The old man who had introduced himself as Eldric, the Elemental King, took Aris with him after leaving the place where they had met.
They walked for a long time before finally reaching his home.
It was built at the edge of a cliff, with a forest behind it and mountains visible in the distance. The house was made mostly of stone and wood. It wasn't huge, and there were no guards, servants, or anything that made it look like the home of someone powerful.
Honestly, Aris had expected something completely different from an Elemental King.
Eldric opened the door and walked inside.
"This is where you will stay for now."
Aris looked around.
There wasn't much inside. A few wooden chairs, a table, some shelves, and a fireplace. Everything was clean, but the place was simple.
Eldric pointed toward a small room.
"You can sleep there."
Aris entered the room.
There was a narrow bed, a small wooden table, and a single window facing the mountains.
It wasn't anything special, but Aris didn't care.
After everything that had happened to her, having a place to sleep was already enough.
Eldric placed some food on the table.
"Eat."
Aris sat down.
She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she saw the food. She started eating without saying anything.
Eldric watched her for a few seconds before speaking.
"You look weak."
Aris stopped eating and looked at him.
"I know."
"From tomorrow, I will begin training you in elemental powers."
Aris nodded.
"Thank you."
Eldric didn't reply. He simply turned around and left the room.
Aris continued eating.
The food wasn't anything fancy, but it was warm and filling. She finished everything and placed the bowl aside.
After that, she lay down on the bed.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she was somewhere safe.
But even after closing her eyes, she couldn't sleep properly.
Every time she tried, the same memories came back.
The people she had trusted.
The people who had betrayed her.
Everything she had lost.
Her hands slowly tightened into fists.
She stared at the ceiling for a long time.
I won't forget.
Her eyes became colder.
I will get my revenge.
She didn't know how long it would take.
Maybe years.
Maybe even longer.
But she had already made up her mind.
She would become stronger.
Much stronger.
---
The Next Morning
"Get up."
Aris didn't move.
"Aris."
Nothing.
Eldric stood beside her bed with his arms crossed.
"You are still sleeping?"
Aris slowly opened one eye.
"Five more minutes…"
Eldric stared at her.
"No."
Before Aris could understand what he meant, Eldric raised his hand.
A small amount of water appeared above Aris's head.
Splash!
Cold water fell directly onto her face.
Aris immediately sat up.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
Eldric calmly lowered his hand.
"You were sleeping."
"I KNOW I WAS SLEEPING!"
"Then get up."
Aris wiped the water from her face and glared at him.
Eldric didn't seem bothered at all.
"Water can be gentle when calm," he said. "But when necessary, it can become dangerous. Remember that."
Aris sighed.
"Fine…"
She got out of bed and went to wash properly.
After bathing and changing, she returned to the main room.
Breakfast was already waiting on the table.
Aris immediately walked toward it.
She was about to sit down when Eldric stopped her.
"Training first."
Aris looked at him.
"Wait, what?"
"You cannot eat until your training is complete."
Aris stared at the food.
Then she looked at Eldric.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
"But I'm hungry."
"That is your problem."
Aris's eyebrow twitched.
This old man is going to be annoying.
She pulled her hand away from the table.
"Fine. Let's start."
Eldric nodded.
He walked outside, and Aris followed him.
They stopped a short distance from the house.
Eldric turned toward her.
"Tell me something."
"What?"
"Which element do you want to train first?"
Aris didn't even need to think.
"Fire."
Eldric became quiet for a moment.
There was a slight change in his expression, but Aris couldn't understand what it meant.
"Very well."
Eldric raised his hand.
The air around them suddenly changed.
A strong current of wind gathered around his feet. Dust and small pieces of leaves began moving around them.
Aris took a step back.
"What are you doing?"
Eldric didn't answer.
The wind became stronger.
It formed a large spinning circle beside him.
Then something strange appeared inside it.
A dark opening slowly formed in the center.
Around the edges was a faint glow, almost like the portal was burning from the inside.
Aris stared at it.
"What is that?"
"A portal."
"To where?"
"Another dimension."
Aris looked at him.
"Another dimension?"
"Yes."
Eldric stepped closer to it.
"It is a place where gods and devils observe certain parts of the universe. It is also closer to the origin of some elemental powers."
Aris looked into the portal.
For a moment, she could see her own reflection.
But something felt wrong.
Her appearance looked slightly different.
Not completely different.
Just… unfamiliar.
She couldn't explain it.
Then she noticed something even more strange.
She couldn't feel her powers.
Aris looked at her hands.
Nothing.
Her face became serious.
Why can't I feel anything?
"Where are you?"
Eldric's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
Aris looked at him.
"Oh… nothing."
Eldric studied her for a moment but didn't ask again.
Instead, he pointed toward the portal.
"This path will lead us to Hell."
Aris froze.
"Hell?"
"Yes."
"That doesn't sound like a place where people go to train."
"It isn't."
Eldric stepped toward the portal.
"You will train there because that is where you can learn to control Hellfire."
Aris stared at the portal.
She had heard stories about Hell before.
But hearing that she was actually going there was different.
Still, she didn't back away.
If she wanted power, she couldn't keep running away from dangerous places.
Eldric stepped through.
Aris took a deep breath.
Then she followed.
---
Hell
The moment Aris crossed the portal, everything changed.
The ground beneath her feet was dark and cracked.
The sky was covered in a deep crimson color, and thick smoke could be seen in the distance.
The heat was intense.
Aris immediately felt it against her skin.
She looked around.
Flames burned across the land.
Some were small.
Others reached far into the sky.
She had never seen anything like this before.
"This is Hell…"
Eldric nodded.
Aris didn't say anything.
Then she felt something.
Someone was watching them.
Actually, it wasn't just one person.
There were many.
Aris looked around, but she couldn't see anyone.
Eldric noticed her reaction.
"They know we're here."
"Who?"
"Gods. Devils. Other beings."
Aris swallowed.
Before she could say anything else, several powerful presences appeared around them.
Figures began appearing in the distance.
Some looked like gods.
Others clearly weren't human.
They had come because Eldric had entered Hell.
The gods looked toward him.
"Elemental King."
Their voices carried across the area.
Eldric simply nodded.
Then their attention moved toward Aris.
"Who is the girl?"
Eldric answered without hesitation.
"Her name is Aris."
Aris remained silent.
"She has no parents," Eldric continued. "She is weak. I brought her here to train her in fire."
One of the gods looked at Aris carefully.
"She doesn't look particularly strong."
Eldric didn't react.
"Appearances can be misleading."
The god remained silent.
Several others continued looking at Aris.
She could feel their attention on her.
It made her uncomfortable, but she refused to show fear.
After a few moments, one of the gods finally spoke.
"Very well. Continue your training."
The figures slowly disappeared.
Aris let out a breath.
She hadn't realized she had been holding it.
Eldric turned toward her.
"Come."
They continued deeper into Hell.
---
After walking for some time, they reached a large stone hall.
The place looked ancient.
Huge pillars stood along the sides, and strange marks covered the walls.
At the center of the hall was a large device surrounded by flames.
Aris stopped.
"What is that?"
Eldric looked at it.
"This is what you will use for your training."
Aris stared at the flames.
They were different from normal fire.
The flames were darker and much more intense.
Eldric walked toward the device.
"Ay—"
He stopped for a moment.
Then he looked at her.
"Aris."
"What?"
"Before you continue, you need to learn how to control the fire inside your body."
Aris frowned.
"How am I supposed to control it when I don't even understand it?"
"That is what training is for."
Eldric pointed toward the device.
"You will stay inside it for two hours."
Aris looked at him like he had just said something insane.
"What?"
"Two hours."
"You're joking."
"No."
Aris looked at the flames again.
She could already feel the heat from where she was standing.
"That thing looks like it could kill me."
"It can."
Aris's expression changed.
"Then why would I go inside it?"
"Because you want power."
Aris didn't answer.
Eldric continued.
"Hellfire is not normal fire. It can destroy the body, the soul, and even things that should not be destroyed."
Aris stared at him.
"And you expect me to survive that?"
"I expect you to try."
Aris looked at the device again.
She was scared.
She didn't want to admit it, but she was.
Still, she remembered why she had come here.
Her revenge.
The people who had taken everything from her.
If she wanted to defeat them one day, she couldn't remain weak.
She stepped forward.
Eldric watched silently.
Aris stopped at the entrance.
"Two hours, right?"
"Yes."
She took one final breath.
Then she stepped inside.
---
Aris waited for the pain.
Nothing happened.
She opened her eyes.
The fire was surrounding her, but it wasn't burning her.
Instead, the flames were moving around her body.
Aris slowly looked at her hands.
"What…"
She expected pain.
But there was none.
The heat was spreading through her body.
It felt strange.
Almost familiar.
Her heartbeat slowly became calmer.
The fear she had felt disappeared.
Then she noticed something else.
A strange smell.
It was old.
Very old.
Aris couldn't explain it, but the smell felt familiar to her.
Her head suddenly started hurting.
Images began appearing in her mind.
A red sky.
A destroyed land.
A huge throne.
Figures kneeling before it.
She couldn't understand what she was seeing.
Then she saw herself.
Not as the person she was now.
Something else.
Someone else.
A devil.
Aris's eyes widened.
What is this?
She saw more memories.
Places she had never visited.
People she had never met.
Yet somehow, they felt like they belonged to her.
Outside the device, Eldric had stopped moving.
His eyes were fixed on the flames.
Something was wrong.
The Hellfire wasn't attacking Aris.
It was reacting to her.
The flames moved around her without harming her.
Eldric's expression slowly changed.
"No…"
He took a step forward.
He had trained with Hellfire for years.
He knew exactly how dangerous it was.
But this was different.
The fire was accepting her.
Almost as if it recognized her.
Then the entire hall shook.
BOOM!
Cracks appeared across the ground.
Aris looked up.
"What was that?"
Eldric turned toward the entrance.
Something powerful was approaching.
The ground shook again.
A figure emerged from the depths.
Saturn.
His arrival alone caused the stone beneath him to crack.
He looked around the hall before suddenly stopping.
His expression changed.
He took a deep breath.
"That scent…"
His eyes narrowed.
"An ancient devil."
He looked around.
"One that should not exist."
Then his eyes landed on Eldric.
And finally, on the girl standing inside the Hellfire.
Saturn froze.
The flames were moving around Aris.
They weren't attacking her.
They were making space for her.
Saturn's face changed completely.
"Impossible."
Eldric didn't say anything.
Saturn stared at the fire.
"That fire erases existence itself…"
His voice became quieter.
"So why isn't she being destroyed?"
Aris suddenly opened her eyes.
A strange feeling passed through her body.
Then a voice appeared inside her head.
System Notification.
Authority recognized.
Elemental Dominion: Fire — Mastered.
Aris stared ahead.
She didn't understand what had just happened.
Eldric, however, did.
He took a step backward.
He had spent two years learning to withstand Hellfire.
Two years.
And Aris had mastered it in minutes.
Saturn looked at her in complete disbelief.
For the first time, even the god of Hell didn't know what to say.
The devils watching from the distance were equally shocked.
They had expected to see a weak girl being tested by Hellfire.
Instead, they were watching something that should have been impossible.
Aris slowly stepped out of the device.
The flames followed her for a moment before settling down.
She looked at her hands.
A small flame appeared above her palm.
She stared at it.
It didn't hurt.
It felt natural.
Eldric looked at her with a serious expression.
"Aris…"
She looked at him.
"What?"
Eldric didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved toward Saturn.
Saturn was still staring at her.
The same thought was running through the minds of everyone watching.
Who exactly was this girl?
Aris didn't know the answer yet.
But one thing was certain.
Her training had only just begun.