Chapter 2 "Between Fire and Darkness"

Time began to flow again. Two men appeared.

“We’ve got her, sir,” a guard announced behind me.

“She’s the one who started the fire. We’ve captured her,” said another voice.

Then I turned around. It wasn’t the noise of my thoughts that deafened me, but the oppressive crackle of the sparks.

Two guards are carrying a maid. Damn it. How am I going to get out of this?

My presence confused them. As soon as they realized I was the real threat, they prepared to attack. Their eyes said it all, they were ready to kill.

They must be some of those distracted by the fire at the entrance. I wasted my chance. Now what? Do I kill the noble first and then the guards? Or do I run?

“I didn’t do it, I swear! Please, let me go!”

She’s desperate. Poor thing, she’s gotten caught up in this. Perhaps I can turn this to my advantage through her…

At that instant, the floor gave way. Flames from the lower floor surged upward in a flash. A pleasant heat wrapped around me, and in the blink of an eye it turned into a relentless whirlwind.

I’m flying. Although this isn’t nearly as nice as I’d imagined, oh dear God, I’m going to fall into the fire!

Both my doubts and the guards had made me forget about the blaze. I’d been careless.

In a fraction of a second, a burst of light blinded me.

This is the end.

I landed on my knees against the ground floor, feeling a fierce burn on my right side.

Move, move, move! Hurry!

I didn’t dare to look. I felt the fire on my arm and shoulder, on the verge of setting my hair ablaze. The brightness was so intense I couldn’t open my eyes.

Where are the guards? And my sword? Did they fall with me?

When I noticed my clothes were catching fire, I tore them off violently, in desperation. At the worst moment, one garment snagged on my shoulder.

I can’t get it off, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t! I CAN’T!

I couldn’t keep calm. I dropped to my knees and hurled myself against a wall, rolling over it.

An agonizing panic controlled my movements. Fear made me clumsy. The pain in my arm was draining my strength more and more. The fall, the blindness, the screams… it all blended into a confused, buzzing noise.

My arm is losing strength. Damn it.

A figure appeared before me. I only managed to see its shadow. It seemed desperate to tell me something.

“………….”

A pair of hands pressed against my chest and helped me. The relief I felt upon tearing off the last piece of clothing was immediate. It was strange—so strange that the release turned into sudden distrust and an even fiercer fear. I thought it was an executioner.

I feel exposed to everything. My sword have fallen somewhere. I can’t see a thing. I’m in pain, crouched on the floor. I have failed, and I’m going to pay dearly for it.

I caught desperate shouts. Then I realized I wasn’t trembling—the shadow was shaking me.

“Are you awake? You look dead but alive at the same time. Snap out of it!”

That’s when I recognized her form. It was the maid. I hadn’t noticed her before because of her black uniform and soot-covered face. By the way she moved, it was clear she was injured, but her will to keep going was stronger than the pain.

Behind her, the two guards laid motionless.

They fell too. That’s a good sign—maybe I’ll actually make it out of this alive.

“Come on, snap out of it! Snap out of it!”

I tilted my head upward and saw several rooms. The noble I had tried to assassinate was gone.

He must have escaped. I’d been so focused on moving forward step by step that I forgot the most important one—ending his life. How ironic.

“Wake up, or stand up. Tell me a poem or something, I don’t know, but… please, just do something!”

The searing flames finished consuming the last of my clothes. The heat no longer felt like an unparalleled danger. It hardly even hurt.

Either I’m fireproof… or my nerves are burned to ash—one of the two.

“Hey, you two! What are you doing here? Did the fire trap you?”

Those shouts came from the hallway connecting the entrance to the guest room. I had my back to them. It was obvious more guards had arrived.

“He doesn’t look like a servant, but the maid next to him—I’ve seen her several times.”

The fire to my right blocked the main entrance. Standing in front of me, the maid… was she waving at the guards!?

I feel like I can get up despite the pain. Looks like I don’t have any broken bones. They still don’t know who I am, but how much longer will that last?

“They’re accusing you of starting the fire, aren’t they?” I said as I stood up.

“Yes, but it wasn’t me…”

“Then come with me.”

I grabbed her by the arm and we started running. Before taking the job, I had studied the mansion’s floor plans, so I knew the way out. However, the fire and the collapsed rooms made it hard to escape.

“This way.” I turned sharply at a corner, dodging falling beams.

I was trying to reach one of the rooms in hopes of smashing a window and escaping through it. But most hallways were blocked or scorched by fire.

The guards were chasing us.

Within minutes, the first floor would collapse—and with it, the second. After running back and forth trying to find a way out, we reached a dead-end hallway.

Without my sword, I’m completely useless. I have to avoid a fight at all costs.

“We can’t be this unlucky… well, looks like we are.”

“This way!” she shouted, pointing toward one of the servants’ corridors.

Nevertheless, we passed through it without any major difficulty. The passage ended at a door leading to the garden.

“We finally made it out. All this has left me exhausted. Tell me, who are you…” She asked.

Why did she help me? Does she expect something in return?

“There could still be guards. Let’s keep going.”

We crossed a beautiful garden.

It was beautiful.

After that, we headed for the forest surrounding the city, the remains of the burning mansion lighting our way.

A few minutes ago, walking felt like a punishment because it would lead to my first kill. Now it’s a punishment because I’m so battered. I don’t think I could survive another chase.

The forest was pitch-dark; I could barely see ahead. A wave of relief washed over me once the sight of the fire faded in the distance.

And so, at midnight, we ventured deep into the forest.