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Chapter 160: My Name is Flamme
Two hundred years had passed in silence, and the forest had only grown thicker.
Kurtz and Serie's cottage still stood in the same spot. Serie's preservation magic kept it from aging - even after a thousand years, it looked exactly the same. But Kurtz's chair by the window was empty now.
Deep inside the cabin, a huge magic circle made of countless runes glowed with power. Kurtz's form flickered at the center, fading in and out. He was in the middle of reincarnation, his soul merging with a new body.
Like always, Serie stayed in the cabin, watching over the magic circle. The faint pulse of life from it was the only thing that kept her going through these long, lonely years.
Ella had left a century ago to start her own journey. Now Serie was alone again.
'Maybe it's time to find a new student,' she thought.
That peace shattered when a messenger bird arrived. She quickly untied the paper from its leg, and the moment she touched it, Ella's message appeared in her mind:
"Teacher, demons are attacking the dwarven city in the southwest. There's also demon activity in the north. Please be careful."
"Demons!" Serie's hand clenched, crushing the paper to dust. The killing intent she'd suppressed for two centuries flared up like fire.
Those damned demons were back.
Her eyes turned toward the glowing magic circle deep in the cabin. Kurtz was at the most critical stage and couldn't be disturbed. Any violent interference could ruin the ritual and cause irreversible damage.
She couldn't leave. Absolutely not.
Her fighting spirit burned like wildfire, but Serie forced herself to stay calm. In the end, her concern for him outweighed everything else, so she pushed down every urge to hunt them down.
But just one year later, Serie sensed an overwhelmingly powerful demonic aura.
To prevent demons from sneaking into the forest, she and Kurtz had set up a massive detection ward covering the forest and several nearby settlements. And now, that ward was picking up their presence.
She recognized the direction - there was a human village there.
Demons! How dare they act so openly, appearing this close to her territory!
Did they think Kurtz was dead? Was that why they felt so bold? They were in for a disappointment.
But more importantly, did they really not take her seriously? The thought made the elven mage even angrier.
This time, she couldn't hesitate.
"Kurtz..." She walked to the edge of the magic circle, looking at the blurry figure inside. The circle's light made everything hard to see, including the man who had no idea what was happening outside.
Serie drew the Holy Sword Athos and poured massive amounts of magic into the blade, activating the strongest defensive spell in history.
As more magic flowed in, Athos hummed, lifted from her hand, and floated directly above the magic circle. A thick, solid pale-golden barrier spread out instantly, completely covering both the circle and Kurtz.
As the legendary holy sword of the elves - no, of the entire continent - Serie was absolutely certain no demon could break through this barrier.
But that wasn't enough.
Serie kept weaving spells, layering invisible warning enchantments that spread like a spider's web in all directions. With the barrier as the center, they covered several thousand meters around the cabin. Any hostile magic or physical approach by an enemy would immediately trigger an alarm.
After finishing these preparations, Serie glanced one last time at the sleeping figure inside the barrier, then turned and released flight magic, racing toward the demons at full speed.
When Serie arrived at the human village, the air was thick with blood. What she saw looked like a scene from hell.
She and Kurtz had visited this village before, just watching from a distance to see how these humans lived before leaving.
She never imagined that when she came back, only burned ruins would be left. Corpses and broken houses everywhere. The victims had died in different ways, but every single one had the distinctive dark aura of demons.
Serie stood at the village entrance. Her face - unchanged for a thousand years - twisted with rage she couldn't control.
She was too late.
Those demons had moved fast. Whether for cruel fun or just casual evil, they'd destroyed the village and left immediately.
"Cough... cough cough..."
A faint sound came from beneath the rubble of a collapsed house. Serie vanished and reappeared beside the ruins instantly.
After clearing away the debris, she found a small human girl, possibly seven or eight years old. She was filthy. Her simple white robe was stained with blood, and her thin body was covered in scratches.
But there were no tears or fear in her eyes - only silence. And buried deep in that silence was hatred.
Deep, bone-cutting hatred.
The little girl seemed to sense the light and raised her head with difficulty.
When she saw Serie's elven features, confusion flickered across her face before being swallowed by deeper hatred - hatred for the demons who'd destroyed her home. Even her tiny body trembled with rage.
Serie crouched down. The little girl's hateful expression caught her interest, and through her magic, Serie could tell this human child had considerable talent. She cast healing magic, quickly fixing the girl's wounds.
The child froze, seemingly unable to believe it, but the hatred in her eyes didn't fade at all. This made Serie even more interested.
She hadn't planned on taking a human apprentice. After all, human lifespans were so short, and the only person she really needed to wait for was him.
But this little girl's appearance quietly changed something inside her.
"Where is your family?"
The girl stared at Serie, and finally, a hint of emotion broke through that hateful look. "They're all dead! Those monsters killed them!" Tears finally fell.
Serie looked at the hatred-filled child in front of her, felt the wave of powerful magic inside her small body, and made a decision.
She held out her hand - not to comfort, but simply calling to the little girl.
"Come with me. I'll teach you to control your power. I'll teach you how to get revenge. Tell me your name."
Looking up at the beautiful elf before her, the little girl spoke.
"My name is Flamme."
[End of Chapter]
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