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Gern led the way, with Lilia close behind him, while the Olga squad formed a protective escort on both sides and at the rear.
The journey was remarkably calm; not a single Chaos creature appeared, and the surrounding silence was eerily profound.
All credit for this tranquility belonged to General Bape, who, single-handedly, had purged the entire city of Chaos creatures.
As the group ventured further east into the city, the ruined buildings remained a desolate sight, devoid of any life, their structures crumbling in ashen decay.
Finally, after traversing a plaza completely engulfed in darkness, they arrived before a relatively intact circular building.
The architecture was ancient and robust, its sturdy outer walls stubbornly retaining their original form, even after enduring the relentless erosion of Chaos.
Gern closed his eyes, carefully sensing the Kindling within him, confirming that its essence emanated from within this very structure.
Gern was the first to push open the entrance, long since bereft of its doors, and the others followed him inside, filing in one by one.
Inside, the building opened into a vast space. At its center lay a sunken pool, now completely dry, and within its basin, a figure was curled up.
It was a young woman.
She possessed a cascade of fiery red hair that seemed to dance like flames, and her skin was so fair it appeared almost translucent.
A pair of fluffy fox ears drooped weakly from her head, while a matching fiery red, bushy tail wrapped around the lower half of her body.
Her eyes were tightly shut, as if she were lost in a deep slumber. The aura of the Kindling emanated directly from her.
“A Foxfolk?”
Lilia voiced her surprise. Recalling their previous encounter with General Bape, she immediately grew wary, fearing this new individual might prove just as formidable.
Gern’s gaze was fixed intently on the young woman, his heart thrumming uncontrollably in his chest.
It wasn’t merely the resonance of the energy within him; it was a profound summons from the depths of his soul. Gern couldn’t discern whether his accelerated heartbeat stemmed from fear or exhilaration.
A wave of familiarity washed over him, recognizing the ‘Kindling’ aura radiating from the young woman. Indeed, it seemed the young woman before him *was* the Kindling itself.
Just then, as if sensing the presence of living beings, the young woman’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes, brilliant and clear like rubies, were currently clouded with confusion and extreme weakness.
She surveyed the intruders, her gaze finally settling on Gern. A flicker of something unusual sparked in her eyes, then her lips parted, emitting a voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
“Who… are you?”
Gern’s brows furrowed deeply at the sight of the young woman. ‘Could she truly be a living vessel for the Kindling?’ he wondered.
It wasn’t an impossibility. The Kindling itself was designed to combat Chaos power, so it made sense for a living vessel of the Kindling to survive in this place.
The young woman struggled to sit up, but the effort was visibly taxing. Her body had reached an extreme state of weakness.
“Who… are you? Why have you come here?”
Despite her profound physical weakness, the young woman exuded an incredibly terrifying aura, remaining intensely vigilant.
Gern’s mission was to retrieve the Kindling. Since it resided within her, his only recourse was to find a way to bring her back.
Suddenly, he recalled how the Witch Guild had speculated that his own Silver Dragon Kindling originated from the future.
‘Presumably, this little one before him also hailed from the future. Would she, then, know his name?’
“Hello, Miss. My name is Gern.”
As Gern spoke, he carefully observed Sherry’s expression.
Regrettably, Gern detected no flicker of emotion on her face, as if she had no idea who he was.
Suspecting that his future self might not be famous enough, he decided to introduce Lilia, who stood beside him.
“This is Lilia, the Princess of Klett Kingdom.”
At this, a faint glimmer of understanding finally appeared on the little fox’s face.
“Miss Lilia, Mr. Gern, greetings. You can simply call me Sherry.”
The crimson-haired little fox offered an elegant bow to the group, appearing quite reserved.
“Sherry?”
Lilia murmured the name, finding it a little unusual.
“It doesn’t sound like a name from our region.”
“Indeed, it’s not my original name. It was given to me by the Snow Witch.”
“Ah, I see.”
Gern and Lilia exchanged a glance. That certainly explained things.
Just as they prepared to strike while the iron was hot and inquire further about Sherry’s circumstances, she interrupted them.
“Mr. Gern, may I speak with you alone?”
“Huh? Me?”
Gern pointed to himself, utterly bewildered as to why this little fox wished to speak with him privately.
“That’s right. There are some matters unsuitable for them to hear. Please, follow me.”
The little fox departed without further ado, entering a small room nearby.
Gern instinctively glanced back at Lilia. Seeing her nod in approval, he then followed Sherry inside.
“Mr. Gern, you don’t belong to this timeline, do you?”
“What? You… what are you talking about?”
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Gern’s forehead. The fact that he was a reborn individual was his deepest secret.
‘He hadn’t even told Snow. How on earth did this little one before him know?’
“Mr. Gern, I know you have many questions, but please allow me to ask you one first.”
“As a male, how did you come to possess the Kindling?”
“Well…”
Gern shook his head awkwardly, admitting he didn’t know either.
‘He had only initially entered the secret realm hoping to find some valuable items to sell. Who could have foreseen such a bizarre turn of events?’
Seeing that Gern was unaware of his own unique condition, Sherry let out a helpless sigh.
“My apologies for being presumptuous. I suspect this might be related to your rebirth. As a reborn individual, you are inherently an anomaly.”
“To exist outside the established rules is, in your case, quite logical.”
‘What did she mean by that?’
“To you, I am someone from the future, or perhaps it’s the Kindling within me that originates from the future. I am merely a byproduct of it.”
Her words carried a poignant sadness, yet they spoke an undeniable truth.
As another vessel of the Kindling, Gern could feel the pang of sorrow in the young woman’s heart. He wanted to offer words of comfort, but the words caught in his throat, unable to escape.
“Gern, we failed. Chaos devoured our world. Everyone died. All of them.”
“The Witch Guild, the Holy Light Church, Theoviga Academy, the Olga Kingdom, and even Lilia’s Klett Kingdom—all gone. We were a generation of failures.”
Sherry’s face was utterly devoid of expression, as if she had grown numb to it all. Gern listened in silence, not uttering a single word.
The atmosphere plummeted to a freezing point, yet Sherry continued to speak.
“Therefore, we needed an anomaly. A variable that existed outside the established rules.”
‘An anomaly… me?’
“Yes, Gern. In my world, the Witch Guild’s plan had already been declared a failure.”
“If the future is destined to be nothing but void, will you still continue forward?”
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