Mount Chengsiao, Wolong Ridge.
"No! Don't come any closer!"
On a remote path, a dense horde of Tacet Discords had gathered, with no small number of Waveworn-level creatures among them.
They were slowly converging in a single direction, where a little girl who looked no more than five or six years old stood.
The girl had crimson hair and golden pupils. Her delicate features alone made her look like a porcelain doll, but her tattered clothes, bearing heavy traces of battle, shattered that image.
Faint red flames flickered on her palms as she warily watched the encroaching Tacet Discords.
Looking closely, one could see a hint of unbearable pain flicker between her brows.
These red flames were her Resonance ability.
The power was immense — something she couldn't easily control, and she knew only how to wield it in the most rudimentary way.
Every time she used it, her body suffered backlash, wracked with excruciating pain that seemed etched into her very bones.
But despite this, she had no choice but to forcibly endure that inhuman agony and wield this power to protect herself.
"Dammit, why... why are so many Tacet Discords suddenly appearing..."
The girl gritted her teeth, a fierce unwillingness flashing in her eyes.
"I was so careful..."
Ever since her village was destroyed by Tacet Discords a month ago, she had been homeless.
Her original plan had been to familiarize herself with her Resonance ability as much as possible, then leave the area to seek help from others.
But as luck would have it, just as she was about to set out, the Tacet Discords suddenly grew restless, appearing in large numbers, as if holding some sort of ritual gathering.
Frightened as she was, she had no choice but to leave anyway, because she had run out of food.
If she stayed, she would likely die in this desolate, snow-covered landscape.
What happened next was inevitable.
No matter how careful she was, the Tacet Discords were simply too densely distributed. As a child, there was no way she could evade the perception of all of them.
"Oww——!!"
Several Frost Lynxes were the first to pounce.
Seeing this, the girl's gaze sharpened as she directed her flames to surge toward them.
In an instant, the Frost Lynxes were engulfed by the flames and reduced to ash, leaving only a few translucent golden silhouettes frozen in place where they had stood.
"Hah... hah..."
After that outburst, the girl's complexion was noticeably paler, and fine beads of sweat had formed on her fair forehead.
But she still didn't dare relax in the slightest — more Tacet Discords pressed their attacks immediately.
——
After several more bursts of flame, the number of Tacet Discords had decreased by a small fraction.
Around the little girl, more golden silhouettes had appeared.
"Thud——"
Distracted for a moment, the girl collapsed weakly onto the ground.
Her condition was now extremely dire. Several consecutive bursts of her Resonance ability had caused her to suffer unprecedented burning pain, and her consciousness teetered on the brink of collapse from the agony.
Watching the remaining Tacet Discords draw nearer, tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.
This is... so frustrating...
But no matter how unwilling she felt, she could only helplessly close her eyes. She no longer had even the strength to keep them open.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness entirely, however, a flash of white light suddenly streaked across her vision!
What was... that?
She forced her eyelids open with the last of her strength and was shocked to see that all the Tacet Discords had halted their advance. They slowly dispersed to either side, prostrating themselves low to the ground.
And then, a figure appeared a dozen or so meters away.
The man wore a striking, ornate black robe. He had silver-white hair and deep blue eyes, with fading crystalline ice fragments adorning the corners of his eyes. Tied around his left wrist was an exquisite blue-and-white bracelet.
He walked step by step toward the girl. The Tacet Discords on either side not only refrained from attacking him — they lowered their bodies and remained completely still.
It was as if they were paying homage.
Notably, at the spot where his ears should have been, hidden beneath his silver hair, there were a pair of soft, milky-white furry tufts. They clashed terribly with his overall bearing, and it was unclear whether they were an accessory or something else entirely.
But the girl had no time to ponder such things. The moment she laid eyes on him, only one thought remained in her mind —
*He's so beautiful.*
That thought lingered for no more than two breaths before she lost consciousness entirely.
"Lavis Flamma... what a coincidence."
Walking slowly to her side, the man murmured softly.
He extended a pale finger, and strands of strange, chilling energy emerged from its tip, flowing into the little girl's body.
Profound Ice. Lavis Flamma.
That strange, chilling energy was the ultimate expression of Profound Ice.
As it entered her, the girl's complexion improved considerably and her breathing steadied, though she showed no signs of waking.
Seeing this, the man focused his attention. An invisible force enveloped the little girl, slowly lifting her into the air until she was level with him.
He cast a casual glance at the surrounding Tacet Discords. Then, taking the girl with him, he vanished from the spot in an instant.
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A/N: I'm still an inexperienced translator, but I do have a Patreon! It might look a bit empty right now, but webnovel chapters will be posted daily 2 chapters every day and advanced chapters will be available on Patreon. It may not seem like much at the moment, but who knows what the future holds!
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