Judith had fallen into a void she knew was conjured up by Qui Lin. As to why, this part had left Judith uneasy. But this question wasn't given enough time to brew in her mind, because another Vortex had open up below Judith, which meant she was going to get her answers sooner rather than later.
Falling into the Vortex, Judith had been flung into the air, and then landed the ground. When she came to, she found herself in a small room, where Qui Lin was seated on a chair in front of her.
The room was dark. Not even the light of the moon had been let into the room as all the windows were closed. The only light illuminating the room was that of the flame Qui Lin was seemingly playing with on her palm.
In the darkness and under the single light shining on her face, Qui Lin looked like a being of extraordinary prowess herself. Her purple eyes and lipstick had deeply contrasted her red hair, which seemed to meld seamlessly with the flames.
Not to mention that at this moment, with the strange and otherworldly presence she radiated, she looked young beyond her age. Instead of looking forty, she looked as though she was just turning twenty. The Crimson Goddess as people had come to know her in the novel, was seemingly revealing all that she was at this moment, because Judith found she was not able to breathe due to the intensity she felt from Qui Lin.
Whatever the reason was that called her here, it was not good.
"The, strangest things have happened to me in the span of a single day," Qui Lin said, not once taking her eyes off of the flames in her hands. She spoke with an odd expression on her face that looked like a cross between a smile and a frown. "And all of that had been somehow, connected to you slave girl." With the last sentence, she diverted her gaze from the flames in her hands to Judith, awakening her apprehension to an ungodly level.
"I don't like being toyed with, told what to do or left in the dark. I always want to be in control and I always want to know the secrets that is well within my power to uncover." Qui Lin had commanded her flames to ignited on the floor and surround Judith, causing her to gasp and freeze in place. "And as of now, I have more than enough power to make you talk, so talk." The flames surrounding Judith had suddenly intensified.
Judith did her best to calm down, but the flames heating up from all sides had done a good job of tearing down whatever stronghold she was trying to build in her mind. There was no denying the fact that Qui Lin as of here and now, held all the power and could do away with her in an instant if she so pleased.
Which meant that there was no other option than to splurge all of her secrets. Of course, how much of the secrets she was going to disclose was still up to Judith.
Clenching her fists and steeling her will, she exhaled, then calmed down.
"Please don't kill me," Judith said, staring straight into Qui Lin's eyes. "I'll tell you everything you want to know."
Feeling once again in control, Qui Lin had leaned into her chair, and then quelled the intensity of her flames.
"You can start by telling me who you really are, how you know everything you know, and what your purpose for coming to Qugan is." Qui Lin laid out her questions as bluntly as she could, not wanting to waste any time in getting her answers.
"Who I am?" Judith had asked, thinking carefully before she spoke. "I'm Nibo Judith, I know everything I know because my father had dedicated his life to researching these Beasts, my purpose for coming here was to carve a new life for…"
"Liar." Qui Lin said with a flat tone before turning up the heat of her flames, which began to eat away at the rim of Judith's white robe.
Seeing her robe catch on fire, she frantically began to step on it, so as to quell the fire, but she only seemed to push the rim into the flames, further engulfing her robe.
"I'm not lying." Judith had said, trying to keep the confidence present in her voice.
"Your father's research included a very accurate prediction of when, where and what rank of a Parabeast that would attack? I find that hard to believe."
Judith had groaned as the flames began to burn her legs and started making its way up her robe. And to add fuel to the fire, Qui Lin's flames rose and intensified in its heat, so she began to burn from her lap upwards.
Consumed by pain, Judith erratically thought on what next to say. She thought for a moment to tell Qui Lin the entire truth, but no one would believe that. She could still barely believe it herself. Judith thought to lie that she was a prophet, on a great mission to save the world. But that too was incredibly far fetched and unbelievable.
She had thought on numerous lies to tell Qui Lin, but she felt that at this point, whatever she would say was going to get her killed.
With desperation becoming her and pain eating her alive, she had acted on instinct and screamed.
"I know about the Eclipse Sanctum."
Hear these words had put Qui Lin in a daze, and at once the flames had disappeared.
Judith fell onto the ground, and began to hurriedly put out the flames burning at her robe with her hands. By the time she was done, her hands had been burnt, likewise her legs all the way up to her thighs.
Judith crawled backwards, so she leaned against the wall and stared at Qui Lin with evident fear in her being.
"What did you just say?" Qui Lin had asked, beyond confused and somewhat frightened.
Now angered by the pain eating away at her, Judith spoke with spite in her tone.
"I know about the Eclipse Sanctum, and if you kill me, everyone will know about it. Everyone." Judith said without fear in her heart, since the fear had been replaced with anger.