In the face of danger, everything was possible…even for Calista. Using her magic a week after getting treatment for overusing it was the dumbest thing Calista had ever done. However, knowing that she could die if she didn't put up a fight and doing nothing about it was worse.
"Kill her! Forget about taking her alive. She's going to wipe us out as long as she lives!"
"Thanks for the compliment," Calista laughed as she let her magic control her.
In the eyes of her enemies, she was like a mad saint dancing with fire.
There was no other way for her to use magic in a situation like this. If she wouldn't allow the magic to run amok inside her, she wouldn't be able to use them as she wished. In her current condition, controlling magic was not an option. Instead, making the magic control her body was the only way.
'Damn it! There's just so many of them. I'm slowly losing my mind and if this continues, I might be labeled as the mad arsonist in the empire,' Calista thought. As she pondered what to do, her body moved on its own, burning anyone within her range.
"Oh, shit! She's a madwoman!" The bandit leader screamed when his hair caught fire. Half of his men were already down while the others were still trying to get close to the lady.
Meanwhile, Calista was trying to look cool and all but the truth was, she couldn't control her flames anymore.
"You see, I tend to burn my enemies when I'm not in a mood. If you don't want to turn into organic ashes for my flower garden, I suggest you leave right now." Calista smirked, faking her expression while screaming inside.
'Just leave me already! I don't want to burn to death either!' She screamed at the back of her mind.
Contrary to Calista's expectation, the bandits chose to fight against her until the end. It wasn't the first time her life was put in danger. As the daughter of a powerful duke, Calista would constantly have people coming for her life ever since she was born. She was used to being the target of assassination and was even taught swordsmanship. But Calista, being herself, refused to attend her lessons and played with her maid instead.
Thinking back on those days, Calista regretted her decisions in life as she fought to survive.
"Don't underestimate a pampered noble lady!" She forced her body to move on her will and walked toward her enemies. "If you don't want to run away now when I'm giving you a chance to…" She grabbed the side of her head and grinned. "I'll be coming to send you to hell then," she added in a low voice.
Calista was close to scaring the bandits when, all of a sudden, she felt the urge to cough. A thick crimson substance came out of her mouth.
'Blood…' Calista's eyes widened in horror. She knew what was going to happen next, and it wasn't the best time for her to go through it.
"Hah! Haha! It looks like you've reached your limit. Men, capture her," the bandit leader ordered his remaining men. "Don't worry about her flames. Take a look, it's getting weaker."
Calista pursed her lips in frustration. As soon as she coughed blood, she could no longer move her body. Even the magic stopped controlling her body when she spent her remaining strength.
'Damn it! Why it has to be now? I can do more… Damn!' she cursed herself.
At the back of her mind, she could visualize an unknown entity clad in living flames. She was looking down at her with a smug face. It was as if she was mocking Calista for being weak.
"Hurry! Put her inside the sack. We need to get out of here before someone sees us," the bandit leader said after his men caught Calista, who had helplessly fallen to the ground.
"Let go of me," Calista tried to get away from her captor's hold, only to get her hair pulled.
"Quiet, bitch! If you don't want to die, don't make things hard for us anymore," her captor said before throwing her over his shoulders.
"Damn it! I said, let go of me!" Calista attempted to kick the man in between his legs when he caught her leg instead.
"Boss, this woman is totally my type." Calista groaned when she felt a hand grabbing her face. "She's the saintess, after all. Isn't it a shame to let this opportunity go? We can have some fun and taste heaven before sending her to hell."
The others eventually agreed. Who could even resist a lady with a beautiful face and body?
"Stop fooling around. We're paid to capture her, not to tarnish her body. Did you forget? We'll get another bag of gold if we bring her safely," the bandit leader opposed. His eyes darted at Calista, who was gritting her teeth in frustration. "You can have dozens of women once we're done with this job. Our priority is to deliver her alive."
"Boss, we're not going to kill her. We're going to treat her nicely. Why are you acting like that? It's not like this is the first time we wanted to play with our captives," another man said. He walked toward Calista and lifted her face. He smirked as he traced Calista's jaws with his dirty fingers.
"You know what? Only fools would let this chance go. This catch wouldn't compare to a dozen of sluts in brothels. Even the most expensive courtesan couldn't match this lady's beauty. Ah, since she's from a noble family, she must be still pure and innocent…hmm?" He took Calista from the other man's shoulder and carried her to the carriage.
"Let me teach you a thing or two, Missy. I swear you'd thank me for showing you the real happiness in this world," he said as he laid Calista on the seat. He was brimming with joy and excitement, while the others outside were cheering for him.
"Get off me," Calista muttered in a firm voice. She was slowly regaining her strength, but it wasn't enough to use magic. Using magic without a proper plan would instantly consume her strength and might endanger her even more.
"Be quiet!"
Calista hissed when she sensed a metallic taste on her lips. Her vision turned dark as soon as she realized it was her blood.
"How dare you…"
One thing Calista hated the most was getting hurt. Physically hurt. She wouldn't mind getting verbally abused. Nah, it wouldn't work on her. However, when it comes to getting hurt physically, even the tiniest cut could make Calista lose her mind. The only reason she remained calm for a while was because she had no strength to spare…yet.
"There. Be good and say nothing. I'd appreciate it if you moan. Don't worry, I'll make your first experience memorable," the bandit said as he ripped Calista's dress, revealing her skin.
Her rounded chest caught his attention, making him drool. As much as the view pleased him, it put Calista into her beast mode.
"Die…" she whispered before pulling the man's neck toward her and punching his neck. She wasn't satisfied with a punch, so she kicked him in the stomach.
Looking at the half-conscious man on the floor, Calista raised her leg and smirked before stomping on the bandit's stomach.
"Arckk!"
Calista wiped the blood that splattered on her face. She grinned as she grabbed the man's head, dragging him out of the carriage.
"Simeon! What have you done to him, you bitch?!"
"I told you… You should have run away when I gave you the chance to." Calista tossed the body in the air only to turn it into cinders with her flames.
The rest of the bandits stared at the remains of their companions on the ground. They may have unfamiliar faces underneath the mask, but one thing was certain; they all looked horrified.
Calista stood firmly on the ground—blazing!
Her rage gave her the power to control the flames. After all, fire was always fueled by powerful emotions…especially anger.
"Line up, little boys. Let me give you a warm farewell before you cross the other side," Calista snickered as she raised both of her arms, forming a huge fireball overhead. The more she stretched her harms apart, the larger the fireball became.
The temperature rose in an instant, burning even the twigs and leaves of the surrounding trees. Calista spread her arms to the side, keeping the massive ball of fire in just above her head. Her eyes glowed like a pyromaniac, ready to erase some place on the map with her flames. The humiliation she felt when men considered tainting her body made her flames grow even hotter.
"My bad," she mumbled with a dangerous grin on her face. "I ain't taking you to hell. It's the other way around, boys."
Calista let out a hysterical laugh as she threw the fireball in the enemy's direction.
"Say your prayers now…Ack!" Calista couldn't finish her sentence when a sharp dagger penetrated her flesh from the back.
"I'm sorry, Missy. Your luck ends here."
"Y-You…" Strength had slowly left her body as she glared at the bandit's leader, who stabbed her in the back. "Coward…" Calista mumbled before everything went black.