Chapter 34 Marked by flames

(Demon Realm, land of Guldoria)

In a dark room, the figure of a lady lying on the bed was occasionally illuminated by the lightning phenomenon in the sky. Her wet fiery red hair spread on the pillow, her body drenched in sweat.

A fiery symbol slowly etched itself onto the left side of her chest. Her fingers clutched the sheets, muscles tensing in agony.

Her red pendant slowly formed a cocooned barrier around her, it slowly caressed her pain. Tears slowly trickled down her face.

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Calista's eyes fluttered open, her strange surroundings made her look around cautiously. " Where am i?" she muttered.

"AArgh" a scream escaped her lips, she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes opened wide in fear, terrified of what she had stepped on.

It was a skeleton, "wait" she muttered as her eyes took notice of her surroundings. She was in a cave of bones. Skulls everywhere.

Her heart pounded. She spun around to retreat, but her vision blurred, pain splitting through her skull.

She held her head, screaming out in pain, she unconsciously turned towards the path she was supposed to take, and all the pain vanished.

She heaved deeply, as she struggled to stand upright, she held her head " the bones" she muttered. She noticed it was a bone of different creatures, werewolves, demons, dragons and fae.

She told her trembling legs to run, she scurried towards the source of light that was emitting from the path's end.

After she reached the source of the light, her hands on her knees, she huffed for air. Tears fell from her eyes, cold shivers running down her spines.

All the hair in her body immediately stood up..

Thud….thud

Her heart hammered, almost limping out of her chest.

She raised her up, she saw herself on a tiny bridge leading to a large land holding a big red tree. Lava roared underneath the path. Her legs gave her away.

Sob sob 

Her tears running down like a river, " what did i do to deserve all of this" her heart felt like it was being pricked by thousands of needles " why do i have to go through this hell like torture?" she pulled on her hair.

" this is not the time to wallow in your tears" a deep powerful voice warned " i will start running if i were you".

Calista looked around, searching for whence the voice came from, but she found nothing.

"Run?" for a moment she forgot she was crying.

The bridge began to shake violently, part of it falling into the lava.

Calista dashed to her feet, as adrenaline rushed through her veins, she ran with all her might towards the land.

" you can do it " she encouraged herself " you have to live" her eyes shone with conviction.

" just a few meters left.....Aghhh" she fell along the bridge.

Her hands struggled to catch on anything.

" Helppppp" she cried out.

Her hand caught a protruding rock from the land. She looked down, fear flickered in her eyes, she was so close to the lava.

Blood dripped from her hand, her hands slowly slipping away.

"Noooooooo!" she began to fall. Her emerald eyes closed, releasing tears that flow gracefully down her face.

" So this is it".

Suddenly she was caught, she began to get further up, she was flying.

She opened her eyes, her heart stopped beating " breath" the powerful voice of the dragon commanded.

Her body immediately listened to his command. They landed on the land, and the dragon dropped her.

Calista watched the black majestic dragon in numbed horror.

The dragon came closer to her, his face a few inches from hers. Calista felt like a tiny ant in front of the dragon.

" You have been marked" his eyes soften, taking notice of her features. " Phaenna" he muttered so low, that Calista missed it.

" No I have not" she stuttered.

The dragon eyes flickered with sadness and pain. This startled Calista " Do you know me?" she asked cautiously.

The dragon eyes turned fierce, as if those emotions in his eyes were Calista´s imagination.

" You bear the Demon king´s mark. I am his inner beast" he said, sounding almost grumpy.

" King Alexander is a Dragon?" her curiosity getting the best of her.

The dragon stepped back a few stepped back, totally ignoring her.

" Why is that the only tree here, you guarding around the tree right? Why?" she was curious, taking note of the lone tree, large, graceful with fiery red leaves.

" The truth will come in time. But first…." his eyes held a devilish glint.

 " You must endure the hellfire" a barrier formed around them.

Calista tried to escape but her attempts were all futile, " no please" blood drained from her face.

" If you survive you will be his mate, but if your soul cannot handle it, you will disintegrate" the dragon opened his mouth wide.

" Survive Phaenna, only you can save him" the dragon's painful words echoed.

The blue flame of hellfire engulfed Calista, lifting her a few meters from the ground.

 A blood chilling scream escaped her lips, her body burned, disintegrating and healing back, endless circle of pain.

" I can't die like this, what about Prince Ezekiel.. Aurora….my revenge" tears trickled down her face.

Blue flames erupted from her mouth and eyes, her scream died down. 

Then….

Something unexpected happened, the flames turned to shade of gold and red, her being glowed, a strange mark forming in her forehead. Her emerald eyes turn gold with a spark of fiery red swirling in it. Some part of her fiery red hair turned fiery gold, she look so graceful and powerful.

" Draco, Thank you for protecting my consciousness all this while, we will meet very soon" Phaenna's voice flowed out gracefully and powerfully.

Draco the dragon, eyes flickered with pain, a single tear escaped from his eyes, he opened his mouth wider, and hell fire flame gushed like a river.

A smile appeared on her face, before her features turned back to normal. The flames turned blue again. Calista lost consciousness.