Chapter 5 | Fire

Walking to the center of the academy, there were 13 portals, each lined in marble and varying in colored swirls as Irving bought a ticket to the Plume Wick Forest, a wasteland of fire and foliage of the sorts. 

“Well……I suppose that makes sense…….” A tired-sounding sigh left him as he realized he had to go from extreme heat to even more extreme heat, and he couldn’t even complain about this one, he asked for it himself. It’s all for her, just remember IT'S ALL FOR THAT SWEET BOO- I MEAN SMILE.

Walking through the portal, the red painted him as he felt his entire body flush, opening his eyes he walked out into a small grey and black-bricked town, it was as if the entire place was on fire, his skin burned as he hid under the shade. 

“Just as I remember!” Alaben said from the bag, sensing the heat he shuffled around, clearly wanting to be taken out. 

“Fantastic…...now please, I don’t want to spend any more time here than needed.” Hurriedly obliging, he pulled out the talking book that promised to lead him, and held him up as he looked around.

“Well, you’ll have to! Did you not listen? It takes almost fifteen hours to grow one! If we find one that is!” He exclaimed as he floated just above Irving’s hands and looked about. 

“Yes yes I heard you the first- WHAT DO YOU MEAN IF?!? I was under the impression you knew where to get one!” Frustration laced his face as he scowled at the floating book, and pointed in an accusatory fashion. 

“Well I’ve never seen one! And it’s been a few centuries since one was last sighted!” He said with a jolly laugh. 

“ARE YOU- MMMMMMM………you mean to tell me you based your whole argument on the chance of finding a potentially made-up herb?” Running one of his hands through his hair, his brain raced and zipped around within his skull. THIS BOOK IS A COMPLETE FRAUD!! IT MIGHT BE IMPOSSIBLE AFTER ALL?!? NO No no, okay calm down, calm down, there’s still a chance, that’s better than nothing, not by much but it’s better.

“TO ADVENTURE!” The book screams as from the bag Pelaguard laughs. 

“A fool he is, but don’t fret boy, you’ll find something, even a twig is better than nothing.” Pelaguard sarcastically says.

“…….Lead the way.” A sigh left him as a scowl settled on his face, and his other hand dropped to his side, which promptly smacked his bag. “If this was all useless, I’m leaving you here.”

Following the book, Irving walks for what seems like hours when in reality it was about a quarter of an hour up a long case of stairs, sweat soaked his clothes as the sun and flames attacked him at every angle. 

Reaching the top he looked upon a forest of red leaves, speckles of orange and some even lit with wisps of flames, it was an enchanted wonderland of tortured trees. 

A deep breath left him as he inhaled deeply, and stood at the edge of the forest, merely looking around for a bit before speaking. “Just in advance, what am I looking for? I’d like to be prepared in case I see it first.”

“It’s underground! We’ll have to do some digging, and by we I mean you!” Alaben exclaimed while floating up, attempting to spot a spindle tree. 

“Well yes I knew that much you geriatric pamphlet! I meant the tree! What does the tree look like?!” Shouting up, his scowl only grew as he felt the sweat pouring down his body beneath his clothes, it was a rather unpleasant feeling for him.

Scoffing the book turns its cover. “Put more faith in me, boy! I’ll find it!”

And without telling, the book begins heading back down the stairs they had just gone down, what was the point of climbing up here-?

“Where are you going? Is it not in the forest?!” For a moment, he simply stood, silently hoping the book had finally gone mad, and they didn’t really have to go all the way back down.

“Of course not! The forest is the other way! Hahaha!” And thus, they walked all the way back to town, and the opposite direction, passing the portal as they entered the forest. 

The entire way, Irving was almost hoping to unlock some hidden ability granted by the Plight that would allow his very gaze to set the book ablaze, or at least that’s what one would think given how intensely he was glaring at Alaben. 

“Even I can sense your hostility, and I can’t even see you! hahaha.” Pelaguard said with a rather cynical smug voice. 

“Yes well we’ve just wasted half an hour doing absolutely nothing but walking up and down a flight of stairs, and it’s even hotter than it was at the academy, pardon if my patience is wearing thin already.” Softly whispering as he brought his bag up to face level, he continued trudging along behind the floating book with a scowl.

“Well, why didn’t you invite the girl? What do they call it? A date?” Pelaguard said with a distasteful hate for such a thing, romance had always disgusted him, even when he was alive. 

“A-Are you mad?! I could never ask someone like her on a date……” Just the thought of walking up and asking her made his stomach turn from sheer nerves, and his face, which was already flushed due to the heat, had somehow grown even redder. There’s no way she’d say yes, plus, this place sucks as a date spot! I’d wanna take her out to eat somewhere nice that serves pudding……….maybe has some private rooms in the back so we could be alone…….maybe even catch a glimpse of her- HAVE SOME SELF CONTROL MAN YOU’RE ON A MISSION!!!

Skittering through the forest, they walked, and walked, and walked, until the book stopped, floating in mid-air. Hovering above nothing but grass and leaves as he flapped his pages. 

“What? What is it? Have you found it?!” Eyes widening in surprise, Irving quickened his pace until he was beside the book, looking around as the book hovered in place, and searching for anything that looked like it might be named a Spindle Tree.

“Look up…” The book said, and doing so, there was a large Maple, and around the Maple was a tree that was draining it of all its nutrients, almost winding around it, in a spindle-like manner. 

Staring for a moment, he was speechless, until his face suddenly broke out into a wide grin, and he started laughing, almost cackling really. “….heh……heheh….ehe, hehehe, HahahahahahahHAHAHAHAHA! THERE IT IS!!! FINALLY!!!” 

“Now listen boy! To make the Spindle Fire seed is a sacred art! You only get one chance! Screw it up and the tree turns to ash!” Alaben says with an arrogant tone, as if also bragging he was right. 

“Yes yes, so how does it work? What am I supposed to do oh great and knowledgeable Alaben?!” Having exactly zero qualms about using flattery as a weapon, he would do as much brown-nosing as it took in order to not potentially repeat this and have to look for even longer, as he bowed his head in faux respect before the floating book.

Flipping his pages open, Alaben showed how the tree must be set ablaze, and that at the fifth hour, the seed must be harvested and planted, then after, that it will consume Plight for another ten, it seemed tiring and almost impossible….

And yet, as the thought of a potential future with a certain lady sprouted within his mind, so too did the determination to make this plant do the same as he took a deep breath, and stepped forward, pulling out a number of supplies from his bag, mainly a medium-sized tarp, so he didn’t have to sit on the bare terrain, a small fire starter normally used to light the stove on his cauldron at home, it would serve as the tool to light the tree ablaze, and last but not least, a small crystal given to every brewer course student used to channel the Plight for their classes and other activities.

With that, he approached the winding tree that wrapped itself along the maple, before stopping dead in his tracks, fire starter in hand, and turning around to face the floating book. “To be clear, I need to burn the Spindle tree correct? Not the giant Maple tree it’s wrapped around?”

“Both will do, just light it ablaze!” Alaben said with a snarky scream. 

“……Eh, out of the frying pan, I suppose…..” With a deep breath, he knelt down in front of the tree and clicked his fire starter once, twice, and the flame burst to life as he held it against the tree, waiting for it to catch.

And once it did, the tree became more beautiful than his wildest dreams, flowers of fire began lining the spindle wood as blossoms covered its branches that charred the maple into a black charcoal. 

Stepping a good distance back, he sighed and slowly began setting up the tarp, spreading it over a stretch of ground, and taking a deep breath, before pulling out the crystal as well, and sitting down while holding it in his lap, waiting, and admiring the scenery before him. On second thought, this might’ve been a great place for a date……N-NOT THAT SHE'D SAY YES TO SOMEONE LIKE ME ANYWAY, STOP DAYDREAMING! WATCH FOR THE SEED!

Falling to the ground, he covered his face and sighed, and when he opened his eyes, he could see her next to him, laying as her hair tangled around her shoulders, how she would smile at someone she loved, and maybe even lick her lips, she seemed like the type, maybe, yet as his thoughts wandered she rose up, placing one hand near his ear as the other near his shoulder, gazing beneath her to see him. 

For some reason, he didn’t feel afraid, or nervous this time around, he just felt light, as if his head was floating in the clouds, and he could see the way the tree exploded in vibrant, stellar colors behind her, its light peeking through her auburn hair as he smiled up at her.

“Stop your dreaming! There’s only five hours! That’s no time at all!” The book yelled as he threw himself at Irving. 

Closing his eyes from the impact, when he opened them again, he found he was alone once again, and a frown slowly settled on his face as he sat up, and let out a sigh, before digging around his bag for any sort of refreshment he’d perhaps forgotten about. “Of course…..just five hours……it’ll pass by in a flash……”

But in fact it did not, only an hour had passed and it was gruesomely hot, he had felt like he was in boiling water as the tree burst into flames over and over. 

The glass bottle, which had helped him early on had run out a while back, leaving his lips and throat feeling parched and dry, as all he could do was take deep breaths, long since having unbuttoned the rather tight fitting collar of his uniform down to his chest, as it was all he could do sit and wait while staring up at the brightly flaming tree.

This was worse than the sword practice training all first years were required to do, and that was a long few days, despite him deciding to never use such a weapon, those summer days were some of the hottest possible, until now. 

He stared at the tree, his concentration occasionally fading as he shook his head and studied Alaben, learning about every herb considered a folklore fantasy, a Willow Lurch was said to grant wishes, a Witthle Wood was said to never be cut down no matter the axe, and his personal favorite, a Death Plume that was said to skin someone alive by melting their flesh.  

“It’s time boy!” The book yelled as the tree began to spark again and again, like fireworks as the flames started burning hotter and hotter. 

Jolting upright, he looked around, remembering what the book had said about digging, he immediately dove to the ground, and started pulling at it with his hands, feeling his fingertips sizzle as he carved out a spot in front of the tarp, and sprung back, looking around for the seed.

Blossoming, the seed blooms at the base of the tree, hidden in the root, grabbing it, it singed all the hair off his arm as he could feel an…intense presence as if the seed… was alive. 

The hairs that remained on the back of his neck stood up straight in response, but he had no time to ponder it, as he quickly rushed back to his spot, and wasted no more time in burying the seed in the spot he’d created, soon covering it back up in the surrounding dirt, and scrambling for the crystal, holding it slightly in front of him as he focused….

And with that focus began the ten hours, the worst ten hours of his life, as he stayed awake the entire night, to sprout a plant, no, to sprout a gift.