73 Results in the "A Blossom of Flames" category
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Chapter
Chapter 10 – The First Favor
"That was quite amusing," Vyxara commented in her head. "Your professor, the horny goat, seemed quite surprised by your sudden... expertise." "Shut up," Valentina murmured quietly as she tried to find her way through the stream of students all hurrying to their next lectures. "Val! Hey, Val!" A familiar voice made them pause. Innogen made her way through the crowd, closely followed by a breathless-looking Crispin. "Oh, hello, you two," Valentina said, trying to put on a smile. "How was your…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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As Valentina walked around the counter, she entered a completely different world to the chaotic but reasonably tidy front part of the store. Stacks of books, boxes and crates were everywhere. A thick layer of dust covered every free spot. In one corner stood an old bed with stained sheets, next to it a crooked mirror and a wobbly chair. The whole thing looked like the lair of a miserly hermit who hadn't cared about his own well-being for a long time. Barnaby led Valentina deeper into this private…
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421.6 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 to feel about it, it's so much really, some residue hope, fear,…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 52 – Burning Bridges
They made their way through the slowly emptying hall. Valentina could feel the other students looking at her and heard them whispering. Some looked pitiful, others were gloating. She kept her head down, concentrating only on putting one foot in front of the other. "You have to stay strong," Vyxara muttered in her head. "Don't show them any weakness." When they reached the corridor, Valentina leaned against the cool stone wall and closed her eyes. She felt drained, empty and almost screamed in her mouth…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Professor Horne's message was short and formal, written in his characteristically shaky handwriting: "I expect you in my office this evening at the eighth hour. The matter cannot be delayed." "He'll want to... adjust his demands," Vyxara said thoughtfully. "Your new status changes the rules of the game." "Maybe he just wants to congratulate me," Valentina mumbled without conviction. "Oh, sweet naivety," purred the demon. "You know exactly what he wants." The corridors of the university were almost…
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Valentina slowly opened her eyes, blinked against the bright light and stretched with pleasure. For a brief, blissful moment, everything was as it had always been. Then the realization hit her like a blow. "Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara's voice rang in her head, velvety and amused. "Did you sleep well?" Valentina froze, her heart racing. So, it hadn't been a dream. The demon was still there, in her head, an uninvited guest in her thoughts. "Oh Martyr," she whispered, cupping her hands to her…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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When Valentina awoke,she opened her eyes slowly and stretched carefully. Her body felt heavy, as if she was carrying an invisible burden on her shoulders. Two days had passed since her encounter with Barnaby, and yet it seemed like an eternity. The initial shame that had enveloped her like a suffocating blanket had given way to a steely resolve. She sat up, her gaze falling on the bottle of Distilled Essence on her desk.Worth the sacrifice. At least, she hoped it was. "Good morning, little Weaver,"…
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421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 39 – Into the Arena
In her small attic room, Valentina awoke from a fitful sleep. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she realized what day it was and that the second round of the Greystone competition was coming up. She sat up and rubbed her tired eyes. The smell of fresh bread came through the cracks in her window from the kitchen, where they had already started preparing breakfast. Normally this smell would have made her stomach growl, but today she only felt a nervous knot in her stomach. "Good morning, little…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 53 – The Professor’s Pet
"...and so we see that the resonant patterns of Leb and Viur Essencewith the desired effect are in a complex but predictable relationship," Professor Horne explained, his thin fingers dancing over the shimmering Essence threads in front of him. Valentina sat in the front row, her eyes fixed on thepatterns he visualized for them. She felt a self-satisfied smile steal onto her lips. The lecture was a challenge for most students, but for her it was almost too easy by now. "Boring," Vyxara muttered in her…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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Chapter
Chapter 67 – Independent Mind
When Valentina woke up on the first morning of the exam week, still half asleep, her first instinct was to feel in her mind for Vyxara's familiar presence, for the demonic force that had so often paved the way for her in recent months. "Ah, you're awake, little Weaver," Vyxara purred in her head. "Ready for the first test?" "Yes," Valentina said quietly, sitting up in her narrow bed and getting ready to discuss what she was about to tell Vyxara. "But I've decided to try it on my own. Without your…-
421.6 K • Ongoing
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