Kre could see the flames cascade about his body, but he felt only the most gentle, welcoming kind of warmth. The dark red and blue hues danced across the surface of his skin, tickling him with light grazes of what felt like hundreds of warm compresses sliding across his skin. The warmth itself seemed to penetrate deeply, seeking out every corner of his body and nestling softly like a small cat finding a sunbeam.
Though there wasn’t the horrific, burning sensation that he initially expected, Kre could feel an immense amount of pressure on all sides. Unlike the sheer power of each of the commands, which threatened to knock him flat on his back, this intense force kept him rooted solidly in place as if paralyzed.
It was not a feeling he enjoyed, but the flame’s warmth made it tolerable. Tolerable, that is, for all but one part of him.
In the back corner of his mind where a dark shadow lay hiding, Kre could sense the feelings of helplessness and fear mixed with unadulterated rage. The more that the warmth seemed to seep into his body, the more intense the feelings from the shadowy bit. It felt to Kre like an insect bite inside of his skull that just won’t stop itching.
Soon, Kre felt as if his entire body were filled with freshly baked bread, still radiating the heat from the baker’s oven. He basked in the coziness of it even as the mental screams echoed silently in his mind in opposition to the warmth.
Almost as soon as the gentle heat filled his body, it was gone, as were the flames surrounding him. Kre raised his head tentatively, unsure of who or what he might see.
The shock of what he didn’t see caused him to audibly gasp, “…where?” There were no flames. None surrounding him and none towering in front of him. He was alone again on the ice floe. Alone, except for that little nagging bit in the back corner of his mind.
“You’ve made a new friend.” Bel’s voice was slightly sharper than before, but still seemingly distant. She emphasized the word “friend” with a downward inflection, and Kre could hear her disapproval.
“What was that?” he asked, pointedly ignoring her insinuation about the thing occupying part of his consciousness. He could still feel the memory of the fire surrounding him like a hearth-warmed blanket and he was still a bit shaken from its abrupt loss.
Bel was silent, contemplating her next words carefully. It was apparent to Kre that she was putting a lot of care into how much she was going to reveal to him. It was slightly aggravating knowing that things were being held back, but he supposed he had no choice but to continue giving her the benefit of the doubt.