Chapter Text
The first time Frank heard the flames sing to him, he was certain that what he was hearing was real. He’d dreamt about fires in the past & he was no stranger to odd hallucinations, but the rush in his veins was a thrilling mixture of fear & lust like nothing he’d ever experienced before. It was then that he decided, with absolute clarity, that he’d devote his life to the pyre… anything to keep hearing its ethereal call.
You strike the match, I’ll fan the fucking flames.
It’d been a few years since that first experience & he’d heard plenty more singing since then, but Frank was still unsatisfied. His hunger was insatiable & it burned deeper than any living flame could accomplish -- as a result, he convinced himself that what he truly needed was to meet the source of the music. There’s something living inside the fire & it needs me to set it free.
There was no one he trusted with this knowledge, even if he had the words to describe it all... but he knew of a place where he could research that which he hoped to accomplish. Near the old tavern, at the edge of town, resided a small bookshop with enough spellbooks, grimoires, & tomes to keep his days occupied.
"What is it that you seek?"
Gerard, the shop’s owner, asked as Frank hastily made his way through the room,
"I may be of help."
"No, that won’t be necessary, thank you,"
he replied curtly, keeping his eyes fixed to the books before him.
"Very well, sir, I will be at my desk if you need me,"
Gerard responded in kind before slipping away.
It wasn’t his first time dealing with closed-off customers, nor would it be the last, but something in the way Frank carried himself made Gerard wary of his presence. I think it best to stay in this man’s good graces, he thought to himself -- not wanting to be presumptuous, but still trusting his intuition.
Glancing back at the stranger, however, he could’ve sworn that for a split second the man’s aura was visible -- smoky, grey, & smoldering -- an evocative vision like no other. As Gerard’s breath caught in his throat, only one thought came to mind: Something burns inside of him, merely bound by flesh & bone.