The Devil's Cursed Witch

It was as if the orb that looked like a flame was isolated by an invisible barrier that didn’t let her move ahead. If she were to approach, she would suffocate. The more she tried, the stronger the suffocating force was, and she felt like gagging. It was same nausea she would have felt if her mortal body was being thrown down from somewhere high and was falling into the abyss.

With a deep gasp, Ember opened her eyes. Her entire body was trembling and covered in a cold sweat. The sensation that she was being suffocated did not go away and she felt weak, as if her legs would give up anytime.

“Miss? Miss?” the red-haired woman asked. “Healer! I need an elixir! Hurry! Miss? Can you hear me?”

Ember was about to collapse on the ground but the Fire Fae held her firmly. Soon, the servants that Draven assigned to keep watch approached to check on Ember’s condition. They let her sit on one of the chairs near the entrance of the training grounds.

“Miss Ember is not hurt, just fatigued. A bottle of the elixir is enough for her to recover,” the servant explained as she let the human drink one. In fact, the healer thought a good rest was sufficient for Ember, but as she’s the King’s mate, there was no need to be frugal with a measly elixir.

After a while, Ember was able to take a stable breath and thanked the servants. She stood up properly without needing support from Helia. It was a brief moment when she felt all of her energy was being sucked away by something, but she was back to normal again.

“Lady Helia, I…I think I saw it,” Ember said with mixed nervousness and excitement. She looked at Helia with a little doubtful gaze as she was not yet sure that it was what she was supposed to look for. “I think I found my energy core. I am not sure but—”

“You did well, Miss,” Helia smiled.

“I did?” Ember asked in surprise. “Was that really my energy core?”

“I felt it too. It is such a powerful energy core of the fire element. I have never come across anyone with such a strong Fire. Even my own Fire is not as strong as yours.”

Ember didn’t know what to say about it as she was not knowledgeable in these things. All she could feel was amazed at what she heard from Helia.

Helia was a Fire Fae.  She could not believe a human being like her possessed a stronger Fire than a fairy. At the same time, she felt excitement over the fact that she would be able to use magic soon.

“But…” she heard Helia, which pulled Ember’s attention back towards her.

“But?” Ember asked anxiously.

“You felt it too, right, Miss? Something is stopping you from reaching your core.”

Ember shuddered as she recalled that terrible nauseating feeling of being thrown down from a height.

The Fire Fae continued, “Miss, your energy core is sealed, hence it probably gave you a feeling that it’s isolated from you. Once that seal is lifted or broken, there is nothing that can stop you from using your powers.”

“Sealed?” Ember said and remembered she felt something was stopping her from reaching that beautiful flame-like orb. “Is that normal? It was stopping me from going closer to my energy core. I don’t know how to explain… I wanted to reach it but…”

Helia gently caressed Ember’s hand as she could sympathize with what Ember was feeling. “Our energy core is an important part of us. It is normal to feel affection for it, and the more you try to look at it, the more you will feel like embracing it. Now, do you understand what I meant when I said ‘becoming one with your core’?”

Ember nodded. “Then, please teach me how to remove that seal. I want to be able to reach my magic core.”

Helia couldn’t say she didn’t know how to lift the seal. The seal was made of divine power, and it was beyond a mere fairy like her. However, even with the seal in place, she knew that she could teach Ember magic. The sheer amount of energy being emitted by her core through the weakened seal was so massive, it was similar to an average supernatural’s energy core.

“To be able to manifest your energy outside as a magic spell, then you need to keep doing the same thing, Miss. Try to reach out for your energy core. Be completely familiar with it. Practice, practice and more practice,” Helia explained. “Being able to find the energy core is just the start. We have a long way ahead of us. Understood?”

“Yes, Lady Helia!”

Ember let out a brilliant smile, happy with the fact that she was finally able to see her energy core, and this boosted her confidence. She was ready to do anything her teacher would ask her to do.

“Since you are successful, we will end our lesson early so you can rest. I will go to visit his Majesty before I leave and share with him the good news,” Helia said as she bowed toward Ember.

Ember thanked her for her hard work and watched as the red-haired woman left the training grounds.

‘Visit His Majesty?’ Ember repeated her words and then thought, ‘I didn’t see him around today. In fact, I haven’t seen him since yesterday. I wonder what he is doing. Must be in his study.’ Ember found herself wondering about the King’s whereabouts. ‘Is he still angry at me for what happened yesterday? I hope he is no longer angry with me. Will his mood improve after hearing that I made progress in my magic lessons?’

Just then, an adorable white cockatiel came flying towards her and landed on her shoulder. Ember was shocked; ever since she met Ray, even after she became her pet, the little white bird had never behaved like this.