A cold wind swept through the hollow, scattering the lingering smoke born from elemental reactions and revealing a scene of devastation upon the snow.
Coppelia stood her ground, the world in her eyes dissolving into varying shades of gray. Yet, upon this monochrome canvas, elemental particles of seven colors drifted and roamed through the air, twinkling like fireflies.
Red of Pyro, cyan of Anemo, green of Dendro, violet of Electro, and blue of Cryo were the most abundant particles, interspersed with the occasional deep yellow of Geo and pale blue of Hydro, like an overturned color palette.
"I can see the elemental particles... I wonder if I can control them." She reached out her hand, and with a slight stir of her will, a few particles seemed to be drawn by an unseen force, gently drifting over to merge with her core.
"It works!" she rejoiced inwardly, moving forward to quickly absorb the nearby elemental particles into her body. "There isn't much, probably just enough for one more 'Elemental Burst'."
With another thought, the grayness of the world receded like a tide, and true colors returned to her vision.
At the same time, the heavily wounded Great Snowboar King let out a howl mixed with pain and fury as it struggled back to its feet. Blood seeped continuously from several gashes on its body, dotting the pure white snow with crimson stains.
Madness burned in its scarlet eyes. It stared deadly at Coppelia and, after a deep roar, charged once more!
The last twelve boars behind it also charged forward, but they split up midway, attempting to bypass Coppelia and rush directly at Columbina, who was still sleeping a short distance behind her!
Coppelia's gaze sharpened. She marshaled the elemental energy she had just absorbed into her core, her mind highly focused, her eyes locked on the boar pack. She made grasping motions with her hands, and once again, a searing ball of fire materialized in her left hand and a verdant ball of grass in her right, preparing for another Burning reaction to end the fight.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
In the nick of time, several white figures leaped out from Coppelia's left at astonishing speed. So focused was Coppelia on the boars that she failed to even notice their approach!
Their movements were as swift as lightning—white fur, long snouts, pointed ears, and slender limbs, their bushy tails maintaining their center of gravity and balance as they ran.
A wolf pack!
The wolves' objective was perfectly clear. They swept past Coppelia, one part intercepting the Great Snowboar King, while the other pounced precisely on the boars attempting to flank, easily finishing them with sharp claws and teeth. After a few brief squeals, the twelve boars lay motionless on the ground.
Having dealt with the minions, the pack immediately fanned out, forming a loose encirclement that trapped the massive Snowboar King in the center. They didn't rush to attack but instead circled the beast, growling low as they looked for an opening.
The moment the wolves appeared, Coppelia's nerves tensed to their absolute limit, but she didn't panic. She spun around and retreated to Columbina's side with the greatest possible speed.
She knelt on one knee and checked carefully, finding the girl still sleeping peacefully, her breathing even and deep. Not a speck of dust had touched her, though her skin was a bit cold from the biting wind.
"The wolves aren't showing any hostility..." The stone in her heart lifted. Coppelia relaxed slightly, preparing to help Columbina up and leave this place with the sleeping girl while the pack was busy with the Snowboar King.
But just then, Coppelia noticed three more wolves moving silently in her direction. On the back of one particularly magnificent wolf was a boy with an agile build!
The boy wore thick animal hides, his neck and wrists adorned with ornaments shaped like wolf fangs. His exposed skin had a healthy, weathered tan. His short, grayish-white hair was slightly messy, and his clear eyes held a wolf-like sharpness.
"It seems this wolf pack has a good relationship with humans?" Coppelia decided against retreating for the moment. She sat down cross-legged, carefully lifting Columbina onto her lap. She held the girl in her arms to keep her body away from the cold snow. Then, she drew upon the scant energy within her body, releasing a faint trace of Pyro to slowly dispel the chill from Columbina's skin.
After doing all this, she waited for the boy to approach while turning her gaze back to the battlefield, planning to go and collect some pork after the wolves dealt with the Snowboar King, so Columbina could have a full meal when she woke up.
The pack's coordination was flawless. They used their agility to constantly harass and test their foe. At times, they feigned a frontal assault to draw the Snowboar King's attention; at others, they would suddenly leap from its blind spot, landing precisely on its broad, wounded back. Their sharp claws slashed down, tearing open wound after deep wound, some down to the bone!
"Awooo—!" The Snowboar King let out a blood-curdling howl. It thrashed its body wildly, trying to shake off the white wolves on its back while swinging its tusks and kicking its hind legs in a chaotic attack. However, the numerous wounds had caused it to lose too much blood. It was already weak, and the nimble wolves easily dodged its clumsy counterattacks.
The great wolf carrying the boy stopped a short distance from Coppelia.
The boy dismounted with a fluid motion, landing on his feet. His steps were light yet steady. The great wolf followed closely at his side in a protective stance; clearly, the two shared a deep bond. The other two escorting wolves let out a low growl and joined the siege on the Snowboar King.
The boy's gaze swept over the battlefield, finally landing on Coppelia and the girl in her arms. He strode forward quickly. His tone wasn't overly warm, but it carried a hint of concern. "Are you two alright? We saw firelight from a distance and heard explosions, so we came to check. You're not hurt, are you?"
Coppelia looked up and answered frankly, "I'm fine. And I'm the one who made all that noise. As for this girl, she isn't injured, just exhausted. She'll recover after she wakes up and has a good meal."
The boy nodded, then looked toward the battlefield.
A heavy thud echoed from the distance. The Great Snowboar King, under the relentless assault of the pack, had finally exhausted its last ounce of strength and crashed to the ground. A few wolves immediately gathered around it, their noses twitching, seeming to confirm if the giant beast was truly dead.
The boy glanced at the chaotic battlefield littered with boar carcasses. His gaze deepened as he started a new topic. "This wasn't the boars' territory. They fled their home because of a... change of events. Their numbers were simply too great, and when they came here, they encroached upon the habitats of many other animals. The displaced creatures had nowhere to go, and most of them flooded into the wolves' territory, causing no small amount of trouble for our hunting and survival."
"So they did disrupt the ecological balance." Coppelia pointed at the battlefield and looked up. "Is the trouble considered resolved now?"
The boy shook his head. "The number of boars has been reduced, and the small animals that fled into our territory can gradually return. But the root of the problem hasn't been completely solved."
"The root?" Coppelia immediately seized on the key word. "You mean that 'change of events' you mentioned, the one that made the boars leave their territory?"
"Yes." The boy's expression turned grave. "About ten days ago, several meteors fell nearby. One of them landed on the small island where the boars have lived for generations. The environment there deteriorated rapidly. A strange energy I've never seen before filled the soil, and all the plants withered and died within a few days. Any animal that gets close becomes weak, falls ill, or even dies."
He paused, then continued, "A group of wolves ventured to where the meteor fell and brought back a stone tainted with that ominous power for the king of the pack. But even he admitted to knowing very little about this power. The king tried to purify or eliminate it, but... he was unsuccessful. In the end, he could only order the pack to collect as many of those scattered, strange stones as possible, gather them in a remote location, and wait for an opportunity to seal them."
Ten days ago! Meteors!
A jolt went through Coppelia as a thought flashed across her mind. Could Columbina have fallen here along with those 'meteors'? The timing seemed to match!
Could those 'meteors' be the fragments of Columbina's lost power?
Suppressing her excitement, she pressed, "Those strange stones, have they been sealed yet?"
"Not yet." A trace of helplessness crossed the boy's face. "Only the king of the pack possesses enough power to even attempt to seal them. But right now, he is busy with the war against Decarabian and has no time for anything else. For now, the pack is handling these troubles in the rearguard."
___
🔥 Get 40 advanced chapters of ALL stories! 🔥
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 80 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan