Cloudhaven City.
3:00 AM.
Stepping out of the company’s main doors, Eve Nightburn dragged his utterly exhausted body and began trudging dazedly in the direction of home.
“Working every day, overtime every day—who can stand a life like this?!”
Today was the first day of the lunar month, the beginning of a new year. But these things had nothing to do with him.
As a member of the “Celestial Court,” earthly holidays were beneath his status.
Ah, yes—Eve Nightburn, a low-level employee of a subsidiary under the grand Celestial Corporation.
While others ate, he worked; while others set off fireworks, he worked; while others slept, he was still working.
Snowflakes drifted down around him. Eve lifted his head and could vaguely make out a few Magical Girls flying off into the distance—probably off to cleanse some Calamity, right?
Indeed, mortal celebrations had nothing to do with deities like them. But the tragic part was that Eve’s body was still that of a mortal.
He reached out a hand to touch the falling snowflakes. For some reason, they felt… warm?
“You’re the only ones who treat me well, willing to accompany me on the rest of my journey.”
It was only in moments like these that Eve could feel his own existence in this world. Compared to his colleagues, who couldn’t care less about him, at least these snowflakes were willing to brush against his fingertips.
Crunch, crunch—Eve trudged forward with his head lowered until a faint red glow in the snow caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks.
What was that?
Before he could react, the red light shot up from the snow and landed squarely on the ring finger of his left hand.
“Huh?”
Eve stared blankly at the ring now adorning his finger, utterly stunned.
Snapping back to his senses, he frantically tried to pull it off—but no matter how hard he tugged, it wouldn’t budge.
The next instant, the ruby at the ring’s center shattered. The fragments dissolved into the air, leaving behind an exquisitely crafted crimson rose in their wake.
Eve was still struggling to free himself when, in a flash, a fiery rose identical to the one on the ring bloomed before him.
Before he could even process it, the flames engulfed him entirely, collapsing inward until nothing remained but a single point of light.
The residual heat of the inferno instantly melted all the snow in the city, drawing the attention of every Magical Girl nearby.
“What is this?”
Stella Rose’s pupils dilated as she analyzed the spectral light streaking across the night sky. She rapidly sifted through her vast knowledge until she landed on something she’d only ever seen in classified archives.
“Worldburn Flame!”
Stella immediately pulled out her phone, opened the Magical Girls’ official network, and issued an emergency alert. Then, without hesitation, she shot toward the epicenter of the light.
Worldburn Flame—the only recorded world-class Calamity in history.
Twenty-five years ago, this disaster had claimed the lives of 500 million people and wiped out three-fourths of the world’s Magical Girls at the time.
The temperature of these flames had once been measured at 141.6 octillion degrees Celsius—a theoretical extreme that had only ever existed in the scribbled margins of mathematicians’ notes two centuries prior.
No one wanted its return. Everyone prayed it would remain buried in history forever.
“We can’t let it wreak havoc again!”
That was what any decent person would think—and Stella was no exception.
The point of light expanded, reshaping itself. Flames traced the outline of its master, while an icy frost condensed over the fire’s surface, forming pale skin. The inferno churned within, becoming blood.
Finally, a massive rose bloomed beneath, encasing the half-formed body before contracting.
What remained was a girl dressed in winter attire, the Crimson Rose Ring now snug on the ring finger of her left hand.
“Mmm…”
The girl slowly opened her eyes, still disoriented.
She faintly remembered she’d been on her way home after work—so why was she standing here now?
“What was I just doing?”
Huh?
The sound of her own voice startled her. She immediately checked her body.
“Huh?! I—I turned into… a Loli?!”
Then she remembered the ring. She frantically looked at her left hand—it was still there, stubbornly clinging to her finger.
“I’m screwed.”
The girl—no, Eve Nightburn—was certain of it. This had to be the damn ring’s doing!
BOOM!!
Before Eve could process her sudden transformation into a Little Loli, a beam of light shot past her.
BOOM!
The asphalt beside her exploded, sending shards flying right past her face.
Before she could even react, another beam struck, blasting more debris into the air.
Eve forced herself to stay calm and mechanically turned toward the source of the attacks.
A Magical Girl?!
But before she could figure out why she was being targeted, the girl in the sky unleashed a third blast.
“Waaah!”
No time to think! Clearly, this girl was out for blood. Eve bolted without hesitation, dodging yet another explosion.
BOOM!
Another near miss.
Watching Eve flee into the distance, Stella landed on the ground, realizing this approach wasn’t working.
“My attacks… they all veer off course the moment they get close to her.”
Stella bent down and picked up a strand of Eve’s hair, studying its spectral signature. No mistake—it matched Worldburn Flame perfectly.
So… Worldburn Flame was a girl?
Stella glanced at the photo she’d just taken on her phone—a petite, fair-haired Loli, captured from behind. Though just a single snapshot, it was invaluable intel. At the very least, it was more concrete than the speculative sketches from before.
She uploaded the image to the network. Privacy rights? Please. Those were for humans—Calamities didn’t get such privileges.
Eve had effectively been stripped of her humanity.
After what felt like an eternity of running, Eve finally found a corner to catch her breath.
“Tired… so tired…”
But before she could recover, thick vines suddenly sprouted around her, creeping toward her position.
Again?!
No time to locate the attacker. Eve took off running once more. She was no match for these powerhouses—escape was her only option.
As time passed, more and more Magical Girls joined the hunt.
After receiving Stella’s alert, they’d all confirmed one thing: this Loli was Worldburn Flame. And so, the chase began in earnest.
“Waaah! S-Stop chasing me!” Eve wailed as she sprinted through the empty streets in the dead of night, her body’s bizarre state the last thing on her mind.
The Magical Girls pursued relentlessly, bombarding her with spells, hoping to eliminate the Calamity while it was still weak.
A dazzling array of magical attacks exploded behind her, yet every time one came close, Eve somehow dodged with uncanny precision. A few grazes here and there, but nothing slowed her down.
After who-knows-how-long, Eve finally shook off the cheaters and made it back to her apartment.
She had no idea how she’d evaded them, but she’d take the win.
The rented flat was tiny—ten square meters with a bed and a restroom. A miracle it could even fit that much.
Slamming the door shut, Eve yanked off her lamb’s wool coat and tossed it onto the bed before flopping down in a starfish pose.
At this point, she was pretty sure her life was beyond saving.
