Chapter 3 - Chapter Two : The Blue Demon's Flame

 Blindfolded and gagged… darkness was all I knew. Only the muffled sobs of the girls beside me, and the drunken laughter of the slavers, told me I was still in the world of the living. I was terrified. Confused. Everything had happened too fast. Just hours ago, I was dancing under lantern light… and now I couldn't even remember calling for Lilith. Fear had swallowed every other thought. The tears came before I even realized I was crying. Suddenly, someone ripped the blindfold from my eyes. A slaver stood in front of me, wearing a twisted grin. "Well now… Don't cry, sweetheart. It turns me on when you cry." His companions burst into laughter. One slapped his back. "Dari, don't ruin the merchandise! A pretty thing like her will fetch a fortune in the Noble Market!" His words made my stomach twist. He reached out, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and lifted it— and that's when it happened. His expression froze. Then he screamed: "Gods… GODS ABOVE— She's an elf! AN ELF!" The entire wagon lurched to a stop. Their leader barged inside, eyes wide as if he'd discovered a chest of gold. "I don't believe it… This—this is impossible. She's a real elf. I'm rich. I'm richer than the whole damned capital!" Rage erupted among his men. "Hey! Why do YOU get all the money?!" "You always take the best share and leave us with scraps!" Without a hint of hesitation… the leader drew his sword and decapitated the man who spoke. The head rolled to my feet. Warm blood splattered across my face and dress. I—who used to cry just seeing a villager bleed from a small wound— felt my sanity crack. I screamed, sobbed, begged, trembled. The leader grabbed my face, squeezing hard. "One more sound, girl… and I'll make you eat his intestines." And then— A deafening ROAR. The horses panicked. Men shouted. The wagon spun— and everything turned upside down. The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was the leader being crushed under something massive. Then… a dream. A snowstorm. A great white bear approaching me. Its breath frost on my cheeks as it whispered: "The Anvil and the Pale." When I opened my eyes again, voices surrounded me. "She's alive!" "Captain, there's a survivor!" I blinked against the light. Figures stood around me I tried to rise, but someone stopped me. "Don't move. Trust me you don't want to see your leg right now." I looked down. A metal spike from the shattered wagon had been driven through my thigh. Panic swallowed my lungs. "No—no no no— I don't want to die—please—PLEASE" Blue fire ignited around the wound. Lilith's flame. The spike was forced out. My flesh sealed itself. The pain vanished as if it had never been. I stood—shaking, but alive. Gasps rose around me. "Oooh… we've got an Awakened one," someone muttered. Awakened. I had read the term in one of Bjorn's books—those chosen by sentient spirits. Then she stepped forward. Tall. Pale as snow. Black hair flowing like midnight silk. Cat-like crimson eyes. Folded ears. And fangs—long, elegant, unmistakable. "Nice to meet you," she said with calm authority. "I'm Seren. Seren van Helsing." She leaned closer, and for a heartbeat, I thought she was a goddess stepped out from myth. I whispered, "Are… are you an elf?" She smiled, revealing her fangs. "No. I'm a vampire. And I'm the captain of the skyship The Swallow, and leader of the Scraps." One of her crew whistled. "An elf, huh? No wonder you're gorgeous. Haven't seen one outside Eldoria ." I swallowed hard. "I… I was found as a baby. In front of a church." Seren was surprised. An Elf found in front of a church? This was very strange. And in the first place, how did you reach the continent of Terranova?" One of the crew members shouted, "Captain! We must leave; Gustav's condition is getting worse!" Seren turned back to me. "By the way, I sense an immense amount of Mana from you. And I also saw that flame that healed you." I replied, "I don't understand much. It happened quickly. A spirit chose me and said her name was Lilith." Seren's eyes widened. "Woah? Lilith? The Demon of Healing? Well, we'll talk later. Aurora, can you help us with something?" I answered, "But I don't know how to use her magic." Seren said, "No problem, just come along." the skyship, was anchored in a nearby meadow. While we walked, I asked, "I was with some girls; what happened to them?" She replied calmly, "They are dead. They were attacked by a Noonrage Dragon. You truly survived by a miracle." I felt intense sadness for them. They were like me, perhaps kidnapped from their homes; they were scared, too. I asked her again, "But Noonrage Dragons don't usually prey on humans." A crew member replied, "You are right. Something strange is happening: The Blight (The Rot) has begun to appear, and monsters and dragons are losing their minds. That's why we were tasked with this mission." I told him, "Yes, I smelled it! I smelled that scent on the night Lilith chose me. But when I woke up, I couldn't find anyone in the village, and I ended up with the slave traders." He replied, "Yes, there have been many disappearances. Entire villages vanish, as if they evaporated. When we investigate, we find the same thing: the smell of burning rot from beneath the earth. The worst incident was the disappearance of all the inhabitants of the Varlendell Duchy, including the Duke. Only his son remains, transformed into a barn-sized frog roaming the Duchy's swamps." Another member added, "As for the Prince, it's highly likely he was cursed before the disappearance incident." I asked, "What about the dragon that attacked us? Did you kill it?" Seren replied, "No. Killing dragons is forbidden. It would anger the Supreme Dragon, Zelos, and that would stop Demetrius from casting his blessings upon us." I recalled from the book I read that the traveler, Bjorn, was the first to ascend to the Dragon's Lair and claimed to have met Demetrius—or as humans call him, Demetrius – King of the Nameless Lands. But his story was incomplete because the village library only held two of Bjorn's books. We reached the ship and went up. The dragon was there, shackled. It was the first time I had seen a Noonrage Dragon up close. Seren asked me to follow her to the crew's quarters. We entered the room and found a Dwarf man lying on a bed, in pain, but without any visible wounds. I asked the Captain what happened to him. She said, "Gustav is the crew's blacksmith. He maintains and repairs our weapons. A week ago, I killed a Blackrooster monster, but I didn't realize it was afflicted with some kind of curse. When I gave my spear to Gustav, the curse transferred to him." I asked her, "How did it transfer? Why didn't it transfer to you?" She replied that she couldn't explain it. I told her, "I'm not sure. I trained in herbal healing, not curse removal." She informed me, "You may not be able to, but Lilith's magic can. It heals any damage done to a creature's body, especially curses." She told me all I had to do was cast an incantation by stating the type of magic, then naming the spell. I told her I didn't know the name of Lilith's magic. She informed me that, according to her research, it is called Blue Demon Flame Magic. I approached Gustav, trying to help him. I thought of a name for the spell. I placed my hand on his forehead and chanted: "Blue Demon Flame Magic… Artemisia vulgaris." Suddenly, a blue flame ignited all over Gustav's body. I panicked and tried to put it out, thinking I had made a mistake and burned him. But the flame wasn't scorching; it was warm. Gustav began to scream, and suddenly, the flame extinguished. Gustav opened his eyes, then closed them again. One of the members said, "Captain, I don't sense the curse. It seems to have worked!" Seren asked them to let Gustav rest. She turned to me, "What now? Where will you go?" I told her I didn't know. I had never left my village before, and I also wanted to know what happened to my villagers. One crew member said, "Captain, leaving an Elf girl here would be folly. The first person she meets will kidnap her." Seren replied, "You're right. Let's take her to the Capital, then we'll decide." The Captain shouted, "Prepare for takeoff!" "Destination, Captain?" asked the helmsman. Seren said, "To the Capital of the Cesarine Duchy!" A man emerged from the cockpit. "Captain, there's a storm ahead. We must take the eastern route." The wooden ship began to rise until it reached above the clouds, then started moving forward. I was astonished; I had only heard of airships in books. About four hours later, I heard a man shout, "Prepare! Twenty minutes to landing!" I looked over the ship's edge and saw a city of immense size, just as described in books: white houses with blue tiles, topped by the Ducal Palace on the hill. It was magnificent. And there, I realized that from this city, my life would change.