NOVPUBChapter 194: Ch 194: The Women of White- Part 3
The night passed in a heavy, watchful silence.
Though no chains held him, the young soldier was under constant supervision.
A pair of guards rotated outside his room, and Melissa peeked in more than once to glare daggers at the boy who had tried to bolt in the dead of night.
But he didn’t try to run again. Not because he trusted them—he didn’t—but because something in the air made it difficult to panic.
He couldn’t explain it, but the room he was in… calmed him.
The tension in his muscles gradually drained away, his heartbeat slowed, and his mind began to settle.
Unseen threads of mana, delicately woven by Kyle himself, pulsed around the room in a subtle web. It suppressed fear, dulled panic, and encouraged rest.
It worked.
By morning, the boy was sitting up in bed, eyes still wary, but his shoulders less tight.
That’s when Kyle entered, a plate of warm bread, cheese, and stew in hand.
“I thought you might be hungry. Eat first. Then we talk.”
Kyle said calmly, setting the tray on the small table by the bed. He took a step back, giving the soldier space.
The soldier hesitated only briefly before hunger won out. He took a bite, chewing slowly.
It was the best thing he’d tasted in days.
Kyle watched him with quiet patience. When the boy had eaten a few mouthfuls, Kyle finally spoke.
“What happened to you out there? Why were you covered in divine mana—and why did you run straight into our territory?”
The spoon paused halfway to the soldier’s mouth.
His eyes flicked toward Kyle, and then to Melissa, who stood in the corner like a shadow, arms crossed. Her gaze was sharp, filled with distrust.
“You wouldn’t believe me. No one would. I want to send a message to the Grand Duchess. She needs to know first.”
The boy muttered, setting the spoon down.
Melissa bristled.
“So we save your life and treat your injuries, and you repay us with suspicion? Who do you think you are—?”
Her hand went to the hilt of her sword, face twisting with offense.
“Melissa.”
Kyle said softly.
She stopped, glancing at him. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.
The weight in his tone alone made her step back, hand falling from her sword. She huffed and looked away.
Kyle turned his attention back to the soldier.
“I don’t care whether you think I’ll believe you or not. If something is coming—something that can do that to your unit—then I need to know. Not just for me. For everyone here.”
He said.
The soldier stared at Kyle’s eyes for a long moment.
What he saw there wasn’t manipulation or false kindness—it was resolve. Clear, sharp, and unflinching.
Finally, he spoke.
“We were advancing under orders from the Grand Duchess. Our squad was supposed to secure a forward position… but we never even got a chance to raise our flag.”
He clenched his fists. His voice dropped to a whisper.
“It came from the sky. A white light. Beautiful. And then… she appeared.”
Kyle leaned in slightly.
“She?”
“She looked like a goddess. White hair. No pupils. Her whole body glowed like she didn’t belong in this world. And then… she raised her hand. That was all. Just one gesture. And all of us… every soldier… gone. Burned away like ash in a furnace.”
His voice cracked.
Melissa’s face went pale.
“She didn’t speak. She couldn’t. But she laughed. Or maybe it was a hum. I don’t know. But when I tried to run, she looked right at me.”
The soldier continued.
He gripped the blanket in his lap.
“She didn’t chase me. Not at first. She let the others try to stop me. When I got far enough, I felt something tug on my body—like her mana was trying to pull me back. I barely escaped.”
Kyle frowned.
“You said she looked at you. Like she knew you?”
The boy nodded.
Just then, a guard came sprinting into the room, panting hard.
“Young Lord! We’ve spotted something… something strange. A ghost—or at least it looks like one. Pale, glowing. Heading straight for the village.”
Kyle stood up at once.
The soldier’s face drained of color.
“It’s her.”
______
From the watchtower’s high perch, Kyle observed the approaching figure cloaked in white light.
The aura she carried was unmistakable—divine.
It shimmered like threads of sanctified silk, surrounding her form and seeping into the air, turning the very grass beneath her feet green and vibrant.
She didn’t walk. She floated.
Yet something about her movements, the way her hair shifted in the breeze, the slight twitch of her fingers—it all whispered of a human origin.
“She’s not a god. But close. Too close.””
Kyle murmured under his breath.
The creature stood at the forest’s edge, her white, pupil-less eyes scanning the village’s outer defenses.
She radiated power, enough to rival a minor god, but Kyle could tell—deep within that sea of divinity—there was something fractured. Something… human.
Then, as if sensing his thoughts, the white woman’s gaze snapped upward—right at him.
Their eyes met.
For a long moment, the world seemed to still. Birds quieted. Leaves stopped rustling.
Even the wind dared not interrupt the silent collision between two forces.
Her stare was intense, sharp, alien—but Kyle did not flinch. He let his own mana rise behind his eyes, compressing it into a focused, invisible wave. A test of will. A declaration of presence.
The white woman didn’t blink.
But then, slowly, her lips parted in what could’ve been a smirk—or a snarl. A flicker of emotion. Something recognizing him.
And then it happened.
Her divine energy faltered for a heartbeat. Just one. But it was enough.
Kyle’s mana surged forward in that instant, overpowering her oppressive aura.
The air crackled faintly, and the woman’s expression shifted—not in fear, but something close to surprise. She took a cautious step back, the light around her dimming slightly.
And then she was gone, melting into the trees like mist, her presence vanishing completely.
The tension around the village broke like a shattered dam. Soldiers exhaled. Melissa lowered her blade. Bruce let out a long whistle, wiping his brow.
“Is it over…?”
Someone asked weakly.
Kyle did not answer. He remained still for a few seconds longer, then stepped down from the platform. His eyes were cold and focused as he reached for the blade at his hip.
“No. It’s not over.”
He said, voice low and clear.
He pulled his sword free from its sheath in one swift motion, the polished steel catching the morning sun.
“That was not a god. That was something pretending to be one. And if we let it roam free… it will come back.”
Kyle said.
He glanced at the stunned guards around him.
“I’m going after her.”
Bruce stepped forward.
“Alone?”
“She’s already picked me as her target. Better me than the villagers.””
Kyle said.
Melissa looked troubled but nodded.
“We’ll hold the village.”
Kyle gave her a faint smile.
“Good. Then I won’t need to hold back.”
With that, he turned and vanished into the woods, his presence trailing behind like a ghost of restrained fury—hunting the avatar of white before her divinity could fully awaken.
