Salem City

A city in the northwest of the central continent. It was a city famous for the witch hunt started by the Church 400 years ago. Until the Tower forcefully stopped any activities regarding the witch hunt.

As they walked through the bustling streets before them, one couldn't imagine the astrocities that took place in this city 400 hundred years ago.

"Is the Fallen really here?" Noah asked, glancing at Ciel who was walking beside him.

Furrowing her brows in annoyance, Ciel replied. "Of course, isn't this the place in the reports?"

"I can't believe I got stuck with a dimwit like you," Ciel muttered.

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual," Noah shot back, before adding, "I don't even know why you need to be here."

"Do you think I want to be here?" Ciel scoffed. "I prefer doing my missions alone instead of supervising someone's exam."

***

3 days ago.

After spending a night in a small one-bedroom room, Sol brought Noah to the 80th Floor.

When they reached the 80th Floor, Sol led Noah into a large room. The room was dimly lit, filled with various equipment, books, and a large wooden desk sat in the center of the room.

Ciel was already in the room before them, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

She looked up as they entered, her expression was unreadable.

"Welcome, Noah." A voice came from the direction of the wooden desk.

Noah turned to see a man seated behind the desk, a scar visible on his left cheek. He wore clothes made of linen and silk.

"Who are you?" Noah asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I am Alistair, the Head Chief of the Tower of Babel and the one who will give your exam," the man replied, his eyes piercing through the dim light. "I suppose you already know about the exam."

Noah let out a relieved sigh.

'Phew....I thought it was something serious. So it was the exam.' Noah thought for a moment before replying. "Yeah, Sol mentioned it once."

Ciel's eyes narrowed. "Don't get too comfortable. This is no ordinary exam. You can lose your life here."

"What if I failed the Exam?" Noah asked, a hint of worry was evident in his voice.

"You can't fail it," Alistair replied calmly. "The exam's purpose is not to fail you but to assess your capabilities and determine how you fare in a mission. It helps us understand your strengths and weaknesses."

Ciel smirked. "Think of it as a performance review under extreme conditions. You'll be evaluated based on your actions, decisions, and how well you adapt to unexpected challenges. Nevertheless, you can still die."

"That's why, Ciel, you're the one who will supervise and join him." Alistair declared, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"What? Why me? Why not Sol?" Ciel protested, her eyes narrowing.

"I have a mission to finish." Sol replied, the corner of his lip curling into a smirk, clearly enjoying the situation.

Ciel let out an exasperated sigh. "Great, just what I needed—babysitting duty."

Noah couldn't resist a smirk. "Looks like we're stuck together, huh?"

Ciel shot him a glare. "Don't get too comfortable. This isn't a field trip."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Hey, hey, hey, do you think I wanted it too?" Noah shot back, raising his hands in a mock surrender.

"Whatever," Ciel muttered, rolling her eyes. She turned to Alistair. "What's the exam will be?"

Alistair leaned back in his chair. "There's been a report of a large fire spreading in the Mayor's House of Salem City while raining, it was suspected to be a female Fallen's doing. You two are to investigate the said Fallen.

"If there's really a Fallen, neutralize it while you can. While you're at it, the Fallen will be given the codename Witch of Fire."

"Take note, the Fallen are expected to be a victim of the witch hunt 400 years ago so it's advisable to deal with it together."

***

Back to the present, Noah and Ciel continued their walk through the streets of Salem City. The city's bustling atmosphere was a stark contrast to the tension between them.

As they walked, they overheard snippets of conversation from passersby.

"Did you hear about the fire?"

"Yeah, they say it happened during the rainstorm. It was like nothing could be put out."

"Some say it's the work of a witch. Can you believe it?"

"Well, it's not strange for a witch to do it because the Mayor's family had a history of executing witches."

"So a Karma, huh?"

Noah and Ciel exchanged glances.

"Looks like we're in the right place," Noah mumbled, a hint of grim satisfaction in his voice.

Ciel nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd. "We need to find someone who saw what happened. They might have useful information."

Approaching a group of townsfolk gathered around a market stall, Noah cleared his throat. "Excuse me, we're a traveler and we heard about a fire in the Mayor's House along the way . Can any of you tell us more about it?"

An older man stepped forward, his face etched with worry. "It was three nights ago. The fire started out of nowhere, and it was during the heaviest rain we've had in years. People say they saw a woman walking through the flames, unscratched."

Ciel's eyes narrowed. "Did anyone get a good look at her?"

The man shook his head. "No one could see her face clearly. She disappeared within the blazing flames."

Noah looked at Ciel. "Sounds like our Fallen."

"Do not jump to conclusions," Ciel replied, though her tone and expression was serious and cold. "We need more concrete evidence."

They continued to gather information from the townspeople, piecing together the events of that night.

The more they learned, the clearer it became that they were dealing with something beyond the ordinary.

"Let's head to the site of the fire," Ciel suggested. "We might find some clues there."

Noah nodded, following her lead. As they made their way to the Mayor's House.

After some time, they finally reach the supposedly Mayor's House.

It was a large manor, its grandeur marred by the recent destruction. The walls were burned and cracked, and the once elegant floor was scarred beyond recognition. The air still carried the faint scent of smoke and ash.

Noah and Ciel approached the manor cautiously. However, upon entering through the Gate, the surroundings suddenly changed.

The burned and cracked walls of the manor faded away, replaced by a scorched, burning landscape. The sky was a crimson red, and the ground beneath them was charred and blackened, radiating intense heat. Flames flickered and danced around them, casting ominous shadows.

"What the.....hell...?" Noah muttered, looking around in confusion and alarm.

Ciel's eyes narrowed as she looked at the fiery surroundings. "This is a spatial lock."

"Spatial lock?" Noah echoed, confused.

"Spatial Lock is an special equipment made by our Tower's Research Department and used by the Support Department, don't you know it?" Ciel rolled her eyes before explaining. "They isolate a space from the outside world so anything regarding a Fallen or the Fallen itself remains unknown and contained."

"So what's wrong?" Noah asked, noticing the concern in Ciel's voice.

"If they just isolate the space to contain the flames of Fallen, then the Spatial lock should be long down. However, seeing the spatial lock and blazing flames around us can only mean one thing."

Noah frowned, processing Ciel's words. "What does it mean?"

Ciel furrowed her brows in annoyance. "If the spatial lock is still active and the flames are still blazing, it means the Fallen is still here. We can also assume that the Support squad are currently engaging with the Fallen since the members of the Support squad operating the Spatial Lock are still alive."

"Then, let's hurry up!" Noah screech, urgency in his voice.

They moved quickly through the burning ground with their senses heightened.

The oppressive heat made it more difficult for them to breathe, but they held on. They didn't know where the Support squad or the Fallen would be, but they felt the intense heat and moved towards the center, expecting the source of the heat and fire to be there. They hoped to find the Support squad in the thick of it.

As they moved closer, the sounds of battle grew louder. The air was filled with the crackling of flames and the occasional shout. The landscape became more chaotic, with burning debris and scorched ground beneath them

They quickly moved until they reached a clearing where the heat was most intense.

There, amidst the fiercely burning flames was the real Mayor's House burning intensely.

In front of it were four members of the Support squad, wearing white robes, currently engaging in combat with the Fallen.

Using various equipment in their arsenal, they tried to bind and seal the Fallen. However, the oppressive flames of the Fallen rendered every piece of equipment they had ineffective. Even the seals and binds feels like it can't hold it anymore as cracks filled the surface of it.

Some of the squad members even resorted to using weapons like swords and spears, but the intense flames melted them on contact. The situation looked dire as the Fallen's power seemed overwhelming.