"Are you really that horrible or, do you just have no idea what to do with your powers?"
Esme closed her eyes, pushing aside the wave of embarrassment that tried to overwhelm her. She wished there was a way to mute the snide voice that lived in her head. She didn’t know why she believed the wolf when it said it would teach her, because so far, all it had done was criticize her mistakes.
"Well."
She planted her hands firmly at her hips. "What do you think I should do, then?"
She stood alone on the empty deck, the wind cold against her skin as she brought her hand forward. Blue flames danced and hovered above her palm, their lights flickering across her face and reflecting her eyes like twin sapphires.
"You know," she glanced toward the distance, "I’d find this more educational if you start teaching me something useful."
"It’s fire," her wolf’s calm voice echoed in response. "It behaves like any other— only far more volatile. It burns anything it touches. But that isn’t its true purpose. That flame exists to kill demons. There’s a type of magic it contains that not even your precious Donovan is safe from it. Yes, he’s immortal, but with enough practice, your powers are strong enough to sever his power and end him in an instant, if necessary."
The unexpected revelation made Esme’s shoulder stiffen. The blue fire hovering in her palm flickered once, then vanished completely, leaving only the faint smell of scorched air behind. Even her wolf seemed to have sensed that it might have revealed something it shouldn’t have... yet.
"W... what?"
She blinked, certain she’d misheard her wolf.
"With my powers, you’re the only one capable of ending Donovan," the voice repeated, unflinching. "Why else did you think I was summoned in the first place? I possess the ability to destroy all demons, in that sense, we’re humanity’s last hope."
Esme’s throat tightened. "But... anyways, it doesn’t matter, right? The true bearer is the one we’re aiming for. That means... he can also be gotten rid off, right? But why are you only telling me this now?"
Shaking her head in an attempt to regain her focus, she stretched her palm forward, and blue flames flared to life. But for some reason, the brilliance was short-lived. The fire flickered, then sputtered before dying out completely. She tried again, but the results were still the same.
"What is happening?"
A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as the last spark vanished into the air. Each attempt left her feeling more drained than the last, as though the power itself resisted her touch. She knew her messed-up emotions could be another reason behind why her powers were acting up, and she had been more careful ever since that night she shot flames in the air.
She hadn’t known the extent of its damage until now. That also explained her boiling temperature in some cases, most especially during a bath. Even more reason why she never lets Don share the same bath as her, to his own disappointment.
But if mastering this was what it took to stand against the true bearer, then so be it. She would risk everything to claim that strength, to push beyond her limits until she could bend it fully to her will.
’You can do this!’
Letting out a ragged breath, she closed her eyes for a moment.
"Let’s try this again," her wolf’s voice stirred in her head. "I can assist you, but you still have to do most of the work. You need to focus on your breathing first. Don’t chase the flame. Feel it coil from your inner core, not your hands. You are not summoning it: you are remembering what belongs to you. This type of mindset will come a long way for you."
This time, there was no back and forth bantering. Esme obediently listened to her wolf’s instructions, inhaling deeply as the wolf’s presence steadied her heartbeat. It synced with the power stirring beneath her skin. A low hum filled the air, faint at first, then rising like a song building in the silence.
A couple minutes go by before a spark of blue lights suddenly bloom from her fingertips. Her hair lifted as if stirred by some unseen wind, the strands glowing with the same ethereal blue light.
When Esme opened her eyes, the flickering flames in her palm reflected in them like twin mirrors of fire. But this time, the flame was larger, hotter, and more alive than anything she had ever managed to conjure before. Its light painted her face in shifting shades of blue and gold, and her pulse quickened.
"Try to think of a weapon," her wolf’s voice continued to guide her in a steady tone. "Anything at all. Focus on that one thing. Imagine yourself surrounded by countless tools, and then reach for one. Draw it out from the center of your imagination."
Esme closed her eyes once more, and tried to picture a tool, her stance instinctively changing. She tried to picture one— swords, daggers, spears but nothing felt right. Then, her rose petal came to mind. Perhaps because it worked like a whip, Esme couldn’t think of anything else but that. Something about it resonated with her, so she focused.
While her mind was busy drawing a whip from purely her own imagination, the flames hovering in her palm began to twist and coil, snapping and shaping themselves as though obeying her thought. Threads of blue fire intertwined seamlessly, weaving into a blazing whip that cracked and shimmered like lightning caught in motion.
When she opened her eyes, the weapon was real and alive in her hand. She could only stare, awestruck.
"Moon goddess of blood-wolf Crisis," she breathed. "I did this?"
"This form is called the Azure Requiem," her wolf explained. "It’s a technique that allows you to wield and shape your flames into any weapon you desire. With enough practice, if we have time for that, you’ll be able to forge any weapon in less than a second.
Esme blinked.
"A technique? How many are there?"
"Let’s wrap up today’s training first and we’ll discuss more on the rest later... someone’s coming."
"Oh?"
As if on cue, a familiar voice called from behind.
"Esme?"
The concentration in her mind shattered, and the blazing whip in her hand sputtered out of existence. She spun around, only to catch sight of Donovan, Leonardo, and Cora.
They were staring at her with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Their eyes weren’t focused on her face, but her hair.
It took her only a few seconds to realize her hair was still glowing, and a look of horror and embarrassment contorted her face.
"Oh goddess, no no no, it’s not what you think!" she blurted, waving her hands as if that could extinguish the glow. If anything, her emotions only made it glow brighter.