FIRAINTH Fire Water Wind Earth (FANTASY)

Chapter 40: Origins

Virginia pushed Monica's head to her right with her free hand. Monica felt the head of the dagger penetrating into her cheek, slicing down to her chin, feeling her blood dripping down onto her shoulder, then down to her chest.

"Me! The queen of Mount Vatra, the fire element." Virginia thundered away and smashed the dagger on the table. "I tried for
many days to make you see me as a kind, loyal and honorable person, so you can join me. But that day... I knew that you will never accept. I wanted to kill you ever since I found out how powerful you have become. I almost succeeded with that attack, but then..." She breathed, turned her eyes to the ceiling. "Why kill you at once? Such a great waste."

"Please...?" Monica moaned.

But the queen ignored her. She took the golden chalice and came back to Monica. "Hold still." She held Monica's head with one hand while the other held the chalice under her chin. She watched with excitement the blood dripping down into the gold chalice.

"Please... Stop.." Moaned Monica.

Virginia was holding Monica's head really tight, it was making the pain grow. "Shh..." She whispered.

The chalice was full. Virginia stepped back, her eyes down at the blood, both hands cupping the chalice. "Such... purity... Such power." Her eyes turned to Monica, "To able to take the element from inside your victim, you must have a connection with it. By drinking its own blood. I have drunk many kinds of blood. Now..."

Virginia placed the chalice on her mouth. She sipped until she chocked. Before she fell on her knees, she placed the chalice on the table in order not to spill the blood. She was choking heavily. One hand was on her chest, feeling the beat of the heart, while the other remained on the table.

"Never... tasted... so..." Virginia choked as she spoke. She raised her head, to Monica. Her lips and chin were covered in blood. Her breathing was coming back to normal. "So delicious...."

For Monica, Virginia looked like a blood-thirsty demon. But with those red eyes and monstrous face, she almost looked like a devil himself.

Monica turned to the window.

"AMA! PETER! HELP! AMA!..."

"Shhh." Virginia covered Monica's mouth with her hand. Monica kept on crying for help, muffling, until she stopped shouting but sobbing her eyes out. "You haven't learned anything, my dear Monica. Neither of the wind element can hear you from here. And even if they could, they cannot do anything." Virginia laid her forehead onto Monica's and her other hand on the element mark.

"Captus prendus elementa thy ignis."

Virginia's hand and Monica's chest gave a faint reddish light. Monica coughed out some blood, then suddenly, her breathing had stopped, struggling for air but nothing came in nor out. Then she felt as if there were millions and millions of fire ants crawling inside her.

Monica rolled her eyes down. She witnessed the penetration of Virginia's hand into her chest.

Virginia gasped. She touched something powerful, pure, warm, coming up into her hand through her arm. It felt amazing.

Monica never felt this much pain since the day she earned her Elementa Arma. Unfortunately, the pain was stronger.

The moment the hand entered the chest, her muscles and bones were squeezing and twitching. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Then everything inside her body was on fire and her bones felt as if they were breaking into millions of pieces. She couldn't stop creaming.

'Stop... stop... please stop...'

But the pain never stopped. Her eyesight went black. Everything died in her, except her heart beating fast, then slowing down. She was not dead. But she was weak. Thirst struck her throat. Her mouth was almost dry. Her head was rolling, dizzy. Her body was covered in small cuts, dirt and few bruises. Her chest was almost completely burned. She'd never recall being hit before she passed out. She lifted her head, rotating around the room. Even if her vision was hazy, she could still identify everything.