“What? You can sense her presence?”

  “Not really but the weather has taken a great change. The winds are weaker and there is a fog coming from the shore.” Storm Rider explained with a balanced tone.

  Luna listened, feeling both confused and relieved by the Fire Keeper’s explanation. However, she was also a bit confused. What did she mean by saying the winds were weaker? Len was not a sorcerer to have that level of effect on the environment. If it was her, then just how much was her sister enduring to maintain the fog form while controlling the winds?

  ‘If she continues this, then her soul gate might shatter from exhaustion.’

  “Where…is she?” Luna’s voice trembled when she realized the gravity of the situation.

  “The fog. She is the fog coming in our direction. I guess that she’s heading to the orange flame.”

  Luna rushed out of the shelter upon hearing that. Her heart raced with emotion. Once she stepped out, she was slammed by the cold wind because she had forgotten to put on her cloak, and her armor was on its last legs. It was so cold that her skin felt like it was about to burn down from the cold alone.

  Nevertheless, Luna’s determination pulled through and her heart burned as she channeled the Qi she had absorbed to boast her endurance. The pain subsided but her hair started to solidify.

  Was it always this cold?

  Her eyes darted left and right, searching for the fog that was supposed to heading direction. She couldn’t sense zenshi and the coldness getting to her head was now hindering her ability to sense life essence.

  ‘Len! Where the hell are you!” she screamed at the top of her voice and crossed the harsh snow land while battling the elements.

  After about ten minutes, Luna was back in the creepy forest. Her breath came in sharp, visible puffs as the cold bit at her skin. The snow crunched underfoot, adding to the cacophony of sounds that seemed to drown out her thoughts.

  But then, just as she was about to lose herself to hypothermia, Luna saw it.

  In the heart of the forest, an ominous white fog was already expanding, slowly drifting towards her. It was unmistakable—this was her sister’s transformation ability, the reason why she was known as the Ghost of Winter.

  Before she could celebrate, Luna’s heart pounded as she watched in horror as everything the fog touched turned into a frozen sculpture—trees, cursed creatures, and even the corpses of those who had fallen in battle were encased in ice. The fog continued to spread relentlessly, freezing everything in its path like a wildfire of its own.

  She took a few tentative steps back, her pulse quickening with fear. If Len was capable of maintaining this form for so long, then something was wrong.

  “Should I call her?” Luna murmured to herself, her mind racing as she contemplated summoning her forged weapon.

  The situation was dire and her sister’s unchecked power was threatening to freeze everything around her.

  She was about to come to a conclusion when a blast of crimson gold flames hurtled past her, striking the menacing fog with explosive force.

  ‘Huh?’

  Luna’s eyes widened in shock as she traced the flames back to Storm Rider, who was floating high above with her arm extended. Her red eyes glowed with a chilling intensity, a stark contrast to the frosty scene below.

  The explosion of Storm Rider’s power sent shockwaves through the forest, causing the very ground to tremble beneath Luna’s feet and the weaver trees to fall.

  “That’s my sister! Don’t attack!”

  Storm Rider, however, did not respond. She only shot her one daring look that forced Luna to shrink back in her place. Then continued her assault by unleashing a barrage of golden flames that looked like wisps of light. Each blast struck the fog with devastating impact, causing it to explode on contact, sending shards of ice and mist into the air.

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  Luna watched in despair as the fog was assaulted by Storm Rider’s relentless attacks. The fog writhed and contorted, struggling against the onslaught but didn’t dissipate. The conflict between Storm Rider’s searing flames and the Ghost of Winter’s chilling fog created a chaotic dance of elements, each vying for dominance.

  ‘What the hell is happening…’

  Luna turned her gaze back to the fog, her mind racing with realization. The golden wisps of fire had collided with the fog and something was profoundly wrong. Len’s transformation was supposed to be incorporeal—untouchable in that state. At least, that was what Luna had always believed because Len always treated it like a trump card.

  Yet, amidst the chaos, Luna saw a critical change. The fog, which had once been so imposing, was visibly shrinking from Storm Rider’s relentless assault that was clearly having an effect.

  ‘Storm Rider is directly striking Len’s body. But how?’

  Desperation gripped Luna’s heart as she watched her sister’s fog retreat after taking on more attacks from Storm Rider. She stopped after she was sure there were no more traces of the fog. Unfortunately, half of the forest was now completely gone after using her power.

  Meanwhile, once her fog was defeated, Lena reappeared and fell to her knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Despite her sweat-soaked skin and the exhaustion etched on her face, her body appeared unharmed, with no visible injuries marring her pale skin.

  Luna didn’t hesitate to rush to her despite the state she was in herself. When she arrived, the first thing she noticed was the lack of visible wounds on her body despite having been hit by Storm’s attacks.

  She stopped when she saw this. Wasn’t Len’s fog just her body turning to fog because when they sparred—her katana was capable of cutting through Len’s incorporeal state? Those injuries would then be seen whenever she returned to her real body. This time though, her body was uninjured but she looked very weak.

  “Lena!”

  Lena’s head snapped up, upon hearing her name once. Her dull eyes widened when she recognized the person standing in front of her.

  She opened her mouth, her lips shuddering. “Lu…”

  However, before Lena could say anything else. Luna was already upon her, enveloping her in a fierce, protective embrace. The desperation in Luna’s voice was palpable, tinged with relief and concern.

  “I thought…I thought you were…”

  Lena made an exhausted smile as she returned her sister's embrace, her breath coming in labored gasps. She didn’t know how Luna ended up in a place like this but she was glad to see a familiar face after being trapped in a mental prison for so long.

  “I am more powerful than you give me credit for, Lunaris,” Lena managed, her voice strained but warm. “Though I didn’t know you found a way to get here. Or that you made some friends.”

  Even in her weak state, Lena couldn’t ignore the powerful presence in the sky.

  Luna’s heart ached after hearing her sister’s concerned tone. Tears welled in her eyes as she clung to Lena, her emotions a tumultuous mix of relief, fear, and love.

  After those wild emotions settled, Luna reluctantly released her sister from the comforting embrace and turned her gaze upward.

  Storm Rider remained suspended in the air, her piercing red eyes fixed on the two sisters. They were hostile as if she was bothered by Len’s presence.

  “That’s… the guardian of this level, Storm Rider. I can’t tell you much, but know she’s on our side,” Luna explained, her voice steady but edged with concern.

  Storm Rider’s gaze remained inscrutable as she responded with a curt nod.

  “I see.”

  With a deep breath, Luna carefully lifted Lena onto her back, her sister's weakened form pressing gently against her.

  And together, they made their way back to the small shelter nestled amidst the sacred land. The snow underfoot crunched with each step, the cold wind biting at their exposed skin. Despite the harsh conditions, Luna’s focus remained solely on ensuring Lena’s safety. The problem wasn’t her sister’s weight but the coldness that slowed down her activity.

  More minutes passed until they finally made it to the shelter and were now safe from the weather outside. During that entire time, Luna didn’t ask Storm for any help. Instead, she controlled the Qi in her body to keep her blood warm and heartbeats normal.

  Now that the three of them were inside the shelter, Storm Rider went on and introduced herself to Len, officially. But this time, she kept a lot to herself…even the fact that she was an immortal fire keeper.

  She talked about how she killed the being here and never explained how like she had with Luna. Also, she introduced herself as an Ascender in Len’s presence.

  Luna understood why Storm Rider needed to lie. The path of zenshi is the path that was gifted to humanity by unknown powers. To Storm, this version of ascension was impure because it might have been created by the enemies who put her in this tower in the first place. She loathed the so-called ‘True celestials’ and everything they represented.

  Also, caution becomes second nature when you have lived as long as she has. Zenshi was a mystery to her as well. She needed to be wary of how much she revealed to a zenshi user.

  As the flames danced, she went about to explain how she met with Luna and decided to help her find the teleportation circle of this level. Her words came out naturally as if she rehearsed all this before.

  ‘She wouldn’t. Would she?’

  In the end, Storm Rider’s information dump ended and Len’s face was stuck in visible awe. All this information felt overwhelming, even for someone who survived a history lecture about the Origin of Runes and the purposes they served.

  She turned to Luna who had been quiet the entire time. She was staring at Storm Rider with that look.

  ‘They haven’t told me everything.’ She turned her gaze to the tall woman. It was strange to feel hostility towards a person she had just met. Her instincts were telling her that this woman was a danger to her and everyone else.

  Yet, this woman had saved her sister’s life.

  When she had explained everything, Storm Rider decided to give the sisters some time to talk. She made an excuse and left the pair alone.

  “Wow, that much time has passed. It's been over a month since we came here…wow.”

  Len exhaled and remained silent for a while as she tried to piece everything together. She rubbed her face and then turned to Luna, who was seated on her right side. Luna's dark eyes reflected the golden flame and the sadness she was hiding.

  “There is no teleportation circle that takes us back, I guess.”

  Luna nodded and said. “We all appeared in the sky. All I remember is falling through the clouds and almost freezing to death. And before you scold Valentine and I were dragged here against our will.”

  “You were lucky. Valentine might be dead by now.”

  “He’s not.” Luna retorted. “He’s stronger than he looks.”

  “I know he is. I saw him go against a cursed soldier and felt pity for the soldier. But…this level… it's worse than the desert, it’s terrible. The things here.”

  She squeezed her hands to hide the fact that they were trembling.

  “The things here forced me to push myself. They reminded me of how much I feared death.”

  Luna didn’t need to hear the details. The fear in her sister’s voice was almost palpable.

  She now understood why Lena felt so much different. Earlier, Storm’s attacks did indeed harm her physical form.

  Lena just healed faster.

  ‘Her Aura has grown stronger.’