She felt good, very much so. But now – no. Now she was being scolded. By everyone. Some condemned her, others tried to reason with her. A third group tested their magical skills to find out for sure – wasn’t she under a spell? But no. It gave no results.
Happiness… friend… demon… no. Seraphima left, ran away… no, she was driven away
Her fellow kin drove her away... that’s what she knows. When she wanted to leave, they didn’t let her. They held her and wouldn’t let her out of the village. She could have broken through using her power, but she didn’t want to hurt her kin and just waited, hoping that Sefi could do something. That she would convince them, and they all could live happily.
How did they even find her? Her clever lie… (not really) was it exposed? Or what? The village didn’t worry and didn’t even know that a demon lived here. No one asked her questions.
When at the very beginning she said she had taken care of the strange mana energy, everyone sighed with relief and thanked her, and peaceful life continued. Only she and a few elves would leave the village on errands. The rest responsibly went for firewood, hunting, or gathering edible mushrooms and plants, while she said she was going…
The first time – for a walk. The second – to develop her magic. And that reason was quite plausible and respected. Despite the greatness of the elves, there were no mages like her in the village, so the residents highly valued her abilities. And besides – she was a child. So she didn’t work much, only occasionally helped the adults. And even then, the requests were simple: bring, hand over, carry. Nothing difficult like chopping wood or hunting, except in special cases. That rarely happened.
Once she helped defeat a huge boar. Of course, the hunters’ arrows were good, but the beast’s hide was too thick, and with magic, that creature fell after three attacks. It was cool. Later she helped bring those sun-hunters – those very plants with special oil, the ones Sefi forbade hunting because it was dangerous… Sefi…
Sefi – her friend
Unlike the village, that demon actually cared about her. It’s not that they ignored her, but the nature of elves… wasn’t quite like that. Everyone was mostly serene, only her parents spoiled her sometimes – and even then rarely. But Sefi…
It was interesting with her. Her reactions, the way she looked, how focused she was when the elf girl led a lesson. Her gaze could just move to her, and then to interaction. Just like that, and not randomly, it was some kind of care, warmth. And her cooking! It was always interesting with her, somehow lively… very…
…fun
Yes. Fun. And now what will happen? Since Sefi will leave – what now? Did she even survive… or not? What to do? Did she die or still manage to convince them… or escape?
She doesn’t want to lose someone now. Not at all.
Frieren sighed and pulled her knees to her chest. Now she was sitting, leaning against the wall of the house. She was… what did the adults call it? She doesn’t remember, and doesn’t want to. Under close supervision, to put it briefly. They came in, gave her food and water, talked and explained that demons are evil.
It’s been… how long? A week. Yes, exactly a week. It was very hard to count the days. And now what? What to do? She doesn’t know.
Maybe get out? But how? Using power – that’ll end badly. And… so… maybe try to convince them?
Yes. At least she needs to try.
***
The first time she was refused right away – without extra words. By her own mother. A simple “no.” Then, the next day, again. But Frieren had time. Time and persistence. Her desire.
How much time has passed – she doesn’t know. Now she truly doesn’t know and doesn’t even try to count. She just tries to talk, at least to ask to visit that place…
Another refusal
…
She will try again
— We can’t. There’s a residual spell there, and it’s strong, — now her mother said something new. For all this time... at least some progress. — A lot of time has passed, but we couldn’t dispel it. And we don’t know its effects, especially its influence on you, Frieren. We can’t take that risk.
— Mom…
— I said no.
***
Some more days passed. Everything became indifferent. Now they simply ignored her. Her words – too. They only gave her food and water.
There were no conversations. Not even words. Only glances. Mom and dad cared for her, but decided that this approach would be effective. They also had time – just like her. And enough patience, which she didn’t have.
That’s the difference between them
And now Frieren made up her mind. To take a risk.
***
— Mom… I want to visit that place. Maybe I can finally dispel that magic?
— …
There was no answer, but there was a response nonetheless. She had to continue. And Frieren continued:
— A few elves will go with me, to back me up in case of failure… mom…
— Frieren, my dear… you have to understand…
— But, mom, I want to know.
***
Some more time passed. Frieren was finally allowed to leave the house. She thought they would let her go right away, but no. More time passed before they gave her permission. She went there under supervision. Mother and father couldn’t come, since they had things to do, but mother gave her an amulet with mana, told her to use it only in case of emergency. Father… knelt on one knee and… somehow hugged her. It felt nice.
Two adults walked beside her: one with a sword, and the other a mage. His staff was old, but the magical stone on it had served faithfully for hundreds of years, if not more. However, in strength he was not inferior to her, though even now Frieren could surpass the old man, if, of course, she was under pressure, but no. The girl was learning slowly; time would pass, and then she would surely be stronger than him.
And then she realized: too much time had passed. The familiar paths had changed. There were no sharp little stones, no small bushes, and the bed of the familiar river had grown wider, washing away and hiding the familiar roads. How long had she stayed in that house?
— Frieren, be careful. Even now this magical energy hasn’t disappeared. And it’s been three years.
She didn’t know what to feel.
So little time had passed – and so much at the same time.
What happened to that house? And to the cellar with those tasty preserves and… what did Sefi call them? Jams?
What happened to Sefi?
— …Frieren? — the warrior carefully placed his hand on her shoulder. The elf herself looked only forward, not noticing his anxious gaze. — If you’re not feeling well, we can come back later. We have enough time.
— No… we have to go now. Too much time has passed...
Frieren began to walk quickly. The paths might have changed, but she remembered the way there, hadn’t forgotten. Just past that big oak, and here... no stone road, no traces. No former landmarks.
She needed to go further
And then she felt mana. Now it was different – viscous, and there was far too much of it. Red and dense, like fog. Chaotic… nothing like Sefi’s.
She had felt it from afar... she just didn’t want to accept it. Or maybe she had accepted it long ago? She didn’t understand herself. But...
— Careful. — The warrior didn’t let her take a step forward, firmly grasped her shoulder, but not painfully. His sharp gaze lingered on the fog. — Even I, who can’t sense magic, can feel this. I think you see and feel much more than I do, Frieren.
Yes... that’s how it was
This mana wasn’t the same. If Sefi’s magic was clear, direct, and pure, here there wasn’t a trace of order. Dirty, shapeless, too chaotic. Wrong. Unpleasant. It was everywhere. Suffocating.
Yet it didn’t spread further – it stayed in one place. That’s what allowed it to last so long. But that wasn’t the only strangeness. This thing was... wrong. As if not from this world. Too concentrated, almost suffocating in its density. An anomaly. The red color seemed unnatural. How could this even be?
She quickened her pace
Why was it like this? And, seeing it, she finally realized a terrible detail. This mana wasn’t taken from something, but from nature itself. This entire area was dead – no, by the structure of nature it was alive and would live long, but by the state of mana... dead. All its energy gathered into this crimson fog covering the ground with a dense veil. For a mage, this wasn’t death, but for them this territory... simply didn’t exist. Here you couldn’t feel mana, couldn’t recover, couldn’t even understand.
The house was here. But now it was ruined, as if time itself had passed over it, leaving behind traces of its existence, its physical form. The roof and walls were covered with plants, part of it had collapsed. The wooden beams had rotted, covered in moss, merged with the ground from which they were taken. It was a house… but now it was destroyed. Forgotten. Abandoned.
Sefi wasn’t here
And couldn’t be. If she were here, this place would look different. The house would shine instead of crumbling. The plants would be trimmed, the air – clean and fresh, not filled with this red fog.
How…
— Frieren, it’s not too late to turn back, — the mage spoke thoughtfully, standing in front of her, as if shielding her from the sight and from the heavy breath of oblivion. — You can always come later.
Yes, she could. She always could. But she didn’t want to.
— I’ll go and try to dispel the mana.
That was why she came. That was her goal. The sage nodded and let her pass, standing beside her. Their steps were smooth as they entered under the crimson veil. Nothing happened. No horror, no visions, no voices in their heads. Only visibility grew worse.
Time had scattered part of the fog, but not completely. Only after stepping inside did they understand how it worked. From the outside, the outlines of the house could be distinguished, but inside everything turned into red darkness. Nevertheless, they went forward, firm and cautious, analyzing. Frieren released a bit of her mana, and nothing happened to it. The blue energy flowed freely, without restrictions. What kind of magic was this? What was its meaning? Just… what was it?
— Frieren, during that hunt for the demon I stayed in the village, as the last line of defense, in case our squad failed, — the warrior spoke, tightening his grip on the sword handle and carefully glancing around. The elf listened. — They were lucky. No one died, not even the wounded, and the demon was dealt irreparable harm...
Frieren froze and looked at him. He spoke calmly, without changing his expression.
— They were supposed to finish her off. But her arm just disappeared. Some say even her eye evaporated, just… there wasn’t even a spark of fire. — He fell silent for a second, inhaled, and continued. — I don’t know much about magic, but I’ve never heard of anything like that in my entire life.
— I dare assume, — the mage interjected, — that this spell was meant to buy her time to escape. — The sage ran his hand through the fog. — This mana becomes denser when you’re inside it, and… as you said, I also know of no spells that would take away body parts…
— The payment… — said Frieren. The two adults frowned but didn’t interrupt. — Sefi… the demoness, possessed unusually complex magic. She said she had one spell that required a worthy pay… no, not exactly that, it was a condition for the functioning of her magic.
She knew this. When Sefi tried to teach her “Purification,” she spoke of a theory that any spell required an equal price. Back then, Frieren didn’t understand, didn’t accept, but grasped the meaning. Even mana – it was, in essence, a form of payment for magic. Yes, it was logical: all magic requires payment, however… Sefi said that mana was just one kind of currency, and it could be replaced. The more valuable the substitute, the greater the response would be.
— The price can be something of your own: blood, mana… or, as in her case, body parts, — Frieren finished.
The mage grunted and, after a pause, said:
— So, for this fog, she paid with an eye and an arm? The mana saturation here is beyond extreme... Still, it’s unclear how she achieved this by sacrificing body parts... though that’s demon magic for you, impossible to comprehend.
There it was again – demons… demons…
But Sefi wasn’t like that. Why couldn’t they see it? Couldn’t feel her kindness, her care… she was nothing like that. They didn’t know…
Yes, exactly. They hadn’t seen it. To them, Sefi was just a demon, a monster, a villain who managed to deceive Frieren. Another beast.
***
The three finally reached the ruined house, seeing only devastation: it was inside and outside, everywhere. Frieren clenched her fists, looking at it. It hurt.
The remnants of the walls barely held, charred and covered with damp moss. The wind gently stirred the tips of the grass without touching the ruins, as if afraid to destroy what was already holding on to its last breath.
Frieren stood still. As if time itself had frozen with her.
Once this house breathed – the windows shone with warm light, the air smelled of bread and jam, and there was Sefi’s serious tone and her... scent... like a campfire. Back then, the air was light, almost singing. Now every breath tasted of metal and was thick with the dense presence of crimson mana.
— It’s all... gone, — she exhaled barely audibly.
The mage and the warrior exchanged glances. No one replied. In places like this, words don’t work. Maybe they didn’t fully understand, but they didn’t dare interrupt.
Frieren took a step forward. She bent down and ran her palm along the blackened wood. There was no warmth. Only cold, soaked in magic, and a faint echo of mana that once belonged to Sefi. The whole house had been built thanks to those linear waves of magic; she couldn’t let go of those echoes – they were too familiar, too unique.
— I could have... — she clenched her fingers; there was neither anger nor tears in her voice, only... something. — If I hadn’t left then... if I had stayed by her side...
The warrior was about to say that it was useless, that the past couldn’t be changed, but the mage stopped him with a slight movement of his hand. Let her speak.
Frieren raised her gaze. Through the red mist, through the ruins, she saw the outline of the place where the table once stood. She remembered Sefi pouring her tea – sweet, with a warm smile. Remembered her grumbling that Frieren read too much, sitting by the bed and falling asleep.
And now all that remained of that smile was ash and a strange, viscous feeling – as if someone had carved out a part of her and left a gaping emptiness. It hurt.
— Sefi... — she barely breathed out. — Forgive me, Sefi... I waited too long.