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Arawnoth extends a colossal finger of liquid fire, and I squeeze my eyes shut, arms spread wide, ready to be taken. The fire scorches my skin, burning away every shred of despair, of weakness.

My flesh sizzles, but it’s not pain I feel—only renewal. The flames carve runic symbols into my skin, scorching my chest and neck. My body convulses as each alien letter sears into me, but with every mark, I feel power flood through my veins.

“You are mine,” the voices of Dracoth and Arawnoth echo as one, a thunderous promise reverberating through the molten air.

Ecstasy surges through me as the flames reshape me.

My eyes snap open. I’m no longer lost in the endless darkness.

I’m back in the icy prison where Ignixis had condemned me.

A raging torrent of fire engulfs my body, lashing the crystalline room in flickering orange and red hues.

The ground is slick with melting ice and the very walls collapse in liquefied clumps.

My skin, once frost and despair gnawed, now glows with vibrant heat.

I am no longer cold, no longer broken. I am a vessel of flame, imbued with Arawnoth’s divine blessing.

His words scorched into my flesh glow, illuminating the world with sacred meaning.

My vision sharpens, my senses expanding beyond what I thought possible. The once crushing cold now feels like nothing more than a distant memory, replaced by this glorious warmth.

“You burn with Arawnoth’s blessing!” Ignixis gasps, his green eyes wide in awe as he shields himself from my divine flames. “He was here! In this very room! I saw him mark your flesh with my own eyes!”

I feel only contempt for the creepy old Klendathian. The one responsible for putting me in this freezer, threatening to have me eaten alive, almost letting me die in here! My lip curls in fury as I lift a hand blazing with fire toward him.

“Wait, wait!” Ignixis pleads, cowering, his hands raised in a futile defense. “Blessed daughter, I only sought to—”

Before he can finish, I project something towards him—driven more by instinct than knowing.

“Oof!” he grunts as his body is crushed from front and back, like some putrid sandwich filling wedged between two shimmering barriers of silvery bread.

I study my hands with a frown, seeing the flames whirling that do not burn.

What is this power?

I expected him to burst into flames, but instead, his stupid, blackened face is pressed tight like a child smushed against a windowpane.

Ignixis groans, slithering and sliding like a snake trying to escape between the barriers I somehow created.

He tries to squeeze out through the left side, so I project another silver barrier, cutting off his agonizing escape. Ignixis’s eyes widen in horror as his hand taps uselessly against the invisible prison.

I savor the look of panic spreading across his weathered face. He hastens toward the right, his last chance at freedom—but I smirk, wavering my hand, sealing him inside as he sealed me inside this frozen tomb.

“Doesn’t feel good, does it?” I sneer, folding my blazing arms as the flames continue to melt the world around me, fueled by my fury.

“Trapped and helpless, like a drowning rat. That’s all you are, Ignixis—a disgusting, creepy rat.

” I spit the words at him, stepping closer to his shimmering cage, only to be yanked backward by the chains still shackling my ankle.

I grimace, glaring down at the thick black chains.

They creak and groan as I focus, projecting a small barrier into the clasp.

There’s resistance now—a deeper strain not just of strength but of will.

It’s as though reality itself is testing my desire, daring me to bend it.

My frustration rises, pushing me harder.

I’m so sick of this—so tired of being bound.

With a final surge of resolve, the clasp bursts open, clanging against the frozen floor.

A scraping sound draws my attention and I turn to see Ignixis, with only a few inches of space, struggling to maneuver his extended claws against the barrier. I can feel his efforts inside my mind, every pathetic scrape like nails dragging down a chalkboard.

He thinks he can break free. How cute.

With a flick of my wrist, the barriers tighten like my mother’s purse.

I smirk, seeing him grunt in pain, his body completely squeezed with not an inch to move.

My heart soars with joy. This power... it’s intoxicating.

No longer will I have to take anybody’s bullshit, even Dracoth won’t be able to boss me around anymore with this!

I could tighten the barriers even further, watch Ignixis pop like an overgrown boil. He deserves it. For kidnapping us, treating us like hobos, calling me stupid names, having us shot, and then the final insult, nearly leaving me to freeze to death!

My hand twitches, the temptation to tighten the vise overwhelming. His eyes lock onto mine, a flicker of fire glowing in his green irises.

I freeze. That flame... I recognize it. The same energy that swirls through me now pulses within him.

My fingers trace the raised scorched glowing symbols along my chest and neck, feeling the heat blazing from them, the joy that Arawnoth bestowed them on me. I breathe slowly, releasing the tension from my hand, and with a wave, the barriers vanish.

Ignixis collapses, retching onto the harsh, icy floor. I exhale, still only feeling contempt for the treacherous Ignixis.

Skittering movement draws my attention and I nearly leap into the air with sudden fright.

“Todd!” I exclaim in surprise as the black-and-red cyloillar scuttles up my arm, coming to rest upon my shoulder. He clicks noisily, his leathery skin warm against mine, somehow untouched by the flames that still flicker around me.

What does it all mean? What is this power Arawnoth has bestowed upon me?

I absently stroke Todd’s soft skin, my mind swirling. The sacred markings burn hot against my skin, a constant reminder of Arawnoth’s presence. This must be the gift Dracoth spoke of—the one tied to his strange marriage ritual. But... we haven’t even completed the bond yet.

God, that must mean I’m his bonded woman...

I groan inwardly, wrestling with conflicting emotions—excitement, fear, and shame.

Do I even like Dracoth? Like let’s get bonded forever, like him?

Does it even matter if we both gain power from it?

Could be similar to arranged marriages of the past. I just need to make sure it works out for me too.

My excitement surges as images flash through my mind—me, living like a pampered queen, crushing anyone who disobeys with a flick of my silver barriers. A wicked grin creeps onto my face.

Wait... what about Sandra? Fuck! She might be heartbroken about this.

She’s crazy about Dracoth. I sigh loudly, knowing there’s nothing that can be done.

How do I always end up in these situations, stealing someone else’s guy without even trying?

Love can be cruel, but we made a promise to take care of each other no matter who was chosen, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Suddenly, I feel an absence of warmth in my soul.

Glancing around, I notice the flickering flames no longer wrap around my body, and my vision and clarity of mind have lessened, like someone has turned the dimmer switch on my life.

I already miss the comforting warmth, feeling the frigid air kiss my skin like a creepy ex-boyfriend.

Even the glowing runes on my chest and neck dim, the vibrant heat they once carried gone, leaving only the dark, healed burns like the ones which mar Ignixis’s flesh.

“Your eyes. They return to normal.” Ignixis rasps between coughing fits, still kneeling on the floor.

My eyes? I raise a tentative hand to rub them, wondering what he’s talking about.

“You’ve only taken the first steps,” he says, rising with a twisted smile on his scorched, weathered face. “The journey has just begun, blessed daughter.”

A flicker of fear tugs at me. Ignixis is much taller and stronger than me with those massive claws of his. He creeps toward me like a smiling shadow, cold as the frigid air bellowing from his blackened lips. And there’s nothing I can do to stop him, my powers now as absent as my father’s love.

Todd stirs and croaks on my shoulder, and I give him a pet more for my own nerves than his. Ignixis stops, peering down at me, his smile twisted like something grotesque.

“You are Arawnoth’s chosen,” he says, voice laced with madness.

“Dracoth’s bonded female.” His eyes glint an eerie green as he cackles, the sound grating against my ears.

“I knew it was you! In the firelight, back in Star City—you saw Arawnoth within the sacred words, didn’t you?

The truth was written in your eyes even then. ”

“Yes,” I mutter, my voice distant as my mind drifts back to that moment. I had seen them—the glowing symbols on Ignixis’s skin, burning molten. Arawnoth had been there, at that moment, calling to me. I can still feel it, that warmth, that presence.

“He helps me. He... makes me feel better.”

“You bear his attention well, child. Many cannot endure Arawnoth’s fires for long.” Ignixis’s gaze locks onto the scorched runic symbols on my chest and neck. His wrinkled hand hovers near them as if afraid to touch, yet mesmerized.

“May I?” His eagerness is obvious, barely restrained.

My fingers trace the raised markings, feeling a flicker of warmth still simmering beneath.

I glance down, only partially seeing the intricate black patterns swirling over my pale skin, extending from my chest and wrapping around my neck.

The runes pulse faintly with a glow, like embers waiting to reignite.

The center column spirals outward, its pattern reminiscent of twin arrowheads, bordered by jagged, flame-like shapes.

Ignixis steps closer, moving the edges of my leathers aside to examine the mark. His fingers trace the scorched symbols with something like reverence.

“The... cycle... burns... eternal,” he whispers, his yellow fangs gleaming with joy. “My, my, words from Arawnoth himself! That I lived long enough to witness this day is a blessing beyond measure.”

I should be annoyed having this burned into my skin, like some kind of tramp stamp I never wanted.

But a part of me loves it. Not for how it looks, but for what it makes me feel.

The memory of Arawnoth’s presence floods back, the sensation of being consumed by divine flames, the soaring of my soul, the absolute adoration that filled my heart. I smile at the thought.

“What does it mean?” I ask, my voice hushed.

“What does it mean?” Ignixis echoes, with elation in his voice.

“It means we’re on the path of destiny, blessed daughter.

Arawnoth’s will shall manifest through your union.

Dracoth will rise to claim the mantle of War Chieftain, and our people will reclaim their glorious future as the Gods have foretold. ” He adds, his tone full of reverence.

My mind swirls, trying to comprehend the implications of all this.

Gods, War Chieftains, divine destinies. I always thought Dracoth and Ignixis little more than space conmen with delusions of grandeur.

But now... well, the truth is literally burned into my flesh.

The powers I’ve wielded—they’re not just tricks.

Crap, I need to get up to speed on this stuff if I’m to navigate all this craziness. My pulse quickens and my gaze drops in thought.

If I help Dracoth, I help myself. But he’s like a giant red bull in a china shop, though. I can help him! Yes! A woman’s perspective and my calming influence are just what he needs! It’ll be fun, like a sexy team—the power couple to end all power couples.

Ignixis suddenly stiffens, his eyes darting toward the tunnel.

“Someone’s coming,” he mutters.

I already know who it is, the roaring flame drawing near in my mind’s eyes.

“It’s Dracoth,” I mutter, feeling my heart racing with excitement more eager to see him than ever.

Ignixis recoils, almost slipping on the ice in his haste to retreat from me.

“I pray his disposition has improved,” he sighs, clearing his throat and straightening his black robes.

The sound of armored boots crunching against the ice grows louder, echoing through the frozen passage. Ignixis and I both stand silent, waiting, tension thick in the air.

My fiery future approaches.