Tyl'Maeya'i sat in her personalised pocket dimension and watched the ongoing tutorial. Soon, she hoped, she would have her newest puppet and her plans would be one step closer to completion. One of her four arms gently stroked the head of the young elf girl in her lap. This one was a recent catch; a student at some Mage Academy, struggling with some higher tier spells. Tyl had asked her what she'd give to be top of her class and she'd said anything. And so, less than a week after graduating as valedictorian, the cute, smart elf was in Tyls' lap; an obedient pet that no longer worried about anything at all.

  Tyl tilted the elven girl's head upwards to look at her and kissed her gently on the lips. The elf squirmed slightly as some of her life energy was pleasurably drained away. Tyl liked it too, and listening to the cute sounds her little doll made was always nice. However, before she could really enjoy the sensation, a flaming fist hit her in the face and sent her flying backwards off her chair and into a wall. Her elf had fallen to the ground as well. Standing before her now was a hulking man of solid, burning muscle; The Crimson Duke, Gl'Cthno. Why was he here?

  "Seriously," Gl' began "You had better have a damn good reason for inviting me here and then doing in front of me. Well? Indigo Princess?"

  Ah, yes; she'd invited him out of boredom. "It's Indigo Queen, my dear Duke. And I wasn't aware that you were particularly busy after you were taken off of this mission"

  Gl' let out a snarl, flames licking at the top of his lips as the emerged from his nostrils. Tyl thought to herself The Indigo Queen had begun to laugh, but she was quickly silenced as Gl' grabbed her throat and slammed her into the wall.

  "And you know as well as I that this mission should have been mine; it's the Earth of Fire, not the Earth of Mind-Controlled puppets. Did you really call me here to gloat? Do you not value your own existence? You shame the Mantle you wear!"

  "Careful, My Duke; our Liege doesn't want us hurting each other"

  "I care not, pest. I won't let..." Gl's voice trailed off and his grip loosened

  "... You won't let what?" Tyl was annoyed by his sudden distraction

  "That girl is Burning"

  Tyl looked at the Duke confused. He wasn't looking at her or her Elf but over at the scrying... Shit. Tyl rushed over to the viewing window she was using to spy on that quartet of girls. The Lilac Human was on the ground, body shaking violently.

  "... FUCK!"

  Lilac was in more pain than she had ever been in. It started when she had unlocked that 'Physique' thing in the System. Her control over her body vanished and not long after, she felt that fire that she had thought was just a mental image become overpowering, like an actual fire raging throughout her body. She felt like she was burning from within, yet somehow, she felt cold. Deathly cold. She could only watch, even as her sweat evaporated before it even left her pores. Ashley tried to move her, but it was impossible. She managed to burn Ashley with less than a second of contact. Lilac didn't understand how she was even still conscious, let alone alive. Everything was pain. A deep, gnawing pain. A small moment of clarity came after a particularly strong spike of pain; Lilac was, in fact, on fire. Or, more accurately, her Soul was.

  The pain was also having a major effect on her mind; she could feel her sanity slipping away. Or perhaps going up in smoke would better fit? Humour was about the only thing she had, as she couldn't even scream or cry. Lilac could feel her mind cracking more and more, especially as another lance of pain shot through her body. Chloe had manage to move her over to the pond of water using the Inferno Bear's pelt as insulation. The moment her feet touched the water, it started boiling. Lilac could feel the difference though, the fire was heating up slower. But it was still heating up, growing in intensity. This fire was fuelled by her Soul and Her Mana. Wait. Her Mana.

  Lilac was a Mage. Level one, barely, sure; but a Mage. She'd read that book by the Magus person that the System had shown her, practiced Mana Manipulation. Of course, that Mana was neutral and calm back then, not rampaging and fire-aspected as it was now. Still, she might be able to work it. It was a bit of a long shot, but it was her only shot that she could shoot. And she'd be damned if she died to her own bloody mana. The pain was ebbing slowly. She wasn't sure what that meant, but it might give her the mental clarity that she needed to pull this off. She focused hard, pulling her gaze inward as she reached out to the blazing mana within.

  Gl'Cthno watched the girl in the Scrying plane, her blonde hair sprayed about as her body spasmed. Tyl was going crazy. He didn't know if this girl was important to the Indigo Queens' plans, but if she was... well, then this was good leverage for him. He pointed at the human.

  "Is she supposed to die here?"

  Tyls' head snapped to look at Gl' in the eyes "No one is supposed to be dying yet." Her face was full of emotions and her four arms were fidgety. Gl' found the sight enjoyable beyond reason. Perhaps he was one of the few of his kind to be favoured by the Divine? Hah, not likely. Though it certainly felt like it in this moment.

  Gl' glanced back at the girl. her friends had put her feet into water to slow down the burning. It'd work. How unfortunate for the girl herself. "Their Kindness will end up as Cruelty."

  "You know what this is, don't you?"

  "I do." Gl' said nothing else. If she wanted more, she would have to swallow her pride and ask . Gl' could see the thoughts warring on the Rulyelt'Theas' face. For a woman so skilled at supressing the emotions of others, she really did have so little control over her own. This was quickly becoming on The Dukes' best days of recent memory. The Indigo Idiot didn't take all that long to make her choice.

  "Please... Tell me what you know..."

  Gl' was elated. He'd gotten what he had wanted out of that. The look of pained defeat on her face was perfect. "It's a Physique; . In short, her own inner fire is feasting on her soul and body as fuel. It is unsurprising that it would develop on a world aspected to Elemental Fire"

  "How... violent"

  "Indeed. And Painful."

  "I've not heard much of it, is it rare?"

  Gl' gave a snort "If only. This damn thing is a curse. Physiques for any element can occur in about 50% of the population, most of them dormant, as you know... or would if you cared. Anyway, problem is, this is the most common of the Fire based ones. It makes up about 40 to 45% of all Fire Physiques. And it is strong. Strong enough that 80% of the people who awaken it die from it"

  "You sound familiar"

  "I am."

  "Can you... help her"

  Gl' considered the question and focused his attention on the girl more sharply. He could see that a strong will still smouldered in those eyes. And from what he could see from the way the Mana within her was flowing, it was clear she was fighting to gain control over the flames. Gl' was impressed; he hadn't thought much of anyone from the Five Earths, except maybe the Defence Core of the Earth of Metal. And yet, this girl was challenging his assumptions. She was He wanted to help her. Perhaps he would regardless. For now, though, he wanted to exto... Ha, negotiate a bit more from Tyl.

  I help her, yes. But, why would I?"

  "It's important for the plan!"

  "The plan from which I have already been excluded? The one I was told not to interfere with? If I am to ignore instruction from our Liege, you will need to offer something of value"

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  "What?" Tyl snapped. Her panic and irritation was growing. That pleased Gl' greatly. The Queen sighed; "What... do I have to give you?"

  Gl'Cthno grinned, a twisted look that made Tyl visibly grimace. The Duke had gained the upper hand thanks to the foolish girls' foolish choice of words. He had free reign to chose his price, something she'd have to him, not just lend or help with. And so, Gl' chose that which would hurt her the most right now. He nodded his head towards the Elf girl, Tyls' latest prize, who had been standing nearby this whole time. "Her." Tyl took a second, mouth wide, to process his request and begin trembling in rage. Gl' didn't think much of it. Either she acquiesced to his demand and he got to take away her current favourite. Or she refused, and she could lose standing in the Great Court. The Crimson Duke hated politics, but he felt quite happy with this result regardless. How this silly little girl had managed to be elevated to this position was beyond him. She wasn't even a fraction of the original Indigo Queen.

  To Tyls' credit, as much a Gl' didn't want to give her any at all, she didn't agonize over her decision for long. Realistically, there only one correct choice. Once Gl' had confirmed the transfer, and that his new Elf was obeying him, he set about his promised task. To the Earthlings' credit, credit he was much more willing to grant even though it was to a lesser lifeform, she was doing well. Had she started fighting for control earlier, or if her people had some manner of preparation, she might have lived on her own. Alas, her soul was frayed; over half of it burnt away by the flames. She'd need help. With his help at least, she'd survive the immediate burnout. After that? He was unsure. Regardless, he'd do what he could, as promised. He'd know better how she'd fare after 'treatment'. Gl'Cthno struck free a sliver of his own flame.

  Etraxia sighed. She'd made a mistake. Well, of course she did; Not even a Goddess was infallible, despite what some might say. Lilac's Physique had awakened much earlier than she'd anticipated and it was tearing the poor girl apart. She knew that her main adversary for this little bout was likely watching this unfold as well, making her choices rather more limited. Later, She'd have to tighten up the interface a bit, probably. Add some more safeguards. Though, it wasn't like it was her fault that the code injection that silly girl was doing was causing overflow issues. Seriously, Elderlings. If they found a rat, they'd blow up the house and move cities. One of her tails twitched, smacking one of her maids in the face and causing her to yelp. The Sapphire Fox giggled, a sound that earned her a glare from the girl brushing her tails.

  Well, it's not like she could do nothing. Even if it wasn't her fault that she was in this state, Etraxia knew she held some blame at least. It's not like she blamed Lilac for her curiosity, and Tyl was just new to all this, really. Then, it happened. Some foreign force was acting on Lilac's rampaging Mana. OH! That was... and he'd definitely... . Etraxia went about her own work, helping that energy from the Duke set up a stabilizing framework around Lilac's Soul. She made sure to use the System to obscure her involvement as much as she could. The Duke would know... but he wouldn't say anything. If anything, this might actually be the best outcome.

  Gl' was focused on his task; helping this Earthling to calm down her flames. Then, he felt it. a faint energy, coming from the Girl's connection to that 'System' thing. Gl' grinned. That Sapphire Fox is helping as well. Tyl wasn't bitching about her as she usually does, so she clearly hadn't noticed. Though, Gl' was right there. Their energy was directly interacting. There was no way he notice. Which mean Etraxia figured he wouldn't say anything to Tyl. After all, why risk yourself so early in the game? Gl' felt the wound Etraxia had given him in the war tingle. She was right. After all, if she was involved and he helped her... she might give him that rematch he wanted. How was it that this Goddess seemed to know him better than his own colleagues?

  Gl' laughed and supplied energy happily, earning him a look from the 'Queen' to his side. It mattered little; she mattered little. The nigh invisible hands of the Goddess worked to stabilize the Mana flowing through the girl, working to synchronize both Lilac's efforts and The Dukes. The whole affair was over quite quickly and Gl' was impressed. Their patchwork was hidden into the System; no-one would be able to tell there had been any intervention at all. Gl' couldn't deny it, he was nowinterested. The Earthling... Lilac, was it? Perhaps that name would influence her Magic as she developed? An image of Pinkish-Purple flame flicked through the Dukes' mind. Very interested indeed.

  Lilac felt the control of her body return to her as the river of flames within calmed to manageable levels. The pain was... dulled. Much more than she would have expected. She sat up slowly, then heaved. lilac coughed violently as a sizzling black sludge emerged from her throat and landed in viscous globs next to her. It smelled atrocious; sulphurous and acidic. What was worse was the way the smell and indeed the sludge seemed to cling to everything it touched. Lilac took out a bottle of water and tried her best to wash her mouth out. It was horrid, she just couldn't seem to get rid of the smell. It almost made her miss the pain. Ah, right. She had wanted to check her System. Her Anima was down from 7 to 3 and her Sanity from 13 to 5. That was probably something she should worry about.

  "Sis!" Lily's body tackle caught Lilac by surprise, but she returned the hug without any fuss "Careful, I stink"

  "I don't care!" Lily tightened her grip, tears streaming down her face. Now that Lilac was paying attention, she saw Chloe and Ashley standing nearby crying as well. A bit awkward for Lilac, as she simply wasn't used to this. Had Ashley and Chloe really formed a bond with her that quickly? Lilac didn't get it. Wasn't she annoying? That's what Mom always said.

  "I'm fine guys, really... Sis, please, you're making it hard to breathe"

  Lily pulled back "I'm... sorry. Are you sure you're okay? You almost died there"

  "And you almost died yesterday. I'm fine, really"

  "Yeah, but... that's different..."

  Lilac shook her head "Not really. Death is death. I did honestly think I was going to die. I think I got really close too. But I didn't. So I'm just going to be happy that I'm still here"

  Lily shook her head "You're crazy"

  Lilac giggled "Well, my Sanity is at 5 now"

  Ashley put a hand on Lilac's shoulder "Lilac, sweetie?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Are you okay?"

  "... Not really, but I'll live. It seems stable for now"

  Chloe gave a small cough to clear her throat "SO, um... two things. first off, did you cough up that... black stuff?"

  "I did, yeah"

  "H-huh... say, you got into that state because of the Physique thing, right? What does the System say now?"

  "Let me check... Physique... Body of Consumptive Flames... ..."

  "Do you think it's related to all the Fire stuff around here?"

  Lilac reached out a hand. The Mana around them was tinged with a leaning towards fire and it responded to her will better now... But then, she'd always felt this affinity on some level. "I think... I think the system agitated something I was already developing or had developed. Probably because I was messing about with it"

  Lily gave her a grin, though Lilac could tell that her heart wasn't really in it "I think you mean 'intentionally trying to glitch it for you benefit', no?"

  She was trying, for Lilacs' sake, to be normal. Lilac really appreciated that so she'd do the same "Potatoes, Potatoes"

  Lily gave her best attempt at a laugh, but quickly gave up with a sigh "You're way to relaxed Sis, especially when you consider what you went through"

  "I know. And, I know I should care more about the fact that my soul is literally damaged. But... I can't. Those flames messed me up a lot more than I think even I realise, but I just... can't bring myself to care even if I logically know I should."

  "Soul... Damage?"

  A small spell of silence fell on the group. Chloe was the first to eventually break it.

  "We need to go hunting"

  Lilac blinked and rounded on Chloe instantly. "No. We need to stay here and-"

  "Then what are we having for dinner?"

  "The Or do you mean to tell us that we've gone through it all already?"

  Chloe shook her head "Of course not, but think about it. That bear meat is soaked in Fire-Aspected mana. So much so in fact, that it literally affects the taste of the stuff"

  Lily realised rather easily what Chloe was saying here. Even if Lilac was right and it wasn't the meat the directly triggered what had happened, it probably contributed to it in some way. following that logic, wasn't it possible that eating even more overly Fire-Aspected meat had a chance to aggravate Lilac's new 'Physique' thing, especially as she seemingly only just managed to get it under control in time.

  "look," Chloe began, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder "we just need to find some Sonic Wolves. We've leveled up since the last time we fought them last. Heck, we managed to take out that smaller group without too much trouble when we ambushed them. So we do it that way again. Stealthy and careful."

  Lily bit her lip "... We'll be down a member"

  "I can-" Lilac tried to say something, but Lily cut her off with a glare

  "Like. I. Said. Down a member"

  Chloe nodded "Lilac should rest, I agree. Especially as she didn't actually sleep last night. But that doesn't change that we need to do this. We haven't got many options"

  "I can buy stuff from the System Store. I didn't burn any tokens on the Gacha so..."

  "Have you even looked at the System Store for food? Small things are fine, but the food there is extreme. A single steak is 18 Tokens."

  "I... I can afford it..."

  "... Lily. You were the one talking about no relying on the store before. What's really going on?"

  Lily tensed "... It's too much..." Her body started to shake "It's too much... I... I thought I'd be able to get through but... I don't want to fight anymore. I don't want to see anyone hurt anymore..." The tears fell freely "... I'm scared..."

  The look on Chloe's face was complicated. Lily couldn't tell if it was more pity or sympathy. Chloe pulled her into a hug and started to silently cry with her. Not long after, Ashley and Lilac joined them.