Verium

Chapter 1 Act 3

Chapter 1 - Eternal Ice

Act 3 - Village of Calamity and Ember

Normally, my entire body is surrounded by a layer of cold which I can't control. That's why I always wear a pink down jacket, no matter where I am. This layer of cold, I suspect, is a counter measure due to my ridiculous abilities. I would always feel much colder when I made too many ice formations. Usually, though, I will feel normal due to the aforementioned down jacket.

Though this layer of cold normally allows me to go unaffected by my surrounding temperature, the village which was within our sight was already starting to make me sweaty. We hadn't even set foot in it yet.

Evidently, it was going to be a long day. Even longer than the usual boredom-filled day.

In fact, I was almost surprised that Ishi had not said a word about the scorching heat coming from the town. Were those embers dancing along the line of my vision? I wasn't even sure if I would be able to withstand this seemingly hell-ish village. If I was surrounded by chilly air yet felt warm, surely Ishi would feel even worse... Right?

Thankfully, the temperature remained constant after I first felt the heat rising. It still didn't change the fact that this village was most likely aflame.

"You sure you aren't going to regret doing this?" Other than what seemed like the cacking of flames, my voice was the only sound to be heard.

Turning around, I was surprised to see that Ishi's face was emotionless. Or at least, it didn't show any sign of fear, determination, or anything of the sort. Weren't we about to enter a mini-realm of fire, more or less likely to be filled with corpses?

"Uh. Why would I regret doing this? At this rate, everything's gonna be burnt by the time we get there!"

Was there really a point in saying "by the time we get there"? We were standing right in front if the village. The only thing isolating it from the path we were on was a dramatic change of scenery. Even the ground looked charred and blacker compared to the previously lush green and paved with stones pathway.

Maybe I was nervous since we were about to enter such a potentially danger filled area, or maybe it was because of the heat, but I thought I started shaking, even if just a little.

Or maybe it was because of my intuition. If that was so, my intuition was spot-on.

The moment I stepped into the village, Ishi still behind me, I was immediately greeted by... Some weird thing. When I say greeted, I mean that the thing suddenly flew up to my face. It didn't even run.

It felt as if time had frozen for a few seconds.

This weird being seemed to be better described as a demon, it's body being a burnt colour with what seemed like lava or fire occasionally appearing between the cracks of... Well, perhaps it's body was black because it was molten lava. It's not like I would ever know.

Bat-like wings spouted out from its back, still seemingly frozen for that moment of time in which I could observe it. Embers seemed to be forming in the air around it. In other words, half formed flames surrounded the entity.

It's face... I couldn't exactly call it a face. Where any facial feature should have been were just more molten cracks with lava or fire in between. It's mouth resembled a jack-o'-lantern's, jagged and uneven, giving the creature a somewhat evil appearance.

Just as suddenly as time had 'stopped', it's normal flow returned again suddenly, with the creature immediately swinging down what was probably a clawed hand at me.