73 Results in the "A Blossom of Flames" category
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Chapter
Chapter 6 – Forbidden Pages
The heavy oak doors of the library closed behind Valentina with a muffled sound that briefly broke the silence of the room. The familiar smell of old leather, parchment and dust enveloped her like a warm blanket. The tall bookshelves stretched seemingly endlessly in all directions, their shadows dancing in the flickering light of the Essence-powered lamps. Valentina took a deep breath and felt an inner calm slowly settle over her again. Here among all the knowledge, she felt safe. She had the feeling…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 60 – Corruption
"STOP!" screamed Vyxara in her head. "The corrupt Essence – it's leaking through!" Valentina saw it too. Fine black veins began to run through the ambient Essence of the room, like ink in clear water. The sweet, foul smell grew stronger. "What should I do?" she whispered in a panic. "Don't stop!" ordered Vyxara. "You have to control both processes at the same time. Keep manipulating the Eye with your right hand and contain the spread with your left." Valentina's injured arm protested as she…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 61 – The Vault Below
"Four vials for basic stabilization," Valentina muttered, scribbling the number on her already overstuffed parchment. "Plus at least five for the more complex patterns..." "Don't forget the emergency reserve," Vyxara admonished in her head. "You know how Faustus likes to play dirty tricks." Valentina sighed and added more numbers to her list. The soft glow of the Essence lamps in the library made the ink shimmer pleasantly. "Twelve vials," she finally said tonelessly. "Minimum." "And how many…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 62 – The Essence Thief
"...strange," she heard a voice through the wall. "The door to the main corridor felt different." "What do you mean by that, Professor Veilford?" Valentina's heart skipped a beat. Why hadn't her alarm pattern warned her? What was Professor Veilford doing here now, at this time of night? Veilford was a master of Essence manipulation. If he noticed her changes to the protection patterns... "I'm not sure." Footsteps approached the door to the storeroom. "Let's go and have a look." "Behind the…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 63 – Loom of Destiny
The morning of the competition, a beautiful spring morning, crept through Valentina's small window. She was already awake, staring at the ceiling and trying to get her pounding heartbeat under control. "You're nervous, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice in her head sounded half sympathetic half amused. "Scared to death would be more appropriate," Valentina mumbled. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. The night had been short – too many thoughts, too many worries, too many last repetitions of complex…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Interlude - Crispin's Diary II Dear Diary, Tonight, I sit here with quill in hand, my heart both full and completely broken. I don't know how to describe what happened between Valentina and me. I've dreamed of something, anything, that would bring us closer together for so long. And it happened. It wasn't in the way I thought it would happen. Nothing like those fleeting fantasies that run through my head as I fall asleep. I don't know how I feel about it, it's a jumble of emotions – hope, fear,…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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Interlude - The 1356 Bridgewater Incident Report of the Grand Illuminator to the Scorchbishop Date: 20th Martymor 1356 Subject: Investigation and purge of the demon cult at Bridgewater University To His Serene Highness, the Scorchbishop of Vandercourt, It is with the greatest reverence, and in full awareness of the implications of the revelations made, that I hereby send to His Serene Highness the full report concerning the incident that took place this year at Bridgewater University. This…
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374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 57 – A Week of Whispers…
After the conversation with Innogen and a quick lunch, Valentina returned to her room. "I don't want to rush you, little Weaver," Vyxara spoke up, "but now that you've calmed your friend down, we need to move on to more important things. For example, how to get our good friend Faustus out of the way." Valentina felt her hands clench involuntarily into fists at the mention of Faustus' name. "I'd just like to throw him off the highest tower in the university," she growled. Vyxara giggled in…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 8 – Eyes in the Darkness
The demon before her had unfurled from nothingness, like a boil that burst into reality, leaving layers of Essence that overlapped and disappeared again. Its body was false, as if it existed in multiple planes, none of which quite harmonized with the other. Grotesque limbs stretched at impossible angles, disappearing and reappearing as if they were in a bizarre dance that seemed to disregard the sheer concept of space. But the worst part was the eyes. A web of eyes began to form in the demonic…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 58 – … and Foxes
On Friday evening, Valentina stood in front of her small mirror and stared at her reflection. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to have deepened even more and her skin looked pale in the flickering light of her little lamp. With a touch of Distilled Essence, she began to refresh her face, to give herself a little more color. "So," Vyxara spoke up, "are you finally ready for some well-deserved distraction?" Valentina sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm really doing this." "Oh, come on," Vyxara…-
374.8 K • Ongoing
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