Glass Soldier

Chapter 13

      I wasn't sure what was worse. The screaming or the smell. The burning skin still stuck to my hands took the cake as I quite literally sat in the fire, the moment I had touched it it had roared to life, the red burning to blue. She was being treated by people who actually knew what they were doing while I remained in the fire with my ears back and tail curled around the outside of it.

     "Get out of the fire," I ignored him, earning a narrow of the eyes while I burrowed my head into my knees just wanting to be left alone. "Get out," He growled, reaching in only to recoil with a hiss, before he could even touch the fire it burned him.

     "Don't make me drag you out," Turning to look at him while he held his burnt hand I kinda just stared for a moment. He couldn't even touch the fire but he was threatening to pull me from it. It was more likely he was going to burn his hand off. He seemed to understand what I was thinking as he glared, his eyes flashing red.

       With a growl, his ears shifting and strips sprouting, his eyes burning a mix of yellow and orange and his nails black. I didn't move, watching as a black tail flicked behind him, the tip on fire and strips growing a furious orange. Sticking his hand in he went to grab me but only recoiled with a roar of pain.

      "Allerine, bride to Fenrir and one of the first guardians, a high ranked spirit of fire, often referred to the feline of fire. A tiger spirit that rules those of her element, flames so hot that those that approach burn before they could even see her, spirit or not," I mumbled resting my chin on my knees to watch him while he stared at his arm, which was now burned. "Only Fenrir holds heat strong enough to overpower her own,"

      "Now you're just mocking him," Glancing at the older man as he sat on a log, that he had moved back as not to burn himself. "Never thought I'd see the day when that boy was overwhelmed so completely, not to mention you've gone and picked out his spirit with nothing more than a glance. Knowing the spirit a merger is using is a very valuable thing, it allows one to tear the two apart,"

        By summoning the spirit, a failure is forced back to their original state, however, another spirit can be used with enough practice.

        "It means nothing if he knew how to bind a different spirit-"

      "You've never been forced out of a merging have you littleone?" He chuckled while I remained silent. I hadn't. It was never a risk. I merge with a holy beast and summoning one didn't happen if it didn't want it to. "It'll bring you to your knees, little lady," he smiled while I continued to remain silent.

       "You got any more tricks or just the one?" He asked when I didn't respond. My ears swiveling back again as I looked him over. He was distracting me.

      "... I can summon the mount of the mourning," I said indulging myself in the distraction.

      "Oh! Two big names huh? You ever merged with it?" I found myself looking him over again, knowing I'm being distracted bothering my instincts.

     "I have not," He smiled, knowing I figured him out.

     "You should try it, I've heard the holy magic has quite the kick," Staring at him silently I hesitantly got up, stepping out of the fire as it returned to that of a campfire. "Of course, it's easiest when you aren't bouncing from one to another," 

       Looking over once more I swallowed, a quick flash of fire having me back to me. "There we go, how'd you bind the wolf of the wandering?" Licking my lips I thought about the thick bath I sat in.

       "... A price," I muttered knowing how it'd sound if I explained that I bathed in my own blood. Or any blood for that matter.

      "A price? Old school huh? You try earning its favor?" 

      "It's different with holy beasts," I said, I already had its favor and it still took a price.

      "Hmm... You try binding a spirit?" He asked while my brows furrowed gently, thinking about the idea. Nowhere in the book did it mention an abomination merging with a spirit. "No? Why don't you try it? Can't hurt," 

       Glancing at the glaring man I tapped my arm gently as I held it. "Alright..." Pulling my shirt up as I bit my finger, the tattoo meant for holy beasts but not impossible to use for spirits. High ranking ones that is. Placing the bloodied finger on the complicated circle I licked my lips.

      Allerine... You are deserving of a proper vessel, I offer myself to you. Spirits were beings above humans and they were aware of it. Earning the favor of a spirit wasn't as easy as it sounded, flattery being the best option. I didn't force her summons, I simply called out to her. Forcing a summons was an insult after all. It said you, a bug, is above them, the companions of the gods.

      The circle burning as black ink shifted to orange only to burn a bright white. A shiver running down my spine as he cried out. My stomach finding my throat as I cleared it, my hand resting again my stomach as I swallowed, trying to remove the lump. The foul taste of bile flooding my mouth as I started hacking up my stomach.

       "Always so unpleasant, good to know even you binding those things do this," I heard as my eyes watered while I coughed, spitting the taste form my mouth as it stuck aggressively. My skin crawling and ears curving, the familiar burn of my lower back growing with the tail. My head spinning as his shouts of pain hardly found my ears.

       Clearing my throat, the heat beneath my skin setting I pushed myself off the ground as I held my head. My tail flicking behind me, my throat burning at a steady rate, my claws sliding into my finger, leaving nails with an odd color. Blinking I looked around carefully, the man with the white hair on all fours gasping for breath as my head fell to the side.

        Good. He was annoying anyway. 

      "Now, I can't tell if you did it on purpose or just happened to pick that damned cat of his," Came a chuckle as I turned to look at the older man, "You've gone blue again," He hummed while I caught a glancing of my tail as it flicked around. "Wonder why,"

      Grabbing my tail I looked at the tips as it burned a bright blue. Indeed... I wonder why...