Set Alight

Chapter 26

Sorry. Real, stupid life. That's all I'm gonna say.

I don't think Vlad realizes at first that I'm blind. When darkness descends, I square my stance and throw up a powerful shield around the entire half of the room.

Keeping my eyes on Vlad, I try to compensate my blindness by listening around me. But it's too loud. The fire crackling against the shield and the conversation of worry behind me and the sound of roaring silence inside as Sovaĝa Fajro does her thing.

I can feel someone behind me. No. Not duplicates. I didn't plan for that! I didn't see him split!!

"Emma!" Jack. My panic ebbs. "I'm the strongest halfa right now! I can help."

"Shield," I gasp.

"This can't work forever," he helpfully comments, but I feel the weight of the shield lessen on me. "He'll do something different..."

"What's Walker doing?"

"Can't you just--"

"No," I snap. "What's he doing?"

"He's gone. The machine, too." I grit my teeth. I can't see anything... Jack is silent until he gasps. "Are you... blind?"

He must've seen my roaming eyes.

"Yes, but just for a bit while my fire does something."

"She's sentient?!"

I smirk. "Plenty. And my obsession..." I pause, feeling the suspense. Ghosts don't often share their obsessions. But he's my brother. "Is justice. Justice is blind."

"Oh..." Then Vlad tries something different, probably annoyed at our conversation.

"Wild, teleportation! Behind you!!" My shield dissolves and rematerializes behind me, just the moment that Vlad sends an attack.

I'm saved from the brunt of the attack, but my angle makes it weaker than it should be. The force of the blast sends me forward, crashing into an unknown object made of metal. Jack begins fighting Vlad (as I can hear the blows being exchanged), but Vlad knows Jack is weaker than he usually is.

Jack cries out at an attack Vlad sends, and I can hear him land on the floor. I'm still disoriented, being pushed into the metal thing, and I turn to where I think he is. If I had vision, it'd be swimming, but as I don't, it's just my head.

Vlad's voice comes from my right. "Emma..." It's a low taunt, and I whip my head towards him, eyes moving blindly. "Can..." Confusion clouds his voice for a second before being colored with triumph. "Can you not see, my child?"

"I'm not your child," I spit back. Wind whooshes and I dodge to the right, but the small attack Vlad sent still brushes my side, burning awfully. I gasp involuntarily, my hand going to my side. My dress isn't burnt, but the skin underneath is simmering with the heat.

Vlad laughs-- no, it's more like a chortle. Yes, an evil chortle. No, the pain's not that bad. I can't be going into shock. As if in response, the burn lets out a painful pulse. "Ghosts sure have their quirks... Don't they? Why, I remember, Daniel's ice pushes against him until it must be let out. Isn't that true, Little Badger?" I hear a thump and a grunt of pain.

I try to stumble towards them but my side flares again.

If I can't fight... "Little Badger? University of Wisconsin?" ...I'll talk.

"Why, yes. My college, you see." His attention's on me again.

Sovaĝa Fajro! I cry. Hurry!

I am.

"Where Daniel's mother went. Maddie. And that idiot Jack Fenton."

"You... You want Maddie?" The tone in his voice makes that clear. He practically sighs her name.

"Of course. I love her."

"No, you desire her," I correct. "Your obsession is desire. That's how you're making me hurt, isn't it? You want me to hurt, and your fire must obey."

"Don't tell me what my obsession is! It's Maddie! That's all, she's everything!" Pain sears up my side in response, making me curl around it the best I can.

Sovaĝa!

Hold on, Jem Wildfire!

"No! You want Danny, too! You want Danielle, you want fame, you want power, money, the world, control, the Ghost Zone, me, the Packers!" Yes, he told me of the Packers. "You want so much, but you can only have what your fire can get you! You can't get people! Or realms! Fire doesn't have the power to change mentalities. And it's killing you, because the things you want most are the things you can't have."

"Don't tell me what-" The anger builds in his voice, sending my side flaring.

I have it, Wildfire!

My sight blinks on. Not much has changed. Vlad stands menacingly over me and Danny's clutching his chest.

Power floods me along with my sight. My fire bites at Vlad's, sending it out, along with the pain.

Who's karma is it? I ask.

She answers with a mental gesture to Jack. Of course... The guy who gives pieces of himself to others for the sake of their health. Fitting that his karma has stacked up.

What did she do, though? I don't see any changes....

Regardless of not knowing, having my fire (and my vision) back has drastically advantaged me. Still, I pretend I can't see. Surprise is the best of all advantages, after all.

Vlad leans back, away from my fire. I send a lash of it at his legs. He stumbles. Jack is stumbling up, but he's too hurt. The only one I can see not in immense pain is Ashton. What can he do?

Suddenly I'm hit with what my fire gave me.

Sending a power blast at Vlad, catching him off guard with the accuracy of my blow. The fire doesn't reach his skin, however, and it simply blows him back. I have seconds.

I launch at Ashton, placing a hand on his forehead.

"What--"

"Shh," I mutter, pulling at a new well of power my fire opened up.

Focusing as hard as I can about something I know nothing about, I flood him with my raging fire.

You might wonder where Vlad is during this. He's still there, ready to attack, but even he can't prepare to ignore Ashton's bloodcurdling scream.