The Devil's Broken Doll
The flame pulsed faintly, responsive, aware, as if it recognised the gravity of what she was asking it to do, like it waited not for permission but for certainty.
“Just like before,” she whispered to herself, her voice quieter now, worn thin with exhaustion. “Just… close it.”
She pressed her finger along the line.
The reaction was immediate. The skin sealed beneath the heat, not burning away, not charring, but melting together in a smooth, controlled fusion that followed the path of her touch. The white flame sank into the wound as she moved, not devouring but judging, as though deciding what was allowed to remain, leaving behind a clean line where torn flesh had been moments before.