The Flame Witch's Past

The fire in the hearth had burned low when Altrelis finally looked up from his papers.

"It's late," he muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"Indeed. Nearly midnight."

Isana's voice made him jump.

She stood in the doorway, arms crossed, firelight playing across her pale features.

"Can't sleep?" Altrelis asked.

"I rarely sleep well." She moved into the room, settling into a chair across from him. "The ghosts are restless tonight."

"Ghosts?"

Isana was silent for a long moment.

"I have a story," she said finally. "One I've never told anyone. Would you hear it?"

Altrelis set aside his work.

"I would."

"I wasn't always what I am."

Isana stared into the dying flames.

"Once, I was simply Isana. A girl from a small village in the eastern mountains. My mother was a hedge witch—minor magic, healing herbs, that sort of thing. My father was a farmer."

Her voice was soft, distant.

"We were poor but happy. I had two younger brothers. Mischievous little things. They used to hide frogs in my bedding."

A ghost of a smile crossed her lips.

"When I was fourteen, my power awakened. Not the gentle magic of my mother—no. Mine was fire. Wild, uncontrollable, hungry."

She raised one hand.

Flames danced across her palm, casting strange shadows.

"I burned our barn. Nearly killed my youngest brother." Her voice hardened. "That was when the church took interest."

"The Church of the Holy Light. They called my magic 'hellfire'—a curse from demons. They wanted to 'purify' me."

"What does that mean?"

Isana's smile turned bitter.

"Execution. Public burning, ironically enough." She laughed without humor. "A fire witch, burned at the stake. There's poetry in that, I suppose."

"But you escaped."

"My mother helped me flee. She stayed behind to cover my tracks." Isana's voice caught. "She... she didn't survive."

The fire crackled in the silence.

"I wandered for years after that. Learned to control my power. Learned to survive. Eventually, I found myself in the mercenary trade—there's always work for someone who can burn things."

"And your family? Your brothers?"

"Dead. All of them." The word fell like a stone. "The church couldn't find me, so they punished those I left behind. Called it 'cleansing the bloodline.'"

Altrelis felt cold fury rise in his chest.

"That's monstrous."

"That's the world." Isana met his gaze. "The world humans built. The world that calls your kind 'beasts' and my power 'demonic.' The world that burns what it fears."

She leaned forward.

"That's why I'm here, Altrelis. Not for gold, not for glory. But because you represent something different. A world where my fire doesn't have to be a curse."

"The contract—"

"Was just the excuse I gave myself." She smiled—a real smile, though sad. "The truth is simpler. I'm tired of burning things. Tired of running. Tired of being alone."

She stood, turning toward the door.

"Now you know my story. Do with it what you will."

"Isana."

She paused.

"Thank you for trusting me."

She didn't turn around.

"Don't make me regret it."

And then she was gone.

Altrelis sat alone for a long time afterward.

'She carries heavy burdens,'* the Wisdom observed quietly. *'More than most realize.'

'The church did all that to her? To her family?'

'The Church of the Holy Light has a long history of such atrocities. They call it 'purification.' Others call it genocide of the gifted.'

'And they're allied with the human kingdoms?'

'Deeply. Their influence extends into every major human nation.'

Altrelis stared into the embers.

'Is there no justice?'

'There is the justice you create.'* The Wisdom's tone was unusually gentle. *'Perhaps that's why fate brought you here. Not just to be Demon King—but to build something better.'

Outside, the wind howled through the Black Forest.

And somewhere in the depths of the castle, a Fire Witch finally slept without nightmares.

The next morning, Altrelis found Isana in the training yard.

She was conducting drills with the Magic Soldier Corps, flames dancing between her fingers as she demonstrated proper spellcasting technique.

"Faster!" she barked. "Fire doesn't wait for you to be ready!"

Soldiers scrambled to obey.

Altrelis watched from a distance.

In the morning light, Isana seemed different somehow. Lighter.

As if sharing her burden had lifted some of its weight.

"She told you, didn't she?"

Luna materialized beside him.

"You knew?"

"I suspected." The dark elf's expression was unreadable. "She speaks in her sleep sometimes. Names. Fragments."

"Why didn't you ask her directly?"

"Some wounds must be opened by their bearers." Luna turned to leave. "Be careful with what she's given you. Trust, for one such as her, is more precious than gold."

Altrelis nodded slowly.

"I understand."

End of Chapter Seven

—Next Chapter: The Covenant of the First Demon King