Volume 2 Chapter 22 - The Omen of Flames
The wind that once danced lightly across Aerith Vale now carried a bitter heat.
Cindy stood at the watchtower, her eyes narrowing as the horizon shimmered unnaturally — like the air itself was burning.
"Commander Puff!" a scout shouted from below. "Something's wrong! The western forest... it's moving!"
Puff, now clad in his polished silver armor, jumped up beside her. His ears stiffened, mana radiating from his body.
"What in the world..."
From the treeline, shadows began to crawl out.
Not wolves, nor goblins, nor beasts that belonged to this realm — but twisted creatures of ember and ash, their bodies half-charred, half-alive.
Their eyes burned with flickering red fire, their shapes barely stable as if molded from smoke and molten stone.
Cindy's heart dropped. "Those aren't natural monsters."
Her wings flared instinctively, faint golden light glowing from behind her back. "They're corrupted. Someone... someone created them."
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The First Clash
The knights of Aerith Vale gathered at the gates, shields raised and lances ready.
Puff landed before them, his sword gleaming with mana.
"Formation! Wall and blade positions!" he barked.
Cindy floated above, her staff shimmering with soft wind energy.
The monsters advanced, shrieking — their roars like cracking embers. The first wave crashed against the barrier walls, but the enchanted runes held strong. Sparks scattered as fiery claws met glowing stone.
"Now!" Cindy raised her hand. "Wind Cutter Barrage!"
A torrent of slicing wind burst forth, tearing through the front line of monsters. Ash and sparks exploded into the air. Puff charged through the opening, leading the knights.
"For Aerith Vale!" he shouted.
Steel clashed with flame. The corrupted creatures melted and reformed, fighting with unnatural fury. The air itself began to heat up, distorting vision and choking breath.
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The Followers of Flame
From behind the waves of monsters, faint figures cloaked in crimson emerged from the smoke.
Their chants echoed through the valley — old, forbidden incantations.
Cindy's Appraisal activated on instinct.
[Appraisal Result]
Entity: Fire Spirit Cultist
Rank: B
Affiliation: Followers of Ignis
Note: Worshipers of the Primordial Flame. They corrupt monsters with fire essence to spread chaos.
Her expression hardened. "Followers of the Fire Spirit... so it begins."
One of the cultists raised his hand toward her. "The wind spirit's child... You should have stayed hidden. Our master's flame will consume all lesser elements!"
A fiery orb shot toward her. Cindy twirled mid-air, summoning her new power.
"Spirit Summon — Lesser Sylphs!"
Tiny spirits of wind appeared around her, swirling in formation. Their combined gust extinguished the fireball mid-air, scattering embers harmlessly into the sky.
"Tell your master," Cindy said, her eyes glowing with fierce determination, "that the wind won't bow to the flame."
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The Turning Tide
The battle raged from noon until sunset.
The once-green forest was now a battlefield of smoldering roots and fallen creatures.
Cindy used healing magic to stabilize wounded soldiers, her mana shining with calm, cool light that pushed back the oppressive heat.
Puff led the counterattack — his movements swift, his sword trailing blue mana as he struck down the last wave of corrupted monsters.
When silence finally fell, the walls stood blackened but unbroken. The air was thick with ash.
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The Aftermath
Cindy knelt beside a fallen creature — its body turning to black dust.
She reached out, feeling faint traces of mana.
"It's artificial," she murmured. "Their life force was created... not born. Whoever did this is testing us."
Puff cleaned his blade, his expression grim. "You think it's the cult you mentioned?"
Cindy nodded. "Yes. The Followers of Ignis. They're trying to awaken something — something ancient."
She looked toward the distant mountains, where a faint red glow pulsed in the night sky.
"The flame is stirring again."
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That Night
When the battle was over and her people tended to the wounded, Cindy stood on her balcony once more. The wind was warm — unnaturally warm.
The enchanted walls of Aerith Vale pulsed faintly, as if uneasy.
Puff joined her quietly, his fur singed in places but his eyes still bright.
"We won," he said softly. "But it doesn't feel like it."
Cindy sighed, resting her hand against the railing. "No... this was only the beginning. The fire spirit's followers are probing our defenses."
The moon glowed crimson through the thin veil of smoke rising from the west.
Cindy whispered to the wind, her voice steady but heavy with worry—
"Terranox has awakened... and now, it's the fire's turn."
The breeze carried her words into the night — toward the mountains where something vast and ancient began to stir beneath the molten earth.