Castle

The stone was situated on a cape, giving Alicia a clear view of the path she had taken.

In the setting sun, the magnificent valley stretched out below her: fields, walls, hedges, a winding river, and a mansion glittering in the sunlight among the trees, all the way to the distant green mountains.

The town lay at her feet, and she could overlook its main street, even recognizing the marketplace.

"I haven't walked that far at all," Alicia said dejectedly to her cane. "If only your owner were the Sorcerer, wouldn't that be nice?"

Just moments ago, she had genuinely thought the old man was the Sorcerer, or perhaps something else magical. After all, how could such a coincidence happen in this world? Just when she needed a cane, someone handed her one.

And shepherds in myths were usually not ordinary people. Jesus called himself a shepherd, and he looked the part too – curly hair, shoulder-length graying hair, and a long beard.

Didn't all the myths play out like that?

People with magical powers would disguise themselves as the weak, encounter trouble, and test whether people would offer help, eventually rewarding them.

But clearly, this was all her fantasy. He was just an ordinary person, and all she had gotten was a cane.

As it was close to the snowfields, the temperature dropped rapidly after sunset. The stone felt cool, and a cold wind blew against her, making her subconsciously pull her clothes tighter.

However, the cold wind coming from all directions left her with nowhere to hide, making her regret her decision. She might as well have stayed in the palace.

An exorcism ritual was an exorcism ritual; it was better than freezing to death here.

What's more, if they truly believed she was the real Alicia, they might even send an army to find the sorcerer here, and she wouldn't have to come herself.

But clearly, that was just a hypothetical. She had already left the palace, and if she returned now, no one would believe an old woman from outside was the Princess.

"I hope that cabin has a comfortable chair and a stove to make a fire," Alicia muttered.

At that moment, her craving for these two things was extremely strong. She couldn't help but think of the boundless darkness and the wolves or other creatures within it.

But she couldn't go back. It would be midnight if she went down the mountain now. It was better to keep moving forward; perhaps the shepherd's cabin was just ahead.

Alicia sighed and shakily stood up. Her body ached all over. As a pampered Princess, nothing could be worse than this moment.

"No wonder so many emperors sought the elixir of immortality. Old age can be so painful."

She walked uphill with difficulty, gasping for breath.

Night soon fell, and the Broom Heather Highlands turned a blue-gray, the cold wind becoming even more biting.

Alicia heard her own panting and the creaking of her legs. After a while, she realized the rustling sound wasn't coming from her.

She felt the ground tremble, as if something large was approaching.

She raised her head in a daze. A colossal object was slowly approaching – a very strangely shaped thing, its noise assaulting her across the wasteland.

It was definitely the ugliest thing she had ever seen, a chaotic mess of junk pieced together, looking like it would collapse at any moment, with a huge, terrifying smiling face.

Alicia froze on the spot. The castle soon passed over her head, black smoke billowing from its top.

She didn't feel particularly scared. The strongest thought in her mind was that this dense black smoke meant there was a very warm stove inside.

"Looks like we found it, old friend," Alicia said to the cane in her hand. "This Sorcerer probably isn't interested in an old woman's soul."

She seemed to have given up, waving the cane and shakily shouting at the castle.

"Stop!"

To her delight, the castle actually stopped dozens of meters away from her. She stumbled and walked briskly towards it.

Up close, the castle looked even uglier. It was too tall and bizarrely shaped. The night was too dark for her to see clearly.

But even so, it didn't scare her away. Her mind was filled with thoughts of a stove and a comfortable chair. She quickly found the entrance, at the back of the castle.

However, her hands couldn't reach it. An invisible wall blocked her. She poked at it with her cane, but couldn't get through at all.

She became a little anxious.

"Please open the door," she shouted. "I have something important to convey to the Sorcerer inside!"

But the gate remained unmoving. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and the castle started moving again. The door creaked open.

"Don't do this, open the door quickly!"

She staggered in pursuit, finally managing to step onto the threshold, then she jumped again.

The castle accelerated on the rugged mountain path, its doorframe swaying and creaking. Alicia was not surprised that the castle was tilted; it was a miracle it hadn't fallen apart on the spot.

This time, the door miraculously opened. She looked inside, and the room appeared empty. She wondered if the owner was home.

Many items that might be related to the Sorcerer hung from the beams, such as onions strung together with thread, or strange roots.

There were also leather-bound books that clearly had something to do with magic, and some old bottles. What attracted her most was the fireplace on the left.

A small flame flickered in the hearth. Compared to the thick smoke billowing outside, the flame was pitifully small, as if it were about to go out.

The bright fire burned red, orange flames dancing on the firewood. Especially notable was a cushioned chair next to it.

Alicia's eyes lit up. Regardless of whether there was danger inside, she rushed forward and sat in the chair, leaning back comfortably.

The warm fire dispelled the cold and relieved her pain. The chair supported her back. If anyone wanted to drive her out now, they would have to kill her.

The door closed automatically. After regaining her senses, Alicia suddenly realized that although the castle was moving, she couldn't feel any vibration or shaking inside it. Not even a sound penetrated.

Is this magic? Alicia thought.

There was a basket of firewood beside her. She extended her creaking arm and added a few logs. The flame was responsive, and the whole room soon lit up. The room wasn't large, and she quickly noticed a staircase on one side.

Will the Sorcerer be up there?

However, she didn't want to leave her comfortable chair. She placed her knobby feet by the hearth, leaning her head back against the chair for more comfort, allowing her to watch the burning flames before her and think about what to do next.

It was a face imagined in the flames that distracted her slightly.

"Your mouth is quite frightening, pal, but your eyes are cute," Alicia muttered, imagining those eyes were watching her.

She gazed at the flames and continued to talk to herself.

"The Sorcerer should be upstairs, right? Will he break the spell?

I wonder if he'll eat my heart after the spell is broken."

"I don't think he will," the flames said.

The flames spoke!

Alicia rubbed her eyes, suddenly realizing that the face in the flames wasn't something she had imagined.