Chapter 22: Chapter 22

We finally reached the cliffside that I remembered from those many years ago. Rock and rubble had long since collapsed. After four hundred years, this cliff did not look any different from the dozens we passed to get here.

“Is this really the place?” Charly asked doubtfully, “What do we do now? dig?”

“No. we do not have to dig,” I replied with a shake of my head. I knew this was the place because I could sense it. A small green ember left behind so many years ago.

Flames ignited in my hands. They floated freely in the air, before passing unhindered through the thick rock. My flames connected with that small dormant ember. With that small spark, the ember roared to life. I could feel the heat of the flames. a flame dozens of times greater than any I could produce now.

Four hundred years ago I left a lookout in this stronghold. Back then, I wanted nothing more than to wipe out the Corvus legacy completely. I would not allow anyone to reclaim this stronghold without my knowledge.

A deep roar shook the stone. I beckoned my family away from the wall. The ground began to shake as an explosion rocked the mountainside.

Green flames engulfed the stone, blasting away any rubble that blocked the entrance in an instant. The temperature on the cliffside skyrocketed. This was not just the ephemeral flames I had been using recently. This was a real, tangible fire. My fire.

Nearby, I could see my family clutching their heads. With a sudden panic, I commanded the flames to stop. My family was too weak to be that close to the flames without suffering pain.

Two bright green eyes illuminated the shadows. Stepping out of the cave was the lithe form of a feline, covered in black fur. A panther that stood a head taller than even my dad. Its towering form glared down at me. Green fire leaked from its mouth with every breath.

My connection with the giant feline was weak. It did not kneel like other creatures when they came under my command. Instead, I could see the fury in its eyes.

A bead of sweat ran down my forehead as I stared back at the creature. The flames inside my body flared into the outside world.

The feline responded in kind. Green flames ignited on its claws.

Through sheer force of will, I grabbed hold of the connection that bound the two of us together. I forced the creature to be still. It would not last for long, but it would last long enough.

“You serve me!” I commanded.

Green flames gathered in my hand, emptying everything I had inside of me. I molded the flames into a circle, which flew forward. The circle wound around the creature’s neck. It began to shrink, tightening until it seeped into the feline’s fur.

The giant feline roared. It only needed moments to free itself from my control, but it was too late. The collar I created began to work. It siphoned off the flames of my past incarnation. I drained all the fire from it until only a flicker remained.

As the flames were drained into the collar, the feline began to shrink. It no longer towered over everyone. It grew smaller and smaller until finally, it reached its true size. A kitten, small enough to fit in my hand.

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Its pitch-black fur was broken only by a patch of green that circled its neck.

With the flames locked away in the collar, the cat became obedient. It bowed its head respectfully.

With a command, green faded from its eyes. I reached out my hand to pet the kitten. It cocked its head to the side, looking at me suspiciously for a moment. After a moment’s hesitation, the cat rubbed up against my hand.

“I remember you,” I said to the kitten, “You were one of the very first creatures I ever tried to bring back…”

I scratched under the kitten’s chin, feeling the soft fur under my fingers as I reminisced. A wild dog had mauled the kitten. Feeling pity, I used my power on its corpse. I had a lot of animals following me in those earlier days.

“Nox,” I whispered quietly. The kitten purred as it rubbed its head against me.

“Wren, what just happened?” My mother asked.

I picked up the kitten, holding him to my chest. “This is Nox. He served me a long, long time ago. Unfortunately, the amount of power I had when I left him here to guard the stronghold dwarfs what I can do right now. This made him go a little out of control, but everything is ok now.”

“That power was terrifying. It was really caused by this little kitten? Why did he shrink?” my mother reached out hesitantly touching the kitten.

“I sealed away almost all of his strength. This is what he always looked like. The bigger form you saw before was due to my power. It allowed him to create a sort of imitation of an innate ability.”

“Your power can do that?” she asked in awe.

“Of course!” I replied sticking my chest out proudly, “I would not be an ace of the Thirteen Divisions if all my power did was raise undead. There are hundreds of others with similar powers in the Endless War. It is not an uncommon ability.  However, mine stands out as the only version that allows my servants to grow stronger. The longer they serve near me, the more powerful they become.”

“Amazing. I had no idea your ability was that powerful.”

“It wasn’t when I started out,” I replied, “In the very beginning, it was more like puppetry. It was simple and uninspired. Only after decades of training under a powerful teacher was I able to trace my powers origin and find new ways to use it.”

“Trace your power’s origin? What… Wait you had a teacher? You were the Immortal Empress. Who could possibly teach you?”

I felt a shiver travel up my spine. “It is best not to talk about him. He has a bad habit of showing up when you do.” I turned toward the entrance of the stronghold staring down the deep black hole. “The less you know about that hypocrite the better.”

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