Chapter Text
Salem bounded down the spiral steps of Enzior’s tower, her hand gliding along the rough stone wall to steady herself. The old alchemist had been kind enough to offer Salem and Edward a place to stay while they were in Frostmill, and it was safe to say that the pair made the place a lot more lively in the few days they’d been there.
“You know, you should really consider installing a railing for these steps or something, Enzior,” Salem called out as she reached the ground floor. “One wrong step and I’ll break my neck,” she added jokingly.
Enzior gave her a soft chuckle, and returned to his work, flipping through a weathered old tome.
“You sure you don’t want breakfast, Salem?” Edward asked. He was sitting with Enzior at a circular wooden table, stirring a steaming bowl of porridge with his spoon.
“Nope, I’m alright!” Salem answered, pulling the door open. She’d been searching the island for days ever since she got back with Edward, and she had a burning feeling that she’d finally find some answers today.
“Salem–” Edward started, getting up from his seat.
“I’m going to the far end of the Frozen Peaks,” she grinned, itching to continue her search. “Bye!”
She was about a foot out the door when Edward yanked her back inside by the wrist.
“Gloves,” he said simply, tossing her the pair she’d bought at the tailors.
She caught them in mid-air, flashing him a quick smile and running out the door. She just barely saw him roll his eyes from the periphery of her vision and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Salem didn’t think she’d ever get used to Frostmill’s weather. She shivered against its relentless chill as she scaled a steep cliff on her way to the Peaks. Her muscles quivered with each strained effort, threatening to give way, but she pressed on. Gritting her chattering teeth, she pulled herself up over the edge with a grunt.
She’d been trying to track Iris for days, with no luck. Truth be told, she was starting to get frustrated. How could someone vanish so completely on an island made of ice and snow?
In the distance, the remnants of an old manor came into view. All but its foundation had been worn away by the constant freezing winds, leaving behind only a framework of withered wooden beams. In the wreckage, Salem caught sight of a faint glow – the remains of a recent fire.
She grinned.
Finally found you.
Her heart skipped a beat as a burst of flames erupted from the wreckage, arcing towards the summit of Frostmill’s towering mountain. As it hit its target, the searing heat radiating from the blaze melted all of the snow in its wake. Salem couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Vibrant flames danced around a girl with fiery red hair, curling around her arms and illuminating her features. Iris had her arms outstretched in a display of raw power, blindingly bright beams of flare magic melting the snow around her. She had a fierce determination in her eyes that reminded Salem of own, but the sheer power of Iris’s magic made her heart pound in her chest.
This was the moment she’d been waiting for, but Salem couldn’t help but feel a sense of apprehension building up inside of her.
Lost magic can be deadly in the hands of the right user.
She could practically hear Enzior’s words ringing in the back of her skull. Her determination clashed with a nagging instinct to retreat, to slip away unnoticed. With trembling breaths, she mustered her resolve, slowly edging backwards and trying to keep her movements steady and silent. Iris was still focused on the display of her magic, and Salem prayed to the Gods that she didn’t notice her.
With more distance between them, Salem quickened her pace, her footsteps muffled by Iris’ crackling flames and the howling wind as she headed back to the alchemist’s tower in the biting cold. The frozen landscape seemed to mock her audacity, challenging her mere presence, but the promises she’d made to the townspeople weighed heavy on her shoulders.
I am in way over my fucking head.
“And you’re sure it was her?”
“Of course it was her!” Salem groaned, exasperated. “Edward, what kind of question is that? She had bright red hair and was melting the mountain!”
“Alright, alright. I’m just kidding. Gods, it’s so easy to annoy you,” he chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“Very funny, Edward. Anyway,” Salem continued, rolling her eyes and failing to conceal the ghost of a smile on her face. “She was using this crazy fire magic. It was like fire, but way, way brighter. And way hotter.”
“That was flare magic,” Enzior said thoughtfully, coming to join them at the table.
“Well, whatever kind of magic it is, we don’t have much time before that mountain melts completely and floods the village. I have to put an end to this,” she declared resolutely.
Enzior nodded with a quiet smile. “Follow me.”
He led her up a winding staircase to the tower’s top floor, a space filled with brightly-colored potion vials and racks of weapons, shimmering in their enchanted state. “I’ve been meaning to give you something,” the old alchemist said, pulling a black leather jacket out of one of the closets. “Those ingredients you gathered were not, in fact, for a fruit basket, young one,” he winked. “They were for this.”
In awe, Salem took the jacket from his hands, shrugging it over her shoulders. Immediately, she felt something shift inside her, a warmth spreading through her veins. She closed her eyes, letting her power run through her. She held it for a few seconds, letting it blow her hair back before looking up at Enzior with a grin.
“Enzior, this is incredible!” Salem exclaimed. “I feel… so much stronger.”
“I enchanted it to make your magic just slightly more powerful. It also has some protective properties, to help you withstand that heat,” Enzior said proudly.
Overwhelmed by gratitude, she pulled the old alchemist into a tight hug. He gave her a hearty laugh, affectionately patting her on the back. “I can’t thank you enough, Enzior,” she whispered sincerely.
“Good luck out there,” he said. His eyes gleamed with the wisdom of his age as he continued. “But I have a feeling you’ll be just fine.”
“You finally found me, huh?” Iris laughed, her voice laced with mocking amusement. The flames in her palms blazed brighter with the cadence of her laughter.
Salem’s eyes widened, her brows furrowing in confusion. “Wait, how did you know–”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Ravenna scum!” Iris spat. She narrowed her eyes, marching towards Salem. Iris closed the distance between them, shredding Salem’s patience with every step.
The accusation hit Salem like a blow, igniting a spark of anger within her. “Ravenna scum?! I’m not even–” Her voice quivered with a mix of confusion and mounting frustration. “I just want to talk to you!”
Iris sneered, coiling flames intensifying in her grasp. “You’re not gonna trick me. I’ll send you back to Ravenna as a pile of ashes!”
A surge of anger coursed through Salem’s veins, fueling the tempest within her. Confusion twisted into frustration, and frustration gave birth to unbridled rage.
Fine, you want a fight?
Salem took a deep breath in, letting her power course through her, a storm ready to be unleashed. Ashes began to swirl around her, dark and smoky, as she channeled the essence of her abilities. She squared her shoulders, meeting Iris’s fiery gaze head-on.
Let’s fucking fight.
Iris sent a ball of fire hurtling straight towards her head. Salem dove out of the way, finding her bearings and countering with a beam of scalding ash. Iris dispelled it with ease, engulfing Salem’s strike with a blinding display of flares. The two elements collided with a deafening roar, creating a screen of smoke and steam that obscured their view.
Through the haze, Salem caught sight of Iris sneering, her eyes burning with fiery determination. Iris extended her hands, and a wall of flames erupted from the ground, enclosing Salem in a ring of fire. The flames singed the side of her hand, and Salem cried out, using the pain to strengthen her resolve. She conjured a shield made of ash, crackling and hissing as the flames licked at its edges as she prayed that it held through the worst of the inferno.
Iris’s laughter echoed through the air as she continued her assault, sending an onslaught of bright balls of flare magic at Salem. The projectiles whizzed through the air, Salem feeling the searing heat as she dodged and waved, the sound of her heart drumming in her ears with each near-miss.
Iris grew more relentless with each passing second, and Salem’s defensive maneuvers became more and more strained. Iris sent a beam of scalding flames towards her, and Salem extended her hand in an attempt to diffuse it with a blast of her own magic.
Nothing came out.
Salem’s eyes widened, diving out of the way just in time. The tree next to her was obliterated, pine needles and splinters of wood flying up into the air. Sprinting towards the mountain, she rounded the corner, searching for a place to recover her magic reserves.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp yank on the bank of her head, freeing her hair from its confines of braids and buns and sending her sprawling to the ground. Salem scrambled to her feet, brushing her hair out of her face. With a surge of adrenaline, she retaliated with a hook aimed at Iris’s jaw. Her fist found purchase with a loud crack and she resisted the urge to wince at the radiating pain in her hand. The impact caused Iris to stagger back, momentarily stunned.
Ouch. Stick to magic, Salem.
Iris lunged at her with a shriek, sending them both tumbling down a hill, snow kicking up in their wake. Their descent was abruptly cut short when Salem’s back slammed against a boulder at the bottom. The impact sent a shockwave of pain reverberating through her skull, her vision blurring and a deafening ringing on her ears. She felt a metallic taste in her mouth, spitting it out and coloring the snow crimson. Iris rose to her feet, jaw set in a firm line as flames coiled around her arms.
Breathing heavily, Salem held up her hands. “Wait,“ she panted, “listen to me.”
“Why should I?” Iris’s eyes still glinted with anger and defiance and Salem felt the frustration building inside herself surge to its climax.
“For Gods’ sakes, just fucking hear me out, won’t you?!” she shrieked, rising to meet Iris.
Iris froze. She crossed her arms, regarding Salem with angry reluctance. She raised a defiant eyebrow at Salem, as if to tell her to go on at her own risk.
“If you keep melting that mountain, you’re going to flood the village,” Salem seethed. She narrowed her eyes, anger still very much palpable in her tone. “People here are struggling already as it is, so why are you doing this?”
Iris furrowed her brow, studying Salem with scrutiny. “You’re not a bounty hunter, are you?”
“A bounty hunter? Gods, no,” Salem scoffed with disbelief, her hands resting defiantly on her hips. “I’m just–”
“Yeah, you don’t really look like one, anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? And you didn’t answer my question.”
Iris eyed her warily, a rift of silence separating them. The tension between them was still taut enough to cut with a knife, the air still charged with suspicion.
“I’m not out to capture you or anything. Swear it,” Salem pressed on, trying to dispel her reservations. “I just want to help the people here.”
“Noble of you.” Iris sniffed, uncrossing her arms. She glanced at Salem once more before her expression softened, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through her façade. “Well, if you really want to know, I used to live in Ravenna with my father up until a month ago, when soldiers took him away.”
Salem didn’t say anything. What could she even say?
“I don’t know why they did it,” Iris continued with a tinge of sadness. “I mean, he was just a blacksmith. Since then, I’ve been trying to get back at Ravenna any way I can.”
Salem met Iris’s gaze with a newfound sympathy, her anger subsiding as understanding took its place. “This isn’t the way to do that. These people haven’t done anything.”
Iris sighed, her gaze drifting off into the distance. “You’re right. I was just… angry. I didn’t know what else to do.”
A lull of silence settled between them. Salem glanced over Iris again, noting the fresh bruises, cuts, and scratches from the fight that ensued just minutes prior. She’d just met Iris, but had a feeling there was something more to her story.
“Do you want to come get dinner with me?” she asked, her voice holding a note of tentative hope.
“What?” Iris’s eyes went wide, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
“I’m sure you’re tired of eating grilled cod all the time,” Salem said knowingly, trying to lighten the mood. “That’s all there is in these waters.”
Hours of fishing with Edward had proven that. Salem groaned inwardly at the thought of eating that Gods-forsaken fish for the seventh night in a row.
Iris laughed, both in disbelief and amusement. “You’re serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, not on this island. They’ll probably skin me alive.”
The two of them shared a laugh, and Salem felt a pull towards Iris that she couldn’t explain. Maybe they were more alike than met the eye.
“Palo Town’s not too far from here, I heard,” Salem offered, taking a step closer. “If we leave now, we’ll make it there before sundown.”
Iris hesitated, a playful smile on her face as she asked Salem with amusement, “Do I really have a choice?”
Salem grinned. “Not really.”
Iris had insisted that they travel separately to Palo Town. Something about needing to fix something on her sailboat first, but Salem figured it was to avoid a half-hour’s voyage worth of awkward conversation. She was thankful for it; it gave her time to think.
What do you talk about with someone you just exchanged fists, violently aggressive displays of magic, and multiple swear words with? The invitation to dinner had been impulsive on her part, but she didn’t regret it. She had a feeling deep inside of her that something good would come from it.
Salem arrived first. She was tying her boat down when she heard the pounding of boots come towards her from the far end of the docks.
“Tavern’s just through the plaza there!” Iris shouted, fiery red locks billowing behind her as she ran up to Salem. “I’m starving. Hurry up, and let’s go.”
“Alright, alright. Just give me a second,” Salem responded, quickly finishing her knot.
They walked through the plaza in relative quiet, observing the harbor town’s gentle bustle as the sun started to sink lower in the sky.
Iris broke the silence, turning to Salem with a playful smile. “How’d you get here so fast? I swear we left at exactly the same time. If you wanted to race, all you had to do was say so.”
Salem laughed, feeling lighter than usual. “Oh, please. If we were racing, I’d have made it here ages ago.”
“You didn’t seem that fast when you were running earlier,” Iris jested. It took Salem a second to react, and Iris’s intention was drawn away momentarily as her head turned to the side.
“Hey! I was multitasking!” Salem protested, giving Iris a playful shove with another laugh. Iris’s gaze snapped back to her, a puzzled expression on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Salem asked, pausing.
Iris pulled open the tavern door, shaking her head. “Nothing. Let’s eat, I’m starving.”
Salem stepped inside, sitting down at the nearest open table. The warm yellow glow from the lanterns inside served as a stark contrast to the quickly greying skies, the beginnings of a storm starting to roll in. From the window, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure heading to the docks. Tall, messy black hair, walking with purpose. Her breath hitched, her heart hammered in her ears. She felt something in her chest at the sight of him, something raw that she couldn’t quite place.
It has to be him. It has to be.
Iris sat down in the seat in front of her, obscuring her view. The red-haired girl scrunched her eyebrows, turning to the window to see what Salem was looking at.
She waved a hand in front of Salem’s face, amused. “Hey, what about you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Salem said, trying to shake off the slight feeling of unease. “Just… thought I saw someone familiar.” She craned her neck, peering around Iris to try and get another glimpse, but he was gone.
Iris’s gaze flicked back to the window a moment before she shrugged. “If you say so.”
The waiter placed the night’s special onto their table, and Iris burst into hysterical laughter as soon as the waiter left.
Grilled cod. The Gods were cruel, indeed.
Iris’s laughter was contagious, and Salem couldn’t help but join in, eliciting some stares from the other tavern-goers.
“After all we’ve been through to get here,” Iris sputtered out between giggles, “I can’t believe this.”
Salem worked hard to stifle her laughter, swearing her abs would be more defined with every cackle she held back.
After they’d pulled themselves together somewhat, Iris leaned in. “It’s my turn to ask questions now. What’s your story, Salem Adventos?”
Salem hesitated. She didn’t know Iris well, yet like Edward, there was an unexplainable pull, an inexplicable trustworthiness that emanated from within her. Fate’s hand had a funny way of intertwining things, and something inside of Salem urged her to be truthful. Trusting her instincts had served her well thus far, and she figured that she wouldn’t stop now.
She recounted that fateful day on the island, every detail down to the rain. Iris’s curiosity softened, her green eyes regarding Salem with an unspoken understanding
“Is that what that was all about earlier?” Iris asked quietly. “The ‘someone familiar’?”
“Yeah. I thought I saw him walking towards the docks, but…” Salem trailed off, her gaze falling back to the window behind Iris.
“I mean, do you want to see him again? I sure wouldn’t, but if that’s what you want, I’ll help you find him.”
“See, I don’t really know. Yes, I’m angry and I’m confused and I hate to admit it, but I’m a little bit sad, but at the same time,” Salem sighed, “I feel like a part of me is still drawn to him despite everything that’s happened.”
Iris leaned back in her chair, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Salem. “Oh, that’s messy.”
Salem rolled her eyes playfully. “Well, I’m sorry! There are, like, millions of extenuating circumstances. This isn’t easy, you know.”
Iris let out a small laugh and continued. “Here’s what I think – you’re feeling something, however complicated it is. So, if Fate wants to throw you back together, why fight it? See where it takes you. Just promise me one thing. Kick his ass if he ever hurts you again.” Iris held out her pinky, a serious look on her face.
“Promise,” Salem replied with a laugh, hooking her own pinky around Iris’s. Warmth bloomed in her chest as she met Iris’s fiery gaze, thankful to have finally met her match. She hoped that Iris felt the same way, despite the circumstances of their first impression. “So, where are you headed next?”
“Probably Cirrus Island. I’ll have to climb those Gods-forsaken Stepstones, but I’ve heard that they had interactions with Ravenna many years ago, so maybe they know something that the rest of the Bronze Sea doesn’t.”
Salem hummed. She looked at Iris with a grin. “Looking to recruit some extra help?”
Iris smiled back. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“I’ll meet you there in a few days,” Salem said resolutely. “I have to say some goodbyes first.”
A powerful storm had fallen over Palo Town that night, as Salem had suspected. She was itching to begin the next chapter of her journey, but she and Iris decided to stay the night at the inn. Despite the setback, the alternative was the two of them and their ships decomposing at the bottom of the sea. Iris set sail for the Stepstones first thing in the morning, and Salem headed back to Frostmill, one last time.
She stood in front of Enzior, feeling a mixture of both gratitude and sadness.
“You’ve come a long way, young one, and you still have a great length to go. The moment I found you on my doorstep, I sensed an immense power in you. I haven’t felt that in quite some time.”
“You really think so? Sometimes I feel like I’m just stumbling through all of this.” Salem shifted uncomfortably, crossing her arms. “And Iris did almost beat me to a pulp yesterday,” Salem recounted with a chuckle.
Enzior laughed, regarding her with fondness. “I know so. This old man is seldom wrong, but don’t let it get to your head.” He tapped her temple knowingly. She chuckled, a bittersweet feeling bubbling up inside of her. She’d miss this. A lot.
He reached into a hidden pocket, revealing three small vials, each glowing a shimmering pink. “The road ahead will be hard, I’m sure of it, but I have something that may help you along the way. These are very potent healing potions. They are immensely powerful, so use them only in dire situations.”
Salem accepted them, examining them in the light that filtered through the tower’s window. The glistening liquid caught the sun’s rays, reflecting them back and glowing even brighter. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude for Enzior’s unwavering faith in her.
“I can’t thank you enough, Enzior,” she said, voice laden with emotion. “I won’t forget you, I promise.”
He clasped her hands in his, smiling. “Before you go, remember this. You are stronger than you know.”
Her breath caught in her throat, a strange sense of familiarity washing over her.
Her eyes were closed, feigning sleep as she listened to their hushed whispers.
“She’s tough, Mord. Stronger than she knows. Hell, probably stronger than we both know. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
The unwavering confidence in his voice made her heart swell with pride.
“Plus, we’ll keep each other safe, won’t we?”
“Yeah. Yeah, we will.”
She tried to conceal the smile growing on her face, pulling her blanket up over her shoulders and drifting back to sleep.
The memory faded as quickly as it came, leaving her slightly shaken. Salem squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would force the haze to clear.
“Are you alright, young one?” Enzior asked, a hint of concern coloring his tone. He placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to steady her.
She opened her eyes.
“Yes.”
It came out barely audible.
“Yes,” she said again, like she was trying to convince herself, too. “I’m okay. Just… remembered something that happened a long time ago. I think.”
He gave her an understanding look. “Well, the past has a way of resurfacing when we need it most. Let it guide you.”
Salem took a deep breath, fingers grazing the ring on her necklace. She prayed that everything she was doing, she was doing right by the person that gave it to her. The sense of longing burned away, giving way to determination.
“I will.”