Violet had been plagued with nightmares ever since the day she visited Hell. She couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty. Where had she gone? Were Heaven and Hell real in this world? And if they were, why had she been sent there?
The Darach had told her it was part of her gift, but what kind of gift could transport its owner to Hell? In Violet's eyes, it was no gift at all—it was a curse.
"My princess, the Darach has been asking for you."
"I am not going anywhere near that tree. I will not be sent back to Hell."
"But my princess, if you do not train your abilities, you may end up harming yourself."
"Then I won't use them at all. That should prevent me from accidentally activating my 'gift'."
"But my princess..."
"I won't hear it. Let me just continue sleeping."
The door at the far end of the room opened suddenly, and the light from outside illuminated the dark space, bringing a touch of life to an otherwise lifeless room.
"My Queen, may I ask you to join us today?"
"I'm not leaving this room. I can't risk what happened before happening again."
"Is this because of that incident?"
"Of course it is."
"If you let fear cloud your judgment, you will never be able to grow."
"It's not fear clouding my judgment, it's caution. I cannot allow my curse to hurt those around me. Remember how I told you fire magic is a curse? This is just further proof of that. I wish I didn't have these abilities."
"You should not think that way. We must embrace all parts of ourselves—the parts we consider good and even those we see as bad. We cannot be whole if we don't accept every part of ourselves."
"I don't think I can."
"You will never know unless you try. So, what do you say? Are you willing to visit the Darach?"
"No. I don't think I am."
"Okay... I know you're scared that you might hurt people with your abilities, but if you don't learn how to control them, you will definitely hurt someone."
"That's a bit harsh, but... maybe you're right. I should at least learn how these abilities work, so I can shut them off at the source."
"That's not exactly what I meant, but I'm glad you're going to see the Darach."
"Helen, would you help me prepare for my meeting with the Darach?"
"Of course, my princess. I'm glad you're finally getting out of the house."
"Okay, I leave it to you two. Bye for now, see you later."
"You too. Have a nice day."
"Thank you for visiting us, Elder Rauski. We hope to see you again soon."
After preparing, Violet soon found herself at the Qliphoth with the Darach.
"Queen Iris, I appreciate you coming today."
"Please, do not use my true name. It's a bit unsettling."
"Whatever you wish, Queen Iri— I mean, Violet. Now, to understand how your powers work, we'll need to revisit that day and figure out what led to the activation of your abilities. What exactly do you remember happening before you were engulfed in flames and sent to that fiery place?"
"Well, I remember you touched the symbol the nymph had placed on my hands. Then, when you stopped touching it, fire engulfed me, and I was sent to that place."
"Okay, can we try that again?"
"Wait, you want to send me back there? I thought I was here to learn how to control these abilities."
"We cannot do anything until we understand how they are activated."
"Fine... I understand."
"Good. Let's try it the same way we did before."
He touched the symbol on her hand, but nothing happened.
"Well, we tried. Looks like it was a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
"Wait, maybe something's missing... If I recall correctly, you were sent to a fiery landscape after being engulfed in flames. There must be a connection. I've got it! Did you use any fire magic before the incident?"
"Fire magic?! I'm sorry, but I despise fire magic with all my being. So, unfortunately for you, I did not."
"Oh. And here I thought that was the answer."
"Wait, I remember now. It wasn't so much using fire magic as it was trying to conjure some flames."
"Then I think we've found the answer. If you try to access the flames and we go through the process again, it might work."
"I... I don't think I can. Like I said, I hate fire magic."
"But you have to at least try."
"Even if I try, the flames won't respond."
"Just try. Even if the flames don't answer, channeling the intention to use fire magic might be the key."
"Okay, I'll try."
Violet focused, recalling how she had attempted to access fire magic before. At first, nothing happened. But then, the temperature around her began to rise, only to drop suddenly.
The Darach continued with the same actions he had taken the first time. It seemed like another failure, but then, suddenly, it happened. Flames engulfed her again, and the temperature soared. Sweat began to pour from her body.
The heat grew more unbearable. Violet felt her body weakening, as if she were about to faint from the heat. This wasn't like the heat she had faced before. Something was wrong. She might die of heatstroke if she didn't do something.
Maybe she could summon ice? No, she was trapped in these flames—water wasn't an option.
What about wind magic? No, she barely knew how to use it. Perhaps, with her connection to fire magic, she could control the rising heat. She didn't want to use fire magic, but she had no choice now.
She tried to recall how fire produced heat—her memories as Lenna came flooding back. Fire, she remembered, was a chemical reaction that occurred when fuel burned in oxygen. The byproducts were carbon dioxide and water, and energy was released in the form of light and heat.
Understanding this, Violet realized she needed to reduce either the fuel being burned or the oxygen available.
Her mana, perhaps? But she was a High Elf, and didn't give Spirits her mana to fuel magic. How did these flames work?
Maybe she could control the flames directly. After all, she had been afraid of them for so long, letting them control her. Now it was time to take control.
"I accept you," she whispered, "Even if you're big and terrifying, you are a part of me. I will dictate how you flow."
She commanded the flames to die down, and, to her surprise, the heat began to subside. Just like with water magic, she was able to manipulate it.
It was fascinating—she could control how hot or cold the flames were, and even the type of flame she was manipulating.
After what felt like an eternity, Violet found herself back in the fiery world. This time, however, there was someone waiting for her.
The heat no longer bothered her. Before her stood a giant, as red as hot coal and towering like a mountain.
"Invader!" he boomed, his voice so thunderous that it could be heard for miles. "Have you come to drive us from our homes again? This time, we will not go down without a fight."
He grabbed her and held her tightly in his massive fist.
"I will take you to our King. He must know of your presence."
King? So Hell had a king. Wait—did he just call her an invader? What was going on?