"Chirp~"
A sharp sound pierced through the emerald inferno atop the altar—short and keen, like fabric torn asunder by a sudden gale.
Everyone held their breath, awaiting whatever unknown change might come next.
"Chirp~ Chirp~"
The emerald flames began to subside of their own accord, flowing like liquid fire, curling inward toward the center, no longer clinging to the scorched stones and scattered ashes at the periphery.
This was surely no behavior that any common flame could exhibit!
Hallyne's eyes widened in anticipation. Elf, my Elf, Alchemist's Elf, come forth! his mind cried out in silent prayer.
As if hearing these unspoken summons, the viridian flames gradually dimmed and became translucent, their fierce color fading. Then, from within their midst, golden flames were born anew.
These aureate flames pulsated with irregular rhythm—sometimes expanding into a towering inferno several feet high, revealing faint human faces composed of fire that wailed in silent anguish; sometimes shrinking to a palm-sized flicker that threatened to extinguish entirely.
Hallyne's heart seemed to beat or cease with each fluctuation.
At last the golden flames stabilized, settling at a height of six feet. The leaping tongues of fire gradually converged, coalescing into a distinctly human shape.
Child of Fire!
Hallyne could not determine its gender—perhaps such elemental beings transcended such mortal distinctions.
The hall fell silent.
Under the collective gaze of all present, the entity opened its eyes. Bright and dark flames distinguished the whites from pupils, conveying emotions as clearly as any mortal visage.
Hallyne sensed that the Child of Fire was in good spirits.
"Chirp~" It tilted its head, looking left and right, examining everything around it with what appeared to be intense curiosity about the world it now inhabited.
Beyond any doubt, it lived. It was a sentient being.
Gasps and exclamations rose and fell throughout the chamber.
Tears welled in Hallyne's eyes, his lips trembling uncontrollably. He nearly fell to his knees in reverence.
Child of Fire!
How many years had passed since the Guild had created a truly undeniable miracle? Alchemists were no falsehood after all! They could do more than merely create wildfire—alchemy and fire spirits were the true masterworks of the wise!
Hallyne's mind raced. The Guild still possessed other spells and techniques in its ancient archives, arts that must also be rediscovered. Alchemists would return to their most glorious era, perhaps even surpass it!
He turned to King Joffrey with burning eyes, eager to witness the monarch's surprise and admiration.
Tyrion, quicker to respond than his royal nephew, provided Hallyne the reaction he craved. "What a shocking miracle of creation," the dwarf said with genuine wonder. "To exist in a body of pure flame—how terrifying, yet how marvelous."
"The alchemists truly deserve their reputation," Tyrion added sincerely, while privately wondering why Joffrey remained so calm and grave. Was this not what they had come to witness? Why did the king appear displeased? Was he still brooding over the Stark affair?
Joffrey's attention remained fixed upon the hexagram array etched into the hall's floor.
The birth of the Child of Fire was indeed cause for celebration. A fire spirit possessing intelligence would command considerable combat prowess while serving as both deterrent to enemies and inspiration to allies.
Yet he could not help but notice that the source energy contained within the crystals comprising the hexagram array continued to be consumed by the newborn entity.
It seemed the Child of Fire urgently required a steady supply of source energy for its survival.
Perhaps this explained the extinction of dragons as well. Magical creations relied upon magic to sustain their existence; once that magic weakened, the creations themselves perished.
Source energy might well be as necessary for the Child of Fire—and for dragons—as air was for men.
But the present situation gave cause for concern: the two runes had absorbed vast quantities of source energy during the ritual, and the remainder housed within the crystals amounted to less than ten units.
At the current rate of consumption...
Joffrey gazed at the unwitting Child of Fire and sent a message directly into its consciousness: "Little Gold, you are dying."
"Chirp!" The golden flames enveloping the entity suddenly flared upward several feet. Its head swiveled frantically, searching for whatever had just startled it so.
"Look up, Little Gold. Do you know what lies above?"
Little Gold? Above? It patted its fiery forehead, perplexed yet somehow finding this new world strangely familiar.
Am I... Little Gold?
Little Gold raised its gaze, and beheld a beautiful small man above, smiling down at it.
Strange. What are 'beautiful' and 'smiling'? What are 'people'? How do I know these things?
Little Gold grew increasingly confused. Apart from knowledge imparted by the inherited mark, it should know nothing of this world.
The inherited mark had instilled understanding of its nature: it was a spirit of fire, born to absorb and control flame, to aid its summoner, to protect kindred spirits, and to resist frost.
Above all else, it must remain in a place of strong magic, or face death.
It understood what death meant.
Death was the extinguishing of its flame, leaving nothing behind.
Little Gold contentedly sensed the abundant magic surrounding it. What a comfortable feeling—how could I possibly die?
"Little Gold, do you like the crystals upon the ground?"
Little Gold glanced downward.
Magic! There was magic in those shining objects, being absorbed by its inherited mark.
Yet something seemed amiss. What it should absorb was magic from the unknown place, the true wellspring of power.
Little Gold calmed itself and focused its senses.
The magic from that unknown place felt thin and barren—entirely insufficient!
Terror seized Little Gold's consciousness.
The magic within the shining objects was diminishing rapidly and would soon be depleted. When that happened...
I will die!
The flames comprising Little Gold's body churned with its turbulent emotions. It reverted to a formless inferno, its human shape entirely obscured.
"Little Gold, come to me."
Little Gold looked up to see the beautiful small man beckoning. Yes—he too harbored considerable magic within.
No, I shall not die.
Little Gold's eyes brightened, golden fire beaming toward the beautiful small man. If it could but claim that magic, its flames would continue to burn.
The Child of Fire moved its legs, taking its first steps since birth.
The magic within the crystals was utterly exhausted.
Little Gold immediately felt the inherited mark's desperate thirst for magic, accompanied by an omnipresent, indescribable pain and fear.
It hastened toward the beautiful small man.
But the mark could wait no longer. Without magic, it began to devour Little Gold's very substance without hesitation.
Amid exclamations from the onlookers, Little Gold summoned all its strength and leapt upward. Its flames danced wildly as it floated directly toward the beautiful small man. As it approached the source of magic, its remaining body had diminished until it stood no taller than the small man himself.
Little Gold might have sighed with relief, but to its horror, the mark failed to absorb the magic emanating from the beautiful human. It continued to consume Little Gold from within!
"Little Gold, do you want crystals?"
The human extended his hand, balancing a crystal upon his fingertip. Another kind of inedible magic accompanied his words: "Make a contract with me."
It's too late! Little Gold nodded frantically, attempting to touch the life-giving crystal.
The inedible magic entered its being.
Little Gold understood what a contract entailed—something even more constraining than a summoner's command.
But it had no choice.
The contract was sealed.
Joffrey lifted the restriction upon the restoration rune within the crystal, allowing source energy to flow into the Child of Fire, halting its imminent collapse.
The dazzling transformation finally subsided.
Everyone gathered around the newly formed entity.
Tyrion gazed at Little Gold and smiled with self-deprecation. "A Child of Fire, standing no taller than myself."
Little Gold, now shrunk to four feet in height, focused solely on clutching the life-saving crystal, paying no heed to the eyes and words of humans.
"Little Gold, do you want more crystals?"
It raised its head expectantly.
The beautiful human produced a handful of crystals, each one containing untold reserves of magic.
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