A few days ago...

“Fifty Chameleon Berries, Twenty Plantago roots, and a hundred Zigzal Mugwort plants.” Yuelei listed off the needed ingredients onto a piece of paper before handing it to Silfy. “Do you have enough to buy all of them?”

“Of course.” Silfy nodded, Yuelei did not know what to do with the funds given to her as a down payment, and had ultimately given Silfy the control of her finances. She was also unfamiliar with prices of goods and navigation around the Papalis Marketplace. “They’re relatively common items, so it will only take about half of our bank.”

“Oh? In that case, double the quantity.” Yuelei replied. “We will just make a larger batch of the Snakeskin Bandages.”

“Are you sure? After the last request, you slept for nearly two days due to overworking yourself.”

“It’s fine. Keeps me occupied.” Yuelei did not tell Silfy that she still had trouble falling asleep at night on the days Liur did not return.

“...If you say so. Just take care of yourself alright?”

“Two hundred Snakeskin Bandages?” Lorrin shook her head in amazement. “For someone your age, this is quite impressive. As agreed on, it will be one gold coin per medicated bandage.”

Several knights with team leader insignias walked in and hauled off with the crates of Snakeskin bandages, some of them casting sideways glances at the three girls. For those not of the holy element and thus unable to cast healing magic, these bandages would serve as a means to close up gashes and cuts. It may not be as fast acting, but it certainly can protect them from infections and such.

“Sadly there will not be a request for next week, due to the upcoming Rise of Angelic Wings event.” Lorrin apologized. “...I believe Miss June was the winner three years ago?”

Silfy nodded. “June could not participate due to some… illness last year. Otherwise she would have won too!”

Without a word, Lorrin went and closed the door behind the three of them, her attitude a stark contrast from before. As she sat back down at her desk, the atmosphere was tensed and foreboding.

“If I remember correctly, both you and June were afflicted by an unnamed illness our physicians and healers failed to cure. May I ask how the two of you recovered from the Shadowless Blight? I had heard that Miss Silfy’s condition was fatal.”

Silfy and June shared a look, and then they looked at Yuelei, who simply nodded back.

“Yuelei’s mentor, Lin, was the one who cured us.” Silfy explained.

“Through potions or magic?”

“...I don’t really know. I was not awake during the procedure. It was the same for you, wasn’t it June?” Silfy turned to June, who nodded in confirmation.

“That’s a shame,“ Lorrin sighed. “There has been several new cases and I was hoping we did not have to resort to amputation...”

“The affliction is on the soul, not the body.” Yuelei interjected, recalling a few things Lin had said when she asked him about Silfy’s condition. “Amputation won’t save those that had the curse inflicted on them beforehand.”

Lorrin trained her eyes onto Yuelei. “Is there a remedy?”

“Those that have been completely contaminated are beyond saving.” Yuelei replied. “Those who have the fire or holy element can naturally fight off the soul contamination with a little bit of assistance. Those that are not... requires extensive treatment.”

Lorrin nodded. “And are you… familiar with this treatment?”

“No.” Yuelei shook her head. “Lin was the one that devised the treatment method and plan. And the type of magic involved is something I have never seen before.“

“It’s as if someone was singing directly to my soul.” June added, recalling the vivid sensation of floating through clouds. “Beckoning me towards something.”

“Now that you mention it… back when Lin treated me, I felt as if all of the world’s taint and sins had been washed away, like in the stories of Ecclisa’s redemption.” Silfy added. “I… don’t even know how to describe it.”

Lorrin gaze turned to the three girls, from June, to Silfy, to Yuelei. Her face was expressionless as she tried to sift through the possibilities.

“Are the three of you interested in the unit that was put together to investigate this disease?” She finally offered. Pride was a pointless artifact when there were lives at stake.

“Yuelei, why did you say no~?” Silfy bugged Yuelei as they left the Royal Knight Academy Ward and walked towards home. “It would have been a good chance!”

“You can’t treat an affliction without knowing the root cause.” Yuelei said quietly. “Physical symptoms you can diagnose and treat, but mental and soul bound afflictions are an entirely different case. Cases like these are more of Lin’s specialty, but he is no longer with us.”

“They said expedition to the north, right? June, is your family going to be alright?”

“They will be fine.” June said quietly, mostly to convince herself. “Eckard is wise and strong, enough to have caught the High Priestess’s attention.”

Silfy noticed the hesitation in June’s words. “Don’t worry, June. Lin said he would be going north, and I’m sure he’s the type that would rush into battle to help others!”

“...Not quite, but he definitely won’t turn a blind eye.” Yuelei replied.

“That’s the same thing! Lin’s the type of knight that would charge headfirst into battle!”

“Eh, I always pictured him as some sort of support type mage.” June admitted. “He’s a great healer and from what you two say, he’s really proficient with magic.”

“Actually… he’s probably going to say ‘this is a pain.’ and then use some sort of unfathomable spell.” Yuelei shrugged. “He’s an insane person that can use four elements, and whenever we fought, I could never even get within twenty meters of him.”

“Those four crystals he has around him are truly terrifying.” Silfy agreed. “I don’t think the three of us combined can take one down, much less four and the man himself. Your teacher is a legend, Yuelei, an untold legend in the books. Ahhh, I’m jealous...”

“You say that, Silfy, but I hear you’re the youngest one to ever reach the top tens. And in terms of combat ability, you’re the only one that can fight on par with me.” Yuelei scowled.

“Hehe. You flatter me, I have never beaten you.”

“But you’ve never lost.” Yuelei insisted. “Nearly thirty matches we’ve had, and each time it would end up being a tie.”

“She’s right, Silfy. I don’t even understand how you manage to block my shots sometimes. Do you have eyes on the back and sides of your head or something?”

“What can I say, I have a third sense for danger.” Silfy smiled cheekily. “Father says my mother had the same gift.”

“What was your mother like anyway, before she passed?” Yuelei asked hesitantly.

“According to father… she was a very determined and playful individual.” Silfy said wistfully. “He would always get caught up in her pranks back when they were cadets. Even Father admitted that he had no clue how they ended up together, with the difference in their personalities.”

“I am starting to see where Silfy gets her tomboyish personality from...” June smirked.

“But you love me anyway! Let me love you back!” Silfy tackled June and clung to her side.

“Get off me Silfy! You’re heavy!”

“Did you just call me fat!? I see how it is!” Silfy planted her feet into the ground and would not budge an inch. Her hands reached around June’s slender body, aiming for her weak points.

“Yuelei, help me...” June begged between gasping laughs as Silfy tickled her nonstop. “Get this …insane woman away from me!”

“Insane?” Silfy halted momentarily, a wide and sadistic grin slowly creeping across her face.

“Silfy, you’d best stop.” Yuelei warned as June crumbled to the ground in a twitching heap. “You can actually kill someone like that.”

“What? Really?”

Before Yuelei could respond, a frigid wind announced Liur’s arrival. That, and the corpse of some boar-come-snake creature that dropped in front of them after bouncing a few times off the ground.

“You’ve brought another strange thing again… ” Silfy’s crouched near the Veleonade Serpent and poked at it. “Well, at least Galvin would be more than happy to oblige.”

“That wouldn’t be wise.” Yuelei carefully checked the beast’s mouth and tails. “It’s something I asked Liur to obtain for me. My supply of Water Orb essence is running low and I needed a replacement. The distilled blood of this creature isn’t as potent but it should have similar effects.”

It was a pain to catch. Liur scratched at Yuelei’s hair in annoyance. I expect a large meal and a nice bottle of Taw Berry Wine for this.

“You seem to be enjoying ‘human’ food, Liur.” Silfy laughed, as Yuelei relayed her words.

Food is good. It is better when it tastes better. Liur flapped her wings indignantly. I deserve a reward.

“That you do, my dear Liur.” Yuelei agreed. Although the Veleonade Serpent was a cowardly beast, it’s abilities and tenaciousness made it rather difficult to find, much more when catching it alive. “How did you manage to catch one so quickly?”

It was a small matter, I simply froze the entire pond. Liur replied.

“Do you understand the meaning of restraint?” Yuelei sighed, as she covered the Veleonade Serpent in ice before picking it up with the assistance of wind magic. The outer layer of scales emitted a pungent musk and was covered in a vicious slime, and the layer of ice took great lengths in reducing it.

Does a lion restrain himself when chasing a gazelle? Liur shrugged. Or when an eagle is catching fish? The one who strikes first seizes initiative.

“I suppose so.” Yuelei admitted.

“Still…. I wonder how it taste.” June murmured.

“Quite the voracious and adventurous eater, aren’t you?” Silfy teased.

“I’ve eaten all sorts of monsters back with my family. This one may even taste pleasant.” June shrugged. “If it moves, you can eat it.”

“There are some chefs that can cook just about anything.” Yuelei nodded. “I once knew someone that was so curious that he would go around putting about everything in his mouth like a kid.”

“‘He? Is it? Yuli, have you been cheating on me and June?” Silfy teased. “Come on then, out with it!”

“...I was referring to a relative.” Yuelei tried to brush her off the topic, but it backfired entirely.

“Oh? A male relative? What’s he like?” Silfy’s eyes radiated light. “If I were to marry him then you and I would practically be sisters, right?”

“Silfy, you shouldn’t take marriage so ligh-”

“But it’s Yuelei’s relative!” Silfy shook June by her shoulders. “If Yuelei’s so pretty already, then imagine what his brother or cousin would be like! He must be like a prince!”

Yuelei could not help but think to herself. This girl’s intuition is scary...

Hearing Yuelei’s thoughts, Liur nodded in agreement.

Later that night, after Yuelei finished processing the Veleonade Snake.

A pot of nasty green slime was boiling on a fire, occasionally emitting yellow clouds. She had shooed away June and Silfy after the midway point since the distillation and cooling process required finer touches. It was early into the night when she was done.

“So where have you been lately, Liur?” Yuelei murmured, as she used a bit of magic to clean herself up. Her Winter’s Breath gathered around her while removing any foreign particles, and left tainted traces of ice on the ground of which she stood upon. It was a simple spell, but Silfy and June had voiced their jealousy at how Yuelei could so easily clean off sweat and dirt. However, when Yuelei offered to use the trick on them, they had almost caught a cold.

Besides running errands for you? Liur chirped in annoyance. I have been visiting the Snow Princess, as she had guests, I thought it best to introduce myself.

“Lumi? Guests?” Yuelei wondered. “Was it Lin?”

No.

“...Are you going to tell me who they are?”

If you want. But eventually, you will meet them anyway, and I do not wish to raise your expectations needlessly.

“I see… but Lumnieve actually has friends, that’s surprising.”

The Snow Princess knows quite a lot of people, she can’t just simply visit them.

“Eh, what was that thing about being the third human to ever enter the Frost Palace?”

The keyword is human, Yuelei. You are the third.

“Wait. Then which one is Lin?”

The second.

“And the first?”

A man from a time long past. The one you once saw in my ancestor’s memories is one of his descendants.

“The one who made a pact with your grandmother?”

Indeed. She was brash and impulsive. Holli was her name, and she was a hard worker that carried Drak’s bloodline.

“Are you complimenting or insulting her?” Yuelei laughed.

She reminds me of your friend, Silfy. Brash, but cares for her friends.

“Now you are being even more vague...”

Holli is… very righteous, but almost blindingly so. Remember the memory I showed you?

“What about it?”

Would you like to see the rest?

Yuelei sat up from her bed hesitantly. “I do but...”

Liur’s eyes glowed blue, and Yuelei started to feel sleepy as fog covered her vision. She rubbed her eyes and when she pulled away her hand, her surroundings had changed drastically. The sound of clashing weapons and magic echoed around her on the corpse covered battlefield. As far her eyes could see into the distance, armies marched forward towards her, stepping over corpses of their former comrades.

“There’s too many...” A voice to Yuelei’s right caused her to turn and see the remaining Crimson Aria members. Compared to the high spirited and full of morale group she had seen the first time, their numbers were now half of that. More than half of them were wounded, and those that could muster strength would carry their wounded comrades. Their bright red hair was now a reddish brown from dried blood, and the white uniforms they wore were all splattered with stains of brown and red..

“Princess Holli, you must retreat.” One tall and stalwart man wielding a giant shield larger than his body knelt before his liege. “As long as you survive, then this resistance can continue.”

“No!” Holli’s voice, once proud and inspiring, was now trembling “I will not walk away while my friends and family are fighting!”

“But you must!” The man removed his helmet and revealed a face half covered in blood. “As long as you keep standing, then we can still fight! As long as we have hope, we will gladly march forward against all odds!”

“Then we go together!” Holli grasped the man’s gauntlets.

“He’s right, Princess Holli, there’s too many of them. For each of us that has fallen, we have slain hundreds, nay, thousands of them. Yet they still come.” A woman in a black mage’s robe said quietly, staring at the incoming enemies. She tapped her staff to the ground, and her figure warped until it resembled that of the princess’s. “You must go, for our sake.”

“Even you Vala….” Holli shook her head in shock as her comrades forcifully took her weapon and handed it to the mage. Several more arms patted her on the back as they dragged her behind them, towards the end of their small group, their red eyes blazing with determination. As soon as the princess was gently pushed out of their group, Vala raised Holli’s sword into the air, and as one unit they all charged forward, intent on meeting their demise head on without looking back.

“...Why?” Holli crumbled to her knees, and a frost phoenix landed next to her as she smashed into the blood soaked ground with her fists.

A deep voice echoed through Yuelei’s mind, the voice of Liur’s ancestor.

Is this what you envisioned, Holli?

“No! I should be there! With them!” Holli’s next slam caused dirt to fly into the air.

Your cause was too soon, child of man. You did not muster enough strength.

With that, the ice phoenix unraveled her wings and flew into the air, leaving the princess to sob alone. After a few minutes, she stood up and turned around just as the forces were about to collide. Her comrades’ sacrifices must not be in vain. Holli took the first step away from the battle, wiping tears from her eyes.

However she halted.

Not because she wanted one final look at her friend’s bravery and final stand.

Not because she was resisting the urge to leave the corpse covered battlefield.

But because snowflakes were falling from the sky.

“Snow…? Here? It’s the middle of the summer.” Holli reached out with a hand as the light flurries turned into a heavy barrage.

“So, is this the girl you were telling me about?” Lumnieve’s familiar voice echoed through the freezing fog that chilled Holli to the bone. The Snow Princess walked through the fog and slid a frigid hand under Holli’s chin and pulled up, so she was facing into her crystal white face. Holli felt that if she did not have the blood of a dragon running through her veins, she would have froze solid at that moment.

“Hmph! Boring.”

Holli coughed and heaved as Lumnieve walked away, the saliva in her mouth had turned into a slush. Her teeth chattered and the frost accumulating at her limbs quickly melted away as Lumnieve walked off.

“But since I’ve come this way, and since Drak and you, Quzelt vouched for her… I’ll help out this once.” Lumnieve addressed the frost phoenix prostrated in front of her. Suddenly Holli’s sight was obscured as the heavy snow suddenly turned into a blizzard.

As the freezing fog lifted, Holli beheld thousands upon thousands of Frost Knights standing in front of her, along with Drak and Quzelt the ice phoenix. Fine mist seemed to seep out from the knight’s armor and helmets. As one, they knelt in front of Holli and saluted her.

“The Snow Princess’s Legions of Winter stands with you.” Drak spoke in the dragon tongue. “Drak the Frost Dragon stands with you.”

Just this once, I asked for a favor from a friend. Quzelt, envoy of winter, stands with you. Quzelt said as one of the fight Knights walk forward and presented a zweihander made from a blue steel, bits of magical ice along the edge. What will you do now, young child?

Holli reached for the weapon and blazing blue flames burst from the edges, the tips of her crimson hair turning white.

“We move forward.”

With a sudden jolt, Yuelei shook awake, feeling as if she had just woken from a long dream. Sunlight was pouring through the windows and Liur yawned next to her before going to sleep, exhausted after the ordeal. Yuelei had loads of questions, but decided to let her sleep.

“On guard!” Silfy pointed the staff at Yuelei and Water Bolts shot out towards her. “A sudden strike!”

“I think not!” Yuelei slammed her own staff on the ground, and the water at her ankles rose up in a wall to protect her. She held the staff horizontally and swung forward, sending the wave towards Silfy, which was promptly split in half.

“Miss Alia, Miss Justinia, stop playing around and practice!” The closest instructor hollered at the two who were causing a commotion for the other cadets. They had a rather strict one today, and Yuelei and Silfy sighed in unison.

“I don’t really see the point of this.” Silfy grumbled as she dipped the staff in the water, and when she pulled out, the liquid trailed alongside it in the air like a dancing ribbon. Besides her, Yuelei repeated the gesture, although her ‘ribbon’ was the size of a large serpent’s body. “As usual, your element gathering ability is insane. It’s like you have the power of two or more people.”

Yuelei removed a hand from the staff and the trailing water slowly shrunk until it was the same size of Silfy’s. If she didn’t do so, she would attract too much attention.

“It’s nothing compared to what Lin or Lumi could do.” Yuelei shrugged, using the staff to write letters on the water surface like a brush. It was a tedious but efficient exercise, or so Yuelei thought, thinking about how perhaps she could form some sort of whip-like weapon from ice.

“It’s useless trying to compare yourself to people that are like...” Silfy struggled to find the proper words. “...heroes of legends.”

“Lin? A hero?” Yuelei snorted.

“I mean, he’s strong beyond imagination, and he goes around helping people.”

“Lin’s objectives are… questionable.” Yuelei confessed. “I can’t ever tell what he wants.”

“To save others is to save oneself.” Silfy recited. ” Well, Lin aside, what about the Snow Princess then?”

“She’s not the type to meddle with human affairs.” Yuelei replied instantly. “Unless… well...”

“Go on...” Silfy urged.

“Unless a being of the ice element asks her nicely.” Yuelei recalled the scene from last night, where Quzelt, Liur’s grandmother, had asked Lumnieve for assistance. Yuelei was still curious at how the story ended.

“So, if you’re saying that if you asked her nicely, The Snow Princess would come riding in a white horse to sweep you off your feet?” Silfy teased.

“Don’t ever tell Lumi that. She might actually do it.” Yuelei groaned.

“Are you serious?”

“Very. Liur told me that Gallienoir and Lumnieve had to come to a compromise when Gallienoir went to inform Lumnieve.”

“What? But why would-”

“I wish I understand too, Silfy. I don’t like dancing on someone’s palm either.”

“You’re overthinking it, Yuli.“ Silfy interjected. “As Ecclisa once said, ‘don’t see malicious intent when you can see kindness instead.’ Plus, I am always right.” Silfy puffed up like a proud mother hen. “Just like how I predicted victory would be mine today!”

At her words, Yuelei instantly jumped back a few meters, as water erupted in a geyser from where she was standing before, however as she landed, another geyser of water shot up and doused her clothes.

“You sneaky little-” Yuelei started hurling water spells at Silfy, intending to splash her back.

Needless to say, the two of them got a strict scolding afterwards.

“The two of you play dangerous games.” June sighed, as Silfy eagerly retold her tale of glory and triumph over Yuelei as they walked away. “Just because you’re among the top ten, Silfy, instructors will give you some leeway. However, Yuli isn’t the same.”

“Now that you mention it. What rank are you now, Yuli? All those requests for Lady Lorrin must be adding up...”

“I haven’t checked.” Yuelei shrugged. “I can’t make use of the… what do you call it, the mana battery that stores soul power from the church?”

“The Crosslith?” Silfy answered. “That’s true I suppose, you can’t use holy type magic, or June either for that matter.”

“I still wonder why it has to be holy type magic.” June inquired. “According to some of the relics my tribe carry, magical power storage units are usually multipurpose and can only contain trace amounts of soul power.”

“Magical artifacts have all sorts of enchantments, I wouldn’t be surprised if the one the church uses was specifically made for the holy element.” Yuelei suggested. “...Still according to Lin, the art of enchanting magic is extremely complex and the enchantment can end up backfiring if done unprofessionally… If this Crosslith has been in use all this time, it’s impressive that there’s no deterioration.”

“Ohhh~, as expected from the student of Lin, who called himself the Great Enchanter.” Silfy clapped her hands. “Do you think you can enchant my sword for me?”

“I have no experience.” Yuelei rejected the offer. “You’re better off asking Lin. He’s the one who gave me the Four Chambered Vial, and I suspect some of the magical items Gallienoir gave me was his doing as well...”

“...Magical items?”

Yuelei pulled back her pants to reveal the array of small butterflies circling her anklets, and pressed down below her wrist to reveal a thin purple symbol shaped like a Celtic sword. Finally she slipped a hand beneath her ring and pulled out the ring, Eternal Time.

“These two symbols used to be items but Lumnieve… fused them to my body somehow.” Yuelei said.

“The Snow Princess did?” June asked. “What? How?”

“Magic that treads upon the realm of altering bodies is complex, almost taboo...” Silfy murmured. “It’s banned precisely because of how dangerous it is when it messes up.”

As Silfy explained to June the darker elements of magic, including blood manipulation, curses, death words, life altering, necromancy, possession, mind control, shadow and voodoo, Yuelei could not help but shiver at the things that could have happened to her body.

“However, I think the Snow Princess doesn’t possess the dark element…right, Yuli?”

“I think she only knows how to use frost magic.” Yuelei nodded in confirmation.

“Then the spell she used must have been personally made for you.” Silfy nodded. “...Is she even human to be able to do such a feat?”

“I doubt she’s human at all. But she is no magical beast either. Her existence is... other worldly.” Yuelei admitted.

“If she had not a human form, and I had my eyes closed. I would have taken her for a relentless force of nature.” Silfy nodded in agreement.

“...Now I really don’t want to meet this person.” June shook her head.

“It’s probably best if you don’t actually run into her.” Silfy cautioned. “You can tell when she’s near if the temperature suddenly drops below freezing. The number of times I thought I would freeze to death...”

“Well, if you can somehow manage to protect yourself from her aura, she’s not a bad person.” Yuelei defended. “...Most of the time, that is.”

Later, after evening dinner.

“Silfy, isn’t it time we explain the Rise of Angelic Wings ceremony to Yuelei?”

“Eh… I guess.” Silfy was lazing around after dinner with a book and drinks. It has been some time since they enjoyed some downtime. “To make the long story short, we’re going to use magic on one person to fly in the air and go through a race. The helpers, me and you, Yuli, are the ones in charge of support and defensive spells. June will the one who will be running the course and well… deterring the other competitors.”

“I see… that doesn’t sound hard at all.” Yuelei nodded, lifting a hand and causing June to yelp and float into the air from her levitation spell.

“Normally I would tell you to do it Yuelei but-”

“Not interested.” Yuelei refused flatly.

“I figured as much.” Silfy sighed. “At the end of the course, the finishing competitors will be rated based on how graceful their movements are. That’s the hard part, and the reason I wouldn’t be participating in it.”

“But you’re relatively flexible.” Yuelei offered.

“...Not as much as June.” Silfy pointed her thumb behind her towards June, who was doing some strange exercise she called yoga. “Those strange exercises from her tribe has her twisting in all sorts of strange shapes.”

“How rude! These exercises are good for the body!” June complained as she relaxed her legs and sat up. “If you actually listened to me, then you would be grumbling about back pain after your sword classes.”

“Eh...the last time I tried this split of yours, I thought I broke a bone…” Silfy cringed. “No thank you. Anyways, Yuli, our job is to basically protect June, as well doing flashy effects to make her stand out.”

“...Flashy effects?”

“You know…. Like making water droplets float around her, or using holy magic to form a halo around her head. That sort of thing.” Silfy pointed to June, and condensed holy magic formed a small golden ring around her head.

“Oh….” Yuelei looked over at June, who was now standing and stretching. “June, spread your arms open for a moment.”

“Like this?” June looked like as if she was waiting for a hug.

“Good, now hold still.”

“Yuli what are you-” Silfy started to say as the air started to grow cold and shivers started running down her spine.

“Quiet.” Yuelei’s tone caused Silfy to close her mouth instinctively.

June twitched as the air seemed to condense around her, and Silfy glanced back and forth between June and Yuelei. She grew concerned when she started to feel the tingling magic in the air.

Words came unbidden from her mouth.

“What I desire are the wings of the winter ruler and envoy of the snowy peaks... Quzeltca!” Yuelei mumbled as the image of a soaring frost phoenix seemed to slip out from the corner of her vision and bend to her will. Silfy gasped, as two pairs of transparent white wings of ice formed around June’s back. Just as quickly they formed, they fell to the floor and shattered into pieces.

“Hm… I’ll have to work on it a bit.” Yuelei shrugged, as the cold air in the room was chased away by the warm hearth.

“Yuelei… were those wings? They looked exactly like-”

Mine. Liur’s voice echoed in Yuelei’s mind, obscuring the rest of Silfy’s words as Liur entered in from her favorite window. Her arrival caused the drapes to billow outwards, and light items to fly off the table in the center of the room and the expensive chandelier above them jingled dangerously for a brief moment as some of the candles went out. Even Galvin, the butler, poked his head in to see what was the problem. After confirmed that it was the usual, he nodded and re-lit the candles before smiling and leaving.

“Liur, Can you not make such a rowdy entrance?” Silfy complained as they picked up items off the ground. “This is why we don’t invite you to parties!”

Ignoring Silfy entirely, causing her to shoot Yuelei a hurt face not unlike that of a puppy, Liur made herself comfortable on the bed.

That was an interesting spell, Yuelei. Did you just come up with it?

“Who else in here is capable of using frost magic, if not I?” Yuelei explained the situation with the Rise of Angelic Wings ceremony.

...So you were just playing around. Liur preened her white feathers.

“Anyways, it’s just a bit of ice magic. It’s not like you to become so flustered over a new spell.”

It’s not a new spell. At least, not the entire spell. Liur’s eyes glinted. I had thought you used a spell from a long time ago, but it seems I was wrong.

Yuelei translated her words to the others. Silfy was shaking her head dramatically while June was staring at Liur, her piercing gaze made Liur uncomfortable.

“Oh, are you hungry, Liur?” Silfy walked over with a bowl of one of her favorite snacks, lightly fried strips of meat wrapped around crispy fresh artichokes. She held one out by her fingers. “I’m not sure if it’s to your liking but-”

To everyone’s surprise, Liur gently picked up the morsel by her beak and delicately gobbled it down. Silfy turned to Yuelei and with a radiant smile of glory, shot her a thumbs up as Liur permitted Silfy to pat her lightly.

“Me… me too.” June walked over all with flushed cheeks and offered her own snack, a mix of nuts, dried berries, and wheat cookies. However Liur took one look at it, then turned around and glared at her over the shoulder.

“Um… um.” June flustered and glanced back and forth from Yuelei to Liur, not quite sure what Liur’s cold gesture meant. She was like a lost puppy not sure where to go, and as such, Silfy was desperately trying to hold her laughter, but started to giggle uncontrollably. “Does she not like… nut mix by any chance?”

Yuelei laughed and pulled June back down into her chair. “No, it takes a long time for Liur to permit someone to touch her. It’s not like she dislikes you or-”

I detest archers. Liur grumbled, a common feeling shared among flying magical beasts. Especially really good ones.

“Liur says that you’re a good archer and you scare her.” Yuelei translated with a bit of mischievous spirit.

I did not. Liur fluffed out her chest indignantly, however her denial was lost to June as she clasped her hands together and faced Liur, eyes shining and brimming with light tears.

“I… I… to get such a praiseworthy compliment from an ice phoenix.” June sniffled over dramatically. “My family would be proud of me.”

Why is she crying? Liur tilted her head in both annoyance and confusion.

“This is your fault.” Yuelei accused as she smiled internally. “It’s because you didn’t let her touch that we’re in this situation.”

Wh-

“I mean, come on Liur. Why do you have to avoid us anyway?” Silfy chimed in. “We’re fellow females, so we’re clean!”

Liur shook her head side to side and sighed.

Fine, fine! Just this once!

“Liur says she will let you touch her feathers.” Yuelei informed June.

“I… I am not worthy enough to touch a being of such imminence...” June put waved a hand in denial and started to rub her eyes with the other. “Just being complimented is enough for a lowly archer like me-”

Oh for the love of my great ancestors. Liur flapped her wings and soared around the room, before landing on June’s head. There, are you happy?

Liur stopped as she saw Yuelei, Silfy and June share a thumbs up, Their plan, Operation Snow Bird Landing was a success. They then turned to face June, and as they notice the expression on her face, they started laughing. Liur swirled her head downwards to see the object of their laughter, only to see June’s eyes were clouded as if she was in a state of transcendence, her face flushed and her limbs frozen in the strangest of positions. Making use of her flexibility, she was like a statue, and the contrast between her rigid and unnatural body pose, and her zen-like facial expression was rather humorous.

With as much humanity a frosty ice phoenix can muster, Liur rolled her eyes and simply covered her face with a wing.

The last ingredient is an ounce of powder of a Geestal Core. Liur translated the archaic words from the book of recipes. Yuelei nodded in acknowledgment and reached into a jar to pull out a round sphere the size of a marble. Using a mortar and pestle, she crushed it into powder and poured it in the small vial, already full of a dark brown liquid, like congealed blood. As the silver-gray powder came into contact with the liquid, small puffs of red smoke spurt forth.

I don’t quite understand why you need to create these Crystalflare Bombs. Liur grumbled, as Yuelei carefully poured the liquid into a glass orb the size of a pinball before holding above a flame to seal the hole. Yuelei made no response as she made twenty more of these small harmless looking items, careful not to spill a single drop.

“Because, they sound interesting.” Yuelei carefully picked up one of the Crystalflare bombs and watched as the liquid quickly shrank and formed a black onyx crystal inside. She walked over to the window and tossed the bomb ahead of her “I never realized alchemy could be used in such a way.”

Because it’s weaker and slower than true magic. Liur scoffed as they watched. After flying twenty meters, the glass ball shattered along with the crystal inside, causing a flaring pillar of flame to erupt for a brief moment. As the effect of the alchemical bomb faded away, the ground was burnt, and all the snow on the ground within half meter radius had melted.

“The effects are… definitely nothing to brag about.” Yuelei nodded. “But with some planning, I could use it in battle.”

Are you going to carry a pack around to store your bombs? What if someone accidentally hits them? Liur pointed out the flaws immediately.

Yuelei shrugged. She did not like to carry around things either, preferring to be light on her feet. As she was thinking on this problem, the door slammed opened and Silfy barged in, pulling June along.

“Yuelei! What sort of fun things are you doing that you’re not telling us about?!” Silfy shouted indignantly, clearly annoyed at being left out. “Oh, hello, Liur.”

Hmph! Liur looked away, still upset at being outwitted by the three girls’ scheme.

“Aw~ come on, Liur. We were just playing around.” Silfy tried to apologize.

To think that I, a dignified frost phoenix has been outplayed… Liur shook her head ruefully. This current generation is quite something.

“You’re part of this generation too.” Yuelei pointed out. Liur just sighed and flew up into the air, perching on the roof and out of Silfy’s range.

“Ooh, what are these?” Silfy’s eyes glimmered as she snatched up one of the Crystalflare Bombs and held it close to her face, peering inside “The crystal inside is rather pretty...”

“It’s a bomb.” Yuelei said flatly.

Silfy’s entire body froze. In jerking motions, like a puppet cut from its string, she dragged the Crystalflare bomb away and placed it back on the table before slowly taking several steps back.

June smiled, bemused at the spectacle. “I guess what happened outside a few minutes ago was your handiwork then?”

Yuelei nodded. “Sorry if I disturbed your slumber.” She had woken up early on her day off to concoct these bombs, after she had Liur translate a few pages in the book Lin had given her

“But explosives huh?” June walked over and picked up one of the spheres. “They’re surprisingly light, and small.”

Silfy regained her composure and slid behind June, balancing her head on June’s shoulders. “Why don’t you try attaching one or two to an arrow if they’re that light?”

The room grew quiet at Silfy’s almost absurd request.

“...That might just work.” June said quietly. “I can tie three behind the arrow head to balance the flight.

“Are you serious?” Silfy replied, shocked that her whimsical words actually gave forth to an ingenious idea. Her expression quickly changed to one of pride and started tugging at June. “Well, lets try it!”

In the courtyard.

“That should do it...” June nodded, as four of the pinball sized balls were glued behind the arrowhead on an arrow. After several iterations, they decided on a ring-shaped structure after tying the Crystalflare bombs along the side of the arrow, or using one of the tips as an arrowhead, did not work.

“Go on, then.” Silfy gestured excitedly as she pulled Yuelei back. Liur took flight into the air.

Taking a deep breath and in one fluid motion, June stood up while picking up her bow and nocking the arrow. With ease that only comes to one who has shot over a thousand arrows, she picked her target and released, the burdened arrow whizzing towards the trunk of a nearby tree. Upon impact, a splintering sound was heard, as the Crystalflare bombs detonated, carving a small crater into the tree. Yuelei watched ruefully as the large evergreen did not even seem to shake from impact. It was one of the more basic recipes in the alchemy book but this… this was disappointing.

“...That’s it?” Silfy gaped.

“That’s it.” Yuelei repeated. One of her Winter Moons can easily topple a tree of the same size, yet these small bombs weren’t even comparable to one of her primal frost bolts. “I did say that they were rather weak. They’re distractions, not weapons of mass destruction.”

“Well, I guess having a handful of them being tossed at you would hurt.” Silfy offered.

Hmph. Liur swooped down and landed atop of Yuelei’s head. You are supposed to create hollow point arrowheads to fill with the liquid. That way the explosion occurs inside, not outside.

Yuelei was slightly shocked at Liur’s revelation. She had never taken any sort of interest in alchemy at all, besides helping her gather ingredients from time to time.

“...You’ll need specially forged arrowheads for that.” Silfy replied as Yuelei explained Liur’s message to her. “I’ll send Galvin out to see if he can get a blacksmith to make some for us.”

“There’s really no need.” June shook her head. “If you hollow out the arrow head, I don’t believe that the arrow would be able to withstand any bow techniques.”

“...Well so much for that then.” Silfy clapped her hands. “Since we’re all here, how about we spar a bit!?” Yuelei groaned inside her heart, ever since she lost a few times to Silfy, Silfy had been even more eager to spar with her, which often resulted in more than a few bruises for both of them, Sensing the turmoil in Yuelei’s heart. Liur spoke out. It has been a while since we last fought, Yuelei. Time to show me what you have learned over the past few weeks. How about the three of you spar with me?

Yuelei sighed, as she realized this was Liur’s petty revenge at their prank, but nevertheless she faithfully translated her words to Silfy and June. They were no doubt curious to the extent of Liur’s power, but Yuelei knew within her heart that three of them would not even be a warmup.

“We concede.” Yuelei bitterly withdrew her battered and chipped Frost Edge, and all three of them dropped to the ground, utterly drained of energy. On the other hand, the clone of Liur’s settled on the ground before shattering, bits of the ice turning into a fine mist that flowed towards Liur.

“Good grief… Liur, can’t you hold back a little?” Silfy sighed as she propped herself up. Not a single one of their attacks had even managed to pierce the Phoenix Clone’s defense.. Of course, it was a clone formed from Liur’s imitation of Gallienoir’s origin name spell, First Snow.

How rude. Liur clicked her beak indignantly. This one is a ranked six magical beast, on the verge of reaching seventh.

“Rank six? Since when?” Yuelei asked out, after relaying the message. She had not realized Liur’s growth had been so tremendous.

“Six?” Silfy gaped. That was easily on par with some of the stronger knights.

My growth has been… spurred forward with the Snow Princess’s help. She said it would be easier to protect you if I was stronger.

“I… see.” Yuelei nodded to Liur before addressing Silfy. “So how strong is a rank sixth, precisely?” Liur cocked her head at the question, also interested in knowing where her current strength lies.

“Hmm. I believe that be similar to someone within the Silver Guard.” Silfy said thoughtfully. “A rank does not actually show how strong you are, but how much you have mastered. One’s mastery over one element can be different over another. And there are plenty of stories of those defeating others one rank above them.”

“How does one even determine such things?” Yuelei shook her head.

“They use a certain type of stone provided by the League of Adventurers.” Silfy explained. “For mages, they have to channel their magic power into it. Speaking of which, June, we haven’t went and gotten ourselves tested in a while, have we?”

“Nope.” June nodded in confirmation, before adding on. “The rank system is only simple mastery tests, but there is also another system that determines how strong you are within that particular rank. They use a star system, and each time you defeat or lose to someone within the same rank, you lose or gain a star, at a max of ten. If you manage to attain ten stars, but do not have the requirements for the next rank, you can issue a challenge and the League of Adventurers will arrange for someone one rank above you for you to challenge. If you prevail, then you can advance to the next rank without taking the mastery test.” She proceeded to pull out a thin metal card, before handing it to Yuelei, gesturing for her to look at the bottom.

“The League of Adventurers usually distributes these cards whenever you get tested, it often serves as a form of identification when you cross borders and such without any form of recommendation. Certain merchants also allow you to use them as a bank.”

Silfy scooted over and glanced at the gray card, where the symbol of a bow with the number four in it stood out with seven stars next to it. She reached into her pockets and pulled out her own, except this one was white colored. “Depending on what branch you obtain one from, there’s usually some sort of feature from it. A white card signifies the Holy Land of Ecclisa, and a gray card signals colorless. Someone with a multicolored card signifies that they have traveled to different branches.”

“Um.. okay.” Yuelei nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed at the new information. These were things that nobody had mentioned to her before.

I have seen some of these branches. Liur added. They often put rewards on magical beasts that decide to expand their territory too far into human lands. Coincidentally, the one at the Whitefrost Mountains was decimated by Lady Lumnieve.

Yuelei decided not to translate her words.

“Well, how about the three of us go get tested after the Rise of Angelic Wings ceremony?” Silfy offered.

Yuelei nodded. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have an identification of sorts, especially if she used a different name. After the three of them made plans, they started practicing for the upcoming ceremony. Their coordination was quite lacking after all.

The following day, after class, they had employed the help of Galvin and Liur to act as obstacles in their training. Yuelei had no trouble floating in the air with the help of her Snow Anklets, but June had to maintain her elementary flight spell with her own magic. Silfy on the other hand, was stuck on the ground, being unable to cast wind magic. Their positioning was like a totem pole, with Silfy on the ground, June hovering a few meters above the ground, and then Yuelei above her.

“That’s a strange formation.” Galvin pointed out, still in his butler’s uniform. “My ladies, are you sure about this? Even a stray magic bolt could injure one of you...”

“It’s fine, Galvin, ready?” Silfy shouted.

“...If you insist, Sil, then this old man shall entertain. It has been a long since we last sparred.” Galvin nodded and drew his rapier before dashing towards June, causing Silfy to run and intercept him. Silfy did not return any blows, but instead attempted to block Galvin’s instead.

“Go easy on us, Liur.” Yuelei shook her head. “Silfy and I cannot launch any attacks on our own, our job is strictly defense.”

Hmph. If that was the case, I would think you being the center would be wiser. Liur shot a few half-hearted Primal Ice Bolts at June, causing her to tense up. With a wave of her hand, Yuelei conjured up a Frost Wall to block the projectiles.

“Well, I don’t want to attract attention. Apparently the winners’ names is announced after all...” Yuelei sent out a Winter Moon to block Liur’s Primal Frost Lance. The resulting explosion of snow and ice, causing the two to wince momentarily.

“Oy, oy! The two of you. Mind letting us into your conversation?!” Silfy shouted as she held her shield up to block another one of Galvin’s swift strikes. However, as she turned her head, the old butler’s eyes glimmered at the chance and he adjusted his strike, slapping into Silfy’s hand with a sting and causing her to drop the shield.

“My lady Silfy… “ Galvin sighed and waited for her to pick up her shield. “I may just be a frail old butler, but you’d best be careful.”

“Frail?!” Silfy grumbled. “You once fought together with grandfather, and I heard you were his match!”

“That bastard old man asked me to look after you, so here I am.” Galvin’s tone had a hint of sarcasm and rebellion in it “I don’t even know why he made me your godfather.”

“Isn’t it because I am the finest lady you’ve ever laid eyes on?!” Silfy bashed forward with the shield, causing him to jump back. They started exchanging blows again.

“Is this really the girl I raised with such care? When did she become so shameless?” Galvin sighed and raised his rapier into the air, preparing to unleash another skill. “She’s approaching that age-” Frowning, Galvin quickly stepped to the side as an arrow flew where he was standing a moment ago.

“Nice one, Silfy!”

A moment after, several Primal Frost Bolts shot towards him. Without any useless movements, Galvin flicked his wrist and they were extinguished by dirt.

That old butler is actually quite capable. And aren’t you the cunning one, Yuelei. Liur nodded. Yuelei had reflected her last attack with a well placed Winter Moon, but the Primal Frost Bolts were redirected at Galvin.

“Well, the rules said your spells can’t damage opponents… but that doesn’t account for their own spells.” Yuelei smiled eerily, like a sly fox. “I still need some practice aiming my deflection attacks.”

Hmph. If you have time to be idling and speaking of such things then I suppose I will take it up a notch. Liur shot back, preparing a Ray of Absolute Zero.

“Are you crazy?!” Yuelei shouted at the quickly forming spell, the speed several times that the last time she’s seen it. Her body tensed, and she leaped off to the side right as the fine white ray of pure frost magic was released. “I could have died from that!”

It’s time for some training… Liur’s voice was cold and indifferent, and reminiscent like that of Gallienoir's. Yuelei’s body tensed up at the tone, remembering the countless wounds and scratches she had suffered under Gallienoir’s training.

“...Well then, I suppose this old man should take you three a bit more seriously as well.” Galvin brushed the hem of his uniform and spread his feet. He pulled his arm holding the rapier back, and bent his leg slightly. His form was like that of a bow, ready to shoot out piercing thrusts at a moment’s glance.

“Well then, ladies. Have at you!”

“Monsters. The lot of you.” Silfy grumbled as she nursed her sore shoulder, glaring at Galvin and Liur. Likewise, June was applying ointment onto a few of her grazes, but Yuelei was mostly unharmed… physically that is.

“Lady Silfy, you really need to fix that language of yours...” Galvin admonished as he placed some freshly squeezed fruit juice in front of them. “Still…. Even I was afraid when Lady Liur’s voice caused my mind to blank out momentarily. The cry of a phoenix is potent indeed.”

“My head is still ringing.” Silfy grumbled, who was caught in the brunt of the sonic attack.

“I still need training...” June murmured to herself. None of her shots had landed at any of her enemies, even when Silfy had brought her time to charge up a Storm Hunter, or when she tried to support them with Wind Lances.

“The three of you need to work on your coordination. At this rate, you have absolutely no chance of winning.” Galvin replied, with Liur nodding as if confirming his words. “I would advise that the three of you withdraw and watch the non-academy ceremony instead.”

“Non-academy?” Yuelei asked. Was there another ceremony similar to this one?

“Oh right. I forgot about it.” Silfy rubbed her head. “I didn’t know that they changed the schedule this year so it’s right after ours. We may have to hold off visiting the adventurer’s guild.”

“Why?”

“Well… it’s usually a good idea to go watch the main ceremony. There’s all sorts of presentations and magical arts performed by mages. Some of the fights are intense, and Lady Geisla has to set up a barrier each time to protect the observers.”

“Well, if one of the participants is truly strong, it’ll be over relatively fast.” Galvin added, refilling their ceramic cups. “Before Lady Geisla became the High Priestess, she participated once, and it was over within an hour. You were but a baby at the time, so I doubt you remember. Her Reality Realm was rather quite the site to behold.

“Reality Realm?”

“…One’s ability to manifest their magic in a way that alters the fabric of the world.” June murmured. “A right reserved only for those that stand at the pinnacle of power.”

Like Eir’s Siren’s Ocean Memoir. Liur brought up an example. It takes a great amount of magical power to both cast and maintain, but against anyone that can’t manifest their own realm… it’s a sure victory.

“Then what about Lumi’s-”

The Snow Princess is…. different. Liur responded ambiguously. But you can think of her being powerful enough to constantly maintain her Realm all the time. The Frost Palace, The Legion of Winter, the creatures that serve her, and even the Whitefrost Butterflies are but small parts of her realm.

Yuelei decided not to respond to her words, hiding her shocked response from her surroundings. This was not something that could be said casually in public. Was all of the Whitefrost Mountains part of her realm?

“Yuelei?” Silfy nudged her gently. “Are you alright?”

“...Yeah. Liur’s voice in my head started to cause the ringing to start again.” Yuelei replied, rubbing a hand along her temple. “It seems that the side effects haven’t worn off yet.”

Liur tutted with her beak and played along, standing up and walking out.

“Shall I call for a priest or healer?” Galvin asked as Yuelei stood up and excused herself.

“...No, I think if I sleep for a while, I’ll be fine.”

“How pretty….”

“I didn’t know such a place was beneath the mines...”

“Students, take care not to to wander too far. If you get lost down here, then you will have to pray to Ecclisa herself to guide you out of this maze”

“Eh? If teacher says so...”

The voices of the cadets continued to chatter as they made their way down the narrow mineshaft, the passage illuminated by crystals that gave off white light.

“I hope what you said was true...” Yuelei grumbled to Silfy. When the two of them had entered the classroom for water based magic, the teacher had said they were going on a trip to an underground spring. Yuelei had initially declined to go, but Silfy had dragged her there, promising her it was worth her time.

“Are you implying that I whisked you away so the two of us can have some time together?” Silfy teased. “Fret not Yuelei. I have been here before and even to my inexperienced eyes, I can tell there was some things you are interested in.”

“I suppose that’s the reason why you had me bring all these bottles?” Yuelei sighed. “Obviously it’s some sort of liquid, and based on what the others are saying, it’s water from a spring”

“Ooooh~ Yuli, why are you so smart?” Silfy sighed and pulled her arm. “Teach me your ways, so I can instantly cast magic after seeing the spell only once.” Yuelei ignored her as she jerked her arm back and forth like a spoiled child.

“This is quite surprising. I would figure that magical beasts or monsters would reside in this underground passage.”

“It’s a mine! Not a dungeon!” Silfy grumbled. “Although if it were a dungeon, I wouldn’t mind at all-”

“Wouldn’t it pose a danger to the surroundings?” Yuelei shook her head. The entrance to the Opalis Mine was merely an hour’s walk away from the Knight Academy.

“Nonsense! It would probably end up as some sort of training ground, and thanks to these Opalis crystals, the Shadowless can’t reside within either.”

“Opalis huh… I suppose I should get my hands on some before we leave.” Yuelei’s eyes glanced over to the tiny ball like fragments embedded within the walls. They shimmered with dim light, illuminating the mine passage without the need for torches or magical lamps.

“They use them for the lamps to illuminate the roads at night, and sometimes in stained glass. I don’t think that they have any alchemy properties, that you would be interested in...”

“You never know.” Yuelei brushed her hand against the sparkling wall. “Nevertheless, we should catch up to the rest of the group.”

“Eh. We’re almost there anyway.” Silfy pointed in the direction they were walking, where a soft blue light seemed to grow brighter and brighter as they approached. Within a few minutes, the narrow mine shaft lead them to a large chamber. From stalactites, droplets of water were dripping onto the ground, causing the entire floor to be covered in crystal clear water that came up to the ankles. Several large nodes of Opalis gave off light blue and white light, which was reflected by the crystal clear water, making the room feel as if it was a water fairy’s sanctuary.

“This place is… quite something.” Yuelei murmured as the group of cadets loudly proclaimed their feelings of admiration. The old mage that brought them here clapped his staff against the ground to grab their attention.

“Erhem! We will spend three hours here. The water element, as you can guess, is relatively strong here, and even those of you that don’t have real aptitude should be able to cast spells easily. Take this time to train and do as you like.” With that, the old mage let go of his staff, and sat on the ground to meditate, ripples occasionally emanating from his crossed legs. At his words, the group of sixty cadets dispersed into their own groups.

Silfy politely declined an invitation and walked towards Yuelei, who was ahead of her.

“Yuli~ wait for me~”

Yuelei ignored the spectacle behind her and continued making her way towards the spot with the largest lake. She stopped momentarily to take off her fur shoes before stepping into the water, unaffected by the cold. Normally, she would simply go barefoot with her Winter’s Breath almost instantly forming ice beneath the soles of her feet, but that would attract way too much attention.

“Hey, Yuelei. Do you know the story about this place?” Silfy avoided a stone protrusion from the ground which strangely represented a table. Upon closer look, several stone chairs were surrounding it.

“Let me guess.” Yuelei scoffed. “It’s some holy chamber to the church, but in truth, it was here long before. “

“Mhmm, but aren’t you curious about it?”

“Just a little.” Yuelei murmured as she started filling the bottles she brought with her. The water here had high affinity with the water element, and would be a good base for potions. Yuelei made a mental note to record the path to this hidden spring when they leave. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Ehh, let’s ask Mister Banyin. He’s the one that told us about it.”

“...Did you two call for me?” Yuelei watched as a few ripples splashed against her hand, and when she looked up, Teacher Banyin was sitting on top of the water a few meters in front of her.

“We were just talking about that story you told us once, Mister Banyin.” Silfy saluted the aged man, his white beard dipping into the water. This was the first time Yuelei had seem him close up and she was rather surprised at the powerful aura emitted by this frail looking old man.

“Oh… that.” Mister Banyin’s eyes were closed as usual, he hardly ever opened them. “What about it?”

“Yuelei would like to hear about it. And… so would I again.” Silfy asked quietly.

Silence reigned around them as Banyin considered Silfy’s words. Yuelei, on the other hand, continued to fill the empty bottles she brought with her.

“...Are you a chef by any chance?” Banyin looked at Yuelei’s actions.

“I’m an alchemist.”

“Hm. According to some ancient texts, in the past, Alchemical and Culinary Arts were one and the same. I truly wonder when and why those two had diverged...” Banyin rambled, lost in thought.

“Master Banyin here is an archaeologist. He was the one that discovered this place, and the only one that can actually guide us here without getting lost.”

Banyin nodded slowly. “I suppose I can retell the story again. Stay a little while and listen.”

“When I first entered this chamber, there was a giant stone slab within the center, and it was several sleepless days when I finally managed to copy the entire inscription and leave this place… Back when I was young, this place wasn’t such a large mine.” Banyin mumbled, and Yuelei and Silfy had to lean closer to hear his words.

“The archaic glyphs spoke of a person called Umber. Their gender was not stated, but is presumed to be male. This person had a lover called Sasya, and they were deeply in love. The two of them shared a dream to open their own restaurant together. And in pursuit of that dream, Umber traveled the world to witness the world, promising Sasya that he would return after he became the best chef in the world. Sasya, likewise, promised that she would gather all the necessary funds after becoming the largest merchant in their country.”

“And thus Umber went on a long, long journey. In fear that any trouble he caused would bring Umber trouble, he used an alias called Yassa, a reminder of his lover. He would traverse the most dangerous of places in search of the finest ingredients. It is said that he even slayed dragons to acquire the perfect monster meat. Of course, he had no choice but to grow strong, for others would have want for his spoils.”

“He traveled to countries, challenging all the finest chefs and establishments, making a name for ‘Yassa’. Within ten years he was an established chef. Within twenty years he had became one of the most powerful figures at the time. Within thirty years, he claimed the title of Grandmaster Culinarian. And that was when he decided to return.”

“But… thirty years was a long time, far too long for those that do not manipulate magic.” Master Banyin’s face frowned. “And due to the nature of the food he was eating, Yassa’s lifespan was much longer than others.”

“So Sasya died then.” Yuelei dismissed. Silfy sighed and covered her mouth before she could continue.

“...If only that was the case.” Banyin chuckled at Yuelei’s pessimistic nature. “But because it wasn’t, we have this beautiful chamber here. When Yassa returned, he inquired to Sasya’s whereabouts, and quickly found out that she was getting married within a month.”

“With his power that allowed him to stand on the pinnacle of the world, he could have easily kidnapped the bride. However, after stalking those two for a day, he realized that everything that occurred was because of his own fault. In his search for power and knowledge, he had never visited, or sent letters. And because he had used a pseudo name, nobody knew where he was.”

“And thus, he introduced himself as ‘Yassa’, stating that he was there to carry out ‘Umber’s’ last request. He spent two weeks carving this chamber, which would be the chamber for the congratulatory party. Then he spent one week preparing the greatest ingredients in the world that he had brought back. And in this very hall, he served dishes that even gods would wish to get their hands on, without ever revealing his face.”

“And then, he left.” Banyin concluded the story. “The one called ‘Yassa’ eventually returned to the main continent to start his own restaurant under the name of Umber’s Gallery.”

“The reason the water here holds such strong water affinity is because Umber carved the entire place out with water and fire magic.” Banyin nodded. “Even one as old as I can only begin to fathom what that person had felt as he let his magic ravage and carve this room deep within the mountains. Speaking of which, why don’t the two of you show me what you can do?”

“Erm… I suppose.” Silfy crouched and placed a finger into the water. As she concentrated, the tranquil water started to ripple and gather against her hand. Silfy stood up straight and the water followed along with her, forming into the shape of an azalea flower.

“Splendid elemental control. Your ability to gather water element may not be the strongest but your control makes up for it.” Banyin nodded in approval before turning to Yuelei. “And what about you?”

Yuelei sighed before holding up her hand. Compared to Silfy’s delicate control of water that hardly disturbed the surface, the surrounding water started to gurgle and swirl, forming into a raging whirlpool, attracting the attention of the other cadets. Yuelei concentrated a bit more and then several geysers erupted around her.

“Oh… this is...” Banyin opened one of his eyes, before clapping his staff against the water and causing the geysers to stop and settle back to their tranquil state. “Primal magic, is it?”

“You know about Primal magic?” Yuelei was inherently shocked.

“I am an archaeologist after all. But to think that the lost art of Primal magic to surface here today...” He rubbed his beard in thought. “As a practitioner of the destructive force of magic, be careful not to mistake your limits, young user, lest you end up destroying yourself in the process.”

“I… will try.” Yuelei nodded in return, but before she could ask a bit more about Primal magic, Banyin stood up and clapped his hands.

“It is time we leave. Young ladies, please gather and form a line.”

This water…. Seems to have come from the snow that melts in the Whitefrost Mountains. Liur commented as Yuelei showed her the spoils of the travel, along with a few bags of Opalis the size of marbles. And those stones have a slight trace of Holy element but their aura is… rather strange.

“Strange?”

Most jewels refract light, but this one absorbs light instead of refracting it. If you look far enough, it has both darkness and light elements. I had thought only living creatures could hold two opposing elements at the same time.

“So you’re saying this stone is unnatural?”

Perhaps, Yuelei. Do not forget that you can peer into another’s Aeht. Concentrate Yuelei, and tell me what you see. Appearances may lie, but one’s Aeht, their core of soul power, does not lie.

“I… what is this?” Yuelei mumbled after she closed her eyes and expanded her senses outwards. Other than her own Aeht, which was a round cerulean ball covered in mist, with traces of green and blue, there was Liur’s which was greater than the size of her own body, and was a crystal cerulean color without a trace of impurity. However, she noticed something strange.

Within her the bag in her hands were tiny, tiny, almost dust-like specks of white and black light.

Yuelei’s eyes burst open.

“These… are not stones.”