Blaze had never allowed companions. Tools, weapons, occasionally fire—yes. The boy, however, was neither. Therefore, he was a mistake.
Her robes were black as void between stars, swallowing the faint light of dusk. The veil over her face did not hide her authority—it broadcast it. Every step she took carried the weight of inevitability. Behind them, the city smoldered faintly, its name preserved only because she allowed it.
Within three steps, she had decided it: bringing the boy along was an error she would never admit aloud.
Some inconveniences followed quietly. Others tripped, cried, or scrambled hopelessly to keep up. Aleric belonged firmly to the last category.
He stumbled over a gnarled root, heart hammering. "I—I can keep up," he stammered, trying to sound braver than he felt.
"You will keep up," Blaze said, voice low and absolute. "Or you will not keep anything."
He swallowed. "Y-yes… of course."
Maze stirred along the golden feather mark on Blaze's left wrist, unseen by the boy, a flicker of warmth and movement tethered to her mistress. Always watching. Always ready.
Aleric's eyes darted nervously. "Is… is it far to the next town?"
Blaze's boots made no sound, but each step resonated with authority. "Far enough for you to regret asking."
Maze shifted in her mark. Blaze felt it, allowed herself a faint trace of amusement. Not yet. The boy did not need to know.
A rustle in the trees made Aleric freeze. Blaze paused, tilting her head slightly. The air thickened, colder than it had any right to be. Shadows bent unnaturally at the edges of perception.
"Stay close. Silent," she said, words like steel, slicing the stillness. "Every sound you make is noted. Every hesitation remembered."
Aleric stumbled forward again, breath hitching, tripping over roots. Maze's invisible flames brushed past him like a secret wind, steadying without being seen.
Blaze's veil stirred in the chill. "Do not slow me," she murmured, cold and dry. "I do not tolerate mistakes."
The boy's stomach tightened. He had no idea the forest around them was alive, no inkling that Blaze's shadow stretched far beyond his vision. Maze remained tethered, guardian and secret, her light hidden yet palpable.
And still, the darkness watched.
Aleric's stomach growled.
Not softly.
Not politely.
It growled loud enough to echo between the trees.
He froze, mortified, hands pressing instinctively to his middle. "I— I didn't eat anything since this morning," he admitted, voice small.
Nor did I, Blaze thought coolly. Yet here I stand. Unlike you, pathetic fool.
She did not slow her pace.
"Well," Blaze said evenly, "I hired you as a cook. Go cook something."
Aleric blinked. "…Here?"
"Yes."
"But—"
Blaze stopped.
The forest seemed to pause with her.
"But what," she said, turning just enough for him to feel the edge of it.
Aleric swallowed hard. "I—I don't have ingredients. Or cookware. Or—anything. How am I supposed to cook?"
Blaze stepped closer.
Too close.
"I don't know," she replied calmly. "I hired you as a cook. That makes it your problem."
Her gaze flicked toward the trees. "We're deep enough in the forest. Find something wild."
Aleric opened his mouth. Closed it again.
Silence stretched.
Blaze leaned down slightly, her shadow swallowing him whole. "You didn't lie about your cooking skills, did you?"
His heart slammed.
"…N-no."
"Good," she said. Then, mildly, "Never mind. If you did, I'll just eat you."
His blood turned to ice.
"I DIDN'T LIE," Aleric blurted out instantly. "I swear. I'll— I'll find something."
He spun and bolted into the undergrowth, tripping once, catching himself, then running faster, fear lending him speed.
Behind him, the forest swallowed his footsteps.
From the golden feather mark, a quiet giggle rippled.
Maze's voice brushed Blaze's thoughts, amused. He's motivated now.
Blaze resumed walking, unhurried.
Forget it, she thought flatly. Human flesh tastes bitter. And it's annoyingly hard to chew.
She paused near a fallen log, folding her arms, gaze sweeping the trees with detached interest.
If he poisons himself, she added, that's also acceptable.
The forest rustled.
Somewhere ahead, Aleric yelped as something stung him.
Blaze did not react.
She waited.
The forest went quiet.
Not the gentle quiet of dusk—but the wrong kind. The kind where insects forgot how to sing and even the wind reconsidered moving.
Blaze felt it before it showed itself.
Something old, she noted dispassionately. And foolish enough to notice me.
The ground trembled once.
Then again.
Aleric burst back through the trees, arms full of wild mushrooms, roots, and bruised vegetables. His face was pale, sweat streaking his temples.
"I—I found some things," he panted, forcing a smile. "I think they're edible. I didn't eat any. I swear."
Behind him—
The forest split.
Branches snapped outward as something massive forced its way through, dragging shadows with it. Bark peeled. Roots tore free. A stench of wet earth and rot rolled through the air.
It stood on four limbs that were once trees.
A forest warden—ancient, malformed, its body stitched together from moss, bone, and deadwood. Antler-like branches crowned its skull, glowing faintly with sickly green light. Hollow eyes locked onto Blaze.
It did not roar.
It knelt.
The earth cracked as it lowered its massive frame, head bowing until its antlers scraped the ground.
Aleric turned.
He saw it.
His hands went slack.
The mushrooms and vegetables scattered across the forest floor.
He opened his mouth to scream—
And fainted instead.
His body hit the ground with a dull thud.
Blaze did not look at him.
Her attention rested on the creature.
"So," she said calmly, her voice carrying without effort, "you still remember."
The warden trembled.
A deep, grinding sound escaped it—not speech, but acknowledgment. Leaves fell from its body as it pressed lower, submission written into every splintered limb.
Maze stirred excitedly at Blaze's wrist. Master, it's bowing.
As it should, Blaze thought. Everything does, eventually.
"You guard this forest," Blaze continued, stepping forward. "Yet you allow vermin to hunt within it."
The creature shuddered, vines tightening around its frame as if in shame.
"I am not here for you," Blaze said. "Nor for your land."
Her gaze flicked briefly to Aleric's unconscious form.
"I am hungry."
The warden froze.
Then, slowly, it extended one limb and pressed it into the earth. The ground split open, revealing pale roots, thick fungi untouched by rot, and fruit glowing faintly with stored life.
An offering.
Blaze nodded once.
"Acceptable."
The creature withdrew, retreating backward into the trees, never once turning its back on her. The forest breathed again only after it vanished completely.
Blaze looked down.
Aleric lay sprawled in the dirt, unconscious, mouth slightly open.
She nudged him lightly with her boot.
"Pathetic."
Maze giggled openly now. He fainted before you even threatened him.
Blaze folded her arms, gaze cool. I didn't even activate anything.
She bent, collected the fallen ingredients with a flick of her sleeve, levitating them cleanly into her grasp.
"Wake up," she said flatly.
Aleric did not move.
Blaze sighed, deeply annoyed.
"…I should have eaten him when I had the chance."
The golden feather mark flared.
"Come out," Blaze said flatly. "Wake him."
Fire folded itself into form beside her, gentle this time, embers dimmed. Maze appeared in her human shape, sixteen and soft-looking, heat wrapped carefully beneath her skin. She knelt beside Aleric at once.
"Aleric?" she said quietly, touching his shoulder. "Hey… it's alright. Wake up."
He didn't stir.
Maze tried again, brushing dirt from his sleeve, voice warm and coaxing. "You're safe. You're not in danger anymore."
Nothing.
Blaze watched for three heartbeats.
Then four.
Useless.
She lifted one finger.
The sky answered.
A column of cold water dropped out of nowhere, slamming directly onto Aleric's face and chest. It soaked him to the bone in an instant, splashing mud and leaves everywhere.
He shot upright with a strangled gasp, coughing violently. "W–WHAT—"
Maze squeaked and immediately patted his back. "Oh! Oh no—slow down, breathe, breathe—"
Aleric hacked and sputtered, water dripping from his hair, clothes clinging miserably. "I—I thought—I was dead—"
Blaze lowered her hand. "Unfortunately, no."
Maze shot her a look, then turned back to him. "Let me dry you," she said quickly. "You'll catch a cold."
She placed her hands near his shoulders and summoned her fire—careful, controlled—
Too controlled.
The heat flared just a little too bright.
Aleric yelped. "Ah—my hair!"
A faint curl of smoke rose as the tips of his hair singed.
Maze recoiled instantly. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
Blaze cut in, bored. "Divinity does not excuse incompetence."
Aleric froze.
Slowly, he turned his head and stared at Maze.
"…Wait," he said, eyes widening. "You're a—"
"Phoenix," Blaze repeated. "Yes. Are you frightened?"
Aleric blinked once.
Then twice.
"No," he said, awe flooding his face. "I'm happy."
Maze paused.
"Happy?" she echoed.
"I've never seen one before," he said breathlessly, staring at her like she was the sunrise itself. "I mean—I thought phoenixes were stories. Legends. You're real."
His eyes sparkled, fear completely overwritten by wonder.
Maze smiled despite herself.
Blaze looked away.
Humans, she thought. Foolish. Weak. Easily impressed.
The forest shifted.
Not loudly. Not openly.
But Blaze felt it.
She lifted her gaze, eyes narrowing beneath the veil.
From the deeper shadows between the trees, they watched.
Pale lights blinked and vanished—will-o'-wisps retreating at the edge of perception. Something long and scaled slid silently through the underbrush, careful not to break a single twig. High above, branches creaked as winged shapes adjusted their perches, feathers and leaves blending seamlessly.
An antlered silhouette stood far back among the trees, unmoving, older than bark and bone.
None approached.
None dared.
They watched Blaze.
Measured her.
Still here, she noted coolly. Still afraid.
Maze felt it too. Her posture straightened slightly, fire dimming, instinct tightening her presence. "Master," she murmured, barely audible, "they're all looking."
"Let them," Blaze replied. "It saves me the trouble of reminding them."
Aleric followed their gazes, sensing rather than seeing. His earlier excitement faded into unease. "Is… is something else here?"
"Yes," Blaze said calmly. "Everything."
He swallowed.
Maze stepped a little closer to him, unconsciously placing herself between Aleric and the forest.
Blaze noticed.
Soft, she thought with irritation. Too soft.
"Cook," Blaze said abruptly.
Aleric startled. "W–what?"
"You were hired for a purpose," she continued. "You have ingredients. You have fire." Her gaze flicked to Maze. "And you are still alive."
She turned away, black robes whispering against the forest floor. "If you fail, I will reconsider eating you."
Aleric nodded frantically. "I won't fail! I promise!"
Maze glanced after Blaze, then back at Aleric, lowering her voice. "I'll help," she said gently. "Just… try not to faint again."
He managed a weak laugh. "I'll try."
From the shadows, the forest entities withdrew one by one, melting back into root and bark and darkness.
The balance held.
For now.
Blaze stood apart, watching the treeline, expression hidden, thoughts cold and precise.
An inconvenient companion, she admitted silently.
Two of them, now.
Aleric crouched near the small fire, carefully turning skewered mushrooms as Maze held her flames low and controlled. The heat shimmered gently, golden and precise.
"So you can fly, right?" Aleric asked, eyes bright. "I mean—of course you can, you're a phoenix. That's obvious. Do you fly all the time or only sometimes? And what's your name, by the way? I'm Aleric. I think I already said that. How old are you? You don't look old. Are phoenixes born old? Or do you age backward?"
Maze blinked.
"Yes—I can fly," she said, trying to keep the flame steady. "My name is—wait—don't move the mushrooms like that—"
"Have you ever met a dragon?" Aleric continued, undeterred. "I really want to see one someday. Are they big? Or scary? Or nice? Do they talk?"
Maze opened her mouth.
No sound came out.
The fire flared too high for a breath.
Blaze's patience snapped.
"Can you focus on cooking," she said flatly, "or do you intend to burn it."
Aleric jolted. "S-sorry!"
Maze hurriedly adjusted the flame, cheeks warm. "I'm trying—"
Blaze turned away, folding her arms.
How annoying.
Should I cut his tongue so he never spits nonsense like this again?
A soft rustle pulled her attention.
Her head turned.
A rabbit stood at the edge of the clearing, ears twitching, unaware.
Blaze picked up a stick.
She did not aim.
She threw.
The stick tore through the air like an arrow and struck true.
The rabbit dropped without a sound.
"Get that," Blaze said calmly.
Aleric froze, then hurried over, lifting the rabbit gently. His expression softened. "It's… kind of cute," he muttered. "What a pity."
Blaze's gaze slid to him.
Does he have a death wish?
"Do you have a death wish?" she asked aloud.
Aleric stiffened instantly. "…No."
"Good."
He shut his mouth and returned to the fire, cooking in complete, blessed silence.
Maze hid a smile behind the flame.
Blaze watched the forest instead, satisfied.
Finally.
Aleric stared at the rabbit in his hands.
He turned it once. Then again.
His throat tightened.
"I… I can't," he whispered.
Maze looked up. "You can't?"
"It was alive just now," he said quietly. "It was just standing there. I don't think I can cook it."
Blaze's eyes flicked toward him.
Pathetic.
She said nothing.
Aleric swallowed and set the rabbit gently on the ground instead of the fire. "I'll cook the mushrooms. Just… please. Not this."
Maze hesitated, then nodded and lowered her flame away from the rabbit.
Blaze watched them both.
Weak. Soft. Useless.
She turned her gaze back to the trees, expression unreadable beneath the veil.
"Then starve slower," she said coldly. "I will not adjust my world for your feelings."
Aleric flinched—but he did not move the rabbit.
Maze glanced at him, then at Blaze, then back to the fire.
The mushrooms sizzled.
The rabbit lay still.
And Blaze stood between irritation and something she refused to name.
A few minutes later, Aleric approached Blaze cautiously, holding a large tree leaf folded into a shallow bowl. Inside lay roasted wild vegetables and mushrooms, still steaming faintly.
"This is… this is what I can do right now," he said softly. "You can try it."
Blaze looked at the food.
Then at him.
It looks ugly.
She turned her face away immediately, as if even the sight offended her senses.
"Forget it," she said flatly. "Looking at it makes me lose my appetite. Throw it away. Or do whatever disappointments do with their failures."
Aleric's shoulders slumped. "B–but—"
Blaze gave him a look.
The word died in his throat.
He turned quietly and returned to sit beside Maze, placing the leaf down between them.
Blaze, meanwhile, reached into the air and withdrew one of the pale, glowing fruits the forest warden had offered earlier. She examined it briefly, then bit into it without ceremony.
Its light reflected faintly against her veil.
Acceptable.
Maze and Aleric began eating the mushrooms and vegetables.
Maze smiled warmly. "You're a great cook. I won't lie."
Aleric blinked, then brightened instantly. "Of course," he said with quiet pride. "I have a lot of experience."
Blaze listened from a distance, pretending not to.
Children praise crumbs like they're feasts, she thought. Ridiculous.
Yet she did not leave.
The fire crackled softly.
The forest watched.
And for a brief, inconvenient moment, It felt almost… ordinary.
Blaze reclined against the trunk of an ancient tree, arms folded, gaze half-lidded. She watched Maze and Aleric eat, watched their quiet laughter, and watched the lifeless rabbit lying beside the flames.
Waste of effort.
She snapped her fingers.
The rabbit twitched.
Then breathed.
Maze noticed.
Aleric did not.
Maze's eyes softened. I know you care, master. You just pretend you don't.
Blaze closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Should I just kill every single creature in this world at once, she thought, and rule what remains alone?
A pause.
Hm. Sounds boring.
Her eyes opened again.
Why waste my precious time and energy, she decided coolly. Killing one by one feels far more… satisfying.
The fire crackled.
The forest remained silent.
And Blaze smiled beneath her veil.