“Xing Luo? That’s a beautiful name, so poetic,” Xia Xue said.
“Thank you for the compliment, Senior Xia Xue.”
With her new name, Xing Luo also possessed a brand new body. She took out a compact mirror she always carried and gazed at her new face—
Unfamiliar, yet carrying a cold and tragic beauty. The new body was even more beautiful and powerful than the previous one.
Several newcomers stood atop a ruined building on the surface, along with their instructor Xia Xue, for their first training session.
Xia Xue stood at the edge of the floor, dozens of meters above the ground, yet she showed not a trace of fear.
“Our first training is flight. Flight is the most important ability of a magical girl. It helps us evade close-range attacks from ground enemies, gather intel from afar, and move quickly, among other things.”
Xia Xue leapt from the edge and then slowly rose up, as if an invisible force was lifting her.
“See? This is the ability of flight. As long as you control your magic power to flow around you, you can do it. Who wants to try first?”
Xing Luo glanced around, but no one dared to step forward. Zhang Pei even hid at the back—maybe she was a bit timid. “I’ll go.”
Xing Luo volunteered. She stepped forward, her toes touching the edge. One more step and she’d be in the air.
“Come on, hold my hand,” Xia Xue said.
Freedom.
But Xing Luo didn’t follow Xia Xue’s instructions. She took a deep breath and strode boldly forward—
As she fell, everything seemed to slow down.
Xing Luo saw Xia Xue’s expression turn to shock and fear, which, to her own surprise, brought her a mischievous delight.
Snowflakes fell in parallel with her, the cold wind gently brushing her long hair—Xing Luo savored this fleeting moment of freedom from the ground.
This freedom was the true promise to magical girls.
A pair of hands suddenly grabbed her tightly.
“Xing Luo, what are you doing!? You’ll die!”
Yet Xing Luo, captivated, used her power to break free from Xia Xue’s grasp, letting herself float upward.
“The feeling of flying is wonderful…”
It was as if Xing Luo had been born with the ability to fly, not needing any guidance from Xia Xue.
So, for this training, Xing Luo barely needed to participate. Xia Xue let her train alone, only telling her not to fly to dangerous places or too high.
Xing Luo wove her way among the ruins. With a magical shield protecting her, she could maintain her body temperature even though the surrounding temperature was over twenty degrees below zero.
The desolate ground was empty and lifeless. From high above, Xing Luo overlooked the area, imagining what it must have been like before it was destroyed.
If, one day, people could return to this land and rebuild their homes, what a wonderful scene it would be.
Then, magical girls would no longer have to concern themselves with managing society—they could pursue their own freedom…
“No, no… What am I thinking!?”
This power was truly intoxicating, making Xing Luo nearly forget her original purpose.
Magical girls should pursue justice… punish evil and promote good, guide society back onto the right path. That was the promise she once made.
“Do freedom and justice conflict…?”
Xing Luo pondered—the power of magic was too dangerous. If one pursued freedom without restraint, they might become extremists like the Wings of Freedom.
There had to be just order to maintain the boundaries of freedom.
Lost in her solitary thoughts, Xing Luo suddenly glanced into the distance and saw a black snow wall approaching.
“The White Calamity is coming. I’d better inform Senior Xia Xue at once.”
Xing Luo skimmed low to the ground, heading for the rendezvous point Xia Xue had told her about. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a few figures on a building platform.
They didn’t look like magical girls. Out of goodwill, she decided to warn them.
“Hey! It’s too dangerous to stay here. The blizzard is coming! Quickly get underground and take shelter!”
The man in front seemed about to pull something from his coat, but the man beside him, wearing military uniform, grabbed his hand and stepped forward, saying to Xing Luo, “Miss Magical Girl, we understand. Please leave.”
Xing Luo felt puzzled. On such a freezing day, what were these people doing on the surface? She glanced around—there were a few others holding black cases. Who knew what was inside.
“What… are you guys doing?” Xing Luo asked.
They whispered to each other, not answering immediately. Xing Luo noticed their wariness toward her, and her intuition warned her of danger.
“I… I’ll be going then…”
Xing Luo slowly backed away, then shot into the sky, leaving that place behind.
She never mentioned this encounter to anyone.
The hands of the clock slowly ticked forward, stirring the stagnant air of the room.
He was still there, leaning against the wall in a shadowy corner, as lifeless as a mummy. Without sharp eyes, one wouldn’t even see the outline of a person.
Ye Yuan thought, maybe that man named Li Tian was a hidden magical girl, with magic powerful enough to distort perception. Otherwise, how could she explain his unfathomable qualities.
“You’re here,” he said.
“Yes, I’m here. My people—some dead, some wounded. Do you have anything to say?”
The light from the entrance pierced his little corner, revealing his indifferent face.
“I regret it. Your actions were not rational enough, but I can understand.”
“They set a trap for us, just waiting for us to bite. No mercy at all. That powder bullet you mentioned—I saw it too. If they really start equipping that on a large scale, we magical girls are doomed.”
“Mm.”
Li Tian merely nodded.
“That’s all you have to say!?” Ye Yuan said angrily.
“That’s your magical girls’ problem. You and I are just making a deal. I’m not loyal to the Military Commission, nor to you. I’m only loyal to myself.”
“Enough nonsense. What should we do now?”
“Be careful of her.”
“Her? That Xin Yu? I don’t remember anything special about her.”
“She’s special. Don’t underestimate her.”
“What’s so special about some charlatan?”
“Well, it’s just my guess. I’ll just say this—you should be wary not just of the soldiers, but even more of your fellow magical girls.”
Ye Yuan sighed softly. “I know…”
“If this keeps up, we won’t have the power to resist them. Whether we live or die, it’ll be up to them… I can’t accept an ending like that.”
Li Tian pointed to an envelope lying on the table.
“If you really want to resist them, no matter what price you’re willing to pay, I’ll give you this intel that only I can access. After that, what you do is none of my business.”
Li Tian pulled down the brim of his hat, preparing to leave.
“Wait! What is this!?”
“Something that can shake the Military Commission. Good luck, heh… I have high hopes for you magical girls.”
Ye Yuan opened the envelope, and inside was something she couldn’t believe.
“How could this be…”
She clenched her fists.