A muffled thunder rolled, echoing at last inside Lingchen Yao’s skull.
He blinked awake. He floated still above the cloudline. Below, Blood-colored clouds churned over endless Black Flame. Overhead, the moon ate the sun bite by bite.
Did I die? There’s no heaven—this is hell, plain as ash.
His heart tightened like a drumhead. He scanned the warped world.
When the sun’s last thread of light sank, dark-gold slit pupils met his gaze. Black breath crept outward. The sky split into bottomless seams, belching thicker black mist.
A deep hexagram bloomed under his feet like a night flower. Chains punched through his body one after another. Panic flared, yet no pain reached him.
“With your power, you shall—”
The chains jerked like hooked tides. His body tore into shreds. Black mist poured into his half-transparent remains.
Reality snapped back. The Eye Orb rolled beside the backpack, smeared with Lingchen Yao’s Blood. The dark-silver bracelet lay in the hexagram’s center, quietly devouring flesh.
“So it’s failed again. It’s over!” Despair bit deep, cold as rain.
The Eye Orb slapped its raw nerves to roll forward. Too late. The giant wolf’s greedy stare and crushing aura pinned it like a pebble in mud.
Yellowed fangs leaked viscous drool tainted by gray-black breath. Drops splattered across the Eye Orb. If it had a stomach, it would’ve heaved. It swore it would tear that thing to pieces.
“Anyone but a Magic Maiden... The kid can die, but I can’t! I’ll do one thing for that person, no conditions. I swear on my life...”
A shadow rammed the wolf’s belly. The mighty beast shot off like a ball. The Eye Orb’s pupil trembled, then blanked into standby.
The girl plucked gray wolf fur from her silver hair. She brushed her high-waisted dress, crimson woven with black. White flutter sleeves sweetened the edge like sugar snow. She tidied as she walked straight to the Eye Orb, clear golden eyes blinking like spring water.
“You said it—one thing, no conditions. Does that still hold?”
She parted red lips and breathed orchid-sweet air, body tilted light. Her voice was a lark at dawn, a pebble dropped in a still lake, rippling rings.
“Of course.”
Hope sparked blue. The Eye Orb knew this girl was its last chance. It also knew the truth behind her face—Lingchen Yao.
“The experiment... succeeded. A miracle cut from the impossible.”
“Yeah—sure, you nailed it. But you never said this was the price! Not that I hate it... at least now I’ve got capital to search.”
She clenched her fists. Mana and flame welled across her skin. The fire scorched the Mana, then flared brighter. She swung hard and smashed the giant wolf’s head.
“The flame’s gift, my leap and power—they jumped. Not like those First Symphony girls. Feels... much stronger.”
The wolf met the punch-wind, then vaulted high. Abyssal Aura blew apart flying sparks. Its blood-red maw gaped to swallow girl and Eye Orb whole.
She spread her arms. Left hand seized its lower jaw. Right fist punched into its eye. Black Blood fell like rain, freckling her clean cheek. Flame funneled into its mouth, roasting flesh, a faint meat scent wafting like smoke.
“I remember First Symphony Magic Maidens releasing their finisher like this.”
The wolf trembled and clawed up from the ground. Its fur stood like needles in a storm. Its lone blood-stained eye flashed cruel. Power packed into its hind legs. Spiderweb cracks chased across the earth.
“I think it was...”
The wolf blasted forward and body-checked the thinking girl. She steadied midair in a rush, spun in a pretty flip, then landed light, silent as falling ash.
“Careless...”
Mana stitched her scuffed round-toe shoes and torn hem, threads glinting like fireflies.
“Lesson taken. Next time, no chance for you. End it quick!”
Flames grew wilder. The ground charred black in a spreading ring. The wolf backed up, weighing retreat, breath fogging like winter. This girl was strong. One eye lost was light compared to life.
“A demon wolf that feeds fear, feeling fear? I won’t let you run!”
She threw a punch. Scalding flame drilled under its hide. Then she spoke:
“Grant flame to the dragon, grant fire to my hands. Rip life’s shackles. Burn all things. Strike to kill—Inferno, burn here!”
Flames bent to her Mana, climbing the wolf’s limbs like ropes. The scorched ground glowed dark red. Magma bubbles pushed up and popped like blistered breaths.
Scalding magma shaped into spears. They punched through the massive body, carving Blood holes. Surface fire boiled and dried its Blood. The wolf convulsed. Its agonized howls rolled again and again down the empty street.
She didn’t slow. Her waist coiled and launched. She drove straight for its chest. Fingers together, she lanced its heart, crushed the flame-brittle spine, and caught a deep Magic Crystal in her palm.
The fire ebbed, leaving a broken, pale wolf skeleton, chalk-white under smoky air.
She dusted her palms and scooped the Eye Orb from the corner.
“Hey, this—useful, right?”
“Mm. Very. Premium research material. But don’t carry it. Some Magic Maidens can track you by the leftover Abyssal Aura.”
“Then toss it.”
She cocked her arm to throw. The Eye Orb cut in with a sharp voice.
“I never said I had no way... I’m trash now, sure, but I can store this. I promise—not a wisp of scent will leak.”
“You sure you’re not angling to recover power?”
“No. Absolutely not!”
The harder the Eye Orb swore, the heavier her doubt grew, rain piling on leaves.
“Fine. Your recovery’s not my concern. You promised one favor. This just locks our mutual interest.”
She waved it off, palmed the Eye Orb, and walked to the crater’s rim. Two Magic Maidens crawled up from the pit. At some point they’d reverted. They sat curled, half-bare, trembling. Dull Magic Stones clenched in white knuckles like pebbles.
“Do you two need help?”
Her gaze skittered. Her cheeks warmed rose. Her knees felt weak. She’d never been this close to bare bodies—real life, not some weird site.
“Mm-mm-mm...” The two girls nodded in unison, eyes damp as rain.
“The nearby clothing store—okay?”
She sprinted to the shop and fetched clothes, draping them over their shoulders like warm clouds. The Eye Orb spoke up.
“Another Magic Maiden is coming. They felt your aura. Grab the Magic Stones and move! The stronger they are, the sharper to the Abyss. Your Abyssal Aura is no weaker than that wolf’s. Run if you want to live!”
A shiver ran through her like cold water. She scooped the stones. Behind, one girl spoke:
“Senior, what’s your codename? We just want to repay the life-saving favor.”
Being called senior, huh.
“Codename... Magic Maidens need one, right? I kinda like... let’s go with Night Frost! Feels like it doesn’t fit though...”
“Quit daydreaming. Move!”
“Uh! I haven’t decided... Whatever, names aren’t that important.”
She scanned the area carefully. She eased a window open and slipped inside like a falling leaf.
“Awkward, sneaking home like this... Did that thing lose my trail? Now that I’m home, can I change back? Don’t say I can’t. This body’s so awkward! And I prefer bigger...”
“Touch the Magic Stone on the bracelet? Try it.”
Her pitch-black outfit unwound into black mist. Lingchen Yao stood bare under sunlight. Warm wind billowed the curtains inward like sails.
Freedom rushed in like open sea.
Lingchen Yao confirmed it—his clothes were gone, just as expected. The bracelet was akin to a Magic Maiden’s Magic Stone. They shared a nature.
Magic Maidens transform by swallowing clothes. That meant his transformation would swallow clothes too.
He didn’t have many outfits to feed this bracelet. Headache bloomed like a knot. Magic Maidens must spend a fortune on clothing each year... No wonder fashion surged lately.
“I need some clothes. I can’t... get mistaken for a hentai.”
He took two steps, then tipped backward onto the bed. Soft snores rippled through the room like tide.
The Eye Orb hopped onto his chest. Blue light pooled in its pupil. It devoured the faint Abyssal Aura around him.
Experiment Log
User: Lingchen Yao
Sex: Male
Mana: Unknown (tentatively Excellent)
Data 1: Using the bracelet grants power on par with Cantata Two girls, via external boosts. It will regress to First Symphony afterward.
Data 2: The lively trait in his personality is slightly amplified. Possibly bad, still controllable.
Data 3: Sustained combat is impossible. Estimated transformation time is forty-five minutes, or less. Swift victory required. Recommended battle duration: twenty minutes.
“Unprecedented. A boy with Mana. Heh. They’ll never imagine the unknown Magic Maiden who slew the demon wolf was a man.”
As it spoke, the Eye Orb melted into liquid, wrapped the bracelet on his wrist, and slowly erased it from sight.
