6 - Fire and water

It was at night that Sulfur left the cove. The sirens tried to hold him for as long as they could. They brought him many pearls and marine plants, all more beautiful than others. However nothing did. The glimmer of curiosity in the eyes of Sulfur was extinguished, leaving room for only a vast indifference. As the sirens continued to pile up their marine treasures creating a miniature castle, Sulfur decided to continue his journey. He wished them good-bye with a hand gesture and then moved away to the land. The raucous noises of the mermaid's lamentations were heard for several kilometres and were not heard until long after his departure.

Despite the fact that it was now within the land, ambient humidity did not weaken. The fine sand that had made the pleasure of Sulfur turned into a peat bog. If one did not pay attention where the feet were laid, it was even easy to sink into the marshes scattered here and there.

Roots camouflaged by tall grasses did not facilitate walking. The trees, hitherto distant, were now very close and were grouped into a diffuse wood but wide enough to allow a little light to filter. This made the atmosphere heavy and visibility complicated. Yet, Sulfur continued his journey without great difficulty. Neither the terrain nor the brightness seemed to be an obstacle to him. With an assured step, he made his presence heard with the felted clapote of his steps in the puddles he passed through. He sank between the sparkling trunks of this swamp forest without any specific destination. He used to wander without a goal, walking where his instincts dictated him to go.

Its shape was completely melted with the surrounding darkness. Only her milky eyes still betrayed her presence. Suddenly, a glimmer seemed to be reflected in its extinct plums, making them for a moment, the illusion of a forgotten frenzy. As caught by this fleeting sparkle, Sulfur turned alive in his direction. He looked at the slightest light like a predator tracking his prey.

His curiosity had been aroused.

He felt his excitement rising, his muscles contracting and his senses stinging. It was then that he saw him. A weak bluish flame swirling between the trees. She seemed hesitant and hid from trunk to trunk, slowly but surely moving away from Sulfur.

Threshing legs, Sulfur began to transfer her weight to one of her own. But as he was preparing to simmer in pursuit, the flame disappeared. It was then that another one appeared five meters further in an opposite direction. This action was repeated ten times before Sulfur did not begin to sting. He struck the ground with force from the foot, creating a whirlwind in the watery ground and fleeting sparks.

Sulfur He went hunting. Vif and agile, he sneaked easily between the trunks. Reducing the distance between him and the flame. His blood was bubbling with excitement and it reflected in every movement. These became more frank, more crude, more instinctive. Far from his appearance as a cervid, the dark savior ran like a panther in the middle of the race. It did not take him long to reach the height of the flicker fire.

In a barely visible gesture, he grabbed the flame. Or at least, that's what he was thinking. When Sulfur I was about to close my fist, and the fire-follet disappeared. The reason then seemed to leave him, leaving room for a violent and bestial instinct. A reddish veil dyed his blind eyes and wet forest air became even heavier. Far from the energy so far deployed, the Saviour leans straight and static. His eyes now scarlet turned to the left. The wood was quiet abyssal. Dark and without any movement or noise. Yet one could not deceive his gaze. In front of his eyes there were about a hundred bluish follets, each of a different size and intensity.

Slowly, as if time had stopped, Sulfur took a step in their direction. The flames trembled but remained still. A second step. The tremors became more sluggish, as if something restricted their movement. At each step of the hybrid, one could see the fires react. Sometimes their flames seemed to extinguish, sometimes they sprang. Sometimes they vibrated, sometimes they seemed petrified. A smile appeared on the lips of Sulfur As he advanced between the flames. He was like a king surrounded by his subjects.

He stopped his walk at the end of a few meters and stretched his arm. The flames then spread all towards him, fluctuating with a thousand fires. Then one of them eventually settles in the hollow of her hand. A flash then troubled the savior's attention. He did not see the other flames falling to the ground as a prostration. The ambient air resumed its breath while images ran forward before the eyes of Sulfur.

The reddish glow that was caught with him gradually disappearing.

Now, flames were burning all around him, burning all over their passage. They did not have the weak bluish colour of those who appeared before him. No, they were red as intense as they were burning. All the surrounding areas had taken the same colour: the ground, the trees and even the sky. In the middle of this inflamed sea is a jais silhouette with orange reflections. No screams. No noise. Just the incessant crackling of flames burning dark and deformed masses scattered all around the appearance... This view provided him with a sense of satisfaction and a fine smile that was born on the face of Sulfur.

When he regained his mind, the wildfires had disappeared. Hidden or evaporated, no light came to light. In the same way that he had arrived, he then returned without turning. His smile still hasn't left his lips.