Chapter 625: Weiba Daye!

Ilya cried even harder, curling herself into a ball; her sobs echoed in the empty room, feeling aggrieved as if the whole world were bullying her.

"You—what are you—!"

Her voice was choppy, cut into fragments by her crying, "Why are you scaring me—! I—I didn't do anything—!"

The Flame paused in the air, then shot up a notch, burning brighter, and the face's outline became clearer.

"I am Weiba Daye! From the Ten Kings Office! Heard of me?"

Its voice was rough and loud, as if bolstering itself, "I'm not some chaotic ghost fire! If you keep crying, I'll—I'll—"

Ilya lifted her head, tears smearing her face; her red eyes were reddened and swollen from the soaking.

She stared at the teal Flame, at its burnt face, at its awkward expression that tried to look fierce but couldn't, and sniffed.

"You... what are you..."

"I already said! Weiba Daye!"

The Flame's voice grew louder, though its confidence was clearly less than before, "From the Ten Kings Office! We specialize in catching little brats like you who cry and shout!"

Ilya sniffed again, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, but the tears kept coming back, wiping and flowing again, never stopping.

"What is the Ten Kings Office... I've never heard of it..."

The Flame floated to her, its face close enough that Ilya could see how the flames surged out of its "eyes" and "mouth" and receded.

"You've never even heard of the Ten Kings Office?"

Its voice was full of disbelief, "Where on earth did you crawl out from?"

The Ruby shifted on the floor, its staff shaft flashing a few times.

"Ilya..."

Its voice was slow and halting, as if struggling to get out of a blockage, "This Flame... has no malice... it just..."

Before it could finish, the Flame suddenly lowered its head, its face close to the Ruby.

The Ruby jumped in fright, the shaft's glow flared briefly, then dimmed, as if choked by something.

"Who are you again?"

The Flame's voice carried a hint of curiosity.

"I am... Ruby..."

Its voice was even more halting, "Companion... of the Magical Girl..."

The Flame stared at the Ruby for a long while, a subtle expression appearing on its burnt face.

"You? A noodle that can't speak smoothly? Stammering, and a companion of a Magical Girl?"

The Ruby's staff shaft bent slightly, as if expressing displeasure.

"I... just... haven't recovered... what do you know..."

The Flame suddenly laughed, its face widening, laughing more exaggeratedly than before.

"Hahaha—! You two! One crybaby, one stammerer! Putting you together is just perfect!"

Ilya sat on the floor, watching the Flame laugh wildly in front of her; her tears had stopped, but her eye sockets were still red, and her nose tip was red too.

She didn't understand what the Flame was laughing at, nor why it tried to scare her; she just felt exhausted, wanted to find a place to sleep, wanted to leave this cursed place, wanted to see Zhigengniao Jiejie.

The Flame finished laughing, floated back to her, its face close again.

"Alright, stop crying. I ask you, how did you get here? What happened outside? Where's Huo Huo that girl?"

Ilya blinked, the tear hanging on her eyelash fell, striking the back of her hand.

"Huo Huo? Who is that?"

The Flame's voice suddenly changed, no longer that rough, hoarse tone, but with a hint of urgency.

"Huo Huo! The little green‑haired girl! Thin and tiny, her courage not much bigger than yours, trembling all day from being scared!"

Ilya shook her head blankly.

"I've never seen her..."

The Flame paused, then shot up, circling several times beneath the ceiling, the flame crackling loudly.

"Never seen her? How could you not? That girl sealed me in this cursed place, where did she run off to? She—"

It suddenly stopped, its face turning to Ilya, "What happened outside?"

Ilya flinched at its suddenly serious tone, hunching her neck, and whispered, "Outside... there's a war... so many people fighting... there's a bad woman with purple hair, a sister with gray hair, and a sister who sings..."

The Flame listened to her ramble, its facial expression growing increasingly complex.

It hovered in midair, the flame flickering dimly and brightly, as if pondering.

"Forget it,"

It suddenly said, its face returning to a nonchalant look, "I don't care about her. Anyway, that girl sealed me here, and I'm too lazy to worry about her life or death."

It floated to Ilya's front, its face close, "You, stop crying; your crying annoys me."

Ilya sniffed, holding back the remaining tears.

She braced the desk and stood up, her legs still weak, but at least steady.

She looked down at the Ruby on the floor, bent over, picked it up, and cradled it in her palm.

The Ruby's staff shaft bent a bit more; the recent fall knocked back the little recovery it had managed.

The Flame hovered beside her, watched her for a moment, then said, "Your courage is way too small; I only scared you a bit, and you cried like that."

Ilya gave no reply, just gripping the Ruby tighter.

The Flame circled again, its facial expression becoming somewhat smug.

"But the way you cry is actually kind of fun, much more interesting than Huo Huo's crying."

"That girl, when she cries, just curls up in a ball, silent as a mushroom. You cry—" it thought, "—like a rabbit whose Tail was stepped on."

Ilya didn't know what to say; she just stood there, head down, looking at the Ruby in her palm.

The ruby's staff shaft began to recover slowly again, the fine cracks healing bit by bit, only the speed was much slower than before.

The Flame suddenly moved up to her face, and the expression on that face became somewhat cunning.

"Do you want to cry again? I haven't had enough yet."

Ilya jerked her head up, those eyes still glistening with tears widened into circles, filled with grievance and Rage.

"You—!"

The Flame laughed heartily, that face twisted and deformed in the laughter, the flames crackling.

The ruby moved slightly in Ilya's palm, and a faint glow on the staff shaft flickered.

"You... this... rotten thing..."

Its voice was halting, carrying a stubborn defiance, "Ilya... don't be afraid... it's just... a sharp‑tongued one..."

The Flame's laughter stopped, it lowered its head, staring at the ruby. "Who did you say is sharp‑tongued?"

"I said you..."