"What do you plan to do with her?"

Carola suddenly looked up, scanning her surroundings alertly while clenching her fists, ready for battle.

Deep in the alley stood a boy dressed exactly as he had been before. He gazed at her with a complex expression, snowflakes dusting his shoulders and hair. No one knew how long he’d been standing there.

Confirming he was alone and meant no harm, Carola relaxed. She stared straight at the man whose name she didn’t know and said in surprise, "So you’re still alive."

She’d witnessed him caught between flames and ice, vanishing like foam without a trace. Naturally, she’d assumed he was caught in the crossfire. His disappearance had dealt a heavy blow to the Witch, crippling the enemy and letting Carola take them down easily.

From this, he wasn’t as simple as he seemed.

Yihan looked toward the Grand Theater—he’d just returned from there. He’d seen Lia’s plight firsthand, and it pained him deeply while fueling his rage.

Perhaps the intimacy before sleep had deepened his feelings for her. Originally, he’d seen her as a beautiful dream, only to discover she was real. When their bodies truly merged, he realized he cared for her more than ever. The urge to help her had never burned this fiercely.

Unaware of Yihan’s thoughts, Carola instinctively assumed he was still the Witch’s accomplice. She warned him sharply, "Don’t do anything rash. You’ve seen she’s a Witch—she only brings endless trouble. Don’t show misplaced mercy."

Yihan couldn’t reconcile this cold Witch Hunter with the gentle, smiling woman he remembered. His tone hardened. "I want to discuss something. Hand Lia over to me. I’ll take her away and guarantee her powers won’t spiral out of control."

"What are you saying?" Carola was stunned. "Do you even understand Witches? They can’t control their own power. How can you guarantee anything? You don’t look like a powerful sorceress. And as long as she lives, she’ll eventually explode. Where could you possibly take her?"

"Deep mountains. Snowy plateaus. A remote island by the sea—anywhere isolated."

Carola’s gaze grew even more suspicious. "And what about you? What if something happens to you?"

"I’ll protect myself."

Predictably, her scoff cut through the air. "Don’t joke. Would you even believe that yourself? Others have tried—men who loved Witches, who ran away with them, swearing oaths, even cutting ties with their families. But halfway there, the Witch’s power erupted. He turned to ash before he could react. The resulting storm destroyed everything for miles. Hundreds of innocent villagers died. We’ve seen this too many times."

Yihan had no reply.

He truly didn’t know how fast a Witch’s power could spiral or how devastating the fallout could be. After all, he wasn’t from this world—he’d time-leaped from five years in the future. If disaster struck, he’d simply wake up safe, bearing no risk.

But Carola didn’t know his secret. To her, as a Witch Hunter, banishing Witches to protect others was her duty. She pitied Lia and admired Yihan’s determination, yet principles were non-negotiable.

Seeing Yihan’s pained expression, Carola felt a pang herself.

Even a Witch had someone who cared deeply for her. For Carola—a wanderer with no home, no family, no one to lean on—it felt like an invisible arrow piercing her chest, leaving her breathless and bitter.

Finally, Yihan stepped forward, locking eyes with her cold blue gaze. "I need to tell you a secret."

"I’m not interested."

"You have to listen. It concerns your future too." He didn’t give her a chance to refuse. "My name is Yihan."

The Witch Hunter’s face plainly said, "So what?" Nothing happened. This surprised Yihan—he was certain he’d met her five years ago, but hadn’t shared his name then, leaving her haunted by the memory. He didn’t know if revealing it now would change anything, but so far, no effect.

Initially, Carola had planned to eliminate Lia, but later chose sealing her instead. Something must have shifted her stance. Yihan felt he was that turning point. He’d use this as his opening gambit.

"I’m telling you—I’m me from five years in the future." Ignoring her shocked, skeptical stare, he rushed on. "Five years ago, you sealed the Crimson Flame Witch. But in my time, she broke free—"

"Where did you hear that?" Carola’s face flushed crimson as she cut him off, breathing heavily. "Who are you really?"

It worked—but her reaction suggested sealing the Witch was a deep secret. Yihan worried he might be silenced for knowing too much. Still, he had to push forward. He deliberately blurred the truth. "You told me yourself."

"Were we... close?"

"More than close. We lived together." That part was true—they shared a home, not a bed.

Her expression twisted with disbelief, her gaze flickering between trust and the urge to strike him down.

After a long pause, she gritted her teeth. "Don’t lie to me! If you’re making excuses, at least be reasonable. Who’d believe such nonsense?... If you’re truly from the future, prove it!"

She crossed her arms, staring at him triumphantly, her foot tapping impatiently.

Just as he’d expected.

After seeing Carola’s true face again, Yihan had planned how to win her over. First, he had to make her believe. Words weren’t enough—he needed proof of their bond. He’d brought one item with him, thankfully.

When the Aquatic Deity Ring, marked with a deep blue symbol, lay quietly in Yihan’s palm, Carola trembled violently.

"You... where did you get this..."

"You gave it to me."

To Yihan, it was just a ring. To Carola, it was irreplaceable—a graduation gift holding immense water energy, used only in dire emergencies. Such a precious item in his hands forced her to reconsider. The ring was one of a kind; he showed no great power, so stealing it seemed unlikely.

Could he really be from the future? Recalling his uncanny appearances, her doubts began to sway.

Just as she prepared to weigh his proposal, a sudden, piercing scream from a girl shattered the silence.