Ember of the Starry Sky

Before I can reach the house, another blast of fire tears through the village, sending debris flying in every direction. I duck behind a stone wall, shielding myself from the burning wreckage. The screams of the villagers fill the air, a twisted symphony of panic and despair. And there, in the middle of it all, is the black mage, calmly advancing, his dark magic spreading chaos with every step.

Great. Just what I needed a full-scale village apocalypse on my already terrible day.

Through the flames, I catch a glimpse of my parents, Asahi and Akio, still scrambling around like headless chickens. Of course, they haven't even noticed that the end of the world is unfolding right outside their door. Typical.

"YUKARI!" My mother's voice slices through the noise, shrill and panicked, but still managing to be as condescending as ever. "Do something! This is all your fault!"

I roll my eyes so hard, I'm pretty sure I just saw my brain. "Yes, Mom, clearly I summoned the psycho mage from hell because I was bored of setting barns on fire."

"You were born under a cursed star!" Akio shouts from across the burning street, waving his arms around like I'm supposed to have a magical solution to this whole catastrophe. "You're nothing but bad luck! Maybe if you hadn't existed—"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Dad! Life was perfect before I came along!" I shout back, dodging a piece of flaming debris that crashes down where I was standing seconds before. "Can we focus on not dying right now?!"

But there's no reasoning with them. My parents are too busy blaming me for literally everything that's happening to notice the very real danger heading their way specifically in the form of a gigantic wall of black flames roaring down the street.

I try to warn them, I really do. But before the words can even leave my mouth, the fire engulfs them, and for a brief, horrifying moment, I hear their screams.

Then, nothing.

Silence.

Just like that, Asahi and Akio Hoshizora are gone. Reduced to ash.

And weirdly enough, I'm not as devastated as I probably should be.

"Well, that's one way to solve the parent problem," I mutter under my breath, shaking off the creeping feeling of guilt. It's not like they ever really cared about me, anyway. And if they had any last words, I'm sure it was something along the lines of "This is all your fault, Yukari," because, let's be real, they never missed an opportunity to remind me of that.

Still, with them gone, it hits me I'm the only one left now.

The black mage is tearing through the village like it's made of dry leaves, and it pretty much is at this point. Flames are everywhere, buildings crumbling, people screaming... or rather, they were screaming. One by one, the voices fall silent as the inferno swallows everything in its path.

I watch in stunned horror as the village I've hated my whole life is reduced to smoldering ruins. The villagers who called me a curse, the kids who threw rocks at me, the neighbors who crossed the street when they saw me coming one by one, they all burn. And as much as I'd love to say I feel some kind of righteous satisfaction, all I can feel is the gnawing realization that I'm next.

I can't outrun this. I can't fight it. This black mage whoever he is has more power than I could ever hope to control. He's turning everything into ash with a flick of his wrist, and I'm just... here. Useless. Pathetic.

Maybe my parents were right. Maybe I am cursed.

The ground rumbles again, and I snap back to the present. I can see the black mage now, standing in the middle of the chaos, cloaked in shadows, his eyes glowing like embers. He's not just powerful he's terrifying. There's something about him, something ancient and dark, like the very fire he commands is alive, hungry, and unstoppable.

And he's coming for me.

My heart is racing, and every instinct is screaming at me to run, but where? There's nowhere left to go. The entire village is burning. The air is thick with smoke, and the heat is suffocating. I can barely see through the haze, but I know he's getting closer. Closer to ending what's left of this place and me along with it.

I stumble over the remains of a cart and nearly face-plant into the dirt, but I catch myself, coughing as the smoke burns my lungs. My palms are slick with sweat or maybe it's fear. Probably both.

As I stand, I notice a familiar figure crumpled by the edge of what used to be the village square. Hiroshi, the old blacksmith. He's barely alive, clutching his chest and wheezing, his face twisted in pain. The fire hasn't claimed him yet, but it's only a matter of time.

"Yukari..." he gasps, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames.

I kneel next to him, trying to ignore the fact that I can feel the heat licking at my back. "Hiroshi, don't move. I'll—"

But what? What am I supposed to do? There's no way I can save him. There's no way I can save anyone.

"I-I should've... left... when I had the chance," Hiroshi says, coughing violently. "Told you... you were... trouble."

I give him a wry smile, even though my heart is pounding in my chest. "Yeah, you and everyone else."

He laughs, but it's a weak, hollow sound. "You're a... good kid, Yukari... even if you're a... walking disaster..."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I say, though it feels like a joke even now.

But before I can say anything else, his body goes still. His eyes glaze over, and I know he's gone. Just like that.

I bite down on my lip, fighting back the sting in my eyes. There's no time to mourn, no time to process what just happened. Hiroshi's gone, and I'm still here, standing in the middle of this nightmare.

And the black mage is almost upon me.

I can feel the temperature drop as his shadow falls over me. Slowly, I turn, my heart racing, my breath catching in my throat. There he is towering, cloaked in darkness, his face hidden beneath the hood of his blackened robe. His eyes burn like molten embers, and his mouth twists into a cruel, amused smile.

"Well, well," he says, his voice as cold as ice despite the flames. "You must be the little fire demon I've heard so much about."

My mouth goes dry. "I—uh... I don't suppose you're here for a friendly chat?"

The mage chuckles, a low, menacing sound. "No, little flame. I'm here to extinguish you."

Panic flares in my chest, but I swallow it down, trying to focus. My hands twitch, and I can feel the familiar spark of fire magic simmering beneath my skin. But it's not enough. Not against him.

"You know, I've been called a lot of things," I say, forcing myself to keep talking anything to delay the inevitable. "Freak. Curse. Walking disaster. But 'little flame' has a nice ring to it. I might keep that one."

The mage's smile widens. "I'm glad you enjoy your title. You won't have long to appreciate it."

His hand rises, fingers crackling with dark energy, and I know it's over. There's no escape, no clever retort that can save me from what's coming next.