Chapter 39
Ella's POV
I found myself standing in a world engulfed in flames.
Not the kind of destructive fire that devours everything in its path, but a warm, crimson blaze that almost made me want to lose myself in it. The firelight danced around me like a welcoming embrace. Those black thorns that had once coiled through the depths of my spiritual world were now turning to ash in this sea of flames, peeling away and dissolving inch by inch.
I looked down at my hands. In this world, my skin glowed with a faint golden luminescence, tiny sparks of fire leaping from my fingertips. I could feel an unprecedented power flowing through my veins, as if something long dormant had finally awakened.
Ahead of me, the massive crimson wolf was slowly rising to its feet.
Its size dwarfed any wolf I'd ever seen in my memories, its shoulder height reaching nearly two stories tall. Its crimson fur gleamed with a metallic luster in the firelight, each breath causing ripples in the surrounding air.
The silver chains that had once bound it so tightly now hung precariously, emitting harsh sounds of metal fracturing under the flames' assault.
Ella... Ella...
A deep voice echoed through my mind, seeming to come from somewhere far away yet whispering right beside my ear. I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but saw only the massive wolf gazing at me with amber eyes.
Those eyes held a comforting gentleness.
"Are you the one calling me?" I heard my own voice reverberating through this space.
The massive wolf lowered its head, its enormous muzzle almost level with mine.
Yes, Ella. I am your wolf. My name is Ignis, the wolf spirit who commands the fire element.
Fire element. The words made me freeze.
"Fire element? What is that?"
The fire element is one of the five primordial elements, Ignis's voice carried an ancient authority. It is a powerful force, capable of burning away all injustice in this world.
I stared at it, my mind full of questions.
But what came out first was: "Then why didn't you appear before? Why did you let me think I was... was a wolf without a spirit?"
My voice nearly trembled as I spoke those last words.
All those years, I'd used concealment stones to disguise myself, carefully hiding this secret from everyone, terrified of suffering even crueler treatment if discovered.
I thought I was born incomplete, defective.
I was sealed, Ignis's tone grew somber. Sealed in the deepest part of your being by the previous master of the fire element.
"Who?" I asked urgently. "Who sealed you?"
The Crimson Flame Warlord, Ignis paused, its amber eyes fixed on me. A general of the Blood River Pack. Your father.
The answer struck me like a thunderbolt.
My mouth opened, but I found myself unable to speak.
Father? I had a father? The man who had never appeared in any of my memories was... the Crimson Flame Warlord?
Do you remember now? Ignis asked gently.
The moment those words fell, a violent pain tore through my temples.
I collapsed to my knees, clutching my head as fragmented images began flashing before my eyes—
A tall figure standing on a burning battlefield, surrounded by prostrate soldiers and enemy corpses.
A defiant boy, perhaps seven or eight years old, practicing combat with a burly man. The man's movements were sharp and precise, and though the boy was knocked down repeatedly, his eyes burned with refusal to surrender.
A massacre. Blood stained the stone pavement, cries of anguish rising and falling.
Flames reached toward the sky as an entire estate burned. I saw people in luxurious robes lying in pools of blood, saw children being dragged away roughly, saw—
"Ah—!" I screamed, my hands gripping my head tightly.
Don't rush, Ignis lowered its head, gently nuzzling my shoulder with its muzzle. After awakening your wolf spirit, your past memories will gradually return. You need time.
I gasped for breath, barely managing to lift my head. "My father... where is he now?"
I don't know, Ignis's voice held a trace of regret. But I can confirm that he must have faced some kind of crisis to seal the fire element's power within you. This secret is one you'll need to seek answers to yourself.
I bit my lip, struggling to process this information.
After a long moment, I asked my next question: "Then why are you awakening now?"
Because I sensed your rage, Ignis said. Your anger greatly amplified your spiritual power, allowing me to break through the seal's restraints.
Ruby. I remembered the image of Ruby turning to ash in those purple flames, remembered her final heart-wrenching cry. That helplessness, that fury—it had nearly torn me apart.
Transform, Ella. Ignis straightened its body, raising its head to release a long howl. Let the purest fire element return to this world and burn away all the evil within it.
It lowered its head, bowing down. I watched as the firelight on its body grew increasingly intense, those silver chains completely dissolving to nothing in the flames.
Crimson radiance filled the entire spiritual world, warm and powerful.
I reached out my hand, gently touching the top of its head.
In that instant, a blinding white light shot toward the sky.
---
In the real world, the ground of the West Wing estate suddenly trembled.
A massive wave of fire elemental energy exploded from the center of the courtyard, whipping up violent winds that scattered everyone's hair and robes. Victoria instinctively stepped back several paces, a flash of shock crossing her eyes. Kane's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the center of the energy burst.
The dust settled.
A giant crimson wolf stood in the center of the courtyard.
Its size was nearly three times that of an ordinary wolf, its entire body covered in crimson fur that seemed to dance like flames. Each strand of fur glowed as if it were a burning ember. Its eyes were pure gold, the pupils flickering with crimson light that no one dared look directly at.
The crimson wolf raised its head and released a howl that shook heaven and earth.
That sound carried anger, grief, and something ancient—an inviolable majesty.
I stood there in Ignis's form, no longer the wolfless Omega everyone had trampled upon.
I was Ella Scott.
I was the daughter of the Crimson Flame Warlord.
I was the master of the fire element.