The Exile of the Desolate South Wall

Beyond the border, outside the towering wall, icy winds carried fine snow. Twelve figures, shrouded by invisibility magic, huddled within the distorted shadows. Identical soft-brimmed hats and star-emblazoned robes swayed gently in the wind, revealing youthful faces beneath the brims. These witches, preparing to infiltrate the Iris Feather Kingdom, were mere girls, no older than thirteen or fourteen. The younger they were, the easier it was to obtain visas within the Iris Feather Kingdom; their youthful forms served as their most natural disguise.

At that moment, the leading witch lifted a corner of her hat brim, her amber eyes fixed on the wall as she urged, “How much longer will this take?”

Meanwhile, a delicate, diminutive witch squatted beneath the towering wall, observing the wall-breaching device clinging to its surface. It was a skull fashioned from bones, gnawing at the towering wall, yet leaving only shallow indentations. Before long, the wall itself began to heal, mending and regenerating at a visible pace, writhing as it did so.

“Ugh, the intelligence didn’t mention the Desolate South Wall could regenerate,” the petite witch muttered, looking up from her crouch at the wall’s base. “When did it acquire this particular trait?” The wall was a formidable ten meters thick, and compounded by the unexpected regeneration, how long would it take to chew through it?

“Hmm…” the leading witch mused thoughtfully. She sensed their ‘companion’ inside, and the situation was dire. Aisi Aimu’s aura was fading rapidly. That was their inside agent planted within the fortress.

“We can’t delay any longer. Hurry! If our inside agent is captured, the fortress will soon be fully operational again…”

Just then, the tallest witch among them rose, a clear, feminine voice ringing out, “Captain, let me breach the wall.”

This girl, who stood a good half-head taller than the leader, removed her hat, revealing a striking crop of grey hair.

“This will expose you… it’ll be difficult to infiltrate the kingdom next time…”

“Worst case, I don’t go in,” the grey-haired girl grinned broadly, stepping back two paces. “I’ll find another chance next time. I’m still young; I have plenty of opportunities… but right now, our ‘companion’ inside can’t afford to wait.”

“Alright, then be quick about it.” Time was of the essence, and the leading witch had no choice but to agree.

The grey-haired girl, poised to breach the wall, stepped out of the invisibility field and immediately drew the attention of the magical girls stationed on the wall. They launched warning magic, resembling signal flares, towards the witch. In an instant, crimson warning flares streaked across the night sky, and countless elemental spells pivoted their focus.

Yet, the witch swiftly flew in the opposite direction. Given the spectacle, one might have thought she was fleeing. But was she truly running away? No. She continued her ascent until, at a thousand meters in the air, she flipped and plummeted. Immediately, her eyes transformed into vertical slits, and a shroud of black fire enveloped her. She was a shapeshifting witch, capable of transforming into any beast.

Amidst the cracking of bones and tearing of fabric, a seventy-meter-tall colossal rhinoceros crashed to the ground. The earth quaked beneath its massive hooves. The rhinoceros swayed its sharp horn, its murky eyes fixed solely on the towering wall. “Moooo!” With a thunderous roar, the rhinoceros charged, its horn thrust forward. Fireballs, ice shards, and lightning bolts from the magical girls struck its rough hide, merely scattering sparks. The Special Grade mages were still entangled with Lina, unable to break free, while the Transcendent Grade mages were still en route; Plum Blossom City was in the north, a considerable distance away.

When its horn collided with the towering wall, the world seemed to shudder. Bricks and stones flew as a massive crater was gouged into the wall, yet it stubbornly maintained its structural integrity. The rhinoceros shook its dazed head, and the black flames consumed it once more. When the fire dissipated, a pangolin whose scales shimmered with an eerie glow appeared in the ruins. Its sharp front claws dug and its scales scraped against the wall. In a flash, it burrowed into the wall, carving a passage into the kingdom amidst a shower of brick dust.

****

Some time ago.

Three hundred meters underground, in Epiphyllum City Prison, Warden Hera received an urgent order, clutching the document. It had been issued by the Plum Blossom City Association Headquarters. The general directive was to send Zhennu Yibai to the southern border, to be air-dropped into the Desolate South Fortress, along with a set of prepared statements and justifications. Additionally, there was a decree of judgment, bearing Kloxia’s magic seal, which glowed with a cold light. The gilded words ‘Immediate Exile’ at the decree’s end left Warden Hera utterly incredulous.

Inside the Transcendent Grade cell, dozens of female wardens bustled around the hydro-bed where Silvia lay, busily tinkering and exploring something unknown. Silvia, however, lay like a statue, his pale face submerged beneath the water, his hair drifting with the currents. He mechanically turned over, oblivious to the commotion around him. His heart had long become stagnant, a pool of still water, harboring a desire for death, wishing only for an early release—to ‘discard’ this agonizing male shell.

Just then, Hera pushed open the cell door and strode quickly to the hydro-bed, her brow furrowed. She simply couldn’t comprehend how a life sentence, only recently decided, had transformed into exile. Yet she had no choice but to follow the directives from above. Thus, Warden Hera displayed the magic seal of Kloxia, Vice-President of the Plum Blossom City Magical Girl Association Headquarters. This was the decree of judgment! Holding it before Silvia’s eyes, her voice tinged with hoarseness, she declared, “Silvia, you have been exiled. Henceforth, you are banished from the country, stripped of your Iris Feather Kingdom citizenship for life.”

Upon hearing this, Silvia’s vacant eyes, however, trembled slightly. His fingers, submerged in the insulating fluid, curled imperceptibly. Even his heart, like dead ashes, stirred with a ripple. ‘Wasn’t it a life sentence? How… how is it exile? Does this mean I can never set foot in the Iris Feather Kingdom again in this lifetime? Exile? Ha, where could I possibly wander to? I can’t escape this body, no matter where I go.’ Silvia could not accept his male body, nor could he accept all that he had lost. ‘It would truly be better to die. How wonderful would death be? That would be true liberation.’ Silvia mumbled indistinctly, “No, I don’t want to…”

At that moment, the central control screen lit up, displaying an image. From the Plum Blossom City Magical Girl Association Headquarters, Kloxia sat in a conference room, her hands clasped and resting on the table. She had connected to the Epiphyllum City Prison’s central control screen, specifically Zhennu Yibai’s cell feed, and the projection showed Silvia’s shocked expression. She intended to speak a few words to Zhennu Yibai.

“Zhennu Yibai, once you are beyond the border, whether you take your own life or choose any other path, you must not set foot in the Iris Feather Kingdom again.”

“Of course…” Kloxia paused deliberately, observing Silvia’s reaction. “There isn’t an opportunity to atone for your crimes and earn merit. Currently, the Desolate South Fortress has been invaded by witches. If you can thwart this ‘farce,’ then I will secure you a spot in the gender transformation magic experiments.”

Upon hearing the words ‘gender transformation,’ Silvia’s heart skipped a beat, and a flicker of light entered his eyes, only to be extinguished just as swiftly. ‘Even if I were to become a woman again, could everything truly return to how it was before? No, it’s impossible.’ Noting his reaction, Kloxia paid it no mind and continued, “Zhennu Yibai, I hope you will make one final contribution to the kingdom. Make the most of your situation.” With that, she severed the communication.

****

Meanwhile, Warden Hera felt a complex mix of emotions. She nodded to her subordinates, signaling that they could begin. With a resounding roar, the vast quantity of elemental insulating fluid that filled the cell was drained away. At the same time, the numerous golden stones within the cell disappeared to an unknown location. Silvia remained lying there, utterly devoid of sensation.

Gradually, the hydro-bed rose, and the elemental insulating fluid around him solidified into a gelatinous ‘cocoon,’ enveloping him. Finally, a hatch inscribed with magical runes closed over him. This was an aerial teleportation device. At this point, Warden Hera removed her glasses, and with a trembling hand, took a cloth to wipe the lenses. She then looked up, her gaze meeting Silvia’s through the transparent hatch. She looked deeply at him. ‘Perhaps this parting truly is a final farewell.’ “Take care.” The unspoken words were lost amidst the hum of the teleportation device activating. The capsule sliced through the void, leaving behind only an empty cell.