Homecoming

Vondell felt a chill crawl up his skin, as silence descended upon them. ~It's obvious she's playing with me. She knows that I'm not a serf,~ he thought to himself. However, he stopped himself from acting too brashly. She hadn't done anything outright aggressive yet, and even if she knew, it wasn't like he was going to kill a little girl because he was a poor actor. No, he'd see where this went. As it stood, he was here looking for information, and this girl could very well be the source of it.

"But if you're still afraid, I'll show you a little trick," she said, reaching into her pockets. Vondell's muscles tensed at this. He quickly placed her on the ground before she could pull something out, and took a step back.

She sighed, pulling a metallic canister out of her dress pockets. "You're being a very disrespectful serf. Even if you find my leg repulsive, this is no way to treat a small girl," she said, her face scrunching up as tears welled up in her eyes.

Vondell took another step back, paying his full attention to the canister.

"You're no fun to play with," she whispered, rubbing her tears away. Her face returned to normal as she looked down at the canister, her delicate hands struggling to twist it open. 

"Will you help me?" she asked.

However, Vondell just stared at the canister silently. ~This girl is a manipulator,~ he thought to himself. Though it wasn't all that surprising. A lot of small girls were manipulators, but that didn't mean they were fiends. Still, the fact he was in a hidden underground mansion, made it harder for him not to think she was.

The girl twisted at the canister lid with all her strength, finally opening it with a soft hmph. She tossed the lid aside and held up the canister so that Vondell could see what was inside. "See, you don't have to be scared. It's just a butterfly," she said, pointing at the dead, six-winged butterfly lying inside it.

~This again,~ Vondell thought watching expectantly. He could kill her right now, but then he wouldn't hear what she had to say. The gods often used mortals as their tools with little regard for what age they were, and there was a chance that she was just a little girl, being used as a marionette.

"It showed me how to survive in the dark," she said, before bringing it close to her mouth. With a soft blow, the butterfly corpse, twitched, before slowly flapping its wings.

"Now I'll teach you," she added, and the butterfly flew into the dark room. With that, the darkness of the room rushed out, and completely engulfed the entire corridor.

Vondell, instantly pulled Surth out, however before he could draw her, a small light appeared in the far distance, enough for him to make out what was around him. It seemed that the corridor he was standing in disappeared, and he now stood in an open space. The girl was standing beside him, her crippled leg trembling under the weight of her leg.

Her face was scrunched up in pain, however Vondell doubted it was because of her leg. "The darkness is only scary because it reminds us of the dreams we have when we close our eyes," she said. "I'll show you my dreams if you show me yours," she added.

"I think I'll pass on that," Vondell replied, drawing Surth. With that, a bright crimson flame sparkled to life, however, its light could not fill the darkness of the room. Still, her flames flickered and danced at the surrounding curtain of black, trying to burn her way through.

~Surth, you're not taking a sacrifice?~ Vondell realized, noticing that his hands were not burning. 

~Then she's not a mortal.~ He gripped Surth tighter, and her flames roared even brighter than before. He now held her in a stance he normally wouldn't be able to. If Surth wasn't going to take sacrifice, then he could use her like he used to back when he was younger.

"What are you?" he asked.

"Son of fire. The butterfly asks you the same question," the girl replied, before fading into the veil of darkness.

"What are you?" her voice echoed, right as a fire broke out towards the end of the room.

The fire quickly spread, completely surrounding Vondell. He raised his arms out, trying to control them, however these were not normal flames. In fact, these were flames he knew well, fire that he was familiar with.

"Elysia," Vondell whispered, as the darkness around the fire dispersed.

He was left in a burning forest, with a thick dark layer of smoke covering the sky above. The world seemed larger now, however, when Vondell looked down at his hands, he realized that he was just younger.

"Illusion magic?" he whispered.

Just then, the screaming began, the wails and cries in the distance. They begged for help, for mercy, for him. He knew it was all a trick, he knew that the girl likely had a high-level grace that was playing tricks on his mind, but still, he looked up, still his eyes searched for his people.

He ran into the forest, dodging masses of burning wood and leaves that fell from the sky, and jumping over roaring flames that covered the ground. He stumbled and fell over fallen burning branches, and his skin seared as the flames kissed his flesh. However, he did not stop. Each time he felt the fire, he moved even faster. 

Soon he reached a clearing in the forest, and, as he took in the scene in front of him, his knees gave in.

The screams were more clear in that instant, his name a chorus of their cries.

"You're always too late, aren't you, child of fire? You couldn't save them then, and you won't save anyone now," the girl's voice echoed from above.

"But still your people have waited long for you. Go in and see them. Go in and see what is left of your home."