Chapter 22: The Snow Witch and the Kindling Enigma

Matia and Gern were both utterly stunned. They looked up to see a graceful, mature figure floating effortlessly in mid-air, observing the unfolding situation below.

The peak of the mountain had been cleanly sheared off by an unknown, formidable power.

The woman wore a mage’s robe and a deep blue pointed hat, her smooth black hair cascading elegantly to her waist.

Her profound violet eyes, deep as ancient wells, reflected the chaotic scene beneath her.

The aura emanating from her was terrifying, far exceeding anything Gern had ever known. Even in her previous life, Gern had never encountered anyone of such immense power.

The woman noticed Gern’s condition, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. However, seeing no trace of Chaos energy on Gern, she shifted her focus entirely to Matia.

“Remnant of the Heretic God Cult, your days are numbered!”

No sooner had the words left her lips than an incredibly potent burst of Holy Light slammed directly into Matia.

The Holy Light, like a scorching sun, seared away the black aura clinging to Matia. Her formidable presence quickly withered, her blood-red eyes fixed intently on the figure above.

“Snow Witch, Theoviga Academy certainly knows how to throw its weight around.”

Matia curled her lip, the black aura around her growing thinner and thinner, her form flickering as if on the verge of disappearing.

Finally, the black aura completely vanished, leaving nothing behind in its place.

Gern, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed onto the ground. She gazed at the area obliterated by the Holy Light, a sigh escaping her lips.

Suddenly, a streak of light flashed before her eyes. The figure who had been in the sky now stood before Gern, observing her with a peculiar expression.

“Dragon girl, why do you carry the aura of a ‘Kindling’?”

“Kindling?”

Gern instinctively hugged herself, stepping back a few paces, a look of confusion on her face.

Observing the adorable innocence of the young girl, the Witch’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Little one, you weren’t originally a dragon, were you?”

“Huh?!”

The Witch smiled. From the little girl’s reaction, she already understood Gern’s current predicament.

However, the immediate priority was not this young girl.

She turned and approached Eliza. Upon sensing the Chaos energy within Eliza, her expression darkened considerably.

Eliza was one of their academy’s most outstanding students, with the potential to rise to a high-ranking position within the institution.

Should anything happen to her, it would be a monumental disaster for the academy, and especially for the now-dwindling Dragon race.

She channeled a portion of her power into the Silver-Haired Girl, meticulously examining Eliza’s current state.

The Chaos energy was primarily concentrated in Eliza’s brain, a critically vital area. If it fully permeated, even the Witch herself would be unable to save her.

Fortunately, the black aura on Eliza had been effectively suppressed. With a bit more time, she could completely purge the Chaos energy from Eliza’s body.

During this process, the Witch glanced at Gern and spoke.

“Do you have any strength left? Help me carry them all out. We don’t know how long this cave will hold; I’ll follow shortly.”

Gern surveyed the utter chaos on the ground and instinctively swallowed. Even if these people were full of vitality, moving them all out would be a formidable task.

With her current depleted vitality, she feared she would collapse from exhaustion before she could move everyone.

“Um… Miss Witch… could you perhaps give me something to recover my strength? I…”

Before Gern could finish, the Witch tossed a Stone of Discord towards her.

“Is this sufficient?”

Seeing the stone, Gern’s eyes immediately lit up. She quickly picked it up and began absorbing its power.

The Stone of Discord was of an astonishingly pure quality. Gern absorbed only a third of its latent power, yet her vitality had almost entirely recovered.

She clenched her small fists, then tossed the Stone of Discord back to the Witch, saying,

“I’ve recovered. Here, take it back.”

“Oh?”

Snow looked up at her, a hint of admiration in her eyes, but she did not accept the stone.

“This item holds no significance for me. You should keep it.”

As she spoke, the Stone of Discord was drawn back into Gern’s hand by an unseen force.

Gern considered this and agreed. After all, the woman before her was a Witch, likely a master of magic, so a Stone of Discord would indeed be of little use to her.

“Thank you, then.”

Gern offered a simple thank you, then began carrying all the unconscious individuals out of the cave.

By then, the sky had completely darkened. Cold winds swept through the cave entrance, and the distant howls of beasts from deeper within the forest lent an eerie, terrifying ambiance to the night.

Gern, however, was unfazed. She simply built a bonfire and sat beside it, waiting for Snow to emerge.

Not long after, Miss Witch emerged, accompanied by Eliza.

The black aura around Eliza had now dissipated. Though she still appeared somewhat weak, she was, for the moment, out of immediate danger.

****

“Alright, little one, now let’s discuss our matter.”

Snow examined all the surrounding students, and finding them unharmed, she settled down next to Gern.

“Huh? What matter?”

Confronted by the sudden shift in conversation, Gern instinctively assumed her use of the Heretic God Cult’s movement technique had aroused Snow’s suspicion. She retreated a few steps, her face etched with wariness.

“Relax, I won’t harm you. I merely wish to understand why you possess the power of a ‘Kindling’ within you.”

Hearing that particular term once more, Gern began to take it seriously.

“Miss Witch, what exactly is a ‘Kindling’?”

“A Kindling, you ask…”

Snow cast a meaningful glance at Gern, then slowly began to speak.

“You can think of it as a countermeasure developed by various races to face the impending Age of Chaos.”

“Age of Chaos?”

Gern had some recollection of that term; it seemed to be the ultimate goal of the Chaos Divine Cult.

“Indeed. A prophecy from a a thousand years ago foretold the inevitable arrival of the Age of Chaos, and its veracity has since been confirmed.”

“We made extensive preparations to confront this prophecy, but with minimal success. And now, our time is running out.”

As she spoke, a flicker of melancholy and nostalgia crossed Snow’s eyes. Perhaps she, too, had played a part in the events of a millennium past.

But in the very next instant, her expression shifted, as if she had become an entirely different person.

“The academy’s Kindling Project is still in its testing phase. How exactly did you acquire the power of a Kindling?”

Gern was utterly bewildered. ‘Still in its testing phase’? Then what on earth was this thing inside her?

“Perhaps you’re mistaken?”

“Oh? I am one of the founders of the Kindling Project. How could I possibly be mistaken?”

Gern grew even more confused. She had never heard of a ‘Kindling Project’ in her previous life. The only connection she could recall was the appearance of a Silver Dragon Girl after a certain secret realm in her past.

‘Could it be related to that secret realm?’

With that thought, Gern briefly recounted her encounter with the mysterious orb.

Upon hearing this, Snow’s brow furrowed slightly. She stood up and drew several peculiar shapes in the air, then connected them with a single line.

‘A spatial-temporal rift? No, a spatial-temporal rift shouldn’t affect reality.’

‘A parallel dimension? Or… from the future?’

Snow mumbled softly, and Gern, standing nearby, couldn’t quite catch everything, only vaguely hearing the phrase ‘parallel dimension.’

“Miss Witch, could it be that what’s inside me…”

“Quiet, I’m making a deduction.”

As she spoke, Snow spread her hands, and a screen formed of flowing water appeared before her. She drew and wrote upon it, but her brow remained tightly furrowed.