161 A Distant Memory 2 (1/2)

”GOD, YOU'RE so handsome,” Soleil said in surprise. When she realized what she just said, she gently slapped her mouth with her other hand. What are you saying, you shameless mouth?

Thankfully, the handsome guy didn't seem to care about what she said.

He just looked at her with a blank look on his (very, very, very handsome) face (that shouldn't be allowed to exist).

Come on, how can someone be that good-looking?

She was pretty confident with the way she looked. But after seeing that guy's face, she decided to live humbly from now on.

My face pales in comparison with his.

Anyway, she waited for the handsome man to speak to her again. But he just ignored her, squatted, and proceeded to count the snakes flocking around him. He never threw her a glance again. It was as if she wasn't there.

He's seriously counting the snakes!

She hated feeling like she had to catch his attention or something.

In the first place, she had a loving family. Her parents and her older brother showered her with love and praises ever since she was born. In the village of the Fire Mages clan, she was also the center of attention.

After all, her parents were the leaders of the clan while her older brother was the one who could manifest as a phoenix.

In short, she was used to being fawned over.

And to be ignored by the first man I find attractive hurts my pride.

Soleil cleared her throat. ”Excuse me,” she said. When the stoic (but very, very, very handsome) man didn't even turn to her, she continued. ”Can you please melt the ice around me? I want to get out from this giant ice cube.”

She could melt the ice, of course.

But she wanted an excuse to talk to the guy she fancied.

He still didn't even turn to her though. Instead, he just raised a hand and snapped his fingers. As soon as he did, the huge walls of ice around her suddenly became water…

… soaking her from head to toe.

So cold!

Okay, he did get rid of the ice. But still…

”You could have warned me first,” she complained while hugging herself tight. God, the water was so cold and her body was shivering. ”I don't do well in the cold, you know?”

The handsome young man just stood and gave her a ”not-my-problem” look. Then, he turned his back on her and started to walk away. The snakes making hissing sounds were following his trail. Ah, no.

They are his ”children.”

She wasn't a fool to believe that. And she could tell that those snakes were just ordinary snakes. They weren't children cursed to turn out like that. She understood why he said that though.

It's just like how I consider my brother and Ainsworth as my ”children.”

”Hey, how did those snakes become your children?” she asked, playing dumb. ”Are they cursed or something?”

Her acting paid-off.

”I'm sorry for almost hurting your ”children,”” she said. It was self-defense on her part but she didn't want to sound like she was making a lame excuse. Instead, she just politely bowed her head. ”Kids, this big sister is really sorry.”

The handsome young man seemed satisfied. His golden eyes glowed beautifully. But again, he didn't say anything. He just turned his back on her and walked away again. This time, he didn't stop or glance back at her.

”How cold,” Soleil whispered to herself. ”But he's really my type of guy.”

***

SOLEIL was fuming.

She thought her heart would explode if she didn't let her anger out of her chest. And so she screamed. She screamed so loud that the air she breathed out became giant flames that engulfed the whole forest in her vivid red flame.

The giant Crades in the form of disfigured lizards tried to attack her. But even before the monsters could reach her, they already turned into ashes.

Still, it wasn't enough to pacify her.

Amos Village was wiped off overnight. The village people were eaten by Crades. Every. Single. Villager.

She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that it happened without her knowing. Her students knew how to call her. She gave them precious stones that they could use to let her know that they were in danger.

Did they hate her enough for them not to call her?

Or did they not have the chance to do so?

God, the children…

The harder she cried, the bigger her flames got. Before she knew it, the whole forest was already burning. Even the remnants of Amos Village had already turned into ashes.

”Big Sister Soleil!” Ainsworth yelled. He was standing a few meters away from her and obviously, he couldn't get near her. This time, her high-level flame would surely roast him to death. ”Stop! You know that you're burning the innocent animals that live in the forest, don't you? If you value human lives, you should value animals, too!”

Hearing that weakened her resolve.

She loved animals just as much as she loved humans. But it was too late now. Even her couldn't stop her own flame from burning the forest further.

But she was too tired and too hurt to care.

”Soleil,” Elis called her. Then, he held her arm and pulled her for a hug. His Mana extinguished the fire engulfing her body. ”Calm down.”

”Hey, is my sister alright?” Winchell asked. Her brother was running around trying to absorb her flame as much as he could to save the animals in the forest. ”And Elis Ripperton, don't you dare take advantage of this situation!”

”I'm just trying to calm her down,” Elis said in defense. Then, he gently patted her back. ”Stop crying, Soleil. Those humans never deserved your tears.”

That made her angry again.

She pushed Elis away from her and was about to lash out on him when all of a sudden, it rained heavily.

Even the three men around her were surprised. And it wasn't just because it suddenly poured. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were all shocked to see the heavy rain put out the giant red flames that was burning the whole forest a while ago.

An ordinary rain could never extinguish her flame.

She opened her hands to catch the raindrops on her palms. They were warm. And they were infused by a Mana that felt very pure. She couldn't explain it properly though.