Behind the Clouds

The Magic Door

Heat is the first thing that hits Elizabeth when she opens the door. One big, warm gust of heat hits her right in the face, sweeping her hair upwards and billowing her skirt. It wasn't harmful heat, burning heat, more like the sort that spread from a glowing fire, the kind you warm your hands with on a cold winter's day. Therefore, it wasn't hard for her to decide what to do next, to choose where to go next. Without so much as an afterthought, Elizabeth stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

Emptiness echoed then. The thick silence of the room, apart from the gentle crackling of the fire, had suddenly become a lot more noticeable. Prominent. Like a large shadow that only became visible once you were in dim candlelight. Barely any light escaped from the hearth, everything encased within a thick veil of gloom. Strange shadows danced and melded together on the walls, bending and stretching in the ever-moving flames of the fire. The only thing that remained constant, the same, was the empty feeling of the room and the feeling of being watched.

Biting her lip, Elizabeth stepped onto the first step. Her footstep echoed, not challenged by any particular noise, and no-one came rushing towards her. Good. If she was going to freeload for the night, then she wanted to avoid the owner of this place.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, the goddess made her way up the cold stone steps. As she did, she couldn't help but note the unsettling silence of the room and the dust set thick in the air. There wasn't much to go off from her surroundings, if you could even call it that, and she noted how some things did need a good clean. For such a magnificent and avidly talked about place, this castle sure was quiet and lonesome and secluded. It was like no-one really lived here. She was certain that she even heard a spider scuttle across the steps.

Spotting her desired target, Elizabeth set down the walking stick and leaned it against the hearth. Then, she hung her scarf over the back of a single wooden chair and stared at the small, glowing fire. Ash had piled around it, grey and dead, and rested in heaps that slouched on top of the stone the fire burned upon. Feeding the small flames was just a small chunk of wood, most likely burned out over the past while.

"That won't do..." Elizabeth frowned, looking around for more wood. If she wanted to get a decent amount of rest before Meliodas came around, then she needed to make sure this fire was well fed. A dying fire was never a good thing.

Noting the stack of pre-chopped wood beside the hearth, the female grinned and grabbed two pieces. Steadily, she fed the fire both chunks, watching as it ate away at the wood and grew in intensity and heat. Soon, it was emitting a pretty decent amount of glow and warmth - the right amount for the goddess to sit and gain some sort of relaxation from.

Sitting down in the chair, Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh as she stretched her hands towards the fire. The cold had set in even more than she had thought, chilling her bones and freezing her skin. Now that the fire was present, she could feel herself loosening up, relaxing a little more. It sent a nice, warm feeling to her stomach, her chest, filling her with a soothing sensation that she had not felt in the last twenty four hours.

"You're a good little fire," Elizabeth smiles a little, her eyes drooping with sleepiness. A small yawn escapes her as she lazily drags her eyes around the room. "Such a shame you're stuck in this dump. But then again, not much surprises me anymore."

Two eyes stare back at the goddess, popping out from the fire's flames. They dance with its body, not burning or combusting, but instead blinking as they look the goddess up and down.

"Well, I sure don't envy you, lady," The fire spoke, its voice surprising the female. It came out high pitched and cynical - snarky, even - as the flames grew little arms that rested on the logs. "That is one heck of spell you're under. I mean curses are tough to break, but this one is just near impossible."