Ark Undead

It initially opened its mouth and moved it up and down, but eventually obediently closed it, walked over to the lady, and carefully sat down.

Standing close to the woman, Melanie naturally smelled an unfamiliar fragrance.

Like a flower slightly scorched by a flame, heat and elegance intertwined at the tip of Melantha's nose, just like the lady beside her.

Warm, tranquil, yet somewhat ethereal, it's impossible to grasp its essence.

"What's your name?"

Just as Melanie was considering how to start the conversation, the woman spoke first.

"Melansha".

Melanie responded.

"and you?"

"You can call me... Fire Girl. I've abandoned my old name, and I can't even remember it myself."

Melantha then noticed that the woman was wearing an eye patch with an intricate pattern, covering her eyes.

No wonder Melanie didn't sense any gaze.

However, seemingly noticing Melantha's gaze, the Fire Mage raised her slender fingers and gently touched her blindfold.

Are you curious?

"Ah...no...sorry."

Melantha wasn't sure if this was offensive. If the Fire Mage really wore the eyepatch because of some incurable illness, then her actions must have bothered her.

The Fire Mistress did not pursue the matter; she simply reached out and gently placed her hand on Melantha's head.

Those delicate hands were completely different from the kind of warmth Melanie had ever felt before, yet Melanie could sense almost the same affection and tenderness in them.

"What a polite and well-behaved child, but you don't need to be so reserved."

The woman said softly.

"This blindfold is proof that I served him, and it is also a tool to cover up my becoming his accomplice."

"The eyes of all fire-type women cannot see. Because once they see fire, they cannot suppress the desire in their hearts."

As she spoke softly, she gently smoothed Melantha's hair downwards with her hand.

Melantha's eyes narrowed slightly, and her ears tilted to the sides.

"Then, how should I address you?"

Melanie unconsciously began to speak in a lazy, soft tone, her words radiating comfort.

Hearing this tone, the Fire Mage unconsciously moved closer to Melantha and whispered.

"Just call me the Fire Mage... or whatever you like to call me."

Melanie turned her head away and glanced at the woman's delicate lips and slightly high nose bridge.

She thought to herself, "If she took off her mask, she must be an incredibly beautiful woman."

"Then...then I'll call you 'older sister'."

Although I know that once I get involved with my teacher, who is also an old acquaintance, he must be much older than me.

But faced with such a face and such gentleness, Melanie still wanted to get closer to her.

It was as if... as if something inside her was urging her to get closer to the older woman in front of her.

"Okay."

The Fire Maiden chuckled softly, and her hand couldn't help but pinch Melantha's ears on her head and gently rub them.

"Well."

Melantha's eyes narrowed to slits, and her body involuntarily leaned towards the Fire Mage.

This woman's hands seemed to have magic, making it impossible for Melanie to feel any aversion.

However, she suddenly thought of something.

"Sister, did you used to do this when the teacher sat here?"

The Fire Girl just said that the Undead used to sit here too. Will you treat your teacher the same way, Sister?

Thinking about this, Melanie didn't know whether she should envy this older sister or her teacher.

But...it feels so good.

Little Melantha had unknowingly stuck to the Fire Mage.

The Fire Girl was also taken aback, not expecting the child to actually reach out and hug her waist.

But after sensing Melantha's desire, she did not refuse, but instead slightly shifted her sitting position so that Melantha could hold her better.

"No, your teacher, from a man's perspective, is terrible."

Fire Mage and Melantha leaned against each other.

Since he left, no one has come this close to me for a long time.

Melantha's scent and the faint flames that appeared made the Fire Mage feel close to her.

“He won’t even give me a hug like this. Every time he comes back, he’s covered in wounds. Then he asks me to transform his lost soul into something that belongs to him.”

“Sometimes, even when his body is almost broken in two, he doesn’t care about such wounds. Instead, he uses an extremely indifferent gaze to demand that I do what is related to my duties.”

"Is it numbness, or knowing one's fate that leads to a refusal to engage in emotional connections with others? No one, including myself, can say for sure."

As the Fire Mage spoke, the image of the Undead naturally appeared in Melantha's mind.

The description of the Fire Mage is exactly the same as when Melantha first encountered the Undead.

The indifference was so extreme that it was hard to tell whether it was due to numbness or a truly closed-off heart.

"But that's precisely why it's so precious when he shows you even a little bit of concern."

"He will fight without fear of pain because of your request. He will also make a strong decision for you that you were originally hesitant about, so that you can remember him forever."

Even when leaving in the end, they disappeared without a sound, leaving you only with a lonely silhouette, without uttering a single word of farewell.

The Fire Maiden looked down at Melantha's soft, droopy little ears.

She didn't know how the girl had encountered the immortals, but that didn't matter.

The important thing is that they must all have been deeply moved by such a person.

"Melantha, you think so too, don't you?"

Melantha nestled in the Fire Mage's arms, listening to her description of her teacher.

He nodded unconsciously and muttered something.

"That's just how teachers are... but that's precisely why people miss them."

For the Fire Mage, the Undead are the flame in her life.

After such a vast and boundless wait, I arrived before her.

They completely stripped her of her original duties, forcefully binding her to the betrayal that belonged only to the undead.

But that kind of betrayal was exactly the ending she had longed for.

He burned himself like a cold block of wood, bringing the first ray of light to the blind woman.

From then on, she began to look forward to that tiny flame that existed only in the darkness in the distance.

"yes..."

The Fire Maiden murmured softly.

Their voices lowered simultaneously, leaving only Melantha's comfortable throat sounds and the Fire Mage's calm breathing.

After an unknown amount of time, Melanie asked in a charming voice.

"Sister...where exactly is this?"

The Fire Maiden was startled from her reverie. She paused for a moment, then spoke softly.

"This is a sacrificial site that has been extinguished, and it is one of the few remaining havens in this world."

"This world? Isn't this Terra?"

Melanie asked curiously.

Fire Girl shook her head

"No, this is Lordran, the land of kings, and the center of the Flame of Inheritance."

"However, as the flames disappeared, darkness gradually spread across the land, and the remaining people gradually gathered in several locations after the flames died down."

"Now, only this place remains, along with the last world within the painting. Before long, we too will leave here and head to the world within the painting."

The Fire Maiden patiently explained to Melantha.

"Don't worry, child. You don't belong here. You will eventually return to your own world. It's just that you carry his flame within you, and so, guided by some force, you came here, perhaps... searching for something."

She didn't ask Melantha how she got there. It was as if she wasn't worried at all about Melantha's relationship with the Undead.

Upon hearing this, Melanie asked instinctively.

"Then, where is the teacher?"

"Your teacher?"

The Fire Maiden's tone darkened.

"After he extinguished the flames, he remained in the original furnace. Now, the flames have completely disappeared, leaving only this dim world."

"Huh? But..."

Before Melantha could ask any more questions, the Fire Mage reached out and placed a finger on Melantha's lips.

Melanie felt a soft touch on her lips, and unconsciously swallowed the words she wanted to ask.

“There’s no need to ask any more questions, child. To you, I am the past, and you don’t belong here. But the fact that you came here has already surprised and delighted me.”

The Fire Maiden's voice softened again.

"Your teacher, though not here, will surely be waiting for you where you return."