Chapter 41

Cersinia’s voice was different from usual. Not a pure and elegant voice, but a cold and strict tone, which contained not even an ounce of mercy.

“Gasp…”

They were all laying flat on the floor. Hearts were beating rapidly and all choked up since it was getting even harder to breathe. Not only were they trembling, but cold sweats were also running down their foreheads from fear of dying.

Cersinia stepped forward and a whirlwind of fire that looked like it could explode at any given moment surrounded her body. The restless whirlwind crackled and sparked, creating dozens of small flames.

*Step. Step.*

Her shadow looked like a gigantic death tsunami.

“P-Please save me…”

“Save me. Please…”

Unable to run away nor avoid whatever was going to happen, the villagers had no choice but to beg and cry for their lives. Like dust that could easily disappear, they all looked insignificant in front of Cersinia.

Cersinia was laughing now. The image of a laughing woman with blood dripping from her face and a whirlwind of fire surrounding her was eerie. With her head raised, she lowered her eyes and looked at them, she was acting like she never bowed her head in front of anyone.

“Come now?”

Cersinia’s head tilted at an angle. They trembled and bowed deeper at her fiery gaze.

“J-Just once…”

“Please save me…”

The freckled woman, who was giggling and mocking Cersinia before, was now begging with all her might, all traits of the attitude she had before disappeared.

“Hmm.”

Seeing them begging satisfied Cersinia and so her lips curled in a triumphant smirk. She snapped her long fingers, and the whirlwind, which was rough enough, sucked her body in instantly.

“P-Please…”

The woman begged while gasping for air but breathing right now was so painful. Her lungs felt like they shrunk and she felt like she was standing in a fire. The blazing heat distorted their surroundings and the girl’s vision blurred.

“Foolish people.”

Cersinia’s long, slender fingers grabbed the woman’s neck as she lay flat.

“Ouch! S-Save…!”

The woman slapped Cersinia’s hand trying to get her to let go of her, but Cersinia’s hand didn’t budge. Her feet were moving back and forth, trying to touch the ground or get her out of Cersinia’s grasp. Oddly, Cersinia who was holding a woman with similar weight as her, by her neck and with one hand at that, was calm. Water pooled out of the woman’s bloodshot eyes.

‘Is she the same person who was hit by a stone thrown by a boy a while ago?

Her behavior, tone, and even the atmosphere around her was completely different, like black and white. And that scared the woman even more, plus her beast-like eyes were shining like they would swallow anything that moved.

“Did you really think that you guys live after enduring so much?! When you guys didn’t even investigate properly and accused me?!”

At the surprising remark, everyone shut up. Cersinia calmly enjoyed their pain. She was particularly thrilled about the fact that the woman she had in her grasp was going to collapse at any moment now.

‘How long has it been since I felt like this?’

Her joy spread from her head to her toes.

‘Now, I will gladly burn this place down.’

So that no one could ignore or look down on her. Just like the red spots, made by her blood, that stood out from the ground, her face shone brightly among the chaos. She sent heat to the hand which was holding the woman’s neck and red flames gradually started surrounding the both of them. Her red hair, which fluttered in all directions matching the rising flames, looked like crude snakes. And when she was about to unleash her power…

‘Stop…’

An annoying voice rang in her heart. Cersinia’s face, which had been consistently expressionless, distorted. As the fog lifted, her cloudy mouth cleared up. Her reason, which had disappeared, returned in an instant. A low, growl slipped past her red lips. Soon after, she loosened her grip on the woman’s neck and her normal crimson eyes returned. And the heat everyone felt previously disappeared without a trace, everything happened in just a few seconds.

“R-Run away!”

In a second everybody was running and it took only a blink from Cersinia for everybody to disappear. When her vision fully cleared and she looked around her, only then she felt the guilt and the embarrassment. Her surroundings were utterly desolate. There was only the sound of the wind.

“How…”

She mumbled blankly and looked down at her trembling palms. Her white palms were painted with her blood, and she had the urge to kill someone. Cersinia quickly shook her head wishing for her to stop the bloodthirst but it didn’t go away.

“What is this…”

Her crimson eyes shook greatly. She hadn’t used her powers, but she felt drained. Cersinia closed her eyes for a moment when she heard the voice from before. Then she felt a strong murderous energy emanating from her body. A strong desire to burn everything in front of her. She definitely experienced this feeling before.

‘How can I forget?’

The day she turned the cabin into a sea of fire, the time she relentlessly let the original Cersinia take control. Her heart was pounding even faster now. Cersinia quickly clenched her trembling hands, she was clenching so hard that her hands started to bleed.

“The same feeling from before…”

But somehow it felt different from the one she felt in the cabin.

‘What the hell is going on with this body?’

“Did you really think that you guys live after enduring so much?! When you guys didn’t even investigate properly and accused me?!”

A bizarre and grim voice echoed in her mind as if she had played a broken audiotape. But the voice was familiar.

“Wasn’t it just my thought…”

Thinking that it was just a thought, she felt weird hearing the vivid voice. It was as if she said it out loud herself.

‘Did she take control again?’

It was confusing. Her legs staggered helplessly. She has no idea of what just happened. Her surroundings abruptly shook, and a slight motion sickness came over her. Everything that was familiar felt unfamiliar, the wind, her surroundings, and even her body. Her blood slowly cooled down and she could now feel the freezing air again.

“Where is she!”

A harsh voice broke the silence, a middle-aged woman was marching holding a torch. She rushed to Cersinia, who was standing in despair, without hesitation upon seeing her. Next to the woman, was the child who had thrown the stone at Cersinia. She was probably his mother.

“How dare you do that to my child!”

She said, outraged. Cersinia, engulfed in confusion, just stood there…stunned.

“Get out of this village, witch!”

As the woman approached Cersinia, she threw the torch that she was holding with all her might. She did not hesitate and did not seem to care if the fire would touch Cersinia or not. The torch flew straight towards Cersinia, blazing despite the blowing wind, who did not move.

“Cersinia!”

Someone hurriedly shouted. There was a hint of impatience in the footsteps that accompanied the urgent voice. When the torch was about to reach her, a powerful force pulled her away from it. It was so strong that her body plummeted to the ground.