We Are A Family

The answer to her question came to light when a ten-meter stake, dyed in nothing but the reddest of red, descended with breakneck speed. Had she not taken a precautionary measure and twisted herself out of harm's way, the stake would have been the last thing she saw.

"Oubliette."

The Draugr intended to use a second Oubliette while she was still retracting her weapon?

"Oubliette... Hielos."

A veil of ice washed over the entire room as sharp icicles formed in the air. An indescribable frost blew over the Keeper's face, a subtle warning to the calamity that was about to descend upon her.

Time was not on her side. To avoid the Oubliette, she had to counter it with her own in one way or another. The room's exit was too far away for her to reach with so little time left. She pulled her hellfire whip with a taut, and it expanded to cover her in a dome.

By doing so, she accomplished two objectives. Her countermeasure had trapped the Draugr with her and avoided its Oubliette from being able to do anything. Such was what the hellfire was capable of—burning everything deemed sinful without remorse nor dubiousness.

"...Clever," said the Draugr as it cracked its neck, somewhat impressed. "Using your Oubliette to protect yourself, even though its destructive nature is usually channeled for one simple use."

"Such is the mindset of a vile creature like you," the Keeper retorted. "Fire is not necessarily used for that one purpose. See, it is known that a flicker of hellfire scorched the earth once when it first descended from heaven. But, most people ignore, no, avert their eyes away from the true purpose as to why the earth receives such a blessing in the first place."

"...Blessing? Quite a misinterpretation for an instrument used solely for torture."

The Keeper ignored the Draugr's statement with a haughty harrumph.

"Mankind d.e.s.i.r.ed such an instrument since the beginning. Had it been misused by the first man and his children back then; earth would have surely turned to hell itself by now."

"You're speaking gibberish. Don't beat around the bush."

"Hellfire exists to punish sinners, but to those who practice acts of piety, hellfire will avoid them. However, mankind would have achieved nothing without integrating fire into their daily routine. In other words, fire is a double-edged blade."

The Keeper breathed in and puffed air out of her lungs. "To wield its destructive nature, one must always be prepared to be punished by it as well. While that may be the case most of the time, hellfire will avoid grazing anyone with their touch of damnation if they prove themselves. To put it simply, hell will part for them, ever so afraid of their one creator who favors these people to punish them."

"...Gibberish."

The Keeper let out a long sigh, disappointed that her preaching did nothing to instill fear in the creature. "I suppose one such as you cannot comprehend the true power of hellfire. It is once said that the hellfire in the depths of hell had no color but the blackest of black. I myself am afraid of summoning such a power. If I fail to control it, this very Dimension will surely burn into the tiniest specks of dust."

"...?" The words spoke out by the Keeper stopped the Draugr from taking a step further. Perhaps this was her way of saying that if it pushed her to a corner, she would conjure such a fearsome instrument of destruction in response?

Would she dare use a power even she couldn't even fully control?

Fool. If doing so would doom herself, she wouldn't do it. There exists no living creature, while utterly belligerent, wished to take that meaningless step. The answer was simple.

Those people who lost their Dimension's Keeper to Draugrs would no longer be allowed to enter their respective Dimension. Denying their rightful owner access to the place could be interpreted as a game over. Nay, they were unfit to take even a single step. Their failure in securing their respective Crown had earned them nothing but regret and powerlessness.

And yet, this Keeper standing with a sagacious expression on her face brought up such a notion without a hint of fear visible. Bold, but at the same time, it was a mere fool's futile effort to delay the inevitable. She knew it all too well as her lips curved into a curt smile.

"...Hmph!"

The dainty girl raised her single intact arm into the air to command the white hellfire. Her eyes shone in a warm azure color, resolving herself to deliver an attack so fierce it would turn the Draugr into ashes within milliseconds.

White flames swirled above her, condensing into an imperfect sphere of heat.

One. Two. It didn't take more than three seconds for the sphere to grow as large as a minivan. Seeing it with its own two eyes had gripped the Draugr's heart with vice, astonished and yet enthralled to witness such a phenomenon.

Even so, there was a tinge of disappointment that tainted the surging emotions within the creature.

"...This is not your true strength," said the Draugr as it shook its head. "You're restraining yourself so that you wouldn't destroy this Dimension."

"...One who doesn't exhibit her utmost capability is a jester to none but herself."

The Draugr's armor rippled as it tried to contain the anger replacing the emotions coaxing it a second ago. To be humiliated in such a way was a blotch to its legacy. For the Draugr, its endeavor to reach great heights while being forced to its very limit was something it felt proud of.

Overcoming an obstacle one after another sent euphoria throughout its very being. He relished, no, hungered for that sensation every time it fought a new opponent.

However, this girl stomped upon its only pride.

"...Such a disappointment."

The Draugr stomped its foot and the sheer force cracked the floor. While that act would've triggered warning trumpets in most people's mind to blare, the Keeper was seemingly unfazed by it.