Lava lakes

"Ah! In Lugus' name, why does it hurt so much?"

Alexia used her hands to muffle her screams, tears threatening to escape her eyes as Evan reset her bones before healing them.

Usually, these sessions were comforting and serene, but now they were so agonizing that she discovered places that could hurt that she wasn't even aware existed before.

Biting her lips and clenching her jaw, she refused to let out another scream.

"Alexia, I apologize for the pain, but please can you keep it down? You'll wake everyone up," Evan said with his usual warm smile and subtle blush.

Looking at him, no one would believe that it was this harmless boy who was causing her so much pain.

Alexia looked up at him with pleading eyes, though she didn't know why, he seemed angry at her for something, and this torture was just a way to punish her. Evan's smile widened, looking particularly cute, but it caused her eyes to widen in horror.

"Lex, please, this is the last one. You can always scream, but I really don't advise doing that in the middle of the night. They might think I'm harming you or something else."

That blushing face and gentle voice now seemed particularly sinister.

Tears spilled from her eyes involuntarily; Evan's eyes grew wide, and his actions became flustered as he awkwardly made an attempt to heal her. Soon, she felt the familiar warmth pass through her.

"I'll never get myself hurt again."

***

Evan let out a sigh of relief; he was worried that he had gone too far. Her almond eyes were red and wet with tears. He felt uncomfortable and guilty knowing that it was his fault.

He sighed, sitting next to her. She stared at him with pouted lips, her eyes narrowed in accusation.

"I'm sorry about that. Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. She just rolled her eyes at him, staring in the other direction, her arms crossed.

He knew that she was still upset with him. He was also upset with himself, but he just couldn't control his emotions.

"If I may ask, what's your relationship with General Casen?" he said, changing the topic and trying to sound casual, though his fists clenched involuntarily.

"Nothing special," he heard her say in a dismissive voice, still refusing to look at him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't believe that."

" Then why do you two spend so much time alone? Why does he care for you so obviously." He blurted out before he could control himself.

" You know a lot." It was now her turn to narrow her eyes at him. Under her gaze, he felt slightly guilty.

" It's not like I'm spying on you or anything. It's just that someone spread a rumor that you guys have...that kind of relationship."

He blushed while fidgeting, he hated how expressive his face was. Especially when the person it was directed at was always so oblivious.

She abruptly whipped her head, holding him by the shoulders, surprising him. His heart thudded in his chest.

" Wait what?"

***

Alexia had just stormed out of Evan's tent; she wasn't going to interact with the elf for a long time.

" Only a miracle could make that happen." She sighed; she was already beginning to miss that annoying voice in her head. Lugus knows what had happened to make it silent like this.

Her eyes traveled across the scene of hurried packing. Her father had approved their move; they were about to go home. She walked around aimlessly; nobody noticed her, or maybe it was more accurate to say everyone was avoiding her.

"Why are you surprised? Some things will never change." She scoffed at herself.

Her heart constricted; she felt suffocated by just about everything around here. Not wanting to end her internal monologue, she let her legs lead her.

When she finally came to her senses, she found herself in front of the southern forest. It was really a bizarre entrance; in this part of the forest, the crimson trees towered high above, making everything seem dark and eerie, with only faint specks of light escaping through the canopy of leaves.

The whole place was immersed in shadows; it seemed dangerous and was definitely not a place for someone to wander alone. But as a 'responsible' warrior, it was her duty to explore this place.

"This atmosphere is what I need right now."

Surrounded by darkness and relative silence, her thoughts began to churn. Why was she rushing to go home?

She didn't know the answer. It couldn't be because of the father who didn't love her, nor because of her complicated family. And it wasn't because of her nonexistent friends, so why was she in such a hurry?

Moving forward, she vaguely felt a shift in the environment; the air was hotter and had an acrid scent of sulfur.

"Ssss"

Her brows furrowed as she hissed, looking down. Her eyes widened as she stumbled backward, falling onto her bottom in the process.

In front of her was a massive lake of still lava, and she had been just a moment away from turning into roast dragon. It originated from a waterfall or maybe a lava fall that cascaded like a blazing curtain of orange and red.

"The lava lakes," she whispered.

They were known to be home to the deadliest mystical fire beasts and demon beasts because of their hostile environments. These lakes were considered dangerous waters.

She suspected that the only reason she was still in one piece was due to the fact that she was just at the outskirts and not in their depths.

This was where Thrakos, the demon scorpion was suspected to have evolved because it not only housed fire but also darkness.

Now the most important question would be should she continue forward?

She had to admit her interest was piqued, lava forest was said to be one of the battlefield fields of the gods. People theorized that the trees had crimson leaves because they grew on holy blood.

And that the lake and darkness were left behind by the actions of the dragon god, Lugus and the demon god during the ancient war. She didn't really know his name because she had never travelled out of Aethera but maybe one day she would.

It was really tempting but also dangerous. Who knew what ancient beast resided here. Maybe if her uncle was here, he would have protected her. But now she was alone and her meager power was nothing compared to those living horrors.

But that didn't mean she was afraid. On the contrary, her blood boiled at the thought. It was also a welcome distraction from all the drama in her life. She wasn't eager to unveil the identity of the one behind the rumors.

She was used to it, but she might never get used to the judging gazes that always haunted her though for completely different reasons. She scanned the area with her golden eyes.

Maybe there was a secret passageway or abandoned ruins. The warzone of the gods should at least have one or two mysteries right?If not what did they expect the future generations to do?

Her eyes lit up when she noticed a cave on the right, free from the effects of blazing heat. Instead it was surrounded by chilling welcoming darkness. Igniting a flame in her palm, she smiled and whispered.

" Found you."