Sitting elegantly one on of the crates at the edges of the clearing was the redhaired man, who tapped his chin with his pointer finger thoughtfully and nodded at Daruxel. Kasimir's eyes had shone with an unreadable emotion as the little fire demon spouted out large, angry orange-red flames, burning the crates of wood and the bags to crisps. The fire was unmistakably potent, even more than normal fire, but then again the child was a demon. He was more amused and interested when Phynex had begun spitting out rings of fire, which floated outward from him in glowing, flickering rings that ebbed into smoke and dispersed. "Children do so adore those shapes," the man finally murmured, chuckling lightly at the one-eyed creature.
He stood up in one fluid movement, stalking over to where the little demon stood in the center of the clearing. The camp was spacious, stretched out over an empty piece of land that hovered along the edges of a forest. There was no sign of civilization outside of the camp's boundaries, the city where Phynex had been taken from long disappeared, not even a far-away silhouette in the distances. Despite the bright sunlight, pouring down golden on the camp, and the lively, grassy areas sometimes found around the tents, the camp was surprisingly silent. Phynex was taken away from where the other children would have trained, if he had been closer to those tents he would have heard the noises of everyday life for those kids.
"But I remember quite clearly that his father was capable of miraculous shapes. Structures made out of fire, made to move as if they were alive. Little red flowers as well, now wouldn't that be a treat for our audiences?" Kasimir turned to Daruxel. "He should be able to make more than these fire rings if we make him learn. And he will, no matter how long it takes." He glanced at the child, shrugging lightly. "For now, just train him to control his fire and contain it, Daruxel. Otherwise he'll probably starve long before he can even carve a place for himself in this family."
He turned to leave the clearing, walking towards the gap among the circle of crates. Just as he was about to leave Phynex to the tentacled creature, he paused. "And little Phynex, how was your first night here? You were next to our lovely little Selene, weren't you?" A knowing look over his shoulder, Kasimir smirked. "And perhaps a few extra rolls of bread, since you don't seem all that hungry this morning despite getting no breakfasts. I will let this go, for now, since she is such a sweet girl after all..."
"But she's not like you, so don't talk to her. I doubt she would even look at you when you see her again." With that, the man walked off, leaving the two in the clearing surrounded by crates. Phynex would have to prove himself capable of feeding himself in the next weeks, if he learned to control his fire enough to cook his own food. What better motivator was there, other than the promise of hunger if he failed? What would follow, for this young and unfortunate demon, would be the most trying weeks of his life. A dreary existence marked by being forcefully - or startlingly - roused awake from his cell, depending on whether it was Daruxel or Red, trying to cook his meals that were often some small and unfortunate animals, like a rabbit or a squirrel, sometimes a fish, and training his fire all day. Daruxel was a rather casual-spoken teacher, but he made sure to push the boy hard. There was no room for slacking off in this place if Phynex wanted even slightly better living conditions.
And it would be two weeks later until he would even again see the first child he had met in the circus. The pale girl he had seen in the cage, the lamplight emphasizing the thinness of her features, never appeared at the common feeding area like the other children did. It was as if she was a ghost that only appeared to him that first night. She was not spoken of, she was not mentioned. Then again, the fire demon was kept away from the other kids.
He stood up in one fluid movement, stalking over to where the little demon stood in the center of the clearing. The camp was spacious, stretched out over an empty piece of land that hovered along the edges of a forest. There was no sign of civilization outside of the camp's boundaries, the city where Phynex had been taken from long disappeared, not even a far-away silhouette in the distances. Despite the bright sunlight, pouring down golden on the camp, and the lively, grassy areas sometimes found around the tents, the camp was surprisingly silent. Phynex was taken away from where the other children would have trained, if he had been closer to those tents he would have heard the noises of everyday life for those kids.
"But I remember quite clearly that his father was capable of miraculous shapes. Structures made out of fire, made to move as if they were alive. Little red flowers as well, now wouldn't that be a treat for our audiences?" Kasimir turned to Daruxel. "He should be able to make more than these fire rings if we make him learn. And he will, no matter how long it takes." He glanced at the child, shrugging lightly. "For now, just train him to control his fire and contain it, Daruxel. Otherwise he'll probably starve long before he can even carve a place for himself in this family."
He turned to leave the clearing, walking towards the gap among the circle of crates. Just as he was about to leave Phynex to the tentacled creature, he paused. "And little Phynex, how was your first night here? You were next to our lovely little Selene, weren't you?" A knowing look over his shoulder, Kasimir smirked. "And perhaps a few extra rolls of bread, since you don't seem all that hungry this morning despite getting no breakfasts. I will let this go, for now, since she is such a sweet girl after all..."
"But she's not like you, so don't talk to her. I doubt she would even look at you when you see her again." With that, the man walked off, leaving the two in the clearing surrounded by crates. Phynex would have to prove himself capable of feeding himself in the next weeks, if he learned to control his fire enough to cook his own food. What better motivator was there, other than the promise of hunger if he failed? What would follow, for this young and unfortunate demon, would be the most trying weeks of his life. A dreary existence marked by being forcefully - or startlingly - roused awake from his cell, depending on whether it was Daruxel or Red, trying to cook his meals that were often some small and unfortunate animals, like a rabbit or a squirrel, sometimes a fish, and training his fire all day. Daruxel was a rather casual-spoken teacher, but he made sure to push the boy hard. There was no room for slacking off in this place if Phynex wanted even slightly better living conditions.
And it would be two weeks later until he would even again see the first child he had met in the circus. The pale girl he had seen in the cage, the lamplight emphasizing the thinness of her features, never appeared at the common feeding area like the other children did. It was as if she was a ghost that only appeared to him that first night. She was not spoken of, she was not mentioned. Then again, the fire demon was kept away from the other kids.