Trial by Fire

"Weiss!"

Someone called her name from somewhere in the forest. Weiss could barely hear over the sound of the roaring inferno around her. Smoke made it hard to breathe. Weiss looked around, not sure of where to run.

"Weiss, where are you?" Another voice called.

There was no way to tell if it was close or far, but Weiss had made up her mind.

Run. I have to run.

But it was already too late. A tree gave in to its own weight and fell with an ominous creaking. Weiss had heard the commotion and turned to see it coming right for her. It hit hard with full force, crushing her underneath it. Heat from the singed end began burning through her clothes and seared her skin.

She screamed in pain, unable to move the monstrous weight with her torso and chest pinned. She attempted to flare her aura to no avail with inevitable death bearing down on her. Her rapier had been crushed underneath her, the glass vials of dust piercing her back.

She tried screaming again and an eruption of pain came from her lungs causing her vision to fade to black. An iron taste filled throat as she coughed up a mouthful of blood with more pain rushing through her.

In the midst of an unbearable pain a calmness came over her. A wave of cool wind seemed to course through her body. She let her head tilt to the left, dribbling the warm red liquid onto her cheek. There was no more pain, no need to breathe, no need to look back as her world began fading to white.

The last thing she saw were dark red leaves. No, rose petals…

"No! Weiss!"

And she was gone.