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Chapter 2 - Prison of the Burned

"Hey, Fire Boy!"

Tarse Vicks looked up from his prison bed.

The guard grinned at him from behind the bars. "Your fan club is growing Mr. Fire wiz."

Tarse smirked. His green hair covered one eye, and burn marks ran across his neck. "I can't help it, they love me. I'm famous."

Behind him, other inmates laughed.

"Burned down a whole school just 'cause you didn't like it," one said.

"Didn't even kill anyone though," another added. "Lame, and you stuck in detention now, you stupid fuck."

A third voice whistled. "Hey, Fire Boy. You want a cellmate tonight?"

"I'll give you quite the night if you say so."

The guard walked to doro." Shut it, before I move you to Marks cell."

"Yeah!shut up, Doro. You male whore " Tarse said.

Doro licked his lips. "Make me."

Tarse stood. The lights flickered.

"Do it, freak," someone dared.

The guards leaned in. "Hey! No fire inside the cell, Tarse."

"Yeah, yeah," Tarse muttered, sitting back down. "I wasn't going to."

A younger inmate across the hall leaned forward. "You really half witch?"

Tarse looked at him. "What do you think?"

"Guess it makes sense," the boy said. "You set the fire with ya blood, right?"

Tarse held up his hand. A small flame danced between his fingers. It looked like it was crying.

"I didn't want to burn it," Tarse said. "I hated it. Everyone... everyone hated me first."

One of the guards sat on a stool outside his cell. "You know the stories, don't you?"

"About Romidas Dehaerth? The knight?" Tarse asked.

The guard nodded. "And the witch. Evryli Fate."

"She cursed him," Tarse said. "And now I'm stuck. With both of them. In me." He looked down, smirked."They decided to shit on my life and live no mop to clean it up, what do you think of that, guard."

"I have a name you know." The guard said,"It's Jack Matsui not guard."

Another guard joined. "Weird thing is, you don't act like a knight."

"I'm not," Tarse said. "I'm something else."

The hallway went quiet.

Then Doro spoke again. "Bet you'll burn the whole prison next."

Tarse looked at him. "Only if I feel like it."

Suddenly, an alarm rang.

"Prisoner riot in Block C!"

Guards scrambled.

Inmates started shouting.

Tarse stood calmly in the middle of the chaos. "Guess it's time to see which part of me wins today."

The flame in his hand grew bigger.

---

Romidas, older now, sat before a mirror. His eyes were sunken. His body thin.

"I killed her," he whispered. "But I didn't win."

He opened a drawer. Inside was a locket. He touched it gently. Evryli's name was carved on it.

"My descendants... I'm sorry."

His hand caught fire.

---

Tarse walked through the smoke.

He didn't break the doors. The heat did.

He didn't scream. The fire spoke for him.

Guards pointed guns. "Stop, Vicks!". He went on,"You're about to be released, don't do something stupid and just go back to your cell."

He raised his hand. The flames shaped into a woman's face. She smiled.

"She's back," Tarse said. "But I'm not her. I'm me."

He looked at Doro, who was crawling back, terrified.

"You wanted me to burn something, right?" Tarse asked.

"P-please—!"

Tarse waved his hand. The flames disappeared.

"No. Not worth it."

The younger inmate who had asked about his bloodline looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Why'd you stop?"

Tarse shrugged. "Because I still have a choice."

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