Chapter 10: The Blizzard Illusion

Thanks to the class roster and continuous leaps, Ember saved a tremendous amount of time, preventing the Burning Karley from absorbing enough energy to complete its life transformation before dying. In the end, it was shattered by the active bio-mechanical arm, leaving behind only a pile of remnants and a burning heart.

...

[Fragmented Bloodflame Heart]
Type: Special Item
Function: Crush it, and you will witness the secrets hidden beneath the snowstorm.
Description: This heart originates from Karley’s chest. His intense will to survive allowed him, before death, to glimpse a snowy illusion revealing important secrets about the Snow Academy’s origins. However, his mind could not withstand the shock of this revelation and shattered. His memories of the vision merged into his blood, residing within the heart.
[In certain cultures, bloodlines carry memories...]
[Tip: Using this item will aid in passing the trial, but you must have at least eight points of willpower to withstand the illusion’s impact.]
[Tip: This item cannot be taken out of the current test space.]

...

Huh!

After reading the item description, Ember raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected killing Karley to yield such an unexpected gain. Seeing the prompt that this heart could assist in passing the trial, he immediately increased his willpower to level eight and casually crushed the heart.

Whoosh...

With no heart to anchor it, the burning blood vaporized into a mist, forming a curtain that allowed Ember to see a scene from a third-person perspective: a little girl’s back as she argued passionately with an unseen presence beyond the frame. Her fists were clenched tightly, her expression fierce.

“Why? Why must someone sacrifice themselves for the family? Why must it be me?” The illusion’s voice was distorted by the poor clarity of the blood mist, but as Ember listened closely, he could make out that it was indeed female.

“It’s fate’s design, child!” came a solemn, deep voice from beyond the scene.

“I don’t believe in that damned fate! The Sun’s Eldest Daughter… the family’s mission… Hmph! How many years must you wait in this paradise world before you realize it’s all just wishful thinking? The empire world has been dead for thousands of years, and yet you cling to fate tied to a corpse. Don’t you find that ridiculous? Even if it’s a daydream, it’s time to wake up!” The defiant girl’s sharp tongue was something even Ember admired.

“Nonsense! What do you know as a child? Don’t think that just because you’ve gained some bloodline power, you can control your own fate! If it were that simple, we wouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail against the apocalypse, let alone the labyrinth of reincarnation!” The deep voice’s owner was infuriated. “The family chose you; you should be grateful. If the prophecy comes true, a small sacrifice is nothing. Becoming the Sun’s Eldest Daughter’s shadow is a coveted honor! You don’t understand now, but obey and you will someday.”

“I don’t care. You can sacrifice whoever you want, just don’t come for—”

“Smack!”

The stubborn girl’s protest was cut off by a sharp slap, her face involuntarily turning back. But just as Ember was about to see her face, the illusion abruptly shifted to a bitterly cold winter night, howling winds and swirling snow.

Ember could still see the girl’s back; she walked alone under an umbrella, and from her posture, Ember sensed a resolute determination. He noticed the pale skin of her neck unnaturally flushed with a deep crimson that glowed faintly over time, as if flames burned within, causing her blood to boil.

Cough!

Suddenly, the girl stopped, coughing up blood. She wiped her lips, clutched her chest, and pressed onward. Ember saw a patch of blood left where she paused. The cold wind fanned the not-yet-dry blood into flame that no heavy snowfall could extinguish.

This scene immediately reminded Ember of the strange snowflakes imbued with fiery power. The girl’s direction was exactly toward the school.

Whoosh...

Another gust of wind blew fiercely, blotting out the view with thick snow. When Ember could see again, the girl stood at the edge of the school roof, one step away from an abyss. She looked up at the distant castle lights, her expression wild as she laughed:

“Tonight’s revelry will be tomorrow’s wails. I can openly drink the bloodline elixir as you demand, but I don’t intend to lie in that coffin after today. With luck, I might come out in ten years; without it, I’ll become someone else’s shadow.”

She snorted coldly, “My pride will not let you trample me! I am unique, not a substitute for anyone—even if that person is the so-called Sun’s Eldest Daughter! You say I’m destined to be a nameless, faceless sacrifice? Fine. I will use my death to bring you true terror, and my soul will make your descendants experience the fate of being forgotten… If not for the bloodline elixir, even the most brutal death couldn’t unleash such a venomous life curse! Ha, ha, ha, ha ha!”

After a burst of wild laughter, the girl leapt. Her small frame plummeted swiftly, leaving a chilling splash of blood on the snow in front of the teaching building. A black umbrella, caught by the cold wind, drifted down to cover the bloodstain.

Then, a flame flickered beneath the umbrella, instantly vaporizing the blood and melting the black canopy. The wind and snow erased all traces, yet far off in the ancient castle, lights still shone brightly, its occupants immersed in celebration, unaware of the silent spreading terror.

At that moment, the burning blood mist within the heart was completely exhausted, and the illusion vanished.

Ember’s face grew thoughtful as he recalled other information revealed by the vision.

This family was clearly the Mapleblood clan from the empire world, and the empire visitor who founded it had not entered the paradise realm by chance. He bore a special mission: to await the Sun’s Eldest Daughter’s arrival. For some unique reason, he had to select a suitable candidate from the family as a nameless, faceless sacrifice to serve as the Sun’s Eldest Daughter’s shadow—just like the current Shadow Queen.

But one proud, stubborn girl dared to resist fate with her life, dying before the hilltop water tower appeared. Ember could even boldly surmise that it was her life curse that triggered the unexpected calamities recorded in the clan’s genealogy, causing mass deaths and finally forcing the abandonment of the Mapleblood castle.

Moreover, Ember now understood why the Snow Academy’s legends were rife with anomalies: the girl who drank the bloodline elixir had died in the snow. Her blood’s ability to ignite in the wind explained the snow’s strange transformations. The black umbrella, her companion in death, likely contained her last benevolent thoughts, offering those who found it a chance to escape.

“Such a pity, such a tragedy.”

Ember shook his head. Without fate’s manipulation, the stubborn girl would never have chosen to end her own life to make a statement. Her very existence exposed the dark sins of the Mapleblood family, strengthening Ember’s resolve to aid the Shadow Queen.

This vision had also eased Ember’s path through the trial, for at the moment the girl fell, he finally glimpsed her face. After a smooth willpower test, her visage was etched firmly in his memory.

She was no stranger—she was Nina, whose strength had surpassed even Karley’s.