Chapter 267: Fishing For Souls

Right now, not only was Cecilia filled with excitement, but the crowd was too.

Moments ago, they’d been doubtful, skeptical of Mika’s strange commands and bizarre methods.

But now, seeing every step fit together like pieces of a puzzle, hope began to stir within them.

They didn’t fully understand what he was doing, yet something deep inside whispered that maybe, just maybe, they’d soon see their loved ones again.

And then—clap!

Everyone turned at once. Mika stood in the center of the clearing, his coat fluttering in the cold wind.

"Good job, everyone." He said with an approving smile. "With the way things are going, it won’t be long before we’ll have your families out of there."

The words hit them like sunlight breaking through clouds. The cheers came fast and loud, hope bursting out of the exhausted people like water from a dam.

But Mika raised a hand, and the crowd immediately went silent again.

"Now." He continued, his tone firm but calm. "I need you all to do me one last favor."

He glanced around, meeting their eyes.

"For the next ten seconds, I want absolute silence. Not just staying quiet—I mean complete silence. I want you to hold your breath. Hold it so still that even your heartbeat slows down."

"Ten seconds is all I ask. Can you do that for me?"

There was no hesitation. A chorus of nods, murmured ’Yes, sir’ and deep breaths followed. Some even pressed a hand to their chests, ready to still themselves completely.

"Alright then." Mika said softly. "Then starting from...Now!"

The entire valley fell silent.

It was as if time itself stopped. The wind hushed. No voices, no shuffling of boots, not even the creak of snow. Over a hundred people stood frozen, holding their breath.

Cecilia and Fauna watched as Mika closed his eyes, standing perfectly still in the center of the clearing, his head slightly tilted—as though listening to something deep beneath the earth.

The silence lingered. Ten seconds. Then fifteen.

Until finally—

Some began trembling, their lungs burning, and then one person gasped and exhaled.

The rest followed suit, breaking the stillness with desperate breaths.

Some worried they’d failed, but Mika only smiled faintly.

"Good job." He said calmly. "That’s all I needed. Everything’s in place now."

He then turned to Fauna asking,

"Can you give me a lift?"

"My pleasure." Fauna grinned.

In an instant, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, her wings bursting forth in a flurry of white feathers and golden light. With a powerful beat, the two lifted off the ground, ascending gracefully into the icy sky.

A few of the onlookers—mostly the men—watched with barely concealed envy.

Being embraced by Lady Fauna herself was a fantasy most could only dream of.

But envy quickly gave way to awe as they remembered why she was doing it. Everyone’s lives now depended on whatever Mika had planned.

From above, Mika called out.

"Alright! Everyone below—form twenty five groups of four with assigned numbers! I want the strongest people in the grouos and the rest can wait aside for another task. Proper distribution of strength, understood?"

"Understood!" Adrian shouted back, already moving among the crowd, pointing and assigning people efficiently.

Within minutes, the ground was filled with small clusters of four-man teams, each ready and waiting.

"Good." Mika nodded approvingly, hovering just above them. "Now stay where you are. No sudden movements. None. Because if you get in my way..." He gave a small grin. "...you might not live to regret it."

Before anyone could even process his words, Mika lifted one of the floating spears. He spun it once in his grip, testing the balance, then raised his arm high—

—and hurled it downward with staggering force.

BOOM!

The spear shot straight through the snow, burying itself deep into the mountain. The rope trailed after it, unfurling like a serpent until only a small length remained visible above ground.

Gasps broke out.

"What is he doing?!"

"Is he trying to...stab the people below?!"

"Has he lost his mind?"

But Mika didn’t stop. He grabbed another spear—Thunk!—then another—Wham!—and another.

One after another, the weapons pierced the snowy terrain with machine-like accuracy.

His movements were so fast that to most eyes, he was just a blur, his arms moving in smooth, powerful arcs. Fauna held him effortlessly, her wings adjusting to keep them stable despite the recoil of each throw.

Below, panic began to rise.

"He’s going to hit someone!"

"Stop him!"

"My daughter’s under there!"

But before panc could spread, Cecilia raised her voice.

"Everyone, calm down!"

Dozens turned toward her.

"Listen." She said firmly. "I don’t know what exactly he’s doing either. But you all know who Lady Fauna is. She’s the Saint of the World."

"If she trusts him, if she’s helping him—then it means she knows he won’t harm anyone. So instead of doubting, let’s do the same. Let’s trust her."

Her words steadied the crowd. The fear in their eyes softened. People glanced up at Fauna’s glowing figure, and the faith they’d placed in her for years slowly replaced their panic.

If she believed in Mika, then so would they.

And so, the people stayed still, silent once more as Mika finished his work.

One spear after another buried into the mountain, ropes dangling like veins across the snow.

Finally, after the last throw, Mika clapped his hands.

"Alright! That’s all of them!"

He looked down with with a mischievous gaze and added,

"Now, let’s hope I didn’t accidentally puncture anyone!"

The crowd shuddered, their hearts stopping for half a second—until Mika laughed.

"I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Relax."

"This isn’t the time for jokes, Mika!" Fauna groaned, bonking him gently on the head. "Only a bad doctor makes jokes like that!"

"Guess I’m a terrible one, then."

He then called down to Cecilia. "Cecilia! Turn on the machine—the one I was working on earlier!"

"Right!" She said and flipped the switch—and though she didn’t hear or feel anything, Mika’s expression brightened immediately.

"Perfect." He said softly. "Now everything’s ready and we just wait."

The crowd, however, was completely lost.

They murmured among themselves, not understanding what any of this meant.

What now?

What was supposed to happen next?

Mika didn’t answer right away. He hovered silently in Fauna’s arms, his eyes fixed on the snow below, as though listening. Searching.

Seconds stretched into minutes. The crowd began to whisper again until suddenly, Mika’s eyes lit up.

"We’ve got one!" He shouted. "One of the fish finally bit the bait!"

The onlookers blinked in confusion, trying to make sense of what he’d just said.

But Mika was already pointing downward.

"That spear—there! The one near the ridge! Team three, get over there and start pulling! Full force, now!"

The group he pointed to—a team of three men and one woman—immediately ran toward the spear he indicated, even though they didn’t know why.

Their feet sank into the snow as they grabbed the rope and began to heave with all their might.

The entire valley watched in suspense.

The rope tightened, straining, trembling under the pressure—inch by inch it rose, more and more of it emerging from the snow.

"Come on!" Mika shouted. "Harder! Pull like your life depends on it!"

They pulled again—one last, desperate tug—and suddenly, a gasp rippled through the crowd.

Hands.

A pair of human hands burst through the snow, clutching the spear’s shaft.

Gasps erupted around the clearing.

"A hand! I see a hand!"

"It’s someone! There’s someone alive down there!"

But Mika laughed like a he won a battle before saying,

"What are you waiting for?! Pull them out already!"

Hearing this, the group yanked harder, the rope biting into their palms.

And at last—bursting through the snow—a young woman emerged, coughing and crying, blinking against the sunlight.

No one moved. The crowd stared, their minds struggling to process what they were seeing.

Then, from somewhere within the mass of people, a desperate voice rang out, hoarse, trembling, and filled with raw emotion.

"JENNA!"

Heads turned as a man broke through the line of volunteers, stumbling and sprinting toward her with tears streaming down his face. He fell to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he cupped her cheeks.

"Jenna, oh my god, Jenna—you’re alright! You’re alive! I—I thought I lost you—"

The woman blinked weakly before a faint sob escaped her lips. "S-Simon...?"

He let out a choked laugh, his tears freezing on his skin.

"Yeah, it’s me! You’re safe now! You’re safe!"

That single moment shattered the tension and the crowd exploded.

"W-We did it!" Someone screamed. "We actually saved someone!"

"Oh my god—she’s alive!"

"Let’s go! Let’s fucking GO!"

The valley erupted into cheers and cries, pure relief flooding the air. People hugged each other, screamed, laughed, and wept all at once.

Even those who didn’t know Jenna personally were crying as if she were their own family. After hours of fear and despair, they finally saw hope—real, tangible hope.

Cecilia also felt her throat tighten. Her heart pounded.

Even though no one fully understood how Mika had located the people, how he made them grab onto the spear and so many other things.

They didn’t care. Because right there before them was proof: it worked.

Up above, Mika’s laughter rang through the cold air.

"Don’t celebrate too soon!" He called out with a teasing grin. "That’s just one! We’ve still got plenty more to fish out. So tell me—"

He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting louder.

"—are you all ready to see your families again?!"

The crowd roared back in unison, a thunderous wall of voices echoing off the cliffs.

"WE’RE READY!"

"LET’S GO!"

"LET’S DO IT!"

Mika smirked proudly, nodding his head.

"Good. Then let’s fish out some people already!"

Without hesitation, he turned toward the valley and barked his next orders.

"Groups fourteen and five—get moving! Pull your spears out, now! And group seven, you too!"

Without hesitation, the named groups ran to their nearest ropes and grabbed hold. Their hands dug into the coarse fibers as they heaved with every ounce of strength.

"Pull!" one of them shouted. "Pull with everything you’ve got!"

The ropes trembled, snow cracking and shifting—then, just like before, the spears began to rise. The crowd held its breath, waiting.

And then—hands.

Two men burst out from beneath the snow, coughing violently, their faces ghost-white but alive.

Beside them, a small child clung desperately to one of the men’s arms, crying but breathing.

The crowd lost control again.

"THREE MORE!"

"THREE MORE ALIVE!"

"IT’S WORKING—IT’S ACTUALLY WORKING!"

Tears streamed down faces. People clapped, screamed, and prayed aloud as Mika grinned proudly from the air, his voice booming again.

"Group twenty-four, group eight—your turn! Pull out your spears! And group nine, ten, eleven—you’re next!"

Each group sprang into action, adrenaline driving them.

They yanked the ropes as fast and hard as they could, and one after another, the snow broke open—revealing two women and two small children, shivering and sobbing as they were pulled to safety.

Fauna’s wings fluttered behind Mika, her eyes glistening as she whispered. "They’re all alive..."

"Yeah." Mika nodded, smiling faintly. "One by one. Just like that."

Below them, the crowd cheered again, louder than before. Every successful rescue reignited their faith.

And so it continued.

Over and over again.

The spears plunged deep into the earth and were pulled back with human lives attached.

It was almost as if they were fishing not for food, but for souls.

One by one, the trapped survivors were pulled out—each breathless and frozen, but alive.

And each time a person emerged from the white snow, the crowd screamed in joy, their hope growing stronger and stronger, until even the sky seemed to echo their cries.