Chapter 27.3 You'll Be Burnt.

It’s a kiss of sunlight that meets my skin.

How pleasant and warm. I gingerly think this, before the light touch is swiftly replaced with a scorchingly cold embrace. It’s just air, but my skin feels as if it were on fire.

Unable to unfurl my eyelids, the weight upon them is too heavy to unbolt. Thick smoke squeezes and chokes at my lungs, the soot causing me to be unable to breathe.

Willing my eyes to open, my vision is met with blazons of fire. It scorches high into the sky. Somehow I’m laying on the ground far away from the explosion site, I see Fen and Ru around me. Vaniriel is standing with her back towards us.

She looks so far away, I think in a dream-like state.

She doesn’t look down at us, but her countenance flares with the wind. I feel… Autumn in her veins. The air flurries electrically. Orange and golden leaves summoning to the spot where there are no trees.

Fenrir, being a Kindred, and thus with the greatest fortitude among us, is the first to climb onto his knees. “Vani, what’s happening…?”

“Be quiet.”

He bristles in surprise at her harsh words.

As he cautiously rises, Fenrir looks at the shop embroiled in flame. Then towards Ru and I, lying on the ground. His dark eyes darkening further as he sees us unable to move.

“Vani… What did you do…?”

“I said be quiet.”

Shadows slowly grow on his face. Dread and suspicion marring his eyes.

No! I want to yell. But, I can’t seem to unclog my lungs. My throat is a desert of barbed sand.

He exhales shakily, before I see his eyes light cardinal-red. It is bright blood in the scarlet night around us. Whipping himself to face Vani, I see his fingers tapering into sharpened claws.

No, I keep thinking uselessly.

Vaniriel slightly angles her face towards him before turning back around. Never taking her eyes off the fire.

What’s there? I want to ask her. I try to move my hands but they are numb and unresponsive. Almost like back then from an unused season after…

Huh? After what?

Silent snow overtakes my thoughts and I forget everything but the wreckage in front of me.

I look to the side. Thankfully, Ru is unhurt, however he doesn’t move either. I don’t understand why we can’t get up. We’re both unharmed, yet there’s an overwhelming force that pushes against us.

Fenrir steps between us and Vaniriel as if to offer us protection. “Where did Trais and Jul go?” Lowering himself, he positions himself into a defensive stance.

Vaniriel still has her back to us and ignores his question. She seems featherweight, effortless even though Fenrir has trouble standing.

There’s a sudden change in the air, it crackles with magick as if Vaniriel were readying herself as well. The smoke from the fire coalesces through the air.

It’s coming…!

A gale rushes around all four of us. The powerful whirlwind encircling and whips painfully at our faces. Autumn leaves of tangerine, geranium, and periwinkle crinkle in the wind, causing the smoke to dissipate.

Fenrir moves forward. But from the soot, wisps of darkness pries from its cover under ash. It coils and curls, trying to crawl towards us from outside the gust of leaves. I gratefully see understanding shed onto Fenrir’s face - Vani is protecting us from whatever is outside this barrier of wind.

“Begone, weak Aesir.”

A sudden battlelust emanates from her, she feels like a wholly different person. Her eyes narrow, glinting from the sparks flying. Small patches of skin along her arm and face peels off as if it were the birch-like bark of the Harthrow tree.

Lightning snaps through the air, detonating and splintering the tendrils of shadow. Leaves whiz all around my vision, I can’t see or feel anything other than an orange autumn. Whether the crunch of autumn leaves, or the brisk autumn air, all I’m left with is the purest sense of this season.

H-How can this be? Is Vaniriel using magick without words? That’s impossible...! Prince Juler, even Queen Titania had to utter incantations to conjure just a small amount of magick.

Every time Vaniriel’s sparks of leaves touch the darkness, it seems to cut through and scorch it golden. I see Vani smile for the first time, elation and euphoria widening her eyes and mouth to an extensive degree. Thunder strikes through, splitting the center of the darkness’ insides.

The shadow lashes out more and more frantically. Thunderbolts continue ricocheting off the tendrils of black, giving it no opening to break through. Vani lifts her palms to face the skies, her aura dripping heavy with the lust of battle.

She raises both arms a fraction.

- Causing the leaves to gradient into a brilliant red. They all stand on edge before launching into the air. The colors of harvest pirouetting above our heads in a ring.

It’s as if time slows. The shadows recoil, leaping towards Vaniriel as she’s left defenseless without the protection of the foliage. Trailing vines of soot sharpen into thorns, countless tendrils shoot towards her from all directions. Images of gore and flesh splatter through my vision and disorientate me.

Inches from her, they’re about to pierce skin when red leaves rain down from above. Slicing downwards, leaves upon phosphorescent leaves piles on top in mounds. It tries to desperately evade the burgeoning bursts of red.

But it’s no use.

The onslaught of autumn submerges the shadows into nothing.

All of us let out a breath we didn’t know we were holding. Somehow, my body regains movement, so Fen helps Ru and I stand.

Squinting, I see figures in the burning store.

Trais’ sword flickers in the dim night, sword work deft and beautiful. His rapier moves like light filtering in through stained glass.

Although he’s fully Human, his swordwork is extremely skilled. He’s managing to fend off a Kindred with blade-like claws all by himself.

Juler is standing further behind the fight, frantically rummaging through the tables and furniture. He’s throwing each object he touches behind him - as if he were trying to find something.

Vaniriel poises herself again, a gust lifting the leaves off the ground.

The Kindred notices the tide of battle changing in an instant, and makes a break for it through the other side of the burning building.

Vani lets her magick fade away, wind and leaf settling onto dirt.

Sir Trais emerges from the flames, carrying Prince Juler in his arms.

“Wait!” Juler lets out a hoarse cry, his throat raw from smoke. “I still haven’t found any incriminating evidence!”

“Do you want to burn to death, you dimwitted prince!” Trais shouts, forcefully dragging Jul out of the burning building.

Juler clenches his teeth, but doesn’t resist anymore. “Calling me that… Do you want to be sent to the gallows, you battle-crazy crossdresser?”

Although right after, he mutters quietly. “...Thank you, Trais.”

Gasp! Trais covers his face with both his hands as if deeply moved. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard the pretentious First Prince thank someone…!”

Jul smacks him over the head, but Trais continues his mocking facade of sobs. Jul finally gives up with a huff in irritation, instead directing his attention towards Vaniriel.

“You're... The Vanirian Goddess.”

The Vanirian Goddess…

- Eh!? You mean the person that the Flower Fairies kept gushing about… is Vaniriel!?

She disinterestedly looks at him, before turning to leave.

“E-Eh? W-Wait up, Vani!” I chase after her.

“Sh-Should we not ask them what just happened…?”

“Yeah! We all almost died for some reason!?”

“I do not care about what they have to say.”

V-Vani…