World of Llatem
Once a peaceful land, it is now engulfed in chaos and devastation — a war between humans and demons. Hundreds of cities have fallen under the demonic onslaught, and millions of lives have been lost. Every battle came at a great cost; though the demons did not outnumber humanity, a single demon was the equal of ten men.
The only reason mankind had not yet fallen was the presence of a Half-Saint — the greatest power in the world, fighting on their side. The demons had no Half-Saints; their mightiest were only of Heavenly rank.
And so, with superiority in numbers and the strongest warrior alive among them, humanity continued to resist. Hope for victory still burned in their hearts. Until...
In the Heavens
High above the ravaged battlefield hovered humanity's strongest warrior. Her once-pure white robes were soaked in blood. Having slain twelve of the demon generals, she now gazed indifferently at the widening rift in the sky, from which poured the aura of demons from the Half-Saint realm. The last surviving, half-dead demon general let out a hysterical laugh.
— Ha… ha-ha-ha! So what if you've defeated us, Xue Yunru? We've achieved our goal. Now that the gate is open, our Half-Saints will soon descend — and you will all be doomed! Ha—
His voice ended abruptly — the mouth that uttered the words vanished together with his head.
(The step I have long feared… has become my only choice.)
Turning her eyes away from the portal, the warrior gently caressed her blade before sheathing it. Looking around, as if bidding farewell to the world itself, the maiden spoke softly:
Origin — Strike — Rebirth
Burn, burn, flame of my soul,
My boundless source of might,
Each spark — a gift of fate,
A ray of light through cosmic night.
As the woman recited the first verse, flames began to engulf her body.
When foes arise to end my breath,
Only sacred fire within defends,
From fate and foe to conquer death,
Their end — the dusk that never mends.
All the energy within her poured into the growing fire. The warrior was no longer visible — in her place, a massive sphere of flame hovered in the sky. Then, in a flash, it shrank to the size of her palm. Rising toward the rift, she cast the blazing orb into it with a graceful motion.
At last, her body began to crumble into ash, scattering upon the wind. Unafraid, the hero whispered the final verse:
Time and death hold no domain,
Only the fire's end shall seal my fate.
Though mortal lives may know of pain,
Through flame reborn — I reincarnate.
The last thing she saw before vanishing completely was an ocean of fire erupting from the rift, its power annihilating everything nearby. A faint smile touched her lips as her ashes dispersed upon the wind.
***
The bandit, pinning the girl down and tearing at her robe, decided to look at her face. Normally, he delighted in the fear of his victims — but this time, something changed. The moment he met her eyes, a chill ran through his soul. From their depths radiated an overwhelming, abyssal killing intent.
The girl spoke only one word:
— Burn.
— What the — Before he could finish, his body was suddenly engulfed in flames. Within seconds, nothing remained but ash.
Just moments ago, another thug had been watching the assault with a twisted grin. Now he trembled in terror as the girl who had incinerated his companion slowly stood up and took a step toward him — only to stagger and collapse.
Fate, it seemed, had smiled upon the scoundrel. Deciding not to tempt it further, he raised his sword to finish the girl off. But before the strike could fall, a strange sound came from behind. He barely turned his head before a crushing blow struck his back. His vision went dark, and his lifeless body was hurled several meters away.
Delia, satisfied with the result, surveyed the battlefield. She approached the unconscious girl, checking her pulse and breathing. Confirming the noble was alive, Delia's eyes shifted to the bandit's corpse — utterly still.
{Got off easy}
Without a shred of hesitation, the heroine took the man's pouch and sword. Then, grabbing his body by the leg, Del dragged it toward the girl. Lifting the latter into her other arm, Delia headed for the riverbank.
There, dark haired gently laid the rescued girl down and searched the bandit's body again. Finding nothing of value, she flung it into the water. With a gurgling splash, it sank out of sight.
{At least the fish will eat well.} — The heroine thought coldly.
When Delia finally looked upon the girl's face — the one she had just saved — her heart froze. Before her lay the very person Del had met on one of the darkest days of her life.
***
Delia gently ran her fingers along QinXuan's cheek, brushing aside a stray lock of white hair.That fleeting touch brought her an unexpected calm, and she continued caressing her, almost forgetting the world around them. But her relief quickly turned into worry — the unconscious girl's body was growing colder.
In a panic, Delia checked her breathing and pulse. Both were barely perceptible. Her teeth clenched — the heroine knew she wouldn't make it to the city in time for help.
Taking a desperate step, she pulled QinXuan into her arms, settling her on her lap. Closing her eyes, Delia began to channel streams of energy into the girl's body, like pouring a warm river through her veins. Minutes crawled by in agonizing slowness before blue-eyed finally felt warmth returning to the fragile body.
An hour later, QinXuan stirred. Her eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. Delia exhaled in relief, though her hands were still trembling from the strain.
***
(Who am I? Xue Yunru… Xue QinXuan? Right before something terrible happened to me, memories awakened in my mind. Is that another me? A past life? I don't know. My head is a mess! But there's no time to think — I'm in danger!)
Yunru regained consciousness, sensing the scent of another person — and the warmth of someone's embrace. A pleasant heat radiated from those arms. She tried to free herself, but the attempt only drew her captor's attention.To her surprise, the stranger loosened her hold and let her go.
Jumping to her feet and turning sharply, Yunru saw that the stranger was a young woman — short black hair, a beautiful face, and a gentle smile met her wary gaze.
— Hello, — the stranger broke the silence. — Don't be afraid. I'm Delia. How are you feeling?
Realizing she didn't resemble the bandits who had captured her, Yunru asked:— You saved me from that second bandit?
— Yeah. I think he's already drifted far downstream, — Delia replied, glancing toward the river.
— Forgive my manners. My name is Xue QinXuan, — the girl said, bowing her head slightly. — I'm still a bit shaken, but I feel better. Thank you very much.
— In that case, I should thank you too, — Delia said with a soft smile and returned the bow.
— For what? — QinXuan asked, puzzled.
— You probably don't remember, but many years ago, you saved my life, — Delia explained.
QinXuan tried to recall, but a sharp pain in her temples interrupted her thoughts. Pressing her fingers to her head, she murmured apologetically:— I'm sorry, but remembering anything right now is… difficult.
— That's all right. Here, drink some water and sit in the shade. Rest, — Delia handed her a waterskin and pointed to a spot beneath a tree.
Thanking her again, QinXuan moved to the shade and slipped into meditation. Delia went to check her fishing lines.
Half an hour later.
QinXuan opened her eyes. Her mind was calmer, her memories clearer. Examining her body, she came to a grim conclusion:
(I've been poisoned. One of my "kin" must have had a hand in this. My meridians are dried out and blocked. I need an antidote — but also restoration and reinforcement. The Scripture of True Flame may have reborn me, but it also put me in danger.
With damaged meridians, kindling the Sacred Fire could kill me. Now I understand why Delia was holding me — she was helping to nourish it. She's saved my life twice already… but I won't be able to maintain it without her help.)
She took a deep breath, setting her priorities: find herbs, craft medicine, and most importantly — convince Delia to stay with her for a month. Her family could wait.
Turning her head, QinXuan caught a whiff of something delicious. Delia was sitting by the campfire, turning a fish over the flames. Seeing that QinXuan was awake, she motioned for her to come closer.
— While you were resting, I managed to catch something after all. Now we have lunch, — Delia said, smiling as she offered a piece of roasted fish.
— You've saved me twice, and now you're feeding me too. Are you trying to make me forever indebted to you? — QinXuan teased, sitting beside the fire.
— There is a way you could repay me, — Delia replied, — but I won't tell you how just yet. For now, I'm more curious — how did a lady from an Ancient Clan end up in a place like this? Of course, if that's not a secret.
QinXuan thought for a moment, then said calmly:— For you — it's not a secret. It all began when…
For the next twenty minutes, while the warmth of the fire brushed their faces, QinXuan told her everything — the attack, her family, the poison. Delia listened silently, not asking a single question.
Only her eyes, reflecting the flicker of flames, revealed a shadow — too deep to be mere sympathy.