"So cold..."

"It's so late... but if I go back like this, the headmaster will definitely scold me..."

After night fell, sparse snowflakes drifted from the sky. At first, just a few. But before she knew it, they thickened. A heavy blanket covered the ground and tree branches.

Lia hunched her shoulders, tucking her frostbitten left hand into her thin sleeve. Her right hand, equally blue from cold, clutched a bundle of dark matches. They were frozen stiff, uncomfortable in her palm. Icy wind whipped snow into her collar and hair, flushing her small face red.

She hadn’t sold a single match all day. Her luck was at rock bottom.

Dinner time had come. The streets stood empty. The later it got, the harder to find customers. Lia hesitated for a long moment. Then, she gathered courage and knocked on a door.

The woman who opened it held a round ladle, glaring impatiently. Her sturdy build loomed like a solid wall.

The woman’s meaty face scared Lia. But thinking of her empty pockets, she forced a smile. She raised the matches, voice trembling: "Madam... please help us..."

Before she finished, the woman slapped her hard. Without pause, she raised the ladle and yelled: "You again? You tricked my daughter into buying your matches when I was out, right? Fifty matches for sixteen copper coins! Why don’t you just rob us?"

Lia wanted to say it wasn’t her. But the woman gave no chance. She swung the ladle wildly. Lia fell on her butt, kicking and dodging.

"Madam, madam, I’m sorry—please stop hitting me—"

No matter how she cried and begged, the woman only thought of wasted money. Her anger flared. She didn’t let up.

Instinctively, Lia waved her hands to block. Unaware, a spark flickered in her palm. Then, the woman’s hair burst into flames.

"Aaaahhh—" The woman screamed desperately. She grabbed snow from the corner, throwing it frantically on her head. Finally, the flames died. A foul burnt smell filled the air.

Lia was stunned by the scene.

"I’ll kill you, little beggar!" In the dim light, with matches in hand, the woman assumed Lia had retaliated. Furious, she swung the ladle fiercely.

The iron ladle struck Lia’s shoulder. She sat frozen on the ground, numb to pain. A deep chill rose from within.

She sensed her body changing. A scorching flame surged inside her. Her temperature rose. Her skin grew hot.

Long ago, she’d discovered a problem: whenever attacked or hurt, her body gathered intense heat. It released violent flames.

A month ago, selling matches late at night, she was attacked by wild dogs near a graveyard. At death’s brink, powerful energy erupted from her. The heat incinerated the dogs instantly. She survived.

After that, she feared her own body. Seeing the situation spiral, she jumped up before causing more harm. She pushed the woman aside and stumbled away, trying to calm down.

The icy wind tore at the snow, howling toward her. It melted on her face instantly. Lia ran unsteadily. Her dark gold hair glowed as if about to ignite.

Feeling the energy surge within, she screamed at the top of her lungs, face full of terror: "Is anyone there—" "Help me—please, help me—"

Someone opened a window. But seeing her reddened body, they quickly shut it. Lia ran from street to street. No one offered help.

Finally, she fled toward the outskirts of Soul Valley Town, into the wilderness. In the distance, a dilapidated warehouse appeared. It stored winter hay. Like finding hope, she rushed in. She curled up in the farthest corner, gasping for breath.

Snowflakes swirled, blanketing the sky. Soul Valley Town and the nearby forests became a silver-white world.

Outside, it was freezing, wind and snow raging. Lia pressed against the wall. She looked at her palms in despair. Her fair, delicate skin had turned red. Faint crimson patterns glowed beneath. Heat radiated from her hands.

This time was fiercer than before. She couldn’t suppress it by will alone.

She clenched her teeth, burying her face in her arms. The next moment, pent-up energy erupted uncontrollably. A crimson pillar of light shot into the dark wilderness.

The warehouse ignited like it was struck by torches. In a blink, it blazed fiercely. The roof flew off. Hay crackled and exploded, turning to ashes that surrounded the girl. Flames clung to her, ready to devour her at any moment.

Lia sat in the inferno, hugging her knees, head down. She seemed to have given up.

Each flame burst made her feel like she’d escaped death. Her parents probably abandoned her because of this body. Why else ignore her for years? Even when she lived poorly in the orphanage.

No one would like this version of herself. No one would help or get close. She remembered the fearful, rejecting eyes of neighbors when she begged. To them, she was just a monster. No one saves a monster.

So, after this fire dies down, she’d return quietly. Tonight, she earned not a single copper coin. She lost all her matches. The headmaster would be angry. She’d go hungry again.

The more she thought, the more wronged she felt. Tears welled in her eyes. The fire raged, consuming the whole warehouse. Her small figure was fragile, like a fleeting glimmer on a river, about to vanish.

All this was witnessed by Yihan, who descended from the sky.

He had just entered this world. His first sight was the burning warehouse. Quickly, he spotted a helpless girl trapped in the flames. Clearly, she had no escape.