Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Sixty-Four

Screams filled my ears as my fire magic became erratic, spreading out around me and burning everything in its path -- earth and people alike. I didn't care. If anything, the screams only increased my thirst for blood, and as I closed in on Azriel, his eyes widening as he took in the monstrosity before him -- a dark thrill surged in me.

I was the hunter. And he was my prey.

Within an instant, he shifted into his wolf form and started hurtling towards the forest. I ran after him, my lungs burning with smoke as panted. I growled and snarled, allowing my magic to do anything it wanted; completely uncaged. It had no direction, no supervision. Even I couldn't control it in my rage, for it had a mind of its own. Even so, me and my magic had one common interest: to burn.

We sprinted into the forest, and I ran in after him. The sounds of burning woodland became a backing track as I chased him through the forest. The bark on the trees blackened and peeled under the force of my wild flame, the undergrowth at my feet withering away the moment I passed over it -- leaving a hellscape in my wake. I continued to sprint after the man, snarling and growling and burning, not caring about the erratic beats of my heart, nor of the black spots forming in my vision. I didn't care that my body was throbbing with dangerous levels of pain -- I could barely feel it amidst my fury.

I tracked him by scent and sound rather than by sight, truly immersed in my bloodlust. I could barely see anything through the red glow of my flames, other than the hellish world before me. I could smell his fear; almost taste it as it wafted towards me in droves. It spiked my hunger and drove me forwards.

At one point, he stumbled over a large root. I wasted no time as I pounced on him, my white-hot claws piercing his flesh and forcing an anguished scream from his throat as we went down. A thrill went through me at the sound -- which caused me to lose focus and loosen my attack. He slipped by my grasp and began running again.

The smell of his blood and the puncture wounds bleeding on his back sent my mind into a frenzy, and I ran faster, eager to spill his blood. I continued to chase him down, the fire bursting out left right and ahead; totally uncontrolled and bursting by the second. There was no real direction to my magic, no control. Only pure, wild wrath, being let out in an endless storm.

I heard someone call out in the distance. "Kyra!", they yelled, but I did not recognise the name. It was faintly familiar to me, and the sound of the voice rung at a pitch that tugged on the edge of my memories, but the though was quickly dissipated by the flames. I kept on my sole objective, my main purpose: to hunt this man down and kill him.

I could distantly feel the weakness bleeding through my body, and my breaths were becoming shorter and shallower, but I didn't care. This magic was eating me alive, and I was allowing it.

As the chase wore on, the man started to slow. When I got close, I pounced on him again, my flames burning away his fur as we both tumbled to the ground. I flipped him over with incredible strength, and I could see the anguish painted on his features due the heat of my flames. He began to struggle, trying to take back control of my mind, but it was no use. I didn't even have to concentrate to burn away his attempts now. The remanent of the bond was cowering in the darkest corner of my mind, hiding from my magic.

An animalic growl escaped me as I sank my red-hot teeth into the flesh of his shoulder. He cried out in agony, and the taste of his blood galvanized me so much that I tore a sizable chunk of flesh from his shoulder. He gaped at me in horror while yelling, but I just spat the flesh to the side. Immediately, I went back on the offense, fire curling off my body and burning him. He tried to fend off my attacks, but I was an unstoppable force, and with the redness and blisters forming on his skin, I could tell my fire alone was roasting him alive.