Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Lyra stood next to Zoe, her hands stuffed in her pockets, fingers nervously picking at the lining as she struggled to hold herself back.

One, two, three… Lyra silently counted in her mind. When she reached ten, the woman with the braid’s lips moved agam. and this time, a faint breath escaped her throat.

Her gaze flicked between Jane and Lyra, finally settling on the Vital Flame hovering over Lyra’s shoulder.

“Human?” she whispered.

It was just one word, but she had spoken.

Lyra’s eyes went wide, her mouth opening and closing in shock. She quickly pulled her hands out of her pockets and covered her mouth, afraid that if she spoke, she might scare the woman.

She nodded frantically, thinking, ‘Yes, yes, yes! I’m human. Zoe and I are both human!”

Jane couldn’t help but find Lyra’s excited yet silent reaction amusing. She turned back to the woman with the braid, her tone still gentle.

“Yes, we’re human,” Jane said.

“Living humans,” she added.

Jane drifted half a step closer, closing the distance. “Here’s some good news: Draconia has discovered a way for living humans to safely enter the Wraith zone.”

“Did you notice the flames on their shoulders?” Jane asked.

The braided woman’s gaze returned to the two orange-red flames, lingering on them a bit longer this time.

“Flames?” she whispered.

Jane nodded. “Externalized Vital Flame, this is the method Draconia found to let living humans safely enter the Wraith

zone.”

She paused, watching the woman’s reaction. “Do you know about Vital Flame?”

The braided woman looked away from the flames and turned to Jane, nodding gently.

She knows about Vital Flame! Jane felt her heart skip a beat, but she kept her face calm and reassuring, speaking even slower than before.

“My name is Jane. What’s your name?” Jane asked.

The braided woman didn’t answer right away, and Jane didn’t push. She simply waited. Lyra waited too, eyes bright with anticipation. Zoe couldn’t see the Ghost Wall, but from Jane and Lyra’s words and expressions, she could tell this mattered and felt excited too.

The silence stretched on for about ten seconds.

Jane’s patience never wavered. She didn’t press or move closer, giving the woman plenty of space.

“Snow,” the braided woman finally spoke up.

Jane’s lips curved into a smile. “Hello, Snow. It’s nice to meet you.”

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Chapter 174

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jane said.

65 youthiy

Her voice grew warmer. “Thank you. Thank you for building the Ghost Wall and holding the line for Draconia. Thank you, Snow.”

Snow’s eyes went wide. She stared at Jane, stunned for a couple of seconds. How does she know? Snow wondered.

Then it hit her. Oh, right, she’s a soul too. She must’ve heard that “oracle” as well, so of course she knows about the Ghost Wall, Snow thought. She frowned, feeling a bit slow for only just figuring it out.

Jane caught every flicker of emotion on Snow’s face but didn’t call her out on it. “Snow, how are you feeling? Can you still talk?”

Snow moved her lips. “Yes.”

“That’s great,” Jane said, her voice even softer. “Can I ask you a few simple questions? Answer if you want, and it’s totally fine if you don’t.”

Snow didn’t say anything, but she didn’t refuse either, so Jane took it as a yes.

“Where are you from?” Jane asked.

“Sunvale,” Snow replied.

“Do you remember how you ended up here?” Jane asked.

Snow fell silent for a moment, her brow furrowing as if she was trying to remember something.

“After the invasion,” she said, her voice breaking. “The oracle guided me.”

Jane’s mind was in turmoil. “The oracle? Guided by an oracle? How had a god gotten involved in all this?’ she wondered.

She steadied herself, her voice instinctively growing softer. “Did everyone hear the oracle?”

“I think so,” Snow replied. Then she looked at Jane with a hint of suspicion and asked, “You didn’t hear it?”

Jane nodded. “I died later than most, and when I died, I wasn’t even in Draconia, I was inside the game. So I didn’t hear the oracle at all.”

Snow lowered her head, not saying anything.

“Snow, can you tell me what the oracle said?” Jane asked.

Snow looked up at Jane, another soul like herself, and answered seriously. “The homeland will fall, foreign enemies will invade. Souls who return, become the wall with your very being, hold back the invaders, and guard our homeland.”

Jane’s soul seemed to waver for a second. When Lyra heard those words, her eyes stung with unexpected heat, though she couldn’t explain why.

Our nation will fall, invaders will breach our land. Those whose souls return, become the wall itself, hold back the outsiders, defend the homeland.

So that’s what the oracle said, Lyra thought, her heart pounding.

Jane took a steady breath. “Snow, what did you do after you heard that?”

After she recited the oracle, Snow seemed to warm up to everyone, speaking a little more freely. “I just left.

“I just walked out. Didn’t know where I was headed, but my feet somehow led the way.

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