The cold wind howled through the ridges of the Eternal Storm. Fa and her group dragged their exhausted bodies, slowly descending the snow-covered platform. In the trial just now, Villanette had pushed them to the brink with 30% of her power. If not for her final use of "Life Praise · Light of Revival," they would have long become souls buried under the iceberg. Although Salsa's Shadow Demon Dragon had shown astonishing potential at the critical moment, she had now dismissed this juvenile form of the Shadow Demon Dragon. The massive shadow body dissipated instantly, turning into a wisp of deep blue soul light that returned to her mechanical cat shell.
The group staggered back to Villanette's stone house. Outside, the nine Frost Roar Gryphons growled lowly and retreated to the side, seemingly sensing the different aura emanating from these people. Pushing open the stone door, the star glow stone floor inside reflected a soft light, and the silver star trails flowing on the walls remained serene and mysterious.
"Thank you, Lady Villanette, for saving our lives." Fa broke the silence first, struggling to stand and bow, but a stagger from the lingering pain in her body made her falter. Arya immediately supported her.
Villanette sat on that ancient stone chair, holding a new cup of liquid that emitted a clear, chilling aura. She glanced at Fa, her ice-blue eyes devoid of any "lifesaver's" warmth, only showing her usual indifference and scrutiny.
"Thanks?" She snorted lightly, her voice crisp and cold like clashing ice crystals. "Save it. I saved you only because you still have some use; it would be a pity if you died. Don't forget your promise—information, samples, the right to observe variables. If the 'entertainment' you provide in the future isn't enough, or if you die too quickly..." She didn't continue, but her fingertip lightly tapped the rim of the cup, sending an invisible chill across everyone's skin, more piercing than the blizzard outside.
She set down the cup, her gaze sweeping over the group with an unquestionable warning: "Also, everything that happened here, including my... 'true form,'" she paused deliberately, "must not be revealed to anyone outside. Control your minds and your mouths. If I hear even a whisper out there..." Her lips curled into a humorless arc, "I won't mind helping you 'forget' personally, in the most thorough way."
The absolute destructive will beneath her calm tone made even the rough dwarf TISK subconsciously shrink his neck. The group nodded hurriedly; even Kayla unusually stayed silent, just gritting her teeth inwardly.
"Get out and rest. Tomorrow, Mara will take you away." Villanette waved her hand, as if shooing away a flock of noisy sparrows, then closed her eyes. Her entire being seemed to merge with the flowing star map in the stone house, her aura becoming ethereal and elusive.
That night, no one could truly sleep. The physical fatigue had been soothed by the healing light, but the shock imprinted deep in their souls from confronting inheritor-level power, and the glimpse of the "twelve wings" mythological truth, replayed like nightmares in the darkness. Everyone silently felt the power within them that had been pushed to the limit, forcibly repaired, and subtly transformed—more condensed elemental control, more refined combat instincts, deeper potential resonance. Salsa's mechanical cat shell lay quietly in the corner, the cracks vanished under the white light, but her inner soul body was forging a tighter invisible link with the nearby Shadow Demon Dragon. That abyssal dragon might had been restrained, yet it was more subdued and dangerous.
Dawn's Faint Light and the Loyal Servant's Guidance
The next morning, when the first faint dawn light, carrying the Eternal Storm's unique sulfur scent, struggled through the thick ice clouds and sprinkled onto the platform, the tightly closed stone door was silently pushed open. The blind old woman Mara stood hunched at the doorway. Her empty blind eyes "gazed" at the group, her withered face expressionless, but as her "gaze" swept over each person, the murky white cataracts seemed to contract imperceptibly. She keenly "sensed" it—the terrifying energy remnants lingering on these young people, the unique "mark" left after being crushed, torn, and forcibly mended by extreme power, and the unshaken tremor in their souls along with a certain... ignited sharpness. Especially Fa, that chaotic aura of preliminarily fused five attributes, like an unstable miniature cosmic storm source, made Mara's withered fingers tremble slightly.
But she said nothing, merely bowing deeply in reverence toward the stone house, as if bidding farewell to her master. Then she turned to Fa and the others, her voice hoarse and ethereal: "The master commands me to lead you away." Her voice was raspy yet clear, echoing with the wind.
No unnecessary pleasantries. The group silently rose and followed old woman Mara out of the stone house. Outside, yesterday's battle platform was covered in thick new snow, showing no trace of having been completely leveled and rebuilt by disaster-like attacks, only the lingering trace of extremely pure yet violently turbulent energy in the air silently recounting yesterday's terror. The nine Frost Roar Gryphons lay quietly at the platform's edge; seeing Villanette absent, they merely lowered their massive heads slightly to old woman Mara.
Old woman Mara's withered fingers traced several arcane wind symbols in the air. Buzz! The familiar invisible wind barrier reappeared, enveloping the group.
"Stand firm." As soon as old woman Mara's voice fell, the group felt a lightness under their feet, their vision instantly filled with howling wind and snow and rapidly receding ferocious ice peaks. This time, the wind barrier's flight was smoother and swifter; old woman Mara displayed masterful control over wind magic, a stark contrast to yesterday. Ten minutes later, the wind barrier landed steadily at the edge of the Silent Speech Cliff, in front of that isolated black stone hut.
Old woman Mara dispelled the wind barrier and bowed slightly toward the direction of the Light Feather Dome: "My task is complete. Please proceed as you wish." With that, she ignored the group, turning and hobbling back to the hut, her silhouette merging once more into that solitude and gale.
Dome Tremors and the Weaving of Lies
Returning to the floating island cluster of the Light Feather Dome, the rainbow bridges remained, star glows flowing, yet unable to dispel the solemnity and heaviness from the Eternal Storm on the group. When they met Wyrselon in the royal court hall, this Wing Clan king's silver-blue six wings seemed dimmer by a few degrees.
"Fa, you've returned." Wyrselon's voice carried a subtle tension. He rose from the throne, his gaze sharp as a blade, carefully scrutinizing each person. In the hall, several guardians with steady auras stood solemnly on both sides, the atmosphere heavy. "The edge of Silent Speech Cliff, Fallen Snow Valley... disturbances have been frequent these days! The monitoring star towers recorded several destructive energy bursts, on a scale comparable to natural disasters! Avalanches destroyed several observation posts, and the terrifying aura even penetrated spatial barriers, making the dome's star glows tremble!" He stepped forward, his powerful presence enveloping the room. "Tell this king, what exactly did you encounter in that forbidden land?"
The king's question fell like a heavy hammer. The air instantly froze.
Arya subconsciously gripped Fa's hand tightly, Kayla's muscles tensed, Celestia lowered her head, her fingers quietly curling. Speak of Villanette? Reveal the twelve wings secret? That would be suicide, and it would drag the entire Light Feather Dome into an unknown vortex of danger!
In this suffocating silence, Yuyuer stepped forward. His face was still pale, but the blue light in his crystal ball flowed with calm wisdom. He placed his right hand over his chest, performing a standard Wing Clan salute to Wyrselon, his voice clear and laced with just the right amount of lingering fear:
"Your Majesty is wise! Our journey nearly ended in burial in Fallen Snow Valley!" He took a deep breath, speeding up his speech. "We followed Guardian Gelsak's guidance, delving deep into Fallen Snow Valley to find old woman Mara. Who knew... we accidentally disturbed an ancient existence slumbering in the valley's abyss!"
"Ancient existence?" A guardian with lightning-patterned demon wings asked gravely.
"Yes, my lord!" Yuyuer affirmed, his eyes revealing genuine fear (stemming from the despair facing Villanette). "It was no ordinary magical beast! Its body was massive as a mountain, hibernating under millennia of ice, its aura... ancient, tyrannical, filled with pure destructive will! We merely approached the edge of its territory, and the spillover energy triggered a terrifying chain reaction—ice layers cracking, earth shaking! The slumbering behemoth seemed disturbed; just an unconscious roll and the extreme cold breath it exhaled..." He paused, his voice trembling. "Triggered a world-ending avalanche! We... we fought with all our might, surviving by the skin of our teeth! If not for old woman Mara's timely guidance, we probably..."
He didn't continue, but the lingering dread on his face and the traces of extreme cold and immense force ravaging on the group's bodies and auras served as the strongest evidence. This was a lie based on real experiences, grafting Villanette's power onto a fictional "ancient guardian beast."
TISK immediately added roughly, the dwarf's straightforwardness now the best disguise: "That's right, Your Majesty! That damn thing's aura nearly extinguished my Furnace Heart! If we hadn't run fast, hammer and all would've turned into icicles!" He slapped his chest plate, producing a dull thud, as if proving his survival.
Rex's electronic eyes flickered timely, his armor emitting a faint hum: "Data recording module severely damaged in the avalanche impact. But surviving fragments analysis shows the energy burst source has extremely high-level freezing and spatial disturbance characteristics, consistent with... giant ancient lifeform activity signs." The cold electronic voice cloaked Yuyuer's "story" in "technology."
Wyrselon's sharp gaze slowly swept over Yuyuer, TISK, Rex, and the others' faces. He could feel the terrifying extreme cold aura and spatial tear traces genuinely lingering on these young people—no faking that. The fear and exhaustion in their eyes couldn't be feigned. The guardians exchanged looks, murmuring lowly, evidently having heard of the ancient legend of "a terrifying behemoth slumbering in Fallen Snow Valley's abyss."
The tense atmosphere finally eased. Doubt hadn't fully dissipated from Wyrselon's eyes, but the pressing pressure lightened considerably. He exhaled slowly, the silver-blue six wings behind him flowing with steady starlight: "Fallen Snow Valley is a forbidden land of the Light Feather Dome, perilously unpredictable. Your survival is already a miracle."
Fa inwardly sighed in relief, glancing gratefully at Yuyuer. The explanation was strained but barely self-consistent, at least not invoking Villanette's wrath. The others also relaxed inwardly, glad Wyrselon hadn't grown suspicious.
At this moment, Wyrselon... turned his gaze to Grosak and ordered: "Strengthen energy monitoring of Silent Speech Cliff; unless necessary, no one approaches Fallen Snow Valley's edge!" Wyrselon commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
The crisis was temporarily resolved. The taut strings in everyone's hearts finally loosened, fatigue surging like a tide. Wyrselon arranged for them to rest in the VIP area. The warm star glow stone light dispelled the chill on their bodies. Although everyone's injuries had fully recovered, the imprint deep in their souls from being crushed by Villanette's 30% power, and the hardship of fusing five attributes, still weighed heavily on each person's heart.
Astonishing Act and Farewell
After a brief day of rest in the royal court, replenishing some necessary supplies—especially after the extreme trial, the group's need for potions and rune stones was more urgent. King Wyrselon once again expressed his sincere wish for them to stay and join the Wing Clan elites in three months to crusade against the Doomsday Rebirth organization. He believed Fa's group was strong; allying with Wing Clan elites would deal a devastating blow to Doomsday Rebirth.
"Your Majesty, we appreciate your kindness." Fa stood before Wyrselon, her right eye's star pupil now extraordinarily calm and abyssal, as if harboring the vastness and depth of stars. Her tone was firm yet apologetic. "But every moment Elios remains in Doomsday Rebirth's hands is one more of danger. We can't let her endure any unnecessary suffering; three months, we can't wait." Her gaze lightly swept over the inheritor stone hanging at her waist; the warm stone seemed to respond to her resolve, emitting a faint glow. "Moreover, our journey to find other inheritors and star fragments is urgent. This concerns not just Elios, but the fate of the entire world."
Wyrselon looked at the unshakable determination in Fa's eyes, then at her companions behind her, their auras vastly different from when they arrived, brimming with battle spirit. Arya's eyes flickered with absolute trust and support for Fa; TISK gripped his massive war hammer tightly, eyes burning with battle lust; Rex's electronic eyes glowed more steadily, evidently having undergone efficient data reorganization and optimization in the extreme environment; Yuyuer's face remained pale, but the arcane fluctuations around him were more condensed than ever; and Salsa, her mechanical cat form petite, but the deep link forged with the Shadow Demon Dragon emanated a hidden immense threat that any sensitive being could feel. Wyrselon knew no persuasion could sway these young people's pursuit of their mission.
He nodded solemnly, his silver-blue six wings gently unfurling behind him, as if blessing their journey: "Very well! This king respects your decision. The gates of the Light Feather Dome are forever open to you; this place will always be your haven and solid backing. May the star glow guide your path; may your blades sever all darkness. May we meet again on the Muret Continent when Doomsday Rebirth's shadow has been thoroughly shredded by your sharp edges, and light returns to the land!" His tone was filled with sincere blessings and anticipation, without any hesitation.
With that, he waved his hand. A guardian in ornate robes respectfully presented a long box crafted from star glow wood, engraved with ancient Wing Clan runes, emitting a faint fragrance. "Inside are some Light Feather Dome specialties: extracts of Star Glow Orchid and premium Cold Iron Ore from the Eternal Frost Tundra. These are precious materials specially processed by us. The Star Glow Orchid extract can rapidly restore mental power and heal internal injuries, while the Cold Iron Ore can be used to forge top-tier weapons or armor. Perhaps they will aid your arduous journey ahead."
Fa accepted the heavy wooden box, feeling the pure energy within, and solemnly thanked Wyrselon: "Thank you, Your Majesty; this gift is invaluable to us." She knew these resources were crucial supplies for their adventures outside.
Wyrselon's gaze then turned to Celestia. On her wrists and ankles, the sealing shackles symbolizing bondage and sin still hung heavily. Though her body's scars had healed under Villanette's healing light, these shackles reminded her of her past wrongs. He frowned slightly, his tone carrying a subtle complex emotion: "Celestia, how prepared are you for your path of atonement? Are you ready to completely sever the shadows of the past?"
Celestia jerked her head up, her eyes burning with unprecedented resolute flames—a decisiveness and rebirth after baptism by fire: "Your Majesty, I am prepared, ready to fight for the Wing Clan and justice at any time! I swear, I will use my life and power to make up for my past mistakes, defend the Wing Clan's honor, and stand with Fa and the others against Doomsday Rebirth until the very end!" Her voice was still a bit hoarse, yet filled with unmatched strength. Evidently, in Villanette's extreme trial, her will had utterly transformed; she was no longer the once lost, bound fallen one. The dark energy and light feather power within her had reached a subtle balance, emanating a unique aura—dangerous yet full of hope.
In this moving moment, Fa suddenly stepped forward. Her action was decisive and swift, her short blade flashing a blinding cold light. With several crisp "clang" sounds of metal breaking, Celestia's sealing shackles on her wrists and ankles snapped and fell to the ground, producing clear, echoing rings that seemed especially loud in the silent hall. The room fell utterly silent; all gazes—from Wyrselon, the guardians in the hall, to Fa's companions behind her—focused on Fa and Celestia with shock and confusion.
"Fa, you..." Wyrselon's voice carried a trace of incredulous surprise, his silver-blue six wings trembling slightly from this sudden act, the starlight flickering unsteadily. He clearly hadn't anticipated Fa's bold and overstepping behavior.
Fa raised her head, her gaze firmly meeting Wyrselon's without retreat: "Your Majesty, Celestia is already my companion; she has proven her determination and loyalty. I fully trust her. She will stand with us against Doomsday Rebirth, rescue Elios, and atone for her past. Her heart is no longer bound; her power should fight for justice. These shackles should no longer be her chains." Her tone was unquestionable, the halo of five attributes flowing around her like a miniature universe, each ray emanating unshakable resolve and powerful presence. This was not just trust in Celestia, but Fa's proclamation of her own authority and belief.
Celestia stood stunned, looking down at the broken shackles on the ground, then up at Fa's resolute face, her eyes flashing with deep emotion and disbelief. She had never imagined Fa would make such a decisive choice for her in this setting, at this moment. The moment the shackles fell, she felt an unprecedented lightness and freedom, as if the boulder pressing on her heart for years was instantly removed. Tears welled uncontrollably in her eyes, but not of sorrow—tears of rebirth's joy and endless gratitude to Fa.
Wyrselon was silent for a moment, his sharp gaze slowly shifting between Fa and Celestia, seemingly weighing the pros, cons, and deeper implications. He could feel Fa's powerful presence and unquestionable resolve, and saw the genuine transformation in Celestia's eyes. Finally, he nodded slowly, his tone carrying a subtle relief and expectation: "Since you trust her so and are willing to take responsibility for her, I have nothing more to say." He turned to Celestia, his tone laced with a king's earnest hope for his subject: "Celestia, do not betray Fa's trust, nor squander your chance at rebirth through fire. Prove your worth; prove to the entire Wing Clan that your choice is correct."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Celestia nodded vigorously, crystalline tears glistening in her eyes. Her originally tense four wings behind her trembled slightly, as if ready to spread and embrace the free sky anew. She bowed deeply to Wyrselon, then turned to Fa, her gaze filled with endless gratitude and oath.
Among the thirty-six guardians, some showed emotion, pleased at Celestia's liberation; others revealed heartfelt smiles, evidently admiring Fa's displayed leadership and mercy. They witnessed this scene, their respect for Fa's group deepening, realizing these young outsiders were no ordinary folk. Wyrselon waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual majesty: "To ensure your safety, especially on this most dangerous journey leaving the Light Feather Dome, I will dispatch two giant eagles, thirty elite Wing Clan soldiers, and four experienced guardians to accompany you down the mountain until you reach Teardrop Bay. Be cautious along the way; Doomsday Rebirth's tendrils are everywhere."
Fa bowed in thanks again: "Thank you, Your Majesty; your support is crucial to us." She knew this escort was not just security but the Wing Clan's acknowledgment and blessing of their journey.
Thus, under the escort of Wing Clan soldiers and guardians, Fa and her group embarked on the journey leaving the Light Feather Dome. Their figures gradually vanished at the rainbow bridge's end, aiming straight for the distant Teardrop Bay. A new chapter full of unknowns and challenges was about to unfold. And each of them carried the transformation gained in the Eternal Storm, along with that unwavering commitment to the future, advancing toward the starry seas.