The Reason

Darwel's breath quickened. Unlike the guards, she could afford to show cracks in her confidence.

What she had seen was absolutely mortifying.

A flame had devoured one of her mother's most trusted guards, a powerful one at that, but she still remained standing, her body complete – no parts of her charred or singed – and yet she didn't move. She simply kept staring ahead as she had been before when her loyalty to the Queen possessed her to go against the Ode.

Being unable to see her face – as Darwel saw – raised the eerie tone by several degrees.

There was a cold silence.

It seemed even the Queen was surprised by what had happened. She seemed to be the only one to truly see clearly and understand what had ended her precious guard. However, even if she couldn't understand how.

How in the world could one burn another's soul in 0.01 seconds?

How?