Chapter 1

Cornwallis, the capital of the Hayward Empire, was once the most dazzling star among the many cities in the southern region.

Unfortunately, after the great empire that ruled the entire southern region for hundreds of years fell due to a witch's rebellion, this once shining city quickly declined. Over a decade later, it has become a dilapidated third-rate city, with the air filled with a musty and decaying odor, devoid of any vitality.

This is the last day of the year, extremely cold, with heavy snowfall. People walking on the streets of Cornwallis mostly have their heads down, hurrying along, eager to return home, light the fireplace, and collapse on the warm sofa by the fireplace, preferably with a cup of hot coffee, to heal the fatigue accumulated over the past year in the joyous moments with their families.

In short, no one wants to stay outside in this freezing weather for even a minute.

"Sell matches, sell matches, does anyone want to buy matches?"

A ragged little girl walked helplessly down the street, shouting as hard as she could.

Even in the severe winter with heavy snow, she still wore a pair of slippers that were too big for her, probably her mother's. The oversized slippers made her pale feet turn blue and red against the white snow.

Despite her efforts, who would pay attention to her?

This is the last day of the year, and also the most important festival on the continent, the Blaze Day, the birthday of the great Lord of the Flame.

The festive atmosphere gave this declining city a fleeting spark of vitality. The shops on both sides of the street were decorated festively, and even the usually ignored small shops had many more customers today. People were busy selecting gifts for their families, and no one would waste any time on the pitiful little girl selling matches.

Besides, in an era where gas lamps and lighters are already widespread, who would need matches?

The clock on the top of the city's church struck noon, but the poor little girl had not sold a single match.

She was extremely hungry, having not eaten for over a day.

The little girl stared at the window of a bakery on the roadside.

Inside, the bakery owner was putting fresh bread on the shelves, and by his side, two children about the same age as the little girl were opening gifts around the Christmas tree, dressed in beautiful new clothes, their faces beaming with joy.

The little girl, lost in the warmth and delicious food inside, did not notice a four-wheeled carriage pulled by four white horses speeding down the street. By the time she heard the driver's bell, it was almost too late.

Fortunately, the driver was skilled and managed to swerve the carriage away from the little girl at the last moment, just brushing past her. Still, the frightened little girl fell to the ground.

The melting snow from her body made her tattered clothes wet, and the cold wind made her shiver.

The driver cursed all the way as he drove off. After a long while, the little girl got up from the ground, trying to pick up the slipper that had fallen off when she fell.

At that moment, a group of well-dressed children ran past, taking the little girl's slipper. For them, it was just a trivial prank. They made faces and ran off, not caring what would happen to the helpless little girl.

Weak, pitiful, and extremely hungry, the little girl curled up, pulling at her tattered pants, trying to warm her frozen, bruised feet. But the short pants did little to cover her feet, and she could only use her cold hands to warm her even colder feet.

Without her slippers, the little girl's frozen feet could no longer support her.

In despair, the little girl could only beg the passersby on the street.

"Does anyone want to buy matches? Uncle, aunt, please, buy a match..."

Her pitiful pleas did not change her fate. As the sky grew darker, the little girl still had not sold a single match. The passersby she begged for help showed no pity, and some even felt that this girl who didn't understand the atmosphere had ruined their good mood during the festival.

There were fewer and fewer people on the street, and the little girl's heart grew more and more desperate. Even though it was already dark, she did not want to go home, because the loving grandmother and mother who had died were no longer there, leaving only her father, a drunkard who would beat her for not earning money for his drinks.

Since it was Blaze Day, according to tradition, the street lamps on both sides of the road would not be turned off. These lights would stay on all night. Her mother had once told her that on this day, all the lights on the continent would be lit, illuminating the darkness. If someone could look down from the sky, they would see countless lights forming a river, which is why it is called Blaze Day.

Of course, the little girl did not care about how beautiful the Blaze lights were spread across the continent. She just felt that staying under the lights might make her father find her, so to avoid being beaten, she hid in a dark alley, away from the lights that illuminated the darkness.

Crouching in the darkness, the little girl felt some fear. She was afraid of the darkness around her and felt even colder because of it. Her hands and feet were almost frozen.

Trembling, the little girl reached into her pocket and took out a match, wanting to strike it against the wall. The flame of the match should bring her a bit of warmth, but did she dare?

These were the matches her father had given her to sell. If he found out she had lit them without permission, the little girl could not imagine how angry he would be.

Her frozen hands gradually lost strength and slipped down. The little girl swore it was just a coincidence; the match in her hand accidentally rubbed against the wall, and a faint flame lit up.

The small flame, like a tiny candle, was so warm that it instantly captured the little girl's full attention. In the light of the flame, her sky-blue eyes seemed to sparkle.

She felt as if she was in front of a fireplace, where the fire was burning brightly and warmly. She wanted to get closer to warm her entire body, but the fire went out and disappeared.

In the little girl's hand, only a nearly burned-out matchstick remained.

This time, without hesitation, the little girl took out another match and lit it again in the dark alley. A table full of food and a huge Christmas tree decorated with gifts seemed to appear before her. She happily ate the food and opened the gifts, and her beautiful little face, which was about to cry, broke into a happy smile.

The flame went out again but was quickly relit.

This time, the little girl saw her grandmother and mother, who had long gone to heaven. They opened their arms, as if waiting for her to run into their embrace as she used to.

"Mom, Grandma, are you here to take me?"

The little girl happily asked her long-lost family.

Her mother and grandmother nodded.

"Of course, silly child, Mom and Grandma are here to take you. Just follow us, and you..."

Their words were cut off, and their figures disappeared into the darkness.

The little girl quickly lit another match, but her mother and grandmother did not reappear.

"What will happen if I follow you?"

The small flame went out again, and the little girl, feeling a bit wronged, asked the empty darkness.

"As long as you follow them, I won't eat you."

A terrifying voice answered the little girl from the darkness that should have been empty.

The little girl, frightened, lit another match. In the weak light, a large face loomed in front of her, a terrifying monster's face emitting an indescribable aura.

"You saw me."

The monster's large mouth split into a smile, revealing a mouth full of dagger-like teeth.

"You shouldn't have seen me."

The monster said to the little girl.