“How about Anahita? In the Surface World, it represents ice, snow, and wisdom.”
The Ice Bird blinked its eyes, seemingly not understanding what was so special about the name.
Lance whispered it twice.
“Anahita… Anahita…”
A faint shimmer brushed over the top of the Ice Bird. In that moment, Lance felt a connection to the bird manifest out of thin air.
He had felt this same sensation when he signed the Master-Disciple Contract, and he immediately realized that Falia might have succeeded.
As soon as the connection stabilized, the Ice Bird’s eyes glazed over.
Its entire body collapsed to the ground with a thud, and its two icy eyes became motionless, losing their luster.
Lance was startled. Fearing that something had gone wrong during Falia’s procedure, he hurriedly asked, “Master! What happened?”
……
The Ice Bird’s consciousness went dark. When she woke up, she found herself in a place completely different from before.
As she slowly opened her eyes, she realized she was standing on a large platform surrounded by countless curved pillars.
‘Where… is this?’
The Ice Bird quickly stood up, recalling what had just happened.
‘Lance gave me a name, Anahita… but where am I now?’
With her surroundings completely changed, Anahita looked around in a daze.
She tried to take flight but found that she could not even get close to the pillars on the horizon.
While the Ice Bird was lost in her confusion and anxiety, a white-haired woman with amber eyes suddenly emerged from behind one of the distant pillars.
The moment the woman appeared, an indescribable fear instantly enveloped the Ice Bird.
It was as if she were facing an Element Overlord, leaving her terrified and unsure of what to do.
Falia gave a mischievous giggle. Reaching out from her voluminous robes with a slender hand, she lifted a birdcage with a single finger.
Seeing that the Ice Bird was quite energetic, Falia was naturally delighted.
The smile on her face grew thicker. At this moment, there was not a trace of stability or wisdom in Falia’s eyes; instead, they were filled with a pure, childlike playfulness.
She picked up a quill from nearby and used the tip to tease the Ice Bird trapped in the cage.
“So pretty… so perfectly white…”
The Ice Bird, brushed back and forth by the quill, scrambled to hide, but it was futile. She could only let out a series of frantic chirps.
“Master! What is happening?”
Lance’s urgent inquiry echoed into the quiet room.
Falia, who was having the time of her life, furrowed her brows and pursed her lips.
She had no intention of responding to Lance and continued her teasing without pause.
“Enough, official business is more important.”
Specks of starlight gathered, and a figure slowly emerged.
Another white-haired Witch with amber eyes materialized in the room. Who else could it be but Falia?
However, although their appearances were identical, their aura and expressions were worlds apart.
This newly appeared Falia had an indifferent expression, yet her eyes carried a natural arrogance that looked down upon all living things, as if no one would ever dare to question her.
The style of her robes was also completely different from the Falia who was teasing the bird.
The complexity of the patterns on her robes far exceeded the former’s by several times, radiating a power and mystery sufficient to make anyone tremble.
However, “anyone” clearly did not include herself.
Hearing those words, the childlike Falia teasing the bird became even more displeased.
She dropped the quill and glared angrily at the “self” standing before her.
“I’m just playing a game with her first! It’s not like I’m not doing the work!”
Being scolded so loudly, the haughty Falia’s brow twitched. A few ripples surfaced in her calm eyes, but she said nothing.
She simply stood there looking down at the Falia who was only focused on playing, a faint hint of a sneer on her face.
Seeing this, the childlike Falia grew even angrier.
How could she not understand that look? It was clearly the look “she” used when seeing an idiot!
She was looking down on her!
The childlike Falia’s eyes widened, her cheeks puffed out, and she tilted her head up to confront her “self” in anger.
The scene fell into a stalemate as the two Falias stared each other down, neither willing to yield.
Left with no choice, yet another figure slowly materialized. Naturally, it was another Falia, but this one had short hair!
Wearing an apprentice’s robe, this Falia raised both hands and stepped between the two, trying to mediate.
“We are all the same person, how can we fight like this?”
The short-haired apprentice feigned a serious attitude and turned to the majestic Falia on her left.
Although she was terrified just by looking at the other, she still managed to “lecture” her.
“Honestly, Professor, why are you getting so worked up with Little Falia?”
As soon as she finished, before the Professor Falia could respond, the short-haired apprentice quickly turned to the Falia sitting on the stool.
“And you too, Little Falia. Mr. Lance is already getting anxious. Let’s finish the contract first, then I’ll let you play with the Ice Bird later, okay?”
Hearing this, Little Falia hung her head like a child admitting a mistake. The other arrogant Falia let out a cold snort and turned her head away, saying nothing more.
Seeing this, the short-haired girl clutched her chest, clearly relieved.
Taking advantage of the ceasefire, the apprentice Falia cleared her throat and finally replied to Lance’s question.
“Do not worry, it will be done in a moment.”
The apprentice Falia then summoned her wand, levitating the birdcage into the center of the three.
Once it was positioned, Little Falia spoke up.
“Witch Sister! Please prepare a contract for us!”
In response, another figure materialized out of thin air.
A figure with a smile in her eyes and at the corners of her mouth walked out — it was the Falia Lance had seen before, the one with the Witch’s Hermitage emblem embroidered on her chest.
She asked cheerfully, “Is the disagreement settled?”
The three Falias reacted differently: Little Falia gave a bright smile, the apprentice Falia offered a strained laugh, and the Professor Falia simply snorted and ignored her.
The Witch was only asking casually. After completing the fourth corner of the quadrilateral, the Witch Falia leaned over and spoke to the shivering little bird.
“Do you like the name Anahita?”
Feeling a boundless terror from the depths of her soul, the Ice Bird didn’t dare say no.
She nodded her head like a chick pecking at grain.
“That’s good.”
At that moment, a pale blue magic circle appeared beneath the feet of the four.
The three Falias from different periods joined hands, pouring energy into the magic circle.
The Witch Falia smiled slightly and beckoned a piece of white paper over, beginning to use the power of the formation to write.
A few large characters were clearly written at the top: **[Master-Servant Contract]**.
A few moments later, a bilateral binding contract took shape.
According to the principle of equivalent exchange, the contract given to this Element Lord of the Elemental Tier was clearly much better than Lance’s deed of sale.
But given Falia’s status, this contract could still be considered harsh.
However, when dealing with this bird of lesser intelligence, the Witch was clearly too lazy to waste words on persuasion.
She simply spoke in a captivating Demonic Language.
“Take a look at this gentleman’s agreement. If there are no issues, sign it.”
The Master-Servant Contract passed through the birdcage, shrinking to a size the Ice Bird could read, but… the Ice Bird was illiterate!
While she hesitated, Professor Falia narrowed her eyes, and an overwhelming chill swept over the Ice Bird’s entire body.
Terrified, the bird raised a foot and stamped it onto the contract.
The bird’s footprint shifted, transforming into text in a matter of moments: Anahita.
The moment the signature became clear, Anahita felt her mind tighten. She could clearly feel her soul being bound.
How could she not understand what she had just signed?
Small icicles instantly filled her eyes, dripping down onto the wooden platform.
“I will let you go when my disciple dies of old age… for now, you should help him…”
“His name is Lance. He is a very good person, and from now on, he is your master.”
“Don’t let me down.”
Anahita’s vision turned gray. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the young man in knight armor looking at her with concern.