But this ti, Nerzalia didn’t go for his lips.Instead, she leaned close to his ear.Her smooth cheek brushed against his trembling skin.She whispered—her breath soft and warm against his ear.He shivered violently.
"I’m leaving... for now," she said gently."Co to ... on that mountain, if you want to know about our ancestor."
Then—
WHOOSH!With a gust of wind, she shot into the sky.
ROAAARRR!A mighty roar echoed overhead.
The remaining monsters, still dazed and rattled by the shift in power, began retreating.Reluctantly... but inevitably.The tide had turned. The battle was already lost.And humans didn’t chase—not a single step.
The thick, crushing space around Alex suddenly vanished.He dropped.
Thud.
He collapsed to the cold ground, every muscle twitching as if he had been holding in a scream.Shivering from head to toe, his body curled inward as ragged, shallow breaths escaped his lips.
Hati padded quietly toward Alex and gently licked his cheek.
"ARGHHHHHHH!"Alex scread, flinching violently as he skidded backward on the icy ground.Hati whimpered softly, his big eyes filled with concern and sadness.
Marshal Sebeth approached slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at the trembling boy. She sighed and shook her head.
"Are you okay, Alex?"He didn’t respond.Another shiver wracked his body.He leaned back against the cold barricade wall, arms wrapping around himself.He couldn’t even et her eyes.
Then—Selene ran to him.Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees and pulled him into a tight embrace.Alex didn’t resist.He clutched her back—desperately—soaking in her warmth.
Slowly...His breaths steadied.His racing heart cald.Tears stread down silently.
I never want to feel this weak again.But... how can I get stronger, faster?
The question echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Marshal Sebeth exhaled deeply, her voice soft but firm."Selene, take him to his quarters. Let him rest."
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the wall—toward the more urgent matters awaiting her attention.She reached the edge of the barricade, staring out over the battlefield.
Frozen Hell stretched far into the distance.The monsters were retreating, but the silence they left behind was heavier than any roar.
She whispered, almost bitterly,"We humans... are really weak against monsters."
In a small room, dim yellow light fell on blue ice walls and a smooth tiled floor. Selene sat on the bed pressed against the wall. In her lap, Alex lay sleeping, his face occasionally twitching, a frown forming now and then, each expression accompanied by a faint tremor running through his body.Selene leaned back against the cold wall, exhaled slowly, and closed her eyes, her fingers gently combing through his hair.Hati sat quietly nearby on the floor, his eyes fixed on the sleeping boy.
As the night, filled with screams and blood, slowly faded, a new morning welcod the sun.Marshal Sebeth stood atop the wall, gazing at the battlefield littered with the corpses of both humans and monsters. The stone was clean now. Her shoulders, once tight with tension, finally slumped as she turned and walked toward her quarters.As she passed Alex’s door, her eyes lingered briefly—then moved on. The door to her own room slamd shut behind her.
Inside, she began removing her armor piece by piece, then undressed entirely.
Her pale skin shimred under the dim golden light. A black bra hugged her chest, modestly concealing yet emphasizing the curve of her cleavage. Her matching panties clung snugly to her hips, framing the defined lines of her glutes and thighs, subtly revealed under the warm light.
She sat cross-legged on the cold floor. Her chest rose and fell heavily. The muscles in her legs tensed, then slowly relaxed.She began breathing rhythmically—slow, steady inhales and exhales.
After five minutes, her shoulders loosened, and her pale blue eyes gently closed. Her breathing deepened, each breath fogging the air.
With every inhale, faintly glowing blue micro-particles shimred in the light, flowing silently into her lungs.A thin layer of frost began forming on her skin, but she didn’t flinch. She didn’t open her eyes.
Her mind was circling a single thought: the nature of Ice.
She understood it deeply—but couldn’t yet grasp its law.
Understanding an elent’s nature was the path to forming the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Circles—the realm of Saints.But fully comprehending and manipulating its law marked the beginning of the Sage stage.
To reach the Tenth Circle, one must control even a sliver of the elental law.
Law is nature itself.Fire is hot. Ice is cold. That is the law.But Ice is more than cold. It can be sharp. Brittle. Strong. That is its nature.
Law and nature are two sides of the sa coin. Nature cos first—but beyond it lies the law.The very fabric of the world is built upon those laws.
Ice does not simply freeze—it saps life, as if stopping ti itself. It kills as swiftly as it stills.
Sebeth whispered under her breath,"Ice... freezes ti."
And then, a mory surfaced—her mother’s voice, the voice of the old Ice Phoenix Matriarch:"People think Ice is just frozen water. But no. Ice is water whose molecules have stopped in ti. Ice Phoenixes could freeze ti itself."
Those words echoed in Sebeth’s mind like a blacksmith’s hamr striking red-hot iron—shaping, forging, deepening her understanding.
"Ice... freezes ti," she repeated, firr now.
Around her, the blue energy stirred—more and more, like moths drawn to fla.With each passing second, her comprehension deepened.The sun set. And rose again.Still, Sebeth did not move. Did not open her eyes.
While Marshal Sebeth remained deep in cultivation, surrounded by swirling blue energy, elsewhere in the dormitory, Alex slowly opened his eyes.His purple gaze scanned the dim room. He found himself resting on a soft pillow, and when he turned to his right, he saw Selene—still leaning against the wall, fast asleep.
A small smile tugged at his lips. He sat up, gently got out of bed, and walked over to her. With careful hands, he shifted her posture, laying her down more comfortably. He pulled a sheet over her, tucking her in.
Then he crossed the room and sat beside his loyal companion, Hati. The wolf stirred as Alex began stroking his fur. Hati opened one eye, then cooed softly and closed it again, content under his master’s touch.
One thought kept echoing through Alex’s mind:How can I beco stronger—faster?
He felt the urgency deep within his core.But he knew—true strength always demanded ti.And if a shortcut existed, it ca at a price.A precious one.
As his thoughts lingered on power, Selene’s eyelids fluttered open. She sat up, blinked sleepily, and noticed Alex sitting across the room.She quietly climbed out of bed and padded over to him. Crouching down, she leaned in—very close—and whispered, "Are you okay?"
Alex flinched slightly, then sighed. His shoulders relaxed. With a teasing flick of his finger, he tapped her forehead."What are you doing? Trying to scare like that?" he asked.
Selene pouted, rubbing her forehead. "Why did you do that? I was just checking on you!"
Alex chuckled softly, scratching his head. "Sorry. You just caught off guard. I’m okay."
Selene giggled with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "You’ve got no sense of humor."Alex gave her an awkward smile.
Then, a loud grumble echoed from his stomach—followed by another from Hati’s.Selene laughed. Alex joined in a mont later.They were just trying to forget. To bury the weight of the previous night under laughter.
Alex stood up and stretched. "Let’s go eat sothing."Selene nodded and rose to her feet, and Hati followed suit, his eyes suddenly alert with anticipation.Together, they left the room, closing the door gently behind them as they headed for the cafeteria.
Back in Sebeth’s chamber, the blue energy continued to swirl, a thin layer of frost now coating every surface. She remained motionless at the centre of the room, the elental energy steadily flowing into her body.
Suddenly, sothing shifted.The energy swirling around Sebeth paused—just for a breath, like ti itself froze around her.Then it resud.
A mont later, it happened again—this ti across a wider area—but again, only for the briefest instant. The energy flowed once more.
Sebeth didn’t notice. Her mind was too deeply focused, her spirit diving into the depths of understanding. She couldn’t feel what was happening to the world around her.
Then—everything stopped.Her breath halted. Her heart ceased beating. Her blood stilled in her veins.But the blue energy inside her continued to flow.From the world around her, it still surged into her lungs.And then—slowly, steadily—the tenth circle began to form.
A light-blue shadow, faint and incomplete, erged within her heart. A spark of sothing higher. Sothing beyond the saint level.It wasn’t a full awakening. But it was the beginning. A step into the realm of those who touched the laws of reality.
Ti resud.Her body collapsed to the floor with a loud thud, her breath ragged.Sweat poured from her body, soaking the cold, frost-covered floor.She opened her trembling eyes and stared up at the dim yellow light above. Her lips parted.
"I think... I stopped my life just now," she whispered.Her gaze was distant, haunted.
"This is truly dangerous," she breathed, her voice almost inaudible. "I knew it. That’s why... I didn’t want to improve..."A shaky breath left her lips as she lay motionless."But we don’t have much of a choice, do we?" she whispered again. "We either die cultivating... or die at the hands of monsters."
She closed her eyes, a bitter smile forming on her lips."After all... we’re the weakest ones."
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