Sacred Flame and Wicked Frost is a history book detailing the relationship between humanity and demonkind. It describes an enduring conflict between two sides that appear to be opposites in every way.

Demons reside in the north, where winters are harsh with long nights and summers are mild with extended daylight. They practice agriculture, hunting, and fishing—a primitive society that often conducts raids on northern human settlements.

They are larger than humans, having acclimated to the harsh winters of their homeland. They possess two horns on their foreheads, pale skin, and are more often blonde than not. Due to the long nights, they have developed night vision.

Based on this description, they do seem demonic. Their portrayal resembles the Scandinavians of my world, and their raiders are like our Vikings. I wonder how much of this is accurate, though, since much of the language describing them is vulgar and biased.

The Goddess mentioned that prayers to smite evil came from both sides, so humans are not entirely innocent either. Given how fond Laura seems to be of me, perhaps she’s among the more tolerant and unbiased members of the clergy. I’ll mention Red Water in my next letter and gauge her reaction.

The next section covers the magic of both societies. Humans are blessed with the Blue Flame of the Goddess, while demons are cursed with the Red Frost. But knowing what the Goddess told me, it seems that both forms of magic are her gifts to each race.

The Blue Flame is not only the symbol of the Goddess but also the magic used by humans. A mage can summon and shape the flame according to their will.

Red Frost is the magic—or, as the book describes it, "cursecraft"—of demons. The book doesn’t go into detail, only stating that it is the opposite of the Blue Flame in every way. I’m beginning to think my Red Water ability was mistaken for Red Frost, or at least resembled it closely enough to cause concern.

The Blue Flame appears to be a moldable fire that can either burn, heal, or reinforce. The first two are self-explanatory, but the book doesn’t elaborate on what "reinforcement" means.

Magic is something one is born with, typically developing during puberty. It cannot be acquired without divine intervention, though no examples of such intervention are provided.

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There is no mention of Red Water or anything resembling it in the book. It states that Blue Flame and Red Frost are the only recognized forms of magic; anything else is considered either a trick of the mind or blasphemous nonsense.

"Blasphemous nonsense…" This explains the priests’ reaction in the throne room, but the high priest was different. He seemed more disappointed and shocked rather than outraged. Either he’s unusually tolerant, or he knows more than this book reveals.

The great hero is mentioned briefly—a figure of great stature summoned from another world who will wield the Blue Flame like no one else and vanquish the demonic scourge. I am of great stature. Is that why I was chosen? For such a simple reason?

I need to write a letter to Laura. I wonder how much she knows—about me, the Blue Flame, and everything else. There’s clearly a gap between our knowledge. I’ll tell her about Red Water and what happened in the throne room. She seems to trust me for some reason, and I need to be more grateful for that.

The first letter from Laura arrives with the morning porridge. It reads:

“I hope you’re doing okay. People think you’re simply a recluse and don’t know you’re being held prisoner. There’s gossip about what happened in the throne room, but no one seems to know the details, myself included. Some people have raised questions, but the higher-ranking priests tell them to stay away from you.”

After reading, I finish the porridge and begin writing a letter of my own. I tell her everything that happened, from the Blue Flame Ritual to my imprisonment. Writing the letter takes about an hour, and by the end, it feels like my mind is aching, the sense of emptiness stronger than ever. I can’t even summon a single drop of Red Water.

With dinner porridge comes Laura’s letter. It reads:

“Their outrage makes perfect sense. I’m sorry—I was quite cryptic when we first met. I mentioned that the Goddess might give you magic. I was referring to the Blue Flame, not whatever this Red Water is. Stay put while I gather more information.”

Why is she so intent on helping me? I hadn’t questioned it until now, but it does seem peculiar. Does she actually have a crush on me? That would be a first. Whatever her reasons, I’d better be thankful.

One letter a day is the most I can manage. It’s good training for developing my Red Water skills, but writing is still too draining to sustain for now. However, I do feel more comfortable with each attempt; my letters are becoming smaller and more refined with every sentence.

I spent most of the day reading the book. Asking Laura to smuggle entire books would be too risky, but perhaps ripped pages could work.

The bucket arrived earlier today, though I haven’t had time to get sweaty yet. I’ll start with squats.