Chapter 11 Purple Flames

Chapter 11 Purple Flames

Serena's POV

The fire kept coming. It did not stop. It did not slow down.

My lungs were screaming for air. My skin felt like it was peeling off my bones. The heat was so intense I could not even scream anymore.

I was dying. There was no way around it.

My vision started to blur. Black spots danced in front of my eyes. I could feel myself slipping away.

Maybe this was better. Maybe dying was easier than whatever hell I had been dragged into.

But then that power inside me surged again. Stronger this time. More violent.

It felt like my entire body was being ripped apart from the inside. Like something was trying to claw its way out of my chest.

I could not fight it anymore. I did not have the strength.

So I closed my eyes and let go.

The power exploded.

When I opened my eyes again, my hands were glowing. Purple flames danced across my palms, wrapping around my fingers like living things.

I stared at them in shock. The flames did not burn me. They felt warm, almost comforting.

What the hell was happening? My eyes widened in shock as I try to make sense of what was happening, but nothing have been making sense to me since Ethan sold me out.

The fire around me was still raging. Still trying to consume everything in its path. But the purple flames on my hands were growing brighter.

I felt something building inside me. Something massive and terrifying and completely out of my control.

Then I put if nowhere, I let out a loud scream.

The sound came from deep in my chest. It did not even sound like my voice. It sounded Powerful.

The purple flames exploded outward.

They shot through the room like a tidal wave, swallowing the orange fire completely. Everywhere the purple flames touched, the regular fire died instantly.

Within seconds, the entire room was consumed by purple light.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped.

The flames vanished. All of them. The orange fire. The purple flames. Everything.

I stood in the middle of the room, my hands still outstretched. Smoke curled around me, but the air was clear now.

I looked down at my body. My clothes were singed and covered in soot, but my skin was untouched. Not a single burn. Not even a scratch.

How was that possible?

I turned in a slow circle, staring at the charred walls. At the blackened floor. At the door that was now hanging off its hinges.

What did I just do?

My legs gave out and I collapsed to my knees. My hands were shaking. My whole body was shaking.

I could still feel that power inside me. It was quieter now, like it was sleeping, but it was still there. Waiting for another chance to unleash.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

I looked up as two women entered the room. They were the same ones who had been with Helena earlier and this time, they were They were smiling.

One of them started clapping. Slow, mocking claps that echoed through the destroyed room.

"Congratulations," she said. "You passed the test."

I stared at them. My mouth opened but no words came out.

The other woman stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with something that looked like pride. "You do not need evidence anymore, do you? You saw it with your own eyes. You felt it."

"What..." My voice came out as a croak. "What did I do?"

"You used your magic it was the powers inside of you" The first woman crouched down in front of me. "You are a full-blooded witch, Serena. One of the most powerful we have seen in decades."

I shook my head. "No. That was not... I did not..."

"You did. And you will do it again." She reached out like she was going to touch my face, but I jerked away.

"Stay away from me."

She pulled her hand back, but her smile did not fade. "We understand this is overwhelming. But you cannot deny what you are anymore."

"I do not want this." My voice broke. "I do not want any of this."

"What you want does not matter. You are a witch. That is your destiny."

The second woman nodded. "We will teach you everything you need to know. How to control your powers. How to use them. How to embrace what you truly are."

I looked down at my hands. They looked normal now. No purple flames. No glow. Just regular human hands.

But I could still feel it. That powers Lurking beneath my skin.

"This cannot be real," I whispered.

"But it is." The first woman stood up. "Your mother tried to protect you by locking your magic away. She thought she was giving you a normal life. But all she did was delay the inevitable."

I thought about my mom. About how she always seemed nervous around certain people. About how she would never let me play with matches or candles. About how she moved us to a new city every few years.

Had she known? Had she been running from this?

"Why now?" I asked. "Why did my powers come back now?"

"Because the spell she placed on you was designed to break under extreme stress. When your life was truly in danger, your magic would awaken to save you." The woman gestured around the room. "And it worked."

I instantly felt sick just listening to them.

First, Ethan sold me like I was nothing. Then I was dragged to an auction house and treated like property.

Then two supernatural beings claimed I was their mate. And now witches were telling me I was one of them?

How much more could one person take?

"I want to leave," I said quietly. "I want to go home."

"You do not have a home anymore. Your old life is over."

"Then I want to die” I bluntly so easily even though I knew that I was so scared when I was at the face of death just now.

Both women stared at me. For the first time, their smiles faded.

"You do not mean that," the second woman said.

"Yes, I do." Tears streamed down my face. "I am so tired. I am tired of being scared. Tired of being used. Tired of people telling me what I am and what I am supposed to do. I just want it all to stop."

The first woman knelt down again. This time her expression was softer. Almost sympathetic.

"I know this is hard. I know you have been through hell. But killing yourself is not the answer."

"Then what is? Becoming a witch? Learning magic? For what? So I can fight in some war I do not understand?"

"So you can survive," she said firmly. "So you can take control of your own life instead of letting others control you."

I wanted to laugh. Control my own life? I had not had control since the moment Ethan sold me.

"We will give you time," the second woman said. "Time to process everything. Time to accept what you are. But we cannot let you go back to the vampire or the werewolf. They are cursed creatures. Abominations. You deserve better than being chained to one of them."

"I do not want to be chained to anyone," I said through gritted teeth.

"Good. Then we are in agreement."

They both stood up and walked toward the door.

"Someone will bring you food and clean clothes," the first woman said over her shoulder. "Rest. We will begin your training tomorrow."

"I did not agree to any training."

She paused in the doorway and looked back at me. "You do not have a choice. You are a witch now. And witches have responsibilities."

Then they left.

I sat alone in the destroyed room, surrounded by smoke and ash.

My hands were still shaking. My whole body felt like it had been turned inside out.

I looked down at my palms again. They looked so normal.

But I knew better now.

There was something inside me. Something powerful and dangerous and completely foreign.

I was not human anymore.

Maybe I never was.

I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms as I kept sobbing.

I did not know how long I sat there crying. Time did not mean anything anymore.

All I knew was that my life was over.

The girl I used to be was gone.

And I had no idea who I was supposed to become.