Chapter 52: An Elemental’s Past and a Plea for Trust

“Haughty and frigid spirit of ice, heed my call and freeze all that stands in my way! Die!” Ouyang Xiyue declared, a transparent mist clinging to his entire form, lending him an overwhelmingly imposing aura.

“Ice Guard, Ice Blessing, Ice Armor, Divide!” Hovering in the sky, enveloped by the translucent mist, Ouyang Xiyue slowly wove one ice-elemental magic array after another with his outstretched hand. His movements in forming the arrays were remarkably fluid, as if honed by countless real battles.

Blessings and powerful defensive shields manifested, not only enfolding Ouyang Xiyue himself but also splitting and extending to protect everyone present.

“These defensive measures are to protect you from harm in this harsh, icy environment I’m creating; so stay put and don’t move recklessly,” Ouyang Xiyue instructed. Having spoken, he immediately began weaving another magic array, while the fire elemental spirit, upon seeing Ouyang Xiyue, reacted as if confronting an immense threat.

Without the slightest hesitation, she unleashed one powerful fire-elemental magic spell after another towards Ouyang Xiyue. However, the fire elemental spirit had clearly underestimated the adversary before her.

She watched helplessly as her magic, traveling from a distance, slowly approached Ouyang Xiyue. Yet, the closer it drew, the more the fire magic visibly diminished and evaporated, completely dissipating before it could even reach Ouyang Xiyue.

“Ah, you poor child, no matter how strong your individual combat ability, without a proper master to control you, you are merely brute force. You don’t know how to properly wield your magical power; you’re just wildly and uselessly flailing,” Ouyang Xiyue uttered in a light, ethereal voice, as if an angel had descended.

The fire elemental spirit, as if understanding Ouyang Xiyue’s words, grew even more enraged. Elemental spirits were inherently intelligent beings; they would never allow themselves to be easily controlled by humans.

In their own eyes, they were the darlings of the gods, while humans were insignificant and filthy creatures. To become slaves to humans was a shameful act, one they would never permit. They would rather self-destruct than be claimed by humanity.

“You need not be so volatile. I know you understand my words, and you witnessed the overwhelming power of the ice elemental spirit that just suppressed you. It possesses not only its own strength but also an unbreakable, telepathic bond with me. We grow together, helping each other to make our powers even greater. You don’t truly understand humans yet; indeed, some are incredibly vile, but they are a distinct minority. You must broaden your perspective to face this beautiful world. Allow your older sister to soothe you, little one. Be a good child and do not resist—though resistance would be futile anyway,” Ouyang Xiyue said, now wearing an expression of looking down upon all beings, yet his tone remained exceptionally gentle.

“Be good, I told you not to resist. You must be obedient, or older sister will get angry,” Ouyang Xiyue murmured, stepping through the air and slowly approaching the fire elemental spirit.

However, upon seeing Ouyang Xiyue draw closer, the fire elemental spirit reacted as if she had encountered something utterly terrifying, immediately unleashing a barrage of chaotic magic towards him.

At this moment, Ouyang Xiyue’s sacred aura, like an angel descended, completely overwhelmed the fire elemental spirit’s wild and restless energy. The clash between fire and ice elements was a one-sided domination, with ice emerging victorious.

The remaining fire elements on the field dwindled rapidly, and consequently, the area that had just been like a scorching sun suddenly transformed. Gale-force winds rose, heavy snow began to fall, and the air became piercingly cold.

“Elemental Domain, Absolute Ice Realm!” Ouyang Xiyue immediately unleashed his elemental domain. Ripples of faint sky-blue energy spread outwards from him, rapidly engulfing the entire field.

In that instant, all the ice elements on the field seemed to heed the call of their Ice Queen, becoming incredibly turbulent. Like a gluttonous army, they ravenously devoured other elements in the air, growing stronger to serve their queen.

“Ice Extremity Wall!” Bolstered by his domain, Ouyang Xiyue instantly cast a spell. Ice walls surged into existence from thin air, appearing suddenly on all sides of the fire elemental spirit—above, below, and around—completely encasing her in thick ice, forming a box-like prison.

Using the last remnants of fire elemental energy in the air, she unleashed fire magic in a final, desperate struggle. Yet, her efforts were clearly futile. The ice walls forming her prison were incredibly solid, and the fire magic that struck them was directly absorbed and evaporated instead.

The fire elemental spirit appeared deeply unwilling to accept this, for she could not fathom that she, a darling of the gods, had been defeated by a mere human. This brought her a profound sense of shame.

“You don’t need to feel ashamed of your defeat today. You can clearly sense that I’m not fighting alone; my Xiao Xi has helped me immensely. Without it, I believe I wouldn’t have been your match. You must try to accept humans, try to trust each other. Once you achieve mutual trust, you can be like me—I love it, and it loves me. We can trustingly entrust our bodies to each other, and that’s how truly greater power is unleashed. Don’t think of humans as too dirty; whether human or elemental spirit, we are all the same, with our own thoughts and desires. No one will bind you. Be good, let me purify you,” Ouyang Xiyue said, preparing to cast a spell. However… he was interrupted by a voice that suddenly echoed in his mind.

This beautiful and melodious voice, like that of an elf… Ouyang Xiyue’s gaze fell upon the fire elemental spirit, now confined within the prison of ice magic before him, and he understood.

“Divine Magic: Soothe~” Ouyang Xiyue abruptly switched to light magic, casting a spell designed to calm agitated spirits. Enveloped by the magic, the fire elemental spirit gradually grew peaceful. She then began to communicate with Ouyang Xiyue, attempting to speak in the elven language.

“I, too, wish to try trusting humans, but you wouldn’t understand the pain I suffered back then. I was hurt by a human, and ever since that incident, I’ve ceased to trust them. Yet… if there truly could be someone who would treat me like you treat your elemental spirit, I believe I would gladly become their capable assistant… But humans only think of selling us for their own gain, using us until we are no longer useful, then discarding us. Such is human nature, and nature is hard to change…”

Ouyang Xiyue listened as the fire elemental spirit recounted her story. She had once been saved by a human fire mage, and the two had spent a long time together. To understand her language, the human had even specifically learned Elven.

They had once been able to entrust themselves to each other, fighting together and facing even stronger foes without fear. Yet, for some unknown reason, one day the human abandoned her. He imprisoned her within a magic cage and sent her to an auction house, where she was sold for a high price. She didn’t know what had happened… and she didn’t want to know, for she wished no similar tragedy to ever befall her again.

Moved by the fire elemental spirit’s tale, Ouyang Xiyue, too, began conversing with her in the Elven language he had learned years ago. He revealed everything that had happened to him, without the slightest concealment, even sharing his true gender with her.

“We don’t live for others, but for ourselves—for our own beliefs, to live better, to one day control our own destiny. So, you must never give up. How about this: if you trust me, what do you think of her?” Ouyang Xiyue inquired, referring to Night Xuehui. “You can try to get along, try to cooperate, try to trust each other, just like Xiao Xi and I do, entrusting our bodies to one another. Don’t let her usual stern expression fool you; she’s actually very kind-hearted, a truly good person, just not adept at showing her emotions. She grew up in a family where she learned to hide her feelings, so it became a habit. I can stake my life and swear to you that she is absolutely trustworthy. Though she used to tease me quite a bit when we first met, only after spending real time together do you truly come to understand someone. Despite her usual haughty demeanor, as if she’s above all worldly concerns and sees through everything, she’s actually quite starved for affection. For some reason, being with her brings a strange sense of ease, perhaps it’s trust…” Ouyang Xiyue spoke, exchanging stories with the fire elemental spirit in the Elven language.

Behind Ouyang Xiyue, Night Xuehui was utterly bewildered. ‘Good heavens,’ she thought, ‘I never imagined this person could speak Elven.’ She had once wanted to learn it herself, but the Elven language was indeed a bit cumbersome for humans to master.

Coupled with her heavy daily responsibilities, she had put it off. She never expected this girl to know it. ‘Ouyang Xiyue, Ouyang Xiyue, how many more secrets do you hide? You are truly an inscrutable individual.’

“Mm-hmm, alright, alright, it’s settled then. I’ll cancel the magic now. You two try to get along. When you’re with her, uh, just get used to it; she’s always like that, no need to pay her too much mind,” Ouyang Xiyue said in Elven, seemingly a little pleased.

With that, Ouyang Xiyue immediately canceled the ice magic that had controlled the fire elemental spirit, deactivated his own ice elemental domain, and released his elemental spirit to separate from him.

“Xiao Xi, you go back for now. Later tonight, Mama will thank you properly,” Ouyang Xiyue said, stroking Xiao Xi’s head. Xiao Xi let out a long howl towards the sky, then darted into a magic gate that appeared out of thin air, vanishing from sight.

“Come, come over and meet our sister,” Ouyang Xiyue said to the fire elemental spirit, switching back to human language.

Beside her, Night Xuehui listened as Ouyang Xiyue finally began speaking human language again, barely believing her ears. She thought Ouyang Xiyue had been brainwashed by the fire elemental spirit, daring to touch with his bare hand a fire elemental spirit whose temperature was likely many times that of ordinary flames.

“Hey, Xiyue, have you lost your mind?” Night Xuehui started to step forward to stop him, but Ouyang Xiyue cut her off.

“It’s alright, trust me,” Ouyang Xiyue assured her.

He then reached out and touched the fire elemental spirit’s head. The fire elemental spirit appeared like a doll, looking very cute and petite.

Surprisingly, Ouyang Xiyue’s hand remained completely unharmed. As Night Xuehui observed the satisfied expression on Ouyang Xiyue’s face, she felt a herd of ‘grass-mud horses’ stampede through her mind. ‘What on earth did this girl say to it? Did she brainwash the fire elemental spirit?’