Suspicions

“Hehe, I was the one who discovered the underground exchange!”

Just as Ignis finished speaking, Camilla put her hands on her hips and said proudly:

“Without me, who would have thought that the Witch of Flame, who was hunted down and killed by the joint forces of various factions back then, would actually still be alive and kicking!”

Celia: “???”

Though she was extremely annoyed, Celia maintained a calm facade. She put on a look of surprise and admiration, praising her:

“Wow, that's amazing! How did you do it?”

“Hehehe, it's really nothing!”

Blushing slightly at the praise, Camilla tucked a strand of her purple hair behind her ear and explained:

“I was just bored and did a random divination to see if there was anywhere fun in Leytin City. But quite by accident, I ended up divining the location of the underground exchange and found out they were up to some shady business there!”

“As a responsible and dedicated Astrologer, I naturally had to go and punish evil to promote good. Unfortunately, Lady Ignis wouldn't let me get involved. Otherwise, I would have absolutely blasted everyone inside into stardust with my cannon!”

“And also, talk about a coincidence! The Witch of Flame just happened to be there as well, and she even attacked our great Lady Ignis!”

Celia: “...”

What a nice "accident." Next time, I'll "accidentally" have my clone burn you to a crisp, and then "accidentally" bury your ashes under a divination shop... Celia thought resentfully.

But after venting her frustration, another thought occurred to her.

Speaking of which, her clone seemed to have a rather significant background. This was a good opportunity to fish for some information.

Celia had always been very curious about why she was able to obtain this clone in the first place, and why it only had the strength of a Rank One...

Especially since, according to their descriptions, the Witch of Flame should have been at least a Rank Four Beyonder.

Furthermore, she could increasingly feel that as she used the clone more often, her own mind and senses were slowly being affected.

“So, who exactly is this Witch of Flame you're talking about?”

For some reason, the moment Celia asked this, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.

Celia's heart tightened. She subconsciously clutched the cuffs of her holy robe and peeked upward, stealing a glance at the two.

Right now, Camilla was looking down and playing with her fingers, while Ignis remained silent, her eyes dim and unreadable.

After a few seconds, Ignis finally let out a breath and said slowly:

“She is a traitor to our High Tower. She stole one of our High Tower's sacred relics.”

Ignis's words piqued Celia's curiosity, and she couldn't help but press further:

“So she actually belongs to the Abyssal Order, right?”

Ignis looked up at the darkening sky outside the window, as if lost in some distant memory, and said:

“No, Solana's stance was always wavering. During the incident in Leytin City three years ago, she did indeed side with the Abyssal Order. But before that, in the Zandalar Wastelands in the southwestern part of the continent, she personally destroyed one of the Abyssal Order's strongholds...”

“But regardless, her betrayal of the High Tower is beyond doubt. Her later alignment with the Abyssal Order is also an undeniable fact. Furthermore, we discovered that long before Solana set foot on the Elemental pathway, she was already a Beyonder of the Demon pathway...”

“How... how is that possible?” Celia gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

Then the security screening of your High Tower is way too pathetic! How could you not even detect that! Celia grumbled in her heart.

As they spoke of the Witch of Flame, the coldness on Ignis's face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of softness and melancholy that even she herself didn't notice:

“Generally speaking, dual-pathway Beyonders inevitably suffer some degree of physical mutation, and mental instability is extremely difficult to avoid. They might even turn into monsters because of it. Yet, from the moment she set foot on the Elemental pathway, she showed almost no abnormalities at all, aside from that somewhat ominous black flame...”

“Even the 'Eye of Omniscience' of the High Tower Council didn't give any abnormal warnings...”

“She was normal—too normal. Just like an ordinary girl: bright, lively, and occasionally a bit melancholic...”

All Celia could sense from her clone was desolation, coldness, and oppression...

So much so that even now, those heavy emotions from the clone were still continuously affecting her!

“So, all of that was just her disguise, right?” Celia asked.

Hearing this, Ignis fell silent, seemingly unwilling to accept this explanation.

“Alright, alright, time is tight, let's not talk about this topic for now. Didn't we say earlier that we were going to help little sister Celia boost her strength?”

Seeing the atmosphere growing heavy, Camilla quickly clapped her hands to force a change of subject.

Ignis also realized she had lost her composure. She took a moment to compose herself, reining in her exposed emotions before speaking:

“Yes, let us return to the main topic. Saintess Celia, we intend to provide you with the advancement method for the Rank One 'Apprentice' of the Elemental pathway to help you increase your strength as quickly as possible and cope with potential crises. What do you think?”

“Can I go back and think about it? I've experienced far too much today, and a lot of the knowledge you've shared is... well, it's a bit paradigm-shattering for me. I'm just not mentally prepared yet...”

Celia offered a forced smile, her face showing a hint of exhaustion.

Of course, she was just acting. After all, who knew if there were any risks in taking on another pathway?

She was already walking the Dominion pathway. If she became a dual-pathway Beyonder, she might end up turning into one of those "monsters" the witch mentioned. Who would dare to gamble on that?

She had to go back and consult the Notes of Destiny first to see if it was feasible before making a decision!

“Very well. If you make up your mind or have any other questions, you can come find me anytime. I will be staying here at the monastery most of the time.” Ignis nodded slightly, not forcing the issue.

Just then, seeing Celia about to stand up and leave, Camilla quickly stood up and said eagerly:

“Oh, oh! And me, and me! Don't forget about me! If you have any questions, you must come to me! I know so many things—forging, arcane arts, alchemy, astrology, I can teach you all of them... Oh, and if you want to blow up the cathedral, that's fine too, I have plenty of leftover explosives! Oh, and one more thing, it has to be you in person! If it's anyone else, I won't teach them!”

Facing this overly enthusiastic self-recommendation, Celia's eyelid twitched. She stood up somewhat stiffly, gave them a church bow, and said:

“Alright, thank you, big sisters. I'll take my leave now!”

...

By the time she stepped out of the monastery, night had already fallen.

Nights in Leytin City were always dead silent. There were no streetlights, and hardly any pedestrians. Only a few lonely stars hung in the sky, flickering with faint light.

With a sharp crack, Celia struck a spark with her flint. The torch caught instantly, its soft, warm glow spreading with the night breeze, gradually illuminating the path ahead.

As she walked, Celia began to ponder the topics related to the Witch of Flame.

Judging by the sorrowful emotions that occasionally welled up from her clone, and her habit of constantly apologizing, Celia felt that Solana didn't seem like someone who would commit betrayal... Wait, could it be that the Abyssal Order was controlling her?

Come to think of it, her own dominion ability seemed to be related to control, which would perfectly explain Solana's anomaly.

But why hadn't they considered this possibility?

No, Ignis probably had her doubts too. When Celia had guessed earlier that it was all Solana's disguise, Ignis hadn't replied. Perhaps she wasn't entirely sure, and suspected that Solana might have been influenced by the Abyssal Order rather than acting of her own free will.

If this hypothesis held true, then the Rank Five advancement ritual that the Witch of Flame completed in Leytin City was very likely a conspiracy by the Abyssal Order as well.

On one hand, they couldn't completely control the Witch of Flame—as evidenced by her actively destroying their strongholds—so that advancement ritual might not have been intended for her to survive at all. On the other hand, they could also use her hands to contaminate the believers and eliminate Saint Isariel. The likelihood of this was actually quite high.

Of course, the possibility that she was simply an incredibly skilled actress couldn't be ruled out. But if that were the case, what was with the emotions and speech habits currently being transmitted to her? Were those acted out as well? But her body was being controlled by Celia herself!

Furthermore, could it be that the Witch of Flame had an underlying mental issue, or perhaps she was naturally volatile? Maybe she even had a split personality?

Putting that question aside for the moment, she turned her thoughts to another discrepancy.

As a dual-pathway Beyonder, the Witch of Flame had never suffered any mutation or mental breakdown.

Could this also be an ability of the Abyssal Order?

But she felt that wasn't quite right either. The Abyssal Order's abilities seemed to lean more toward contamination rather than stabilizing one's mind.

Was there a third-party faction involved? Or did she possess some kind of unique trait?

It was getting more and more confusing...

Celia felt as though her vision was shrouded in a thick fog, leaving her completely disoriented.