Chapter 335: Sudden Changes
On the third day, the Hawk Eye lifted into the grey sky.
The new hot-air balloon had taken its name from its expanded purpose. The basket could carry the full complement of witches; canvas walls kept out the wind and the snow that had been falling intermittently since morning. After brief farewells to Roland in the garden behind the castle, the balloon rose through the cold air and turned northwest toward the Concealing Forest.
They flew low by design—close enough to rooftops that descent and engagement could happen quickly if circumstances demanded. The altitude made the departure into a spectacle. Residents stopped in the streets below to stare; some stood rooted to the spot; voices reached the basket shouting “Long live His Highness,” presumably because only Border Town’s lord could be responsible for something like this.
When the Hawk Eye crossed the western wall, the First Army soldiers on duty turned and saluted in careful formation—directed toward the sky, toward Lightning and Maggie flying alongside the balloon, toward all the witches they’d come to know over months of shared seasons. Lightning had earned a particular affection from the gunner teams; she’d been their eyes on countless engagements, directing fire from above, and their cheers for her were audible even at altitude.
Then the town was behind them, and the Concealing Forest opened ahead.
The Month of Demons had buried the forest in white. Snow packed the upper branches of every tree into broad, smooth domes—from above they looked like great white flowers pressing upward through the ground, dense and even as far as the eye could reach. Beyond them, a range of mountains rose grey under the haze, their feet invisible in the fog so that only the arrowhead peaks showed, floating in the colorless air.
“What a sight,” Shavi said softly, from the basket’s edge. “I’ve never seen this much snow in the western region before.”
“Aren’t you from the western region?” Wendy asked.
“I grew up in Fallen Dragon Ridge—farther south, closer to the warmer coast. It rarely snowed there in winter. I heard about Lady Tilly and Sleeping Island later, and slipped onto a ship at Clearwater port.” She paused. “I didn’t know what I was sailing toward, but the news seemed worth following.”
“Our Royal Highness would commiserate,” Wendy said, with a faint smile. “He’s been griping for months about the poor reach of his recruitment rumor—turns out his agent was a step behind Lady Tilly’s network the whole time.”
“Your agent is named Theo?” Ashes said. She sounded pleased with herself. “I caught him in Silver City. Red-handed.”
“You caught him because you’re a witch and you noticed the rumor was unusual,” Andrea said flatly. “If you hadn’t already met Lady Tilly, you’d have been on your way to Border Town the week after.”
“I would never serve under His Royal Highness—”
“His Royal Highness,” Andrea repeated, mimicking her cadence with perfect precision. “My. You’ve had quite a bit of practice with that particular phrase.”
“Pfft!” Tilly laughed before she could stop herself—a full, unguarded laugh, rare enough to draw looks. Yesterday Andrea had worn an expression that suggested permanent defeat; apparently she had recovered her range overnight. Among Sleeping Island’s witches, Andrea was the only person who reliably found traction with Ashes, and the dynamic had a specific gravitational pull that Tilly found herself grateful for.
“We’re all family here,” she said, “whether that’s Sleeping Island or Border Town. No need to sort each other into categories.”
She let her gaze move through the basket.
Everyone had spent time before departure learning what the others could do—enough to assign roles quickly if fighting started. The combat witches at Sleeping Island outnumbered Border Town’s by a significant margin, but Tilly had come to understand over the past days that the Witch Alliance’s strength wasn’t concentrated in combat ability. It was distributed through every part of the town. They had built this place—the furnaces, the grain stores, the clean streets, the winter wages—not by fighting, but by working until the work became something the town couldn’t function without.
Her gaze settled on Anna.
If she had to name the woman who had left the deepest impression on her since arriving, it was Anna. Not because of anything spectacular she had said—Anna said very little, and her expression rarely moved. But standing near her produced a feeling Tilly couldn’t quite put language to: a heaviness and gentleness combined, the way flat ground feels when you’re lying on it and realize for the first time how solid the earth actually is. It let you relax in a way nothing vertical could.
Sylvie had told her: Anna was the witch who had advanced fastest in Border Town. Her magical reserves were enormous; her black flames, which she could shape freely into any form, were capabilities Tilly had not seen in anyone else. And she had been the first witch to read Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science cover to cover.
That last detail had caught in Tilly’s mind like a splinter. She could imagine sitting with Anna by a fire during this long winter, working through the miraculous passages of those books together—and the imagining produced something that felt like anticipation, clean and specific, the way anticipation feels before something genuinely good.
She shifted her attention to Lightning, who was flying outside the basket in the snowfall, face turned into the wind. The girl was the daughter of Thunder, the Fjord’s most famous adventurer, and she had inherited every useful quality: curiosity, energy, the particular temperament of someone who finds the air more comfortable than solid ground. Thunder had hoped for a steady life for his daughter. Watching Lightning now—checking the horizon, adjusting her angle, noting something, noting something else—Tilly thought: she’s going to surpass him. The only question was how far.
The only thing Tilly could do for her was protect her until she no longer needed it.
“We’re almost there.” Lightning’s voice came through the canvas. She had already moved to the basket’s edge while Tilly was thinking. “Maybe a few minutes.”
“Come inside and rest a moment.” Wendy’s concern carried across the space. “Your lips are white.”
“Just numb.” Lightning patted both cheeks; they glowed red from the cold. “The scarf His Royal Highness gave me keeps my ears from freezing. The rest is fine.”
The first half of the journey had been straightforward. Whatever demon beasts moved through the forest below occasionally raised their heads and roared—but no beast had the reach to threaten a balloon at altitude, and the devils who had been active near the stone tower in previous months were nowhere in evidence. The flight was, in its way, almost peaceful.
Then the Hawk Eye passed over the destination, and everyone fell silent.
The forest below had been destroyed. Not burned, not felled—torn apart, as though something vast had moved through it without caring what was in its path. Trunk fragments and broken branches lay scattered over a wide swath of ground; snow had been churned into the soil; the chaos of it extended in a rough line northwest, out of sight among the trees.
And where the stone tower had stood, there was nothing.
Only a hole. Black, circular, dropping into darkness that swallowed the eye completely. Whatever had made it had been very, very large.
“Where’s the tower?” Ashes said.
“It was here.” Lightning’s voice was stripped of its usual certainty. She pointed straight down. “It… it was right here.”
“Sylvie.” Tilly kept her voice level. “What’s in that hole?”
Sylvie’s brows drew together. Her complexion shifted—something passing behind her expression that was not quite fear. “It’s a—it looks like a maggot. An enormous maggot. Moving northwest.” A pause. “The ruins are inside it.”
“Inside.”
“Inside its stomach. I can see the stone tower—and the ice coffin you mentioned.” She was still looking, still searching. “It swallowed the entire ruins. The whole thing.”
Everyone turned to Tilly.
She took a breath. The information settled. A giant worm had consumed the ruins they’d come to explore—including the crystal coffin with its sleeping occupant—and was now moving away from them through the earth. The math was simple and unpleasant.
“Anything else besides the worm?” she asked. “Devils, specifically.”
Sylvie observed for another moment. “Some demon beasts in its belly, but they all appear to be dead. No devils.”
“Good.” Tilly straightened. “We descend. One team guards the perimeter outside; the other follows me down. We go in, we kill whatever needs killing, and we take back the ice coffin.”
Chapter 335: Sudden Changes
The third day. Along with the assembly of the large hot air balloon, the day had also arrived for them to depart and explore the ruins.
The new hot air balloon was named “Hawk Eye”, and its massive basket was capable of accommodating many witches. In addition, it would be enveloped and wrapped around by a canvas, preventing chilly winds and heavy snowfall from affecting it.
Since the operation would be safer if it were done quickly, the witches boarded the hot air balloon in succession after bidding a simple farewell to Roland. From the garden behind the castle, it lifted up into the skies and began making its way towards the stone tower.
In order to be able to rapidly descend to the ground in times of danger to meet enemies in combat, they had flown the “Hawk Eye” at very low altitudes this time around, to the point where it was sweeping past the roofs of the small town. A large number of residents were witnessing the “extraordinary sight” while a sizeable amount of people were standing at their original spot, stupefied. There were also people loudly shouting “Long Live His Highness!”; in their eyes, it was probable that they believed only the lord of Border Town was capable of bringing about such miracles.
When it passed by the western part of the wall, the soldiers of the First Army began to salute in an orderly manner towards the sky. Regardless of whether it was Lightning or Maggie that were flying alongside the hot-air balloon, they were all witches who they were familiar with. It was exceptionally apparent for the young lady Lightning, who had received passionate cheers from the soldiers, as she had regularly given the gunner team directions on where to fire.
Very soon, under the fluttering snowflakes that were scattered about the skies, Hawk Eye casted the small town behind it and entered the area where the Concealing Forest laid.
Tilly stood at the side of the basket, gazing at the boundless sea of forest far away.
The snowy season that had persisted for the entire Month of Demon had turned the place into a sea of dazzling white. The highest branches of the tall trees had all been enveloped by the snow, which at first glance, looked like a sea of dais protruding from the ground, smooth and broad. On the opposite side of the view was a vast range of mountains, which was grey in color under the hazy fog. The foot of the mountain, which was connected to the ground, wasn’t visible at this point, making the arrowhead mountain peaks in the distance seem as if they were floating in mid-air.
“What a beautiful scenery.” Shiva let off an emotional sigh. “This is still the first time I’ve seen such thick snow cover the western region.”
“But, aren’t you a witch from the Western Region?” Wendy curiously asked.
“I originally lived in Fallen Dragon Ridge. That place was closer to the south and it rarely snowed during winter. It wasn’t until later when I heard the news of Lady Tilly developing Sleepy Island did I covertly sneak into a ship bound towards Clearwater port and met up with the other witches.”
“That explains it.” Wendy smiled while shaking her head. “Our Royal Highness has always been grumbling about the absence of witches coming forward even after rumors of the association settling down in Border Town had been disseminated…Turns out he was one-step behind all along.”
“Oh, is your side circulating news of a gathering place for witches too?”
“They are. It’s a shame that the person in charge of it is pretty inexperienced. He was discovered right away by me when he had just arrived at Fallen Dragon Ridge.” Ashes said in a self-complacent manner. “I had even managed to catch him red-handed in Silver City. Apparently, his name was Theo?”
“You’re a witch after all. It’d be natural for you to notice such a weird rumor.” Andrea curled her lips. “If you hadn’t met Lady Tilly, you would have probably gone to Border Town a long time ago.”
“There’s no way I will serve under His Royal Highness—”
“Hoh.” She mimicked her voice and said, “His Royal Highness…sounds to me you had quite the talent in calling him that.”
“Pfft!” Tilly couldn’t refrain herself from laughing loudly. Yesterday, she had saw Andrea wearing a sulky expression on her face, but from the looks of it currently, she had seemingly returned to normal. Within Sleeping Island, the only person that dare to find fault with Ashes would be Andrea, who had an illustrious family background.
“No matter if it’s at Sleeping Island or Border Town, we’re all family here. There’s no need to discriminate here, alright?”
Turning her head, her gaze swept past the large group of witches in succession.
Everyone had already found out what ability the other had before setting off. This was done so that they could find a reasonable role for everyone in the case of an enemy attack. One could say that the number of combat witches in Border Town completely paled in comparison to that of Sleeping Island, who had a large number of them. In fact, it was to the point that a large number of witches were incapable of combat. However, it was exactly because of their relentless efforts that turned the little town into what it was today.
Tilly’s line of sight stopped at Anna. If she had to choose someone within the group that left the most profound impression on her, it would probably be this woman who awoke her powers in the Border region and had the deepest impression of Roland.
As long as she stood near her, she would be able to feel a heavy and gentle feeling that was difficult to describe. It was still the first time Tilly had encountered such a feeling. If she really had to describe it, it would be the soft and firm feeling coming from someone’s back when they were lying on a
vast plain. It was the kind of feeling that allowed someone to truly feel relaxed.
Other than talking to Roland, Anna was a silent person and her expression rarely changed as well. However, as long as she was standing within a group of witches, her presence was something that was very difficult for people to overlook.
Moreover, from what Sylvie said, Anna was also the quickest witch that had undergone an evolution in Border Town. She possessed a huge, stunning amount of magical power and her black flames, which she could freely manipulate the shape of, was abnormally strong. What’s more, she was also the first witch to read through and finish the “Theoretical Foundations of Natural Science”. This fact made Tilly feel as if she had found a kindred spirit.
If she was able to sit around a fireplace with Anna and properly discuss the miraculous knowledge present in the book during such a winter, it would presumably be an incomparably happy occasion. Tilly was filled with anticipation for that day to come.
The fifth princess then shifted her gaze towards Lightning, who was outside the basket. Being the daughter of Thunder, she was in many ways similar to the No.1 adventurer of the Fjord. She was lively, possessed an inquisitive heart, was filled with energy, and had an innate nature that was suitable for flying. Tilly believed that only the vast and limitless skies was capable of accommodating her free spirited mindset.
Although Thunder had hoped her daughter could live her entire life in a conscientious manner, after seeing the young lady, Tilly knew she was destined to become an adventurer, whose achievement in the future might even surpass her father.
The only thing she could do now was to protect her the best that she can.
“We’re almost there.” Lightning informed everyone. While Tilly was engrossed in her thoughts, she had since drawn close to the side of the basket.
“Come in and rest a little.” Wendy had a deeply concerned expression on her face. “Your lips have turned white from the cold.”
“No worries, my face is just feeling a bit numb.” She patted her rosy red cheeks. “Fortunately, there’s the scarf His Royal Highness gave me. My ears don’t feel cold at all.”
On the way there, they did not run into any of those ferocious-looking devils. Even though the demonic beasts that were in the forest they were traversing through would raise their head and let off a roar or two from time to time, it was evident they didn’t have the ability to attack the hot air balloon that was above them. As such, the first half of the journey went by without much of a hitch. However, when the “Hawk Eye” was above the destination, everyone was stupefied with the scene in front of them.
The only thing they saw was an aftermath of a large beast sweeping past a chunk of the forest. At every spot, fragments of tree trunks and branches laid scattered about while snow had been flipped over and mixed with the soil. From the looks of it, it was an extremely chaotic sight.
“Where’s the stone tower?” Ashes asked.
“It was originally there.” Lightning’s voice was filled with disbelief as she pointed at the empty patch of land underneath her foot. “It… disappeared.”
Tilly looked towards the direction she was pointing at. On the surface of the ground, which color alternated between brown and white, was a large hole. It was pitch black, bottomless and looked as if someone had excavated a passage at this area towards the abyss. Based on the size of the hole itself, the excavator must certainly be somebody who possessed an astonishingly huge body.
“Sylvie, take a look at what was in that hole.”
Sylvie’s brows very quickly creased while her complexion began to look very terrible. “It’s a—it’s a monster that looked like a maggot. It is currently moving towards the Northwest direction— Hold on a second, the ruins are in its stomach!”
“What, in its stomach?” Ashes said in a shocked manner.
“That’s right, I saw the stone tower…as well as the ice coffin you all were talking about.” She said, while carefully examining it. “My goodness, it had swallowed the whole ruins down into its stomach!”
What should they do next? Everyone began to look at Tilly spontaneously.
“Is there anything else besides the worm?” The fifth princess asked in a deep voice. “The devils in particular.”
“Hmm…There are some demonic beasts, but they’re all in its belly. Seems like they were already dead.” Sylvie observed for a moment before shaking her head.
Tilly contemplated for a moment and spoke in a decisive manner. “We descend now. A team will keep guard outside while the other team will follow me into the caves. We will slay the demonic beasts and take back the ice coffin.”