Before the incident (3)

A few days had passed since I made Silica my pawn...

*Click!* *Fwoosh!*

"Hmm hmm hmm~"

The azure flame glittered and burned in my hands, its warmth licking at my fingertips as I shaped it—stretching, shrinking, curling it into delicate spirals before letting it flare into something wilder. A happy tune hummed from my lips as I worked, the orange glow reflecting in my eyes.

I pressed my fingers together, narrowing my focus, and the fire shrank into a tiny, flickering ember. Then, with a twitch of my wrist, it bloomed again, a bright, hungry flame. The heat kissed my skin, but I welcomed it. It was mine—a power I could wield, mold, and command however I pleased.

*Clop* *clop* *clink...*

Behind me, I heard hesitant footsteps. A quiet clink of porcelain.

"L-Lady Sophia…"