Chapter 60

Nastya was walking through the icy winds and snowy plain in search of a blue lily. Her black hair was disheveled, and there were clear signs of tiredness and sleeplessness in her young red eyes. Her clothes were ragged and clearly indicated her poor state. One could easily see her skinny constitution, clearly showing malnutrition.

Life in Frost Capital's outskirts was never easy, and many died every day struggling to live for one more day. As for Nastya, she turned 18 this year, a pretty old age for someone born in the outskirts. Many would die from fights for food, some would end their lives willingly...but what was clear is that reaching adulthood was considered very rare. There was a reason why Nastya managed to live up until this point.

Back in the days, her mother barely managed to make ends meet as she did all kinds of jobs, no matter how low, to survive. At some point, it came to a point where she would go out for the night, leaving Nastya in shelter, and come back disheveled and tired, but with one bread in her hands.

Ever since she was 11, when her mother passed away from illness, Nastya had to sustain herself.

Her looks and body were average at best, which made her unable to find someone who would look out for her and care for her. Her constitution was weak, which made her unable to perform certain duties like carrying or doing labor.

Where she lacked in strength, she balanced it with her wit. The constant struggle for life made her intelligence bloom early as she schemed, manipulated others, and used her brain to come up with ideas every day for one sole purpose - survival.

It all continued until the day she got tired of such a life and began to think about Awakening.

Whenever she would see the Awakened, a look of envy would appear on her face.

Their looks were great, better than any mundane human she saw. Their status was better too, as they wielded strength beyond the scope of her understanding.

'Only if I was this strong...'

These thoughts would often cross her mind as she would daydream of things she could do.

No more poverty, no more illnesses. No more sadness, no more struggle.

One day, she decided to work towards her dream and, through some actions, got her hands on a method of Awakening.

Right now, she was walking towards the Ice Cave to the east of Frost Capital, in order to battle awakened creatures and get her hands on their soul cores to possibly awaken.

She knew pretty well that she didn't have much chance to achieve her goal, especially with her weak constitution.

Nevertheless, there was clear determination in her eyes as she walked towards the Ice Cave, her delicate hands gripping the hilt of a makeshift light sword.

In this accursed world, only those who wielded strength could try to live and survive.

This is what she believed in, and she would risk it all for it.

As Nastya made her way towards the Ice Cave, she couldn't help but hear strange noises inside. She was reluctant to go inside as she didn't know what awaited her.

The fear of the unknown crept inside her mind, but she quickly brushed it away, reminding herself that she had to awaken, no matter the cost.

Steeling herself, she carefully walked inside, her breath inaudible as she tried to make very little noise. As she walked deeper, she couldn't help but notice how there seemed to be no creatures around. Suddenly, she heard the sound of loud whining from the deepest part of the cave.

Curious, she walked further and carefully looked inside.

What she saw left her stunned.

Kiyotaka was sitting on top of a giant white wolf, his dark sword plunged into its head. Crimson fires flickered around, leaving nothing but ashes from many other smaller white-eyed wolves. The giant wolf lay motionless, blood oozing from its wounds, while the remnants of the smaller wolves painted a scene of devastation and chaos.

Kiyotaka's eyes, still red and emotionless, met hers. The sight of him, surrounded by the aftermath of a fierce battle, made Nastya's heart race with both fear and awe.

---

[You have slain Fallen Demon, White-Eyed Wolf]

[You have received a Memory...]

The soothing whisper of a spell was heard as Kiyotaka sat on top of the now-dead creature. Breathing unevenly, he calmed down and tried to rest. He was still not fully healed from the fall, and his fighting balance was affected by the wings on his back. That's why he didn't summon any of his echoes and fought the wolves by himself to better adapt to his body.

The fight wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard either, as adaptation was perhaps one of his best qualities.

There was also the welcomed bonus of a new memory.

Memory: [Ring of Space]

Memory type: Utility

Memory rank: Ascended

Memory tier: 3

Memory description: [Allows storing both inanimate and living beings in a separate dimension inside the ring. Allows slightly bending space near the wielder by sacrificing space inside the ring]

'Quite interesting...'

Summoning it, Kiyotaka saw an obsidian ring with strange unknown runes on it appear on his finger. Taking the fur of the White-Eyed wolf, he successfully stored it inside.

'This surely will be useful in the future...hmm, these runes are also worth studying.'

Just as he was about to try and understand the runes on the ring, he felt a gaze on himself.

Looking to his left, he saw a young human girl. With a glance, he identified her as a mundane human. Still, it didn't mean he would not be vigilant, especially now when his reserves of essence were a little low. So, he tried to engage her in conversation.

"Who are you?"

The girl seemed to freeze in her place as she didn't reply and just watched him with a mix of awe and fear. There was also apparent hesitation in her eyes as she looked at him cautiously.

After some time, she finally composed herself and replied in a low, cautious tone as she bowed slightly.

"Nastya...my name is Nastya."