Tafel clicked her tongue and stopped Alice’s charge with her sword. The guild master bounced off the blade and rolled backwards, bumping into a nearby rock. Tafel rushed forward, kicked the bound elf out of the way, and muttered under her breath while keeping her gaze locked onto Alice. The lion aura surrounding Alice roared as it stood on its hind legs. It stomped forward, causing Alice to fall onto all fours, her hands fitting perfectly with the aura’s front paws.

Tafel furrowed her brow. How did Auntie stop Vur’s awakening? She … she kissed him, didn’t she? Tafel thought before shaking her head. A twinge of annoyance poked her heart. No, no. It wasn’t the kiss. It was her aura beating Vur’s afterwards.

Alice launched herself forwards, turning into a blur of yellow. Tafel rotated the blade in her hands and slashed downwards, hacking at the charging lion with the back of her blade. Alice dodged to the side, but Tafel’s blade entered a portal and smacked Alice in the face, launching her into a tree. “Like a wild animal,” Tafel said and frowned. “How am I supposed to help someone awaken? I don’t have an aura of my own.”

“Subdue her,” a voice said from the side. It belonged to the elf that Mr. Skelly had brought over. “Exhaust her until she regains consciousness, then whether or not she tames the beast inside of her depends completely on her.”

“So I just have to beat her up some more,” Tafel said and nodded. Her horns glowed with different colors: some red, some green, some brown. A vortex formed in the air above her as the ground split apart. Flames blossomed in the sky, spiraling along with the wind while fragments of earth rose up. The rocks collided with the burning winds, turning red and melting into liquid chunks. The vortex of air spun faster, creating a ball of rotating lava in the sky.

“A, a combination spell done by one person,” the elf said with wide eyes. “How?”

Tafel pointed her sword at Alice, who had been circling around the demon. “I hope this isn’t too much,” she said and inhaled through her nose. The ball flew towards Alice, tracking the guild master’s every move. When she dodged, the ball followed at an even faster speed. The aura around Alice’s body bulged and expanded as she roared, charging at the lava head on. The yellow aura and the glowing red ball collided, casting orange hues on the surrounding woods.

A few skeletons oohed and aahed, cropping up only after the fight was almost over. Like a cat playing with a ball of yarn, Alice repeatedly swatted the lava. Her aura and the lava diminished at an equal rate causing Tafel to exhale in relief. When the ball was the size of a fist, Alice’s red eyes returned to their normal color as she shouted, “Ah! Hot! What the heck is this!?”

Tafel’s horns stopped glowing and the lava dropped to the ground, forming a puddle by Alice’s feet. “Are you alright now?” Tafel asked, still keeping her distance.

“I feel terrible,” Alice said with a groan. She clutched her stomach, causing her eyes to widen. “Why am I glowing yellow? Are these claws?”

“You’re in the awakening process,” the elf on the ground said. He had sat up and managed to undo the bindings on his arms. The material locking his legs together was a lot harder to deal with though. “Close your eyes and concentrate on your forehead. Try to speak to the beast inside your mind. Then…”

“Then?” Alice asked, her eyelids trembling as she resisted the urge to open her eyes.

“Is that a phoenix?” Tafel asked. A red bird had landed beside the puddle of lava, looking at it while tilting its head.

“It, it is!” the elf said.

“Then what!?” Alice shouted, still keeping her eyes shut. Her face was pale, and the lion aura was struggling as if it were trying to break away from her body. The red bird squawked in response, flapping its wings and distancing itself from Alice.

“Here, little birdy, come here,” Tafel said while the elf reluctantly guided Alice. Another ball of lava formed in the air above Tafel’s head, causing the tiny phoenix to hop closer to her. “That’s right. Come here, little fella. Come to the nice and cute demon lord. That’s a good bird.”

The phoenix hopped over to Tafel, who had sat down on the grass, and perched itself on her knee. The ball of lava lowered towards the phoenix, causing it to chirp and gaze upon it with bright eyes. It hopped up and down while fluttering its wings, craning its neck towards the lava. When the ball came close enough for the phoenix to touch, the red bird leaned forward and dipped its beak into it, its throat bobbing up and down as it drank without restraint.

“Who’s a good bird?” Tafel asked in a high-pitched voice while smiling at the phoenix. “You are. Yes you are. Such a cute little thing.” She raised her head and glanced at the elf. “Can phoenixes speak?”

The elf had a look of longing on his face. It took a while for his gaze to break away from the phoenix on Tafel’s lap. He gave Tafel a wry smile before speaking. “Yes, phoenixes can speak. But only if they’re imprinted.”

Tafel lowered her head, and her eyes widened. The phoenix had finished drinking the lava, its body bloating up into a rotund feathered ball with beady eyes. Its wings flapped useless against its sides as it wobbled and fell over, rolling on the ground. A tiny voice escaped from its beak. “H-help!”

Tafel stared at the bird in disbelief. This was a glorious phoenix? Floofykins was a thousand times more graceful than this thing. She sighed as she picked the phoenix up and placed it into her lap, running her hands through the bird’s feathers, removing a few pebbles and pieces of dirt. “Better?” Tafel asked, tilting the phoenix’s face towards her.

The phoenix yawned, its pink tongue poking out of its beak. It blinked a few times before ruffling its feathers. “Strange elf, so pale,” it said as it snuggled against Tafel’s stomach. “Smells like Mom. …And bacon?”

Tafel smiled at the phoenix while the elf watched on with his mouth and eyes wide open. Would Floofykins taste like bacon? Tafel thought. A moment later, she shook her head. Don’t think weird, murderous thoughts about Floofykins, Tafel. Save those for the woman preying on Vur. There’s definitely someone or you wouldn’t be feeling this uneasy!