The sweltering evening sun bore down on Scarlett as she sat in the village square of Freymeadow, her focus fixed on the intricate workings of magic before her. A multitude of hazy, half-formed fire arrows hovered in the air, recently conjured and taking aim at a plump mass of vaguely human-shaped water nearby. She strained herself to maintain the dense liquid while simultaneously controlling the fire.

After another moment, the arrows fully materialized, resembling those Arlene had used during their earlier spars.

Mentally commanding them, Scarlett launched each arrow. There was some variation in speed, but they all struck the mass of water with resounding plops and splashes that echoed across the square. Steam rose from their entry points, and while most of the arrows dissipated upon impact, three managed to pierce the ‘target’ and tear through it.

It was an exercise in frustration for Scarlett to juggle this many fire arrows—a skill she had learned just earlier that day—at the same time, while also sustaining a reasonably dense water target. This was far from her first attempt as well. It would have been easier if she had used the [Tiara of Lost Benediction] or had Rosa’s buffs to help her, but there wasn’t much point in practicing if she constantly relied on training wheels.

That said, she wasn’t a fan of making things needlessly difficult either.

Arlene had advised her to challenge herself during the learning process, which was reasonable enough. But the woman seemed to have an odd definition of what ‘challenging’ meant in the context of practice. What Scarlett was currently doing was challenging—she was basically training in two things she was inexperienced with at the same time—but if Arlene had her way, Scarlett would be doing this twice over.

Or at least it felt that way after the woman had been instructing her throughout the day and into the evening. In truth, Scarlett suspected that Arlene already had a pretty decent idea of her limits, and it wasn’t as if the older woman was constantly hovering over her shoulder, shouting at her every time she made a mistake.

Still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that Arlene was expecting more.

Now that Scarlett had finally been accepted as a disciple, the woman really wasn’t holding anything back.

It made her almost grateful for the fact that it had taken this long to get accepted. Because of that, she’d already had several weeks of time to gradually acclimate herself to keeping up with a demanding training regimen here in Freymeadow. Without that, she wasn’t sure she would have been prepared for the pace set by Arlene.

It was entirely possible that, if Scarlett had been subjected to this intensity of training upon her first arrival here, she might have snapped at the woman or said something unwise out of pure frustration.

What was probably the most annoying part of today’s practice was that, even after having been at it for over half a day now, she had yet to reach the point of mana exhaustion. She was near it—she had been for several hours—but never crossed that threshold because Arlene always told her to stop in time.

It was clear that the woman had a deep understanding of exactly how much rest was necessary to optimize practice and mana usage, the effects of which Scarlett was feeling fully.

[Mana: 1797/5142]

Dismissing what remained of her fire arrows and the water target, she took a brief moment to catch her breath and wipe the sweat from her face. Eventually, she raised her hand to begin anew. If she waited too long without depleting her mana, Arlene would be on her soon enough.

Gathering her mana and shaping it into the desired image proved slightly more challenging this time. However, eventually, a sizeable grating of fire burst into existence a few meters ahead of her. The lattice-like structure allowed some visibility but prevented any larger object from passing through unscathed. Consisting of a grid of thin flames, it was somewhat irregular at first, with certain areas being almost transparent, but after a while it became more defined as Scarlett refined her creation.

To test it, she conjured some water around a small stone at her feet, taking an extra moment to condense the liquid enough to lift the stone. She then launched the stone towards the fiery gate. As it pierced through the bars, a plume of steam rose from the boiling water while the stone itself fell to the ground a bit behind.

Scarlett frowned. She’d thought that would go better.

This was another application of the technique Arlene had demonstrated before, where she ‘imbued’ the fire with more physical properties. According to Arlene, you didn’t actually give the fire physical mass, but the woman had likened it to tricking the world into thinking as much, a feat only really achievable with true pyrokinesis. It had its limits, apparently, but there were supposedly spells that capitalized on this concept quite a bit.

Scarlett had already tried it out several times now, though mostly on smaller scales. It would be incredibly convenient if she could conjure actual barriers and cages out of fire, but it was proving difficult to master. At the moment, she could only make the fire ‘dense’ enough to slightly nudge things.

Her eyes glanced to the side.

[Mana: 1434/5142]

It didn’t take too much mana, so she decided to extend the range of her fire gate, doubling its size and reshaping it into a cage as she moved it to enclose a tree stump that had been used in her earlier practice.

Another technique Arlene had taught her involved directing some of the heat from her flames, though it was a task that proved even more challenging than the previous one. But at this point, Scarlett would welcome using up what remained of her mana.

Clenching her teeth, she focused on following Arlene’s instructions on how to manipulate the mana of her flames. Just as she was deep into her concentration, a few elusive notes of music drifted across the space.

Her eyes widened as the notes seemed to resonate with her fire, causing the flames comprising her cage to tremble and shift slightly. Tiny, almost translucent echoes of the flames sparked into existence, bathed in a pale blue hue and moving in sync with the music. The echoes danced around Scarlett’s flames, occasionally bursting into small explosions of ghostly blue light. Some of the echoes licked at the tree stump, where they seemed to simultaneously scorch and rejuvenate the bark.

Amazed and stunned by the sight, Scarlett watched as more and more echoes emerged, and where their blue flames touched red flames, even more echoes were born. It caused a chain reaction that engulfed the entire fire cage and formed a dense cloud of wispy blue flames, the tree stump vanishing from view in the radiant display.

Gradually, as the red flames were overtaken by the translucent blue ones, the entire spectacle died off, breaking apart into motes of fading light. The tree stump emerged once again, its surface charred black in certain spots, while other areas were now covered in fresh bark.

Scarlett kept her gaze on it for a while longer before turning her attention to the source of the music. Seated on the elevated wooden platform in the village square’s center, klert in hand, was Rosa. She offered a sheepish smile and a wink in her direction.

What was that?

The bard swung her legs forward, hopped down from the platform, and started walking over towards Scarlett. “I’ll admit, that didn’t turn out quite as I expected,” she said as she approached.

Scarlett gave her a long look. “I presume this was the ‘surprise’ you mentioned?”

“Sure was.” Rosa’s lips curved upwards as she leaned her instrument against the leg of Scarlett’s chair, her violet eyes focused on her. “Did you fancy it?”

“I am not sure what to think of it,” Scarlett replied. “It was certainly a spectacle. I can acknowledge that much. You have piqued my interest.”

Not only had the performance somehow caused her fire to reproduce and grow, but it also seemed to both intensify the flames’ power and grant them a regenerative property.

“How did you accomplish that?” she asked.

She knew Rosa hadn’t demonstrated anything like this in the game. While the bard possessed various buffs and other useful charms, there had been nothing remotely similar to what Scarlett had just witnessed.

“The idea first came to me back when we were in that eerie old mansion near Autumnwell,” Rosa said.

Scarlett furrowed her brow. “Abelard’s mansion?”

There hadn’t been anything resembling this phenomenon there either.

“Well, when we were there, yeah. Can’t say there was anything in particular in the mansion that inspired me, but, well…” Rosa fell silent for a moment, her lips pressing together. “Let’s just say I saw how focused you were on supporting everyone while we were fighting that old ghost, and it didn’t feel right. Didn’t feel like it quite suited you. Felt like you wanted to do more than that, but couldn’t. So, I thought maybe I could do something to lend you a hand or three. After all, that’s basically what I’m here for, isn’t it?”

With a wide, theatrical gesture, the woman brushed her hair back. “Well, that and being a dangerously captivating paramour to charm and bewitch all of your adversaries, I suppose.”

Scarlett gave her a flat look. “…Yes, of course.”

Rosa responded with a lopsided grin. “Since then, I’ve been experimenting here and there. Started out by playing a few songs before live candles—most fired-up audience I’ve ever had—and it seemed like maybe I was onto something. Then, I sort of gave up on the whole idea for a while after… Well, that doesn’t really matter. But eventually, I managed to fine-tune the concept enough to where I felt it was worth giving it a try with the real deal. I wasn’t actually sure it’d work with that flaming inferno you call your magic, and I also didn’t expect the reaction to be as intense as it was. But hey, all’s well that ends well, am I right?”

“I am not certain if what we witnessed earlier can be considered a favorable outcome…” Scarlett glanced over at the tree stump, its appearance a chaotic mix of charred and freshly healed bark. “Nevertheless, it does indeed appear to hold potential.”

Would it be possible to gain better control of this effect? If so, it could potentially give a significant boost to Scarlett’s firepower whenever Rosa was available, in addition to increasing the party’s healing capabilities.

That was under the assumption that those blue flames had possessed genuine healing properties. Most healing spells wouldn’t regrow bark on a dead tree stump, so the situation was a bit strange.

Furthermore, Rosa already had area-of-effect healing charms, so they would have to determine whether this offered any advantages over those. It seemed to have a longer range than Rosa’s usual heals, and if it could propagate through Scarlett’s flames independently, it could potentially spread over a large area quickly and efficiently.

“How taxing was it for you to sustain?” Scarlett asked.

Rosa tapped her cheek in thought. “Hmm. Well, let’s put it this way. On a scale from one to ten, imagine you took the scale and stretched it out to eleven, wrung out a couple of twelves, and there you have it.”

Scarlett arched an eyebrow. “Was it truly that draining?”

The bard offered a small smile. “No, not really.” She cocked her head. “Maybe a seven? Or an eight? I’d wager if I had kept that up for much longer, I would have ended up with a few burst blood vessels. But I’m not writhing on the ground in pain this time, at least.”

Scarlett frowned. “Has that happened before?”

Rosa’s smile turned wry. “Oh, worried about me? I’m flattered.” She shrugged. “I might have made a mistake or two while trying to figure this thing out.”

“That is hardly a reassuring answer.”

The woman gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Charms are like that. It’s all about the vibes and navigating by feel, but you never know what you’re gonna get. I once accidentally turned my hair pink trying to crack how I could make my songs taste like strawberry.”

Scarlett did not hide the skepticism on her face. “I assume you are joking.”

Rosa simply smirked in response. “Who knows?”

Shaking her head, Scarlett gestured at the woman’s instrument. “If you would assist me so that I can stand. I am in need of rest.”

After a full day of training, her legs had grown too fatigued to be of much use.

“Your wish is my command, milady,” the bard replied with exaggerated flair, bending to retrieve her klert and producing a brief melody from the instrument.

A surge of energy coursed through Scarlett’s body, allowing her to shakily rise from her chair. She paused, detecting a hint of sweetness on her tongue.

Strawberry.

She turned to stare at Rosa, who winked at her before heading towards the house where Arlene sat on the porch. Scarlett observed the bard’s departing figure for a few moments before following.

So that hadn’t been a lie after all…

Arlene glanced up from her book as they approached, her gaze first falling on Rosa. The bard stopped and leaned against the porch railing, prompting Arlene to speak. “That was an intriguing effect you manifested there. I have some previous experience with charm users, but I’ve never witnessed anything quite like that. What did you do?”

“Beats me,” Rosa answered, both arms resting on the wooden beam as she supported her chin. “Like I told Red here, it’s all about the vibe. You keep at something until it clicks, and then you stick with it whenever you need it. It just works.”

Arlene shook her head at that. “This is precisely why I never delved into bardic charms myself. They’re as nonsensical as the individuals who often employ them. No offense.”

“None taken,” Rosa replied. “The common masses usually struggle to comprehend genius when they see it.”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Arlene chuckled softly, then adopted a more serious tone. “Unlike water and light, fire as an element lacks regenerative aspects. Hence, it’s likely that your charm worked by only borrowing the power of Scarlett’s flames to fuel its own effect, creating an effect akin to certain elemental resonances. Judging by its appearance, it’s most probable that your charm tapped into the energies of an idol, manifesting a portion of its essence.”

Rosa nodded solemnly. “Hmm, precisely as I suspected.”

Scarlett walked past the bard and stepped onto the porch, settling down in the vacant chair next to Arlene. “I find it more plausible that you understood only half of her explanation.”

Rosa gave her a wounded look. “Here I’ve been beating myself purple for the last few weeks trying to come up with this for you, and this is the thanks I get?”

“Although I recognize that you are saying that in jest…” Scarlett eyed her for a moment. “…you are correct. What you have accomplished is impressive. You have my appreciation for even attempting it. However, if we intend to harness this phenomenon effectively, we will require better mastery and control over it.”

Rosa placed a hand over her mouth with a gasp. “What, you’re telling me you don’t want to subject your enemies to an unending cycle of burning and healing, driving them mad with agony and torment? Who are you, and what have you done with my winningly cold-hearted baroness?”

“This is precisely why I refrain from praising you, Miss Hale, in case you were unaware.” Scarlett shook her head. The grueling training was one thing, but she had the sneaking suspicion that wasn’t what would ultimately wear her down here in Freymeadow.