Chapter 161: My Name is Flamme
Time passed. Two hundred years, in a forest, was just long enough for it to grow a little denser.
Rhodes and Serie's secluded hut still stood, protected by her preservation magic, showing not a single sign of decay, even after a thousand years. Only the rocking chair by the window, his chair, was now empty.
In its place, in the deepest part of the hut, was a massive magic circle of complex, intricate runes. At its center, his own figure shimmered, in a critical state of reincarnation, his soul and his new body slowly merging.
Serie, as always, stood guard, sensing the faint flicker of life within the circle, a small comfort in her long, long wait.
Ela had left a hundred years ago, to set out on her own journey. And now, she was alone once more. Perhaps it was time to find a new apprentice.
But the quiet was broken by the arrival of a messenger bird. She untied the magical parchment from its leg, and as her fingers touched it, Ela's message flowed into her mind: 'Teacher, to the southwest, a large group of demons are attacking a dwarven city. There are also signs of them in the north. Please be careful.'
"Demons!"
Her hand tightened, and the parchment turned to dust. A killing intent, a rage that had lain dormant for two hundred years, now flared in her eyes. The damned demons had finally reappeared. But her gaze fell on the magic circle at the back of the hut. He was at a critical juncture, a time when he could not be disturbed. Any external shock could disrupt the process and lead to an irreversible disaster.
She could not leave. She would not leave.
The desire for battle burned within her, a raging fire. But she forced herself to calm down, and in the end, her concern for him outweighed all else.
But just a year later, she felt it. A powerful and intense dark aura.
She and he had, together, set up a massive detection spell in the forest and the surrounding villages. And now, it had just been triggered. She knew, from its location, that there was a human village in that direction. Demons. They had dared to appear so close. Did they think he was dead? They would be sorely disappointed. And... were they just going to ignore her? The thought made her anger flare.
This time, she would not hesitate. She walked to the edge of the magic circle. His form was a hazy silhouette within the light. She took out the Holy Right Sword, Athos, and poured her own immense mana into it, unleashing the most powerful of all defensive spells. A thick, condensed golden barrier appeared, completely enveloping the magic circle, and him with it.
There was not a single demon in the world who could break Athos's barrier. She was sure of it.
But it was not enough.
She cast more spells, and a series of invisible warding circles spread out from the barrier, covering the surrounding area for thousands of meters. Any hostile magic, any physical approach, would immediately trigger an alarm.
And with that, she gave his sleeping form one last look and, with a spell of flight, shot off in the direction of the demons.
When she arrived, the air was thick with the stench of blood. A scene of utter carnage greeted her.
She and he had once come to this village, had watched it from a distance, had seen that its people were living in peace. But now... it was a ruin. The bodies of its people lay everywhere, twisted and broken. Each one carried the dark, demonic aura of its killer.
She had been too late.
The demons had been fast. They had destroyed the village, perhaps for fun, or perhaps for no reason at all, and had left.
"Cough... cough..."
A faint sound, from under a collapsed building. She was there in an instant.
Beneath the rubble, a small human girl, no more than seven or eight years old, lay in the dirt. Her simple white robe was stained with blood, and her small body was covered in scrapes and bruises. But her eyes... there were no tears, no fear. Only a dead, empty stillness. And in that stillness... a deep and burning hatred.
The girl looked up, and seeing the elven features of her rescuer, a look of confusion passed over her face, but was then replaced by a deeper hatred, a hatred for the monsters who had destroyed her home.
She squatted down. The hatred in the girl's eyes... it intrigued her. And she could feel it... this child had a talent for magic. She cast a healing spell, and the girl's wounds began to close. The child's body tensed, as if in disbelief, but the hatred in her eyes did not waver.
She had never intended to take on a human apprentice. A human life was too short. He was the only one she needed. But this child... her own resolve was now beginning to change.
"Where is your family?"
"They're all dead," the girl said, her voice now filled with a new emotion, the hatred now mixed with a deep and terrible grief. "Killed... by those monsters."
And the tears, finally, began to fall.
She looked at her, at this small child who was now consumed by a burning hatred, and felt the immense magical potential within her, and an idea began to form in her mind.
"Come with me," she said, her voice now a calm and steady sound. She did not offer her any comfort, only a choice.
"I will teach you to control your power. I will teach you how to get your revenge. Tell me your name."
The little girl looked at the beautiful elf before her and, with a new and terrible resolve in her eyes, she said, "My name is... Flamme."
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