Into The Heart of Fire

Viella had the impression that when it was Raden doing it, magic was a horrible and scary thing.

Perhaps it was simply because, when she witnessed it for the first time, Raden had been furious at her decision to run away and betray his possibly dead nephew.

But now, as she stood there beside Dice, watching as his hands lit up with the kind of magic only he possessed, Viella felt a rare sense of awe.

They said Raden was a mage born not of this realm, and because of that, his magic was of a different kind—a kind that could appear so bright and visual.

While the magic of their realm was colorless and almost invisible to the naked eye, his was like watching a show where one could control fire.

One by one, with each end of his sentences, the symbols around the circular portal began to pulse with life, infused by the same energy that left Raden's body, seeping into the floor where it pulsed like a heartbeat, feeding into it.

Slowly but surely, the door of the portal began to form.

Unlike anything she had ever seen, it twisted like a vortex of luminescent liquid colors, sucking in air as both Viella and Dice stood side by side, eyeing the endless tunnel before them.

Raden stood beside it, his eyes reflecting an uneasiness that worried Viella.

"There. It will last only for a while before it closes again," Raden said as the last pulse of his magic left the tips of his shoes. Viella held Dice's hand a little firmer.

"Is there anything I need to know before I go?" Viella asked, hoping for a hint of where she should go.

But instead, Raden said, "The magic there is more of a solid kind. It serves one purpose only. When you see someone who can do more than one thing, know they are more powerful than usual. So if you have the opportunity to make allies, choose well. It also means you're probably the only one who can make potions and magical medicines… make sure you keep that in mind. It will be a great advantage."

"But doesn't that mean no one there can teach me?" Viella asked, noticing the portal's pulse becoming more frequent and bright.

Raden looked back, noticing the pulse as well. With urgency, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards it. "The very first herbalist existed! You can learn it yourself. Now there isn't any time!" Raden yelled.

Before Viella realized what he was about to do, he threw both her and Dice into the portal. Viella screamed, feeling her skin and bones stretched as she turned in the brightness of the portal; its blinding colors and low temperatures frightening. Beside her Dice held on to her garments for dear life. 

"Oh!" Viella heard Raden's fading voice.

"I forgot to lift the curse!" His words shocked Viella as she watched his image blurring—the horror of knowing this was the last time she would ever see the Mage dawned on her.

Viella and Dice screamed together as the increasing roll of the vortex tossed them with every turn. On the way, Viella caught glimpses of different worlds.

Some were alive and green, some had silver buildings she had never seen before, and some were grey wastelands. Then all of a sudden Viella and Dice were thrown out of the vortex just as she felt they would go on forever. The force was so great that, although they landed close to the ground, they rolled for a minute before stopping.

Viella breathed hard as her body lay flat against the cold ground, doing her best to hold her stomach as the dizziness from the trip spun her head. Dice lay right beside her, breathing equally hard.

"Vi-Viella?" Dice's gentle voice sounded nervous, alarming her to what was happening.

As the sound of the portal began to disappear, Viella realized they had landed in a forest where a battle was taking place.

She forced herself up, noticing her belongings scattered. Quickly, she gathered them, hearing the sound of horses, swords, and the low growls and high shrieks of different beasts echoing in the distance.

Dice followed behind her, not far, as Viella looked up at the orange sky.

"The sun is setting. Come! We have to get away from here!" Viella yelled, already running and dragging Dice behind her. The girl's short legs struggled to keep up with Viella's longer ones.

"J-just throw the dice!" Dice stammered, her voice just loud enough for Viella to understand.

"And give these people a reason to want to steal you?! I don't think so!" Viella yelled back, then forcefully carried Dice, knowing the girl couldn't have jumped over the thick bushes.

She breathed hard, the horrifying realization that they might have landed right in the middle of the battle becoming more and more plausible. Raden had said there was no telling where they would land, but this was the last thing she expected. 

Viella stopped, slipping on wet mud as, all of a sudden, a large horse—larger than any horse she had ever seen—stood on its back legs, its hooves kicking wildly in front of her.

Viella screamed, close to having her face kicked in, but not as loud as Dice, who noticed something else. A beast. A tall, slender figure that looked like it was over-stretched, with thin protruding bones over thick, melting, liquid skin, dripping on the forest floor.

Its face was in a permanent state of screaming terror, blood-red where its eyes and the depth of its mouth should be. It startled the horse which was carrying a soldier, its movement so fast that for a moment Viella wasn't sure where it had gone. 

It screamed, its long, bone-like arms striking the side of the horse, cutting through the skin and flesh. Not just of the horse, but the calve of the soldier. The man screamed out in pain. As if time ticked slower, the beast then stabbed him through the chest.

It was as if she were glued in place, her eyes widened, and her pupils shrinking as it lifted the man off of his horse, then brutally slammed him against one of the trees.

Viella pushed Dice to duck down next to her, fear fueling her instincts to hide deep in the thick bushes the moment she snapped out of her shock.

Viella had never seen anything so hideous and terrifying—a living, breathing nightmare.

Right then, Viella knew, without having witnessed it before, that it was a Mordath.

The creatures she had only ever heard about in whispers among the maids and chatter of little boys, claiming it would come for those who were naughty. 

No amount of storytelling could ever prepare her for the fear she felt now. It landed on all fours, awkwardly crawling around, sniffing as the intensity of the battle started to disperse in the distance.

The echoes of men and the remaining monsters hauntingly audible.

Dice buried her face in Viella's chest as Viella looked through the small gaps between the leaves.

Slowly, the sunset took away the remaining natural light. But although she could take out the trinket Raden had given her, Viella did not want it to know where they were. It was better to be in complete darkness. Hidden in the shadows. 

"Throw the dice," Dice whispered, almost inaudible. 

"A-alright." Viella agreed, reaching into her satchel to take the dices she hid inside a leather pouch. But before she could throw it, an arrow engulfed in flames, struck it on the head. The Mordaths made a long, high-pitched scream.

It fell beside her, its skin beginning to burn with an unusual gray flame, all the while still screaming.

Viella looked on, refusing to come out of her hiding spot as another soldier came galloping with his horse.

"General!" he exclaimed, jumping off his ride and sprinting toward the dying man.

"C-comrade..." he said, gurgling blood. Viella felt a tightness in her chest. Didn't she have something in her satchel for something like this? She thought, remembering Raden's words carefully.

Even if she only had two, this was the kind of situation where she could take advantage. She could ask him for assistance! Surely, someone who was near death would be grateful to her if she saved his life. 

Viella patted Dice on the shoulder, notifying the girl of the past danger. 

Dice looked up, then blinked, moving aside to let Viella roll out of the bushes.

Her sudden appearance alarmed the soldier; his face, shrouded in shadows, was visible enough for her to catch the flicker of caution in his eyes.

"I can help!" Viella announced. Then, from her satchel, she took out the Heart of Fire, illuminating them all. The soldier in front of her, with striking blue eyes and blond hair, stared in confusion.

"You're also an elemental," he said. "I can also control fire, and there's nothing I can do." The soldier, who heard his lieutenant cough up blood behind him, turned in a hurry.

He looked over his shoulder toward her.

"If you're going to help, then hurry!"

Viella moved as quickly as she could, taking out the bottle with yellow liquid inside.

She wondered if she needed to finish the whole bottle, then mentally scolded herself for not asking Raden for the proper dosage. But for now, Viella needed to heal this man. Even if it would cost her the whole bottle. 

The man, who was around his forties, looked over at her with saddened eyes, knowing for certain death would come for him.

His eyes, which were a shade of gold, were so beautiful, that Viella was sure no one could ever top them.

His black hair was so dark it seemed to absorb the light, and his lips, sporting a long scar, were well-shaped.

For his age, the general was a good-looking man.

"Excuse me…" Viella said, then slowly offered the liquid for him to drink. He drank it, slowly but surely.

It had now reached a quarter of the bottle when, from within his open wounds, light began to heal it from the inside out.

"It's working!" The soldier said, excited. "How are you doing that?"

"It's my magic," Viella said, lying. She continued to help the man drink until he finally refused. The general pushed himself up, confused as if he wasn't sure whether he had been injured just a moment ago. Expecting for himself to fall but was completely fine.

The soldier looked on in awe.

"General?" the younger man asked. "How are you?"

"It's as if… I was never injured," he answered, then pushed himself up. He checked his knees, elbows, legs, and touched his stomach where the Mordath had stabbed him.

Then he turned around to face Viella, who stood beside Dice and the soldier.

"You. What is your name?"

"My name is Viella Ivelle. This is… Marie Ivelle. She's my sister," Viella answered, introducing Dice, who looked on, playing along with her words.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Dice, or Marie, said.

"I am the High General Aaron Pierte, from the Ethirian Empire of the Dreadspire Dominion. And I owe you my life. Please, allow me to repay your kindness," General Aaron said, with one hand on his chest, bowing his head.

Exactly what Viella had wanted to hear.