Chinju Forest – Hidden Shelter
Within the serene, bluish woods, a small cave nestled at the base of a rocky hill served as the group’s hideout.
Around a modest campfire, Natalia and the others sat, chatting in low voices as they warmed themselves.
From deeper within the cave, however, the anguished cries of a woman echoed intermittently.
The group glanced toward the source of the sound, their expressions heavy with worry.
After a while, Theresa emerged from the depths of the cave. Her once pristine face was now smudged with soot and grime.
“Not even soaking her works?” Natalia asked, her brows furrowed.
Theresa shook her head as she slumped down by the fire.
“She barely lasted a minute in the water before it evaporated. The entire bucket burned up too…”
“No other way, then?” Natalia sighed, lowering her head in frustration.
“Lord Luo Qing never mentioned this… that Lady Rosalyne could end up like this…”
Since the battle at Tenshukaku, they had taken refuge in this part of Chinju Forest. Its dense woods made it easy to get lost without a guide, making it an ideal hiding spot.
But shortly after they arrived, Rosalyne—whom Luo Qing had tasked them with protecting—began to exhibit strange symptoms. Flames engulfed her body, her blood glowing like molten lava, threatening to consume her entirely.
They had tried everything to suppress the flames, but nothing worked. At this rate, Rosalyne would be reduced to ash before Luo Qing returned.
Initially, their biggest concern had been how to get Rosalyne to cooperate.
Instead, she was remarkably compliant, a stark contrast to her past demeanor. She endured the searing pain in silence, never once lashing out at them.
She remained at the back of the cave, alone, quietly suffering through the torment.
“What do we do now?” Sergei, the burly man of the group, scratched his head. “I’d heard that Lady Rosalyne was cursed as the Witch of Flames… If not for Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, she’d have burned to death long ago.”
“With her current condition, I doubt she’ll last two more weeks,” Igor said grimly. “We either contact the Inazuma division and have Lord Scaramouche take over, or we wait here for Lord Luo Qing.”
“Lord Luo Qing…”
The mention of his name caused the group to fall silent, each bowing their heads.
They had stayed hidden in Chinju Forest out of faith that Luo Qing was still alive and would return for them.
But as the days dragged on, their hopes began to waver.
“Let’s wait a few more days. I’m sure Lord Luo Qing will come for us…” Theresa murmured, her voice trembling as tears glistened in the firelight.
“…Alright,” Natalia said after a pause, her expression softening.
The others exchanged looks, their worry evident.
Theresa, the cheerful Electro Cicin Mage whom Luo Qing had rescued from Guyun Stone Forest, had grown uncharacteristically somber since witnessing the events at Tenshukaku.
More often than not, her eyes carried traces of tears.
“Fine. We’ll wait another week,” Natalia finally decided. “But if Lord Luo Qing hasn’t returned by then, we’ll have to take Lady Rosalyne to the Inazuma division.”
“Understood…”
With heavy hearts, they sat in silence, staring into the flames.
Could someone as strong as Lord Luo Qing really fall to a god?
Their grim thoughts were interrupted by a noise outside the cave.
“Someone’s here—stay alert!” Natalia ordered in a hushed tone.
The group quickly stood, pressing themselves against the walls with weapons drawn, their eyes fixed on the cave entrance.
Under the moonlight, a shadow stretched across the ground, growing longer as a figure approached.
Fingers tightened on triggers as the silhouette neared the firelight, revealing a familiar face.
“Why are you pointing guns at me? Planning a mutiny?”
That familiar tone, that teasing smirk—it was unmistakable.
“Lord Luo Qing!”
Their weapons clattered to the ground as all four rushed toward him.
Theresa moved the fastest, practically launching herself into his arms.
“Lord Luo Qing, you’re really alive…! Waaaah!”
She buried her face in his chest, her tears flowing freely.
“Do I look like someone who dies easily?” Luo Qing glanced down at Theresa, who was clinging to him like a limpet. Normally, he would have scrunched his nose in disdain and promptly tossed her aside.
But seeing her sobbing so pitifully, he decided to let it slide.
However, after a while, he noticed Theresa wasn’t letting go. Worse, she began sniffing him like a bloodhound.
“…Theresa, what are you doing?”
She tilted her head up, her tearful eyes meeting his as she whispered, “You… you smell like another woman.”
“?”
“You’ve got a death wish, huh?” Luo Qing grabbed her by the back of her neck and set her aside before turning to Natalia.
“Where’s Rosalyne?”
“She’s… deeper inside,” Natalia said, pointing toward the cave’s depths, her expression grave.
“But her condition is… not good.”
“Hmm?”
Luo Qing’s gaze followed the direction of her finger. From the cave’s depths, the sound of agonized screams echoed, accompanied by flickering shadows cast by the flames.
“Wait here. Leave the rest to me.”
“Yes, Lord Luo Qing,” they answered in unison.
Luo Qing ventured deeper into the cave.
In the heart of the cavern, surrounded by a pile of charred debris, Rosalyne knelt on the ground, her body wracked with pain.
Her veins glowed with a molten gold light, as though magma coursed through her instead of blood.
Her alabaster skin was fractured and burning, with flames licking out from the cracks like a doll tossed into a furnace.
Sensing his presence, Rosalyne lifted her head, her twisted features barely masking her torment.
“You… what do you want from me now…” she rasped weakly.
Ever since the day Luo Qing had fused that strange purple orb into her body, a compulsion had taken root in her mind—a singular, unshakable desire to obey his every command.
“Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, the person you once were is dead. And the person you’ll become…”
Luo Qing raised a hand, summoning a glacial-blue Vision. Frosty energy swirled around it like an icy vortex.
“From now on, you’ll live for me!”
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the Vision onto Rosalyne’s chest.
The immense Cryo energy surged into her body, merging with her.
The flames consuming her flesh subsided, leaving her pale and broken body exposed. She now resembled a ghostly figure from the depths of hell, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath.
“This look doesn’t suit you,” Luo Qing said coolly, tossing her a Supreme Vitality Pill.
“Eat it.”
“Yes…” Rosalyne whispered hoarsely.
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