The Vanishing Scent

The cold wind howled like a blade across the boundless snowfields, sending glittering ice crystals swirling through the air beneath the thin sunlight.

To most living creatures, it was a bitter cold capable of freezing the blood in their veins. But to the Icefolk born in this land, the howling wind was no more than a gentle caress, and the bone-chilling temperatures were perfectly comfortable.

Bingying sat inside the caravan wagon, curled up into a ball with only a pair of listless blue eyes visible.

She was on her way to Frost City.

The snowfield beasts, covered in thick white fur, lumbered through the heavy snow, leaving behind a trail of solid footprints… only for the runners of the sleds they pulled to flatten them moments later.

“Little one, are you warm? Want some Frostdew?” The caravan leader held out a leather waterskin.

“Thank you…” Bingying took it and drank a mouthful. A wave of cold flowed from her mouth through her limbs and organs. She exhaled a frosty breath in comfort.

Hanmu, the caravan’s leader, was a middle-aged woman taller and more powerfully built than most men. Her rough face was etched with the marks of wind and frost, and her voice was deep and forceful. Were it not for the slightly softer lines of her face—and the particularly prominent curves of her chest—it would have been nearly impossible to tell her gender.

It was said that she had once killed a two-meter-tall snow wolf with her bare hands. Her battle prowess was truly formidable.

“You don’t seem to be in a very good mood.” Hanmu reached out with her broad palm and ruffled Bingying’s silvery-white hair.

“I…” Bingying hesitated, her eyes drifting unconsciously toward the distant horizon.

“I heard what happened to your village.” Hanmu’s tone was calm, though a barely perceptible heaviness lingered beneath it. “We nearly ran into that monster ourselves… The monsters had only just vanished when our caravan arrived at your village.”

“What were those things?” Bingying could not help asking. Whenever she recalled the monster’s appearance, her entire body still trembled.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like them, nor even heard of them.” Hanmu shook her head. “Not long after the monster disappeared, that Crimson Calamity appeared in the sky. I thought the end of the world had come.”

“What will happen now? Will those monsters invade again?” Bingying murmured.

“No one knows.”

Hanmu took a long drink from the Frostdew in her hand, her face showing clear enjoyment.

“Once we reach Frost City, we might be able to learn more. The kingdom’s sages must have already begun investigating this incident.”

“Is that so?” Bingying lowered her head.

“Little one, you should try to be happier.”

“I can’t.” Bingying pressed her lips together.

“You’re still alive, and you’re going to Frost City to become an Ice Soul Mage,” Hanmu said with a sigh. “That’s something many people would envy. I once wanted to become an Ice Soul Mage too, but the Guide said I lacked the talent. I wasn’t even qualified to become an apprentice.”

Bingying remained silent.

She had watched with her own eyes as the Guide who could command the wind and snow—and the powerful Ice Soul Mage—were slain before her. In front of that monster, they had been crushed and devoured like ants. The villagers had been slaughtered immediately afterward as well. Bingying could only feel something inside her quietly collapsing.

All her former hopes, dreams, and aspirations seemed so pale and powerless before the cruelty of reality.

“Little one.”

Hanmu’s large hand settled over Bingying’s head once more.

“Don’t worry about whether those monsters will invade again. That’s something the important people above us should be concerned with. Her Majesty the Queen will protect us.”

“Her Majesty the Queen?” A trace of light seemed to return to Bingying’s eyes.

She had grown up listening to stories about the Queen. If that legendary woman was involved…

“That’s right. When the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up. You only need to take care of what you’re supposed to do.” Hanmu narrowed her eyes. “You’re still just a child.”

“What I’m supposed to do?” Bingying murmured.

“Life has to go on. That Guide sacrificed himself… You should carry on his legacy and become an Ice Soul Mage.” Hanmu patted the little girl on the shoulder.

“Is that so?”

Bingying looked up at the sky, toward the place where the Crimson Calamity had appeared not long ago.

There was clearly nothing there anymore, yet she could still see that dazzling blood-red light.

“A blizzard is coming!” a scout shouted from ahead.

Instead of panicking, the caravan members erupted in cheers.

“Excellent! It’ll cool things down!”

“I was just starting to feel a little stuffy!”

In the eyes of these Icefolk, a blizzard was not a disaster, but a blessing.

“Brothers! We’ll use the blizzard to hurry along. We have to reach Frost City before dawn!” Hanmu rose to her feet, her booming voice cutting through the howling wind.

“Got it, Big Sis!” the men replied in unison. They wore nothing but short shirts, their crystalline chests exposed to the elements.

Bingying gazed at the road ahead. White snow and wind swallowed the view, and her mood seemed to ease a little as well.

That was right. No matter what happened, life still had to go on.

…

Returning to the Starry Temple did not take Xia Lun very long.

With the coordinates Aina had left behind, he simply followed the same route through space. It was an easy enough task for him.

A spatial rift flashed and vanished. Space rippled like the surface of water, and Xia Lun’s figure quietly appeared in the center of the temple.

The Starry Temple was empty. The simulated starry sky beneath its dome revolved in silence, casting down a cold, tranquil radiance.

Under the leadership of the Arcane Sage, all available forces and personnel had been dispatched. They had gone to various locations to deal with the threat of the Chaos Demon Gods.

Xia Lun glanced around, then sat down in Aina’s usual seat.

Hmm. It was a little chilly, and not particularly comfortable. Aina probably didn’t like sitting here either. No wonder she always wore that disgruntled little cat expression whenever she sat here… Perhaps he should bring a soft cushion next time.

With no one else around, the temple felt somewhat desolate.

The Arcane Sage’s simulated battlefield map was still displayed in the center of the hall. Dozens of red points flickered across it, marking the auras of the Chaos Demon Gods detected by the Arcane Sage.

Xia Lun stared at the map. Several red points suddenly flickered a few times before slowly fading out. Clearly, those targets had been eliminated.

I wonder where Aina is… Xia Lun thought silently.

However, just as Xia Lun was about to rise and leave, his pupils suddenly contracted. He sprang to his feet.

The red points flickering across the map… had just vanished almost entirely in an instant.

The starry dome above the temple continued its slow rotation, its cold light casting long shadows across the floor.

Xia Lun stood motionless. A chill crept up his spine—not from the cold seat this time, but from the unease rising deep within his heart.