowing my answer.

"No."

The sparkle in her eyes immediately disappeared. "Please, just come with us!" she begged, dropping to her knees and hugging my right leg.

A heavy sigh escaped my mouth.

"I don't want to. It's too crowded there," I said, trying to pull my leg free from her tight embrace.

She continued begging, but my answer remained the same.

After a few seconds, she finally gave up and returned to her seat.

"Okay, Vera. I understand that you don't want to go with me," she said, looking disappointed, her eyes slightly teary.

"Who will be going with you?" I asked, curious about who she planned to travel with.

"Raven and Sam."

"Who are they?"

There was a long silence.

Athea stared at me with a completely blank expression. "Seriously? You don't know who they are?" she finally asked.

"Would I be asking you about them if I already knew?"

"Raven and Sam. They're the twins who are good at hunting and are also apprentices of your Uncle Joaquin."

After hearing that, I finally remembered them. Raven and Sam were fraternal twins. Five months ago, the people of Green had started calling them the "Quiver Twins" because of their incredible hunting skills and their precise shots with a bow and arrow.

"Do you remember them now?" Athea asked, still wearing the same poker face.

I nodded.

"Geez. You should go out more and remember the names of the people in Green so you'll recognize them when you see them."

She stood up and walked toward the door.

"Because you're always stuck here and never have any plans to go outside, you don't even remember people's names anymore."

She stopped before opening the door and turned to look at me.

"You should go out more and explore, Vera."

A soft smile appeared on her face, accompanied by gentle eyes.

"Because I don't want you to miss all the beautiful things the world beyond Green has to offer. You're missing so many beautiful views, you know?"

She paused for a moment.

"Think about exploring the world. And when you finally decide to explore it, let me come with you. We can go on a long journey together."

With that, she left.

I remained standing there in silence, processing her words and wondering what she truly meant.

Exploring the world sounded like a hassle to me. I'd rather stay here, read my books, and learn about the world through their pages than travel across it myself.

____________________________________

That night, I lay in bed with my eyes closed, trying to sleep.

But there was a voice in my head that wouldn't let me rest.

"Guinevere..."

The voice echoed inside my mind.

I opened my eyes.

Slowly, I got out of bed and walked toward the balcony. The cold, gentle air welcomed me, making me relax a little.

The voice in my head fell silent.

I looked up at the night sky before turning my gaze toward the forest below.

That's when I saw it. A red flame floated between two oak trees. My eyes widened.

Then it came back to me. I had seen that exact same thing two years ago.

I must have forgotten about it because of everything that happened with Louis.

This time, however, I decided to find out what it was. I left my room in my nightgown and walked into the forest.

The woods were eerie and unsettling at night. The hooting of owls echoed between the trees, while the branches creaked and rustled in the darkness.

I looked around, searching for the red flame. Then the voice returned.

"Guinevere..."

It called my name three times.

But something was different this time.

The voice wasn't coming from inside my head. It was coming from behind me.

I slowly turned around. There it was.

The red flame floated only a meter away from me.

I stared at it for several seconds. Then, the flame spoke. "Follow me." A gentle voice emerged from within it.

I cautiously extended my hand, attempting to touch it. But the flame moved away from me.

Was that why it had told me to follow it?

Without a second thought, I decided to follow. The red flame floated ahead of me, leading me deeper into the forest, as if guiding me toward a secret place that only it knew existed.

After several minutes of walking, we arrived at a mysterious clearing. Six tall rocks stood around the area, each engraved with a different symbol. In the center was a circular pool of water.

The red flame stopped above it.

Then it began to rise.

It floated higher into the air before a brilliant light burst from within it.

The flame transformed. A woman made entirely of fire appeared before me.

"I finally reached you,"-She said in a gentle, mature voice and looked at me.-"I'm Freya, the Spirit of Fire. It is an honor to meet you, Guinevere."

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"All spirits in Theodora know of you. Aurora, the Imperial Guardian of Theodora, has chosen you."

"What do you mean?"

I still couldn't understand what was happening.

"Aurora has chosen you to become the Primordial of this world and the savior of Theodora."-The flame woman stared at me.

Perhaps she realized that I didn't believe what she was telling me.-"If you think what I'm saying is false, I will prove to you that I am telling the truth and that I have no intention of lying to you."-She paused.-"As proof, next Wednesday, an elderly man will leave this world."

"What do you mean by-" I stopped.

I understood what she meant.

She wasn't talking about an elderly man will travel somewhere far away. She meant death. I stared at her, unable to find the words to respond.

But Freya continued.

"This elderly man will not be the only one to leave this world. Two or more people that is close to you will also leave you behind in the future."-Her voice remained gentle, but the words sent a chill through me.-"Umbryss, the realm of dangerous creatures that steal human souls or transform humans into one of their kind, has invaded the Empire."

My eyes widened at the mention of Umbryss.

Umbryss was the realm of demons, vampires, ghouls, beasts, and other minions of darkness.

"Those creatures have invaded five of the lands and kingdoms of Theodora. One of them is Avareth."

I gasped. Avareth. My mother's homeland.

The thought of those creatures invading the place where my mother had grown up frightened me. And, more importantly, Avareth was close to Green. If those creatures continued advancing, it might only be a matter of time before they reached our land.

"This is why I have called you multiple times, Guinevere,"-Freya continued.-"But it seems that someone living in your land has been interfering with my attempts to reach you, making it difficult for me to contact you."

"Someone in this land?"-I asked.-"You mean there's a creature living among us, pretending to be a normal person?"-I covered my mouth.- "If what you're saying is true, then do you know who it is? It would help us get rid of them."

"I'm afraid not. I do not know who it is." _She lowered her gaze.-"But I do know that someone or something has been living among you and the people of Green. And one of them is someone close to you."

My heart sank. Hearing those words, I knew she wasn't lying.

"What would you like me to do?" I asked quietly.

"For now, use Aurora's power to find worthy humans who can fight beside you when you begin this dangerous journey in the future. Give them whatever kind of magic you believe suits them."-She paused.- "I will also serve as your messenger of visions, showing you what may happen in the near future. But there is a rule I must follow."

"What rule?"

"I cannot tell you the names of those who are fated to walk in a different path. I can only tell you what I have seen in my visions. That is all I can do to help you, Guinevere."

I took a deep breath. "Okay. I understand."

Freya smiled. "We will leave you to do what you must, Guinevere. You may grant your power to as many people as you wish. But be careful about whom you choose. Some humans possess dark intentions and may use magic for their own desires or evil deeds."-Her smile softened.-"I wish you good luck."

Then she began to glow. Her fiery form dissolved into a brilliant light that floated upward. Within moments, she vanished into thin air.

I stood there in silence.

A few seconds later, my knees finally gave out, and I fell to the ground, breathing heavily as I tried to process everything that had just happened.

I looked around. Somehow, I had already returned to the area in front of my house.

I took a deep breath, gathered myself, and slowly stood up. My eyes returned to the forest.

Freya. The Spirit of Fire.

But one question remained in my mind.

Why would a Fire Spirit have visions of the future if she was only the Spirit of Fire?

First things first, I needed to learn how to use the power Aurora had given me-how to activate it, control it, and understand its limits.

But before

I could do any of that, I needed to know what kind of magic Aurora possessed.

Then, an idea suddenly came to me.

I knew someone who was knowledgeable about these kinds of things.

I should talk to him first thing tomorrow.