The war between the Demons and the Alliance spanned more than a decade. My reputation was well known in the Army. I was called Celia, the Inferno; my aptitude for fire magic and flames was second to none. My rise in rank was mainly due to my father using his position as general, but I proved to my subordinates that I could match my power to those of the Lords.
My disposition of the Blood Rite halted my accession to Lord. With my efforts, I would stay behind those stronger than me. In turn, I only stayed as Captain of a force. My title as Inferno was the only thing that I was recognized for. There was a time when I felt so alone in such a big world. My peers looked down upon me for my ideology and my truth. With each battle I waged, the more I felt the eyes of disgust would stalk me.
After serving for several years, I was able to naturally move up and join the leading force in their efforts. That was when I met my husband. He was very handsome, but I initially believed him to be insufferable and annoying. But his charms soon won me over, and I began to open up to him and learn more about myself. Our days together were something I cherished. I forgot about our squabbling war and what it carried. Tarkin would find time to pick flowers and give them to me. It was cute and nice that he treated me in such a way.
Before long, we married and continued to serve our King. I’ll spare the details, but it was a wonderful time besides the death and misery. Tarkin was valiant and a fearless leader. He was well respected and marched us to Heistorm. My father was attacking the elves with one of the Lords, but we received word that his Lord was slain and his army routed. King Dragor decided to join our expedition to hasten the takeover of Heistorm and get revenge on the elves.
Before that day, I had told Tarkin we had lost this war. It was the first time I saw him get angry with me over anything. He believed our combined power might be enough to take on any foe. I wanted to agree with his sentiment, but I knew I would never meet his power. After years of staving off the Blood Rite, I slowly lost my power; I took more commanding roles and less fighting. I felt so much shame as the wife of Tarkin, the War Master.
King Dragor gave us the word to charge, him leading it as one massive push to break the Empire and destroy the King and Queen. They and their Thousand Knight Charge was a day to grace history forever. For them, it was a day of glory and honor. For me, it was the day I lost everything. When Dragor fell in battle, I knew we should retreat, but Tarkin felt he could lead us to victory, and I couldn’t keep up with him or our army.
The sky was dark red with the blood of Demons and humans alike. I tried to summon my Infernal powers to aid Tarkin, but when I tried, I felt only a spark of something I once had. So, I took a sword and charged after my husband. Deep in my heart, I didn’t want to accept the end, but I knew I had to be by his side no matter what. I fought to him, but the Knights of Heistorm and the Imperial Guard broke us down piece by piece.
Wounded in the battle, death nearly approached me as a group of Knights surrounded me. They fought well, and I did my best to strike each down until one of their spears pierced my chest, perpetually leaving me to bleed out and die. I lay on the battlefield in the blood of slayed Demons and humans; their blood stunk the air.
I clawed my way forward, seeing him in the distance continue to fight what he could. Tarkin fought until his hands bled. His body was bruised, and his face glistened with blood and sweat. But, just like me, the Knights cornered him, and with the last of his strength, he struck them down, but they landed a vital blow to his heart. I crawled over to his body, the last of my strength to hold his dying body in my arms. I was no closer than he was, but I wanted to hold him one last time.
His final words were short but sweet. He admired my beauty and the fire that I held within. He knew I lost my powers and told me I was stronger than anyone to always believe in myself and what I wanted. He apologized to me; he knew I would hate him for it, but deep down, he didn’t want me to die.
With his dying wish, he told me to devour him, devour his flesh and blood, regain my power and more, and live. I cried, knowing that this was our goodbye, with him having to submit to his fate and me having to choose whether to die with him in my arms or exact my final revenge on the humans before I went. Either way, I knew I was going to die.
Reluctantly, I devoured him, my teeth in his throat. I wanted to make it quick for him, so I tore his artery out. The warm crimson soaked my lips and throat. It was thick, hot, and…delicious. I held onto my sanity so as not to tarnish his body any further. I felt the approaching Knights surrounding a lonesome Demon holding her deceased husband in her arms. I bore the pain deep inside my heart, but the curse, the Blood Rite, had been fulfilled. In a flash, I became Celia, The Inferno once again. I watched as his soft face turned to ash, along with the dozens of knights that surrounded us; with one final flash, I ignited the sky in a pillar of flames.
Fearsome and ferocious, I claimed countless lives. However, there was so much my power could take me before I was defeated. I was one of the last surviving Demons in the war. I would have been executed then and there, but the hearts of men were vile. They sought to exploit me, soil me, and torture me for years on end, becoming their slave. I’m sure you know that I was used for physical labor, used for men, and treated like a thing for many years. I regretted performing the Blood Rite; death was my only salvation until your father bought me and took me into the Aris estate. Ironically, I had lost the war and battle to take over Heistorm, yet your father gave me a place to call home. It wasn’t soon when you came into the house, just a young boy with white hair and blue eyes.
You were the next thing I could carry my life with; as a debt owed to your father, I decided to devote myself to you, my lord; as your humble servant, I will give my life to you. I’m sure Tarkin would find it funny where I am now, but he is in the past, and now the future for me is you and house Aris. I promise to always serve and stay by your side. I won’t make the same mistakes I did in the past…
