Awakening Flame
In the life I previously lived, I yearned to be free.
I yearned to live a life ruled by my own desires, and not one controlled by senseless duties.
Then, perhaps, I would have decided to lengthen my life by becoming a demon myself, but if I had known how much regret I would have for it, I would have ended everything without hesitation.
But I hadn't. And now, I was forced to live a life where even suicide was not an option.
How bitterly I regretted that fact.
And how much I had learned from it.
I had been foolish, too arrogant to admit that I didn't have talent, but so eager to be a star without having to put in the effort.
The days I took out my frustration on others, attributing my own failure to everyone around me…
By the time I found out that unleashing my fury did not conceal my inadequacy, it was too late.
So when fate offered me a second chance, I knew what I had to do.
I had to live otherwise this time.
A savage atonement, yes—but the only way that made sense to me.
And so, the first thought that came to me after the family reunion was:
'Can I slay the Night Lotus Demon?'
A ridiculous, nearly heretical idea.
'How could I possibly suggest killing one of the three strongest creatures on the planet?'
'How could I ever kill the beast that incinerated two tribes of the Ten Clans Alliance?'
Any sane person who heard this idea would reject it outright.
It was, by any definition, pointless.
The Night Lotus Demon would be defeated by the Divine Sword, which Isabella would hold, and the other demons would be eradicated in a relatively short period of time.
If I was being truthful, I wasn't craving heroism. I just wanted to live a bit longer.
But it would come, eventually, a battle with the demons.
Even as I am now, I am a descendant of the Fireheart clan. My heritage is linked to the destiny of Emberhold City.
Could I alone keep demons at bay, when even the four powerful clans could barely keep them at bay?
Maybe I should run… hide in the mountains where they'd never find me—
"…How stupid I am, to even consider running away, after being given a second chance," I grumbled, shuddering at my own fear.
I wished I could slap myself out of it, but was afraid I would fall.
I pushed the fear away from my brain.
For how long had I dedicated myself to this new life, to waste it on cowardice?
I gritted my teeth and tightened my resolve.
________________________________________
Time passed without my noticing; the night had far since darkened past midnight.
I took a deep, shuddering breath until my lungs felt sore, then let it out.
A trace of Mana was lost with it.
'Weak…' I told myself. So tiny an amount. My Mana couldn't even be compared to what Mio had managed to attain at her age.
Not that I had ever dedicated myself to training, like her, though.
With so little Mana, I still had something to work with.
The Fireheart lineage bore the flame martial arts legacy.
Like unleashing ki into fire, mastery of the art built up over time through discipline, such that a warrior's aura would burn like living fire.
There were decades of training which had given rise to the initial Fireheart flame arts. Loret was known as The Fire Beast, because of the tiger aura of fire surrounding him as he punished the wicked.
Mio, also, would someday gain the name Phoenix Saber, her sword aflame with fire as testament to her proficiency.
I, also, had the flame's spark within.
To master the fire arts, one must achieve the 4th rank; to engulf oneself in flames completely, the 7th. I was at the 1st.
Next to Loret at the 7th, and even next to Mio, I was nothing.
But the night served its purpose. Despite how foolish it was, training tonight was what I needed to do. I had to get to the 2nd rank before time was up.
I could no longer dwell on past life regrets. I needed to become stronger in order to live.
My demonic past nagged at me—because I took it as fuel, as inspiration to keep moving.
The issue now was this:
"…I could seriously hurt myself if I push too far."
Summoning every scrap of Mana, I concentrated it into a single point.
The effort was immense; my body trembled under the strain. Sweat slicked my skin, but I persisted.
Even this small success, given my pitiful Mana reserves, was impressive. Anything beyond this would invite serious injury.
"…Whew."
I breathed out, a grin spreading over my face. Satisfaction blended with residual disappointment—I had hoped to be able to do more, but it was the start.
"Not bad," I muttered, my body warming with newly rediscovered power.
This proved it: I had hit the 2nd rank in the flame arts. My minimal training had unintentionally distributed my Mana more effectively than I had anticipated.
"Though… can I actually thank my lack of training?" I cursed myself, raking my head with my hand.
Hours could have gone by, but attaining the 2nd rank restored energy.
'Slowly going up step by step… this will ensure survival in the future.'
Not being able to bathe completely, I washed my face, put on clean clothes, and fell on my bed.
A good beginning, I thought. Let's maintain this speed…
One step forward—just not too slowly.
I'd overcome all the challenges ahead, just because I couldn't stand reliving the wretchedness of my former existence.
'Do the bare minimum… keep your head down… live quietly until the way is clear.'
This was my strategy: live quietly until the Night Lotus Demon's eventual death.
Then.
"He-Hello! I-I'm I-Isabella!"
Why was she here, so unexpectedly.?!