The little flame. [ Calcifer x Reader ] . Howl's moving castle .

Chapter 3: A rough time

Calcifer stared at Lilly's small figure. She was only twelve and had just started to have magic lessons with her father.

Howl was never the type to be strict but Lilly sure had a long way to go with her magic. Being that she was half human and not purely a sorcerer of any kind, she struggled more with it.

At the end of her lessons, she would sit by the hearth and tell all that she learned to Calcifer. He of course smiked fondly at her but never forgetting to remark how much of a powerful demon he really Is.

"You keep saying that you're so powerful but you really are just a cute little fire to me"

Calcifer huffed up at her as she spilled out her little giggles at Calcifer's antiques. He of course couldn't help but 'heat up' when she called him cute.

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"We'll be going now...."

Sophie and Howl bid farewell to a fourteen year old Lilly. There was a dispute in the neighboring kingdom and the queen had requested that they attend for a meeting at the palace. Being more mature than her actual age, they worried less of their daughter and she had Calcifer to accompany and protect her in the castle.

Being older, Lilly didn't play anymore. She was now more into studying. She would go through so many of her dad's old magic books from the library.

Markl was no longer around anymore. He had left for a magic internship when Lilly was 13. Markl would come by and visit sometimes but he too was now a busy adult.

It would be these times that Lilly would feel especially lonely. Calcifer was around and would talk and accompany her for sure, but even he could sense how inferior he really is as her company since he can only be in a form of a flame, unable to touch her, play with her and hold her.

This stirred uneasiness within him especially when on some nights, He would hear soft sobs from Lilly's room. This only pained him more as he felt that he was insufficient. Lilly didn't have many friends, never gone out of the castle and had never mingled with anyone else. He knew that she had wanted a real friend.

As much as it hurt him to know that he alone wasn't enough, he had to resort to something for her.

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"Calcifer, good morni-"

Lilly made her way to the hearth but noticed that the little flame was missing.

Recovering from the shock, she remembered that he could move around when he transformed into his original a form - a star. Lilly still couldn't help but feel slightly upset that he didn't tell her that he would be gone.

Lilly never knew where he goes to as he very seldom leaves the hearth and whenever he does, she never questions farther where he goes.

She spent the morning eating her breakfast alone as she waited for Calcifer to return.

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Meanwhile....

In the spirit realm.

"Heyyy" "Look whose backk" "Where ya been bro?"

Calcifer just blatantly shrugged off all the greetings from his fellow demons. He knows that he rarely comes back to the spirit realm and it was mainly because he couldn't bring himself to leave Lilly Alone for too long.

This time around however, he was determined to make better of things, even if it may hurt himself.

He flew to where a bright light stood shining from a throne of clouds. There stood a spirit of life. Spirits of life are very very powerful. Their abilities are far more superior and Calcifier had to try his luck to see if she would help him.

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"You wish for me to grant you a human form?"

"Yes please...it may seem like a lot to ask but I really wish to please this family." Calcifer timidly answers.

"I see. So you're doing this just to accompany and befriend the daughter of the house so she no longer feels lonely? That sounds so unlike a demon like yourself to care about such a trivial matter." she squinted her eyes at him.

Her grin soon widened "Are you really doing this as an obligation. Or do you have a selfish motive behind this?"

Calcifer gulped as he thought about it thoroughly. He was sure of himself that he was doing it since he felt obligated to. But now that she had raised the question, he began to rethink his intentions as well.

He had indeed, countless of times had wished that he too was able to embrace her. To hold her hand. To spend time with her not just as a 'pet' flame in the hearth unable to touch her. He wanted to be by her side as a person.

With all these thoughts running through him, he was soon lost in a daze. The spirit in front of him could see right through him of course ad only chuckled at him.

"Very interesting indeed....this is a new one.." She thought to herself.

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A/N: Hello everyone! and yes I'm not dead! Hahahaha, Many had commented and asked me to continue this and I suddenly had this spurt of motivation 😘. Been like legit months since I last updated it.....I ain't making promises for updates but occasional spurts as such would get me writing I suppose. hehehhe~ buhbye~