Flame of Desperation
The following imagery explains Rin's internal struggle: "The fire billowed outward with a vengeance. She felt a tearing sensation, as if it were being ripped from her gut, from somewhere inside her. It coursed through her, not harming her but immobilizing her. It used her as a conduit. She controlled the flame no more than the wick of a candle might; it rallied to her and enveloped her." It reflects the duality of power—its capacity to protect and to destroy, to elevate and to enslave. Rin's journey in this moment is one of surrender, where she gives up her agency in exchange for the ability to survive and protect what she holds dear. Yet, this surrender comes at a tremendous cost, both to herself and to those around her. The flames that envelop Rin are a manifestation of the war’s all-consuming nature, showing how it reduces them to mere instruments of violence and destruction.
Bloodshot
The narrator asserts, "She stopped sleeping. Her eyes became bloodshot, swollen. Her head swam from days of cramming. When she visited Tutor Feyrik at his home one night to pick up a new set of books, her gaze was desperate, unfocused. She stared past him as he spoke." This imagery highlights Rin's exhaustion and emotional state. Her eyes being described as "bloodshot, swollen" illustrates a visual of tiredness and strain, suggesting that she has been pushing herself far beyond her limits. It conjures a delicate image of her inability to focus as if his words are insubstantial and float away before she can grasp them. This demonstrates her sense of disconnection and frustration.
Enigmatic Realm
“The apparitions became solid. Either she was dreaming, or she had transcended somewhere, but when she took a step forward, her foot touched cold stone. She looked around and saw that she stood in a tiled room no larger than a washroom. There were no doors.” Following this moment of transition from the ethereal to the tangible, Rin encounters a mysterious figure in the confined room. The figure is a woman with crimson eyes who warns her of the Phoenix’s insatiable demands. This encounter rapidly escalates, as the room becomes a stage for intense and unsettling visions. Her warnings about the cost of power—pain and suffering—become apparent as Rin experiences a series of haunting images. These visions underscore the Phoenix's nature as a force of relentless consumption and transformation.
Beauty without Youth
The passage uses striking imagery to convey the Empress's beauty, which transcends the conventional attributes of youth: "Youth, Rin thought, was an amplification of beauty. It was a filter; it could mask what one was lacking, enhance even the most average features. But beauty without youth was dangerous. The Empress’s beauty did not require the soft fullness of young lips, the rosy red of young cheeks, the tenderness of young skin. This beauty cut deep, like a sharpened crystal. This beauty was immortal." This description of her beauty implies that it is timeless, unchanging, and beyond the reach of age or decay. The Empress's beauty is not something that will fade with time. It is permanent with otherworldly qualities, setting her apart from ordinary people.
