Chapter 149: Chaos
The dark infernal flames had already climbed up the houses along the road. The wooden beams were burnt to a crisp, and giant stone blocks had melted into a fiery red goo that mixed with black sludge, rolling back to the cobblestone surface. Nearby, a century-old tree was ignited, illuminating the previously gloomy and overcast street.
Black smoke, mixed with flying ash, danced in the air, casting a peculiar crimson hue across the night sky.
Buildings continued to collapse with loud “crackling” sounds. A gray-haired hunting dog burst out from the fiery grass, dragging half its scorched body along, limping toward the direction of distant voices.
“Fire! Quick, put it out—!”
In the distance, someone was anxiously shouting.
Others quickly responded: “Don’t even think about it! You can’t get near; it’s hot from way over here!”
“The house collapsed… I didn’t manage to grab my silk fabric. This is it, I’ve lost everything…”
“The people are still inside…”
“It’s terrifying… look at that color, it’s practically the same as bl**d.”
“There are demons! I just saw demons… they’re fighting…”
On the other end of the street, several members of the Arbitration Office, wearing blue trench coats and berets adorned with shield emblems, stood together, looking helplessly at the increasingly fierce inferno. All they could do was stare wide-eyed and worry.
“Is the Sword of Kanli not here yet?”
“Not yet.”
“There’s a granary of the Royal City across the street, and beyond that is the Campas Cathedral… can we brainstorm a way to handle this? This fire needs to be extinguished quickly.”
“That side won’t burn, there’s nothing left.”
“Didn’t you see that even the stones can burn?”
“What kind of fire is this…?”
“No idea…”
“Captain, we didn’t find any civilians with burn injuries. But there are some bodies… no, it’s chunks of meat; you’d better come take a look.”
“…Lead the way.”
No one noticed, in a corner of Alik Street, a young girl sat cross-legged atop a building, gazing quietly at everything below, her chin resting on her hand, several dozen meters away from the flames.
The girl’s dress was soaked in bl**d, even her hair was stained red. Dried bl**d clung to her outfit, now a deep brown. Upon closer inspection, one could even find some… whether it was flesh or something else, it was nauseating.
But the girl didn’t seem to care, a mesmerizing smile playing on her lips. Soon enough, she parted her crimson lips.
“How beautiful.”
Her voice, soft and melodious like the rustling of leaves and the sound of a spring stream, seemed to be talking to herself.
What in the world was she referring to?
The night breeze carried fine dust and ash, brushing against the girl’s flawless face, gently stirring the black strands of hair matted with bl**d.
The scene had a strange, indescribable vibe.
…………
It’s really beautiful, I thought.
Whether it was the few houses engulfed in flames below, the terrified and bewildered people, or the distant palatial halls and tiered pavilions. The refreshing night was cool, with a gentle breeze. The sky above was like a canvas, clouds billowing as crescent moons shimmered faintly—everything was breathtakingly beautiful.
A sharp pain still throbbed in my lower abdomen. The dress clung tightly to my body, causing slight discomfort. My fingertips brushed against the stone, feeling cold under the touch.
A heavy stench filled my nostrils…
These were all sensations of being alive.
I didn’t know why I had those thoughts; suddenly, everything around me seemed different.
It’s hard to describe such a change. I just… understood that the flames below were raging higher and that if they were allowed to continue, it would be disastrous. And I… could probably extinguish it quite easily, but I didn’t want to, I really didn’t. It had nothing to do with me; it was enough to just watch.
Perhaps some people would d*e… I knew that as well, but so what?
Caring about this was meaningless; people d*e every day. They died, and I lived; I was happy and willing to watch them d*e.
If I kept worrying about unrelated people, I’d tire myself out.
But this line of thinking… seemed a bit off…
Weird… was I like this before? I didn’t think so…
But now I felt so light and free.
I wanted to k*ll a few more people… I wanted to give back all the pain I suffered…
All, all the pain. Every—single—bit—of it, back to you… all back to you… d*mn it…
I can’t do that.
… Speaking of which, what exactly have I suffered?
No idea.
But I am Peilo… Silvya isn’t my name… I am Peilo…
My head hurt.
My vision began to blur again. I rubbed my eyes and opened them once more, everything once again tinted in shades of red.
The night, the floating clouds, the distant houses, the shadows of people below… everything was covered in a layer of bl**d mist.
The flames flared brighter.
I panicked and stood up.
What’s happening… what’s going on!
I started rubbing my eyes frantically, but it was no use. The bl**d color grew deeper, and I felt my body sinking, as if I were drifting on a tiny boat in a sea of bl**d, suddenly punctured by something from below, sinking further amid the intertwining bl**d and fire.
“Caw—”
A crow sounded near my ear. I turned my head and vaguely saw a black raven perched on my shoulder, similarly cocking its head to stare at me.
Goat cheese…
The moment that thought crossed my mind, countless crows began croaking in the distance.
I looked up and saw a sea of crows flying over my head, too many to count. The raven perched on my shoulder suddenly spread its wings and flapped into the night sky, merging with the flock until it disappeared from sight.
Even the moon had turned crimson.
My head felt like it was about to split open. I tightly clutched my head, trying to ease the agonizing headache.
In my daze, I heard a tender voice, as if calling out to me.
“Big sis… do you hear… sister…”
Who is it?
“Peilo, sister—!”
Who are you?
“Peilo, can you hear me… it’s me…”
The sweet voice of a little girl seemed to come from deep within my mind.
“I’m waking up,” she said.
“Who are you…” I gritted my teeth and asked, my weak voice trembling.
But that voice seemed not to hear me at all.
“You’ll come… find me, right…”
“Who are you?!”
Deep breaths, deep breaths… stay awake. Peilo, you can do it.
“You will… talk to me like before, right…”
What?
Talk to you like before? Where have we met?
I… seem to remember.
I know you… no, I know this voice.
“You are—Iliush.”
But she really didn’t seem to hear what I said.
“Even if… we’re like this…” the little girl’s voice was becoming ethereal.
“Even if we’re like this, you must come find me.”
Click.
The scene froze. When I blinked again, everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
“Phew—, phew—”
I gasped for air, struggling to straighten up, my gaze directed toward the distant flames.
I didn’t know when, but the people from the Sword of Kanli had already arrived on the scene, and some were using the Water Order to extinguish the fire… no one seemed surprised, and probably no one noticed that a big flock of crows flew overhead… did they really fly over?
Was what I just saw a hallucination?
What is wrong with me…
And that voice just now, I remember that it was Iliush, she’s waking up… wait, who is Iliush?
Did I once… see her?
I couldn’t remember.
My head was all muddled.
Drip.
Water dripped onto my feet.
Moments later, a spring rain poured down.
