Leona was shaken out of her trance by a searing pain latching onto her hand that jolted her, immediately clearing her mind.

“AAH!” she screamed and jumped away from the bed, landing on the floor with her back propped up against the wall. Only now could she even think about the situation. The pain was still there. A cold sensation burned into her right hand, numbing it completely.

She raised her right hand in front of her head and shrieked out loud.

‘Why… what… how… FUCK!’ she thought as she started shaking, her eyes centered onto the large, blue flame, that slowly engulfed her entire hand, latching onto her lower arm.

“LEONA!” she heard Aquila shout from the door. He entered the room, looked around, and immediately discovered Leona, cursing out loud.

“LEONA!” he shouted at her again, making her look up. Her body did not want to move. It was as if this flame ate away at something. A part of her. She felt Aquila prop her up, forcing her to her feet and she looked at him with fear in her eyes.

“NO! I WON’T LEAVE FAUST!” she tore her arm away from him.

“Leona! You need to get to the canal!” Aquila shouted at her, desperate to get her out.

When she saw her lover lying on their bed, face contorted, motionless, and covered by flames, she forgot about the flame on her hand, that had by now reached her elbow.

‘There is no way this is a normal flame… right darling?’ she looked at Faust, with tears in her eyes.

‘Whatever you are going through… I won’t leave you alone. Even if I die in the process!’ she clenched her teeth and reapproached the bed, which had by now been fully engulfed by the blue flames. They made no noise. They did not give off heat.

Goosebumps formed on her skin and adrenaline pumped through her veins. Anything but her fiancée’s pained face was shut out of her world. Her love for him rendered her unable to leave. It made her forget herself.

Her lips quivered.

‘Mother… Father… I hope you can forgive me for being so selfish.’ She bit her lip before reaching out to the flames surrounding her lover.

‘I… need… to be… with you.’ She smiled as she stepped into the flames, that immediately latched onto her body, engulfing her whole body in lightning speed.

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“AAAAH! NOOO!” Aquila shouted from behind, but it didn’t get through to her.

The soft blue flames latched onto her, numbing her body, not destroying it.

‘It is cooling me… I am not hurt… your flames could never hurt me, could they?’ she smiled softly at her future husband and reached for his hand, which was clenched into a tight fist.

Her body started to numb all over. She appeared to be a living flame, standing tall at the side of the bed. Not a single part of her body was uncovered, as ethereal flames surrounded the entirety of her. Her movements became slower, but she took his hand and immediately felt his heartbeat.

‘You are still alive.’ She smiled, when she saw his fist unclenching, the moment she touched it. She sat down next to him on the bed, in the middle of a sea of flames. Seemingly unaffected by it all. While wood and fabric slowly burnt away, her body remained intact.

“Is it because of the connection we share? Why am I different?” she asked the unconscious Faust. Slowly, she guided his hand to her cheek.

‘He feels so cold. Yet so wonderful.’ She felt a surge of energy surge into her, which caused her to yelp. It didn’t feel unpleasant but like something foreign invading her body.

‘This energy… it feels so familiar, yet so strange to me. Is it your mana?’ she looked at Faust’s pain-contorted face and her heart nearly broke from seeing the person she loved most suffering like this.

‘Not a chance in hell I will leave you.’ She bent over his body and softly placed her lips upon his.

The moment their lips met, Leona felt an incredibly large amount of energy rush into her body. Several times as big as the mana surge from touching his hand. She couldn’t help but yelp again, yet the energy did not appear to harm her.

‘The cold. It is disappearing.’

The energy seemed to gather in her entire body, from head to toe, giving her a most unique feeling. Then she felt it. Rush after rush the mana poured into her, rhythmically.

‘This is… your heartbeat!’ she had her eyes closed when she felt her heartbeat align with Faust’s.

Tears left her face. She had never felt this connected to Faust. It was an entirely new feeling. Something well surpassing the humane. Their heartbeats synced and her body brimmed with energy. His body slowly relaxed, as did his facial expression. It looked serene, there was even a smile on his unconscious face.

‘I can feel your entire body, your emotions…’

Under Leona’s heart, she could make out something, she had never previously felt. It was part of her, yet at the same time, it wasn’t. It felt like a burning core. Like a beacon in the night. The energy that left Faust’s body, was all released into his surroundings and was what caused the flames. Yet the moment their mouths touched, the flow of energy out of his body had been redirected to Leona, who took in all of it.

Her body felt cool, much cooler than should have been possible. No winter, no bath had ever been this cold.

Their heartbeat was like a melody. A beautiful, harmonious melody. The mana had spread all throughout her body, filling it to the brim with energy. Then, after an unknown amount of time, Leona felt the beacon of light within her ache.

Then, without warning, all of the energy in her body and around them was sucked into the core in the blink of an eye. Leona couldn’t even react.

After a short gasp, her body collapsed onto Faust’s.