When I woke up, I found myself in a place full of rats. I myself turned into a rat. I couldn't speak a human language and just squeak. The rats were looking at me as if I was some kind of stranger who got lost in their land. They started attacking me, so I had no choice but to leave.
I got out of a hole in the ground. I was in the city. It was so chaotic. There were people with tall legs and rushing cars. The buildings seemed so tall and huge. But what I feared the most was the black cat that saw me as if I were some kind of food. I ran as fast as I could, and it chased me.
I almost got hit by the cars. I eventually found a hole. I entered there, but I wasn't as lucky as I thought. There was a snake living in there, and it bit me!
"No!" I screamed so loud as the snake swallowed me.
I opened my eyes and woke up from the nightmare. I realized I had fallen asleep on the sofa. The wood in the hearth was about to go out, so I added more wood. I looked at the fire. It seemed to mesmerize me, and it talked to me!
"Kaila, help me," it said.
"W—who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling in fear.
"I am Pyre. I'm trapped in this fireplace; please get me out of here," it replied.
I extended my hand toward the fire. I didn't know what I was doing either. Something was pushing me to do it. I was about to touch it when Alicia stopped me.
"I wouldn't do that," she said.
"Why?" I asked. "The fire is asking for me to free it."
"It was an illusion, Kaila. Don't listen to it." Alicia let go of my arm. She stood up and sat down on the sofa. She reached for a remote on the desk. "Why won't you just watch a movie instead of talking to a fire? You're acting strangely."
"But are you sure it wasn't real?" I asked.
"Thinking about unreal things makes them exist. That's how powerful the human mind can be."
"I really want to think that everything's normal, that all of these are just an illusion or a dream. I want my normal life back, but it seems like things we wanted the most are difficult to get," I said as I sat down on the couch.
"Let's just watch movies." Alicia turned the TV on.
The voice coming from the hearth continued. I couldn't ignore it. "It's telling me something," I said.
"Who?" Alicia asked, confused. She turned off the TV. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not losing my mind, but I can hear the fire talking to me," I said.
"That sounds crazy, but I believe in you. Why won't you go and ask what it wants?" she asked.
"It actually asked me to free him."
"Okay, then do it."
I walked toward the fireplace. The fire grew bigger. I extended my hand, and I was surprised that it wasn't hot at all and I didn't get burned. The fire I'm holding turned into a hand, which surprised me, but I didn't let it go, and I pulled it out from the hearth until it formed its body.
"W—who are you?" I asked.
"I already told you that. I'm Pyre. I've been sealed in this place for a very long time. Thank you so much for setting me free," it said.
The fire gradually turned into a human body. It was a man. He wasn't wearing anything. I blushed looking at him. He has big muscles in his arms and abdomen, reddish hair, amber eyes, a clean-shaven face, and a big dick.
"Please, can you cover your body first?" I asked.
"Um, yeah," he said something. Clothes appeared in his hands. I didn't know where he got them, but he wore them on immediately.
"How did you do that?" I asked.
"Magic," he replied. "I was actually a genie, but it all ended when the bottle where I was trapped was broken by someone. He cursed and turned me into fire."
"That person must be powerful, isn't he?"
"Very powerful," he said.
"Is he evil or good?" I asked.
"That's enough, Kaila," Alicia interrupted. She looked at the man. "So, what are you planning to do now?"
"I want to serve my liberator, ma'am. I'm willing to help her with anything," he said.
"Okay, then. You said you're willing to help with anything. Can you kill people?" Alicia asked.
"Kill people?" The man hesitated. "I can, if they are evil, but if they aren't doing anything bad, my magic will be ineffective towards them."
"Then you don't deserve to be with us. We need someone who doesn't hesitate to kill, especially when put in a dangerous situation."
"Please don't drive me away, ma'am. I have nothing to do with my life anymore, so I'll try my best," he replied.
"We're not really forcing you to do the things you don't want to do. We need your full cooperation; if you can't give us that, then you may leave," Alicia said.
"Okay, ma'am, I have decided. I'll do anything."
"There's no going back once you've joined us."
"Please take care of me, ma'am," he said.
And so, Pyre, an expert magician, has started his journey with us. He showed us his skills with magic. He could use different types of magic, from water, fire, earth, and air. It would be very convenient to have him on our side.
The next day, we started looking for our next enemies. Thanks to Pyre's thousand-mile eyes. We could locate them easily even without Alicia's help.
"I'll take you there." Alicia used teleportation magic.
We appeared at the seashore. There were some people lying on the sand, exposing their skin to the sun. It was a wonderful day to relax and have fun. The clear blue water was so tempting, as if telling me to swim.
"Whoa!" My eyes sparkled in amazement.
"Kaila, don't forget why we're here," Alicia said.
"Don't kill the fun, Alice. It's just once in a while. So please, allow me to enjoy this," I begged.
"Alright, alright, just for today," Alice said.
I jumped in excitement and happiness. Finally, I can do something I want. I have been thinking about how to kill my enemies and seeing blood. I want to breathe for a while and just relax.