The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

The children were wandering through the deep mountains. It had already been two hours.

Contrary to Illum’s words that it would only take an hour to follow Karl, they had been wandering for two hours and still couldn’t find the way.

"Are you sure you know the way?"

Ludian glared. The boy glanced at Tiel, who was nestled in Ferdie’s arms.

If only Tiel could use her ability, the children could ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) have found the place where the sun rises without Karl’s faulty guidance!

But because Tiel had exhausted her ability taking care of the patients, they couldn’t even ask her to use it to find the way.

Besides, they didn’t even know what kind of power would be required to fulfill the ‘legend,’ so it was best for Tiel to conserve her energy for now.

"I’m telling you, this is the right way," Karl mumbled as he looked back. A small torch was in Karl’s hand, one that Ludian had made.

"Just a bit more, we’re almost there. Trust me and follow me."

Ludian stayed quiet. After all, they didn’t know the way, so they had no other choice.

But if he had known it would turn out like this, he would have at least brought some other adult beastkin instead of this little kid!

Ludian glanced at the other children. Ferdie and Ianthros were quietly following behind, and Clemence kept looking back.

She seemed like she was testing something, but Ludian didn’t pay much attention to it.

How much longer did they walk? Finally, the incline leveled out, and the ground beneath them became flat.

Although the children couldn’t see clearly, they could tell they had finally reached the top of the mountain.

"Right here... it’s here."

Karl stopped and muttered.

Tiel jumped down from Ferdie’s arms. Ferdie carefully helped her down to make sure she wouldn’t get hurt.

‘Is this... the place from the legend?’

Ferdie and Ludian illuminated the way with fire, revealing a hidden altar.

The massive altar had broken corners, cracked, and was visibly damaged, almost resembling ruins. Tiel cautiously touched the altar.

"It’s all broken..."

Had it always been like this? Probably not... Someone must have deliberately broken it, or perhaps...

"Tiel."

Ianthros placed a hand on Tiel’s shoulder. Tiel turned her head to look at Ian.

"I think we need to do something with this altar."

"It seems so. But Ian, look at this. It’s all broken and cracked. Do you think the altar’s power... is still there?"

"Whether it’s there or not, we have to try. We didn’t come here with high hopes anyway. Hey, Karl."

Karl, who had been staring blankly at the altar, looked up at Ianthros’s call.

"Do you know anything more? You grew up hearing about this legend day and night. Is there any legend that tells how to bring back the morning?"

"That can’t be... there’s nothing like that. All we’ve heard is, 'One day, someone will come to bring back the morning to this land.'"

As Tiel quietly listened to Ianthros and Karl, she gently grabbed Ian’s hand.

"You don’t need to worry. I know how to use this altar."

Ianthros looked down at her in surprise, but Tiel remained calm.

Tiel had seen a similar altar before at the Asterian mansion.

That altar had reacted when Tiel stood on it and used her ability, and soon words had appeared on the stone walls of the secret room.

This altar was undoubtedly based on the same principle. Without hesitation, Tiel stepped into the center of the altar.

In that moment, the ground beneath her feet sparkled! The altar recognized its owner.

The altar recognized the power of its owner.

Krrr-!

The altar, which had been firmly rooted in place for a long time, began to move. It suddenly protruded from the ground.

Tiel sat back down in place, just like when she had first stepped onto the altar in the secret room.

"Tiel!"

Olivia called out in a panicked voice. Tiel shook her head to indicate she was fine.

"In the legend, it’s said that the one with the light ability will bring back the morning. So, it’s probably going to respond to your ability. Use it."

Tiel nodded at Ianthros’s words. She then placed her palm on the solid stone floor.

The rough stone scraped against her small, scarred palm. The child gently stroked the cracked altar, then carefully used her ability.

Tiel’s ability was still very weak.

That was because she had only recently awakened her ability. Because she was still a child. Because she had already used half of her limited ability to care for the patients.

Even so, the altar responded. This altar was the only place where Lusette’s power had been left behind.

The strength of the ability didn’t matter. It was enough to awaken Lusette’s power.

A faint light spread from Tiel’s palm, slowly covering the entire altar.

Though faint and dim, the light spread thinly, covering the entire altar. Tiel’s pale face reflected the light. Her face looked even whiter.

The problem came next.

The altar had clearly responded to Tiel’s ability, but there was no further reaction.

Tiel, along with Karl and the others, was confused. Since the altar responded to the light, shouldn’t the morning return now?

‘Could it be that the altar has weakened and lost its power?’

Ianthros murmured, gazing at the cracked, broken altar. Perhaps the legend was too old, and it had already lost its power.

Tiel, panicking, poured more of her ability into the altar.

Tiel’s ability was already exhausted. But if she pushed herself, she could still squeeze out more.

She instinctively knew how to use her power to its limit, draining even the life force flowing inside her to use.

This method could push her ability to its limits, but it also consumed the user’s life force, so people with abilities avoided using it as much as possible.

But Tiel was only seven years old. She hadn’t thought about how this method might drain her life force; she was simply using it instinctively.

The altar lit up brightly. Thanks to Tiel’s forceful input of ability, the altar illuminated. At the same time, Ianthros’s pupils contracted.

"Tiel?"

Clearly, Tiel was exhausted. She shouldn’t have been able to use this much power. Ianthros looked at Tiel.

As expected, his small snow leopard seemed to curl up in exhaustion, panting heavily.

Just as Ianthros was about to tell Tiel not to overdo it, a strange voice reached Tiel’s ear.

[Little one, the curse upon this land has grown too strong... you cannot do this alone.]

Who...? Tiel raised her head and looked around.

But the faces of her worried siblings and a few knights were the only things she could see from a distance. The voice’s owner was nowhere to be seen.

[The origin of this matter, the heir of the one who caused this. The bloodline of Everard is needed. Give them the chance for atonement.]

"...Everard?"

Tiel muttered in confusion. Ferdie, Ianthros, and Ludian, who had caught the faint voice, spoke up at the same time.

"Everard?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Everard... is the family that was annihilated, the family of water, right?"

"What’s that about all of a sudden?"

Whether the others were fussing or not, the voice continued slowly.

[This is the highest peak in Arcadia. The end of the waterway. Everything began from here.]

Tiel thought that the warm voice seemed to gently envelop her. She felt a faint warmth on her back, shoulders, and the back of her hands.

Just as weak light is still light, weak warmth is still warmth.

Before long, the warmth disappeared in an instant. It was as if cold water had been splashed on her, and her mind snapped back into focus. Tiel looked back at Ianthros with a slight sense of despair.

"You said Everard’s family was annihilated..."

Ianthros nodded. Tiel, still not taking her hands off the altar, muttered again.

"To end this, we need the heir of Everard."

But how?

Everard’s family had been wiped out. A long time ago...

A silence fell over the mountain peak.

***

After Tiel left, the beastkin started convulsing in unison. Some had their bodies stiffen, while others foamed at the mouth and began to glow.

As soon as Tiel’s power weakened, the energy that had been suffocating them grew even stronger. It writhed within their bodies, greedily devouring their life force.

Illum, using the knights Ianthros had brought, tried to calm them, but it was useless.

In a situation where healing was impossible, calming them down no longer held any meaning.

All Illum could do was tie or restrain them so they couldn’t harm themselves while convulsing.

Illum felt a terrible sense of helplessness.

And he prayed desperately.

That Tiel would return quickly, that the gods would have mercy on this land and take care of them, and that...

‘Karl.’

...that the boy would no longer be hurt.

Everard had already paid for his sins.

At least, that’s what Illum believed.