The Girl With The Crimson Eyes

64: The Last Straw

Remnya

The crimson flames had turned the training ground into a deserted land with carbonized trees and charred bushes. Craters spread sporadically, smoking, and a thick gray mist emerging from the ground blurred the dying sunlight on the horizon. Amid the chaos, Remnya loomed over the destruction with both arms covered in flames. Her eyes shot glares in every direction as she searched for Ozura, hoping one of her fireballs would finally reach her.

Sweat rolled down her forehead, quickly evaporated by the intense heat. Most of her clothes remained undamaged due to the drastic improvement in her fire control; she could choose what and who to burn. However, Ozura was unlike anything she had faced before. The wind lady moved like a hurricane through the forest and hit just as hard every time Remnya failed her attacks.

Remnya spotted a shadow charging at her and whirled in its direction to shoot a large stream of fire.

Ozura evaded it at the last millisecond and struck her jaw with a fist heavy like concrete.

The impact shook Remnya's reality, and her surroundings spun around her head, but she regained balance and tried to retaliate with a sidekick to the stomach.

Ozura deflected her attack with a swift of her right hand and answered with another kick that impacted Remnya's back, sending her to the ground.

As her face hit the burnt soil, she used her arms to bounce back on her feet and charged all her remaining energy into a fireball. With her last breath, she twisted her torso toward the lady and released her attack, letting out an angered roar.

Ozura widened her eyes, realizing she could not evade it in time. Instead, she stopped it with her bare hands, buried her knees on the ground, and diverted her attack over her head, sending the fireball to detonate in the distance.

The explosion sent burning rocks and debris flying toward them faster than sound. Some impacted Remnya, but stoically, she resisted the ferocious impacts opening wounds in her skin. Driven by sheer will, she tried to attack again, but her body didn't respond anymore, forcing her to halt for oxygen.

Ozura stood, smiling almost pridefully. "That was a close one." Her palms still smoked from the intense heat of her attack.

"Not enough." Remnya shook her head, gritting her teeth.

The lady stared at her for a moment and took a deep breath. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, revealing two lines of sweat rolling down her forehead. "You made me work today. I believe you deserve a delicious meal."

Remnya panted, wiping the blood from her mouth, and nodded without a complaint. It had taken her long to understand, but resting and eating were as important as training.

After taking a bath, she sat at the table outside with Brisa, Ozura, and other members of her new family. Joan had prepared the food that night: roasted pork with apples and spices accompanied by mashed potatoes and carrots. His cooking was superior to anyone else's, except when it came to sweet dishes, where Ozura's skill shone the most.

She filled her stomach, thanked the cook, and washed the dishes before leaving for the forest to think alone.

Since Remnya began training, she refused to sleep on a bed again. Instead, she had decided to sleep in the forest until the day she rescued Zeo, and the silent nature slowly embraced her into its arms. Wild animals roamed nearby, such as pumas and jaguars, but Remnya was used to more dangerous beasts, and whenever she could, she tried to feed and pet the felines, who seemed to be more scared of her.

As she tossed remnants of meat to a female jaguar with cubs, she overheard an old engine roaring in the distance. "Can it be . . . " Remnya petted the feline and rushed to return to the camp.