The dozens of meters long staircase is filled with Dawn members and high magicians. Dressed in their neat attire, with their hair groomed and clearly amused by the situation. Some grin, others keep a straight face.

As I descend the steps, they stare at me like a child who has a plate of food in front of them that they don't like. All I see is disgust.

The high magicians dare to hurl words at me that are forbidden for young ears. If they weren't so vain, they would have thrown things at my head, like rotten tomatoes or even stones if they had the chance.

At the bottom of the stairs, on the vast grassy plain, stands the audience. Not magicians or Dawn members, but hundreds of citizens: vampires, werewolves, elves, and even humans, all in a circle around the bonfire.

The crowd of people is kept at a distance by dozens of guards who hold their swords pointed at them. Unlike the magicians, the rest of the audience remains eerily silent. Their faces show no disgust or amusement, but fear and sympathy.

At the bottom of the stairs stand my father, Christiaan, Elien, the bull, and the head of the Dawn in front of the towering stack of wood. I would gladly wipe the grin off Christiaan's face. My father's face is static, just like the head of the Dawn. Elien is unreadable; the black hood hides every emotion.

Torturously slow, I am pushed towards my death via the staircase. The screams of the magicians echo across the open plain.

My gaze is fixed on Elien. Somewhere, deep inside, I ask him for help with that look. However, he does not look back, his head turned towards the grass.

The last step of the last tread feels like the heaviest step I have ever taken. My heart pounds against my ribs, my hands sweat as I fold them together.

The guards stop walking when I am a meter in front of the bonfire. They turn around and take their place on the stairs along with three other guards.

It is my father who takes the first step forward. He is dressed in a black suit with a large black cloak and the familiar silver crown. His eyes glance fleetingly over me. He must recognize the dress.

'Ladies and gentlemen,' his voice resonates over the crowd.

I direct my gaze to the sky and look at the blue sky. Here and there, a pile of clouds hangs between the blue. The sun high in the sky gives warmth to the grass.

'We are glad that you are present on this revolutionary day, to witness the world becoming more beautiful.'

A loud applause sounds from the stairs. The citizens remain dead silent.

'From today onwards, we will live in a world of equality. No more scoundrels exercising unjust power and disgracing the crown. From today, our world becomes more beautiful.'

After those words, two new guards walk towards me. Everything in my body screams to run, to flee, and to scream. Yet, I remain motionless.

The men firmly grip my arms and push me towards the towering bonfire. The wood is carefully stacked in a cone shape, with a thick beam in the center. Five wooden planks form a staircase to the middle of the pyre, where there is just enough space to stand.

As they push me up the steps, I don't know whether to resist. My body seems to move automatically, but my mind no longer functions.

When my feet touch the narrow platform of less than thirty centimeters, two other guards begin wrapping a five-centimeter thick rope around my waist.

My gaze glides over the crowd in front of me. Citizens hold each other's hands, women hold their children in their arms.

Never before have I seen so many different beings gathered in one place. It is remarkable that I get to experience that on the day of my death.

'Celeste von Dira has been sentenced to death for all her crimes against the crown: murders, use of black magic, theft, and debauchery. Witness how the world is liberated from its cruelty.'

The executioner takes the burning torch, which previously stood next to him in the ground, and begins walking slowly towards me. The magicians start cheering from the stairs.

I turn my gaze back to the crowd, and my heart seems to stop. A few meters into the crowd stands a dark-haired boy whom I could never overlook amidst the crowd. Novak looks at me with fearful eyes.

My eyes scan the crowd, searching for other familiar faces. It doesn't take long before I also spot Alisha and Micca among the crowd. Their eyes radiate the same fear.

My body, which was previously in a state of shock, suddenly seems to awaken. I begin pulling at the ropes around my waist, attempting to create even the slightest movement. However, the rope is bound so tightly around my body that it doesn't give an inch, no matter what position I try to move myself into.

The executioner approaches the bonfire to within a meter. In panic, I pull harder at the ropes.

Novak, Micca, and Alisha have made their way through the crowd and now stand at the forefront with the guards.

With pleading eyes, I look in their direction, and that proves to be enough.

Novak pushes one of the guards aside and sends a wave of fire towards the executioner. It's not a guard who jumps in front of the flames to stop it, but Christiaan. The flames are redirected towards me just before they can reach the executioner.

Before I can scream or anyone can do anything, the stack of wood beneath my feet ignites.

The red flames ominously engulf me as they greedily devour the wood. The suffocating smoke fills my lungs, and the intense heat mercilessly surrounds me, while chaos escalates around me.

Novak keeps the guards at bay with a sea of flames, while Christiaan follows closely behind him. Alisha defends Novak with all her might, while Micca tries to make his way towards the bonfire.

The once silent crowd bursts into desperate screams, some break through the line of guards and join the fight.

The guards rush towards my father and the head of the Dawn, escorting them away from the battleground as quickly as possible, up the stairs.

Elien has been standing silently the entire time, but as a guard runs towards him to remove him from the battlefield, he does the most unexpected thing he could have done. Black flames leave his hands, and the well-intentioned guard falls lifeless to the ground. He takes a step forward and joins Alisha in the fight against the guards.

With anxious eyes, I witness how Novak holds his ground amidst the guards and the raging magic of Christiaan.

The fire rages wildly, the heat almost unbearable. The towering flames burn just centimeters from my feet.

Despite Micca's green-blue magic, he fails to take even a step towards me. Every time a guard lies lifeless or unconscious on the ground, a new one immediately appears in his path.

My gaze is abruptly drawn away from the fight when a burning pain strikes my ankles.

It is that burning pain that unleashes something within me that I didn't know I possessed. The anger, the fear, and all the black magic flowing through my veins surge through my lifelines.

The burning pain subsides, and only the scorching heat is felt. The rope around my waist disintegrates within seconds, without even touching me. Even the handcuffs melt under the intense heat.

The people who were only a few meters from the bonfire are engulfed by the sea of flames.

Novak and Micca stand just far enough away to avoid being hit.

The power and strength flowing through my veins are unprecedented. I have never felt this before.

With a swing of my liberated hand, I send the fire up the stairs. High magicians and members of the Dawn scream as the flames engulf them. Panic spreads, people run up the stairs, stumbling and shouting.

Every person who falls lifeless on the stairs gives me more magic.

All eyes are on me as I jump from the bonfire. Even Christiaan stares at me with wide eyes. A deadly silence hangs in the air, until the guards remember that they have work to do and rush towards me.

I send a sea of flames in their direction. Some try to stop running before being engulfed by the fire.

I turn around and look Christiaan straight in his filthy eyes. His hair disheveled, his neat clothes covered in soot and tears.

There is nothing I want more than to burn him alive on the spot, but Novak grabs me. His red eyes meet mine, a mixture of relief, astonishment, and a touch of fear.

'We have to go.'

Dozens of guards rush down the stairs. Innocent citizens are not spared as they come towards us.

With a nod, I agree.

With a final look at Christiaan. A look that promises him that his death will come from my hand and last as long as possible.

It is that look that prompts him to make a final desperate attempt to unleash his magic towards us. Novak wants to stop him, but I beat him to it. With a combination of wind and fire, I redirect his magic back towards him. He dodges, but his neat clothes are not spared. The jacket catches fire, and guards rush to his aid.

Novak firmly grasps my wrist and pulls me away from the battlefield. Alisha, Micca, and Elien run after us, down the grassy plain and into the forest.