A summary of "The Cold Enchantress" by Maria Danilova

This story, created in 2019, tells the story of the young witch Vilu, who hides her abilities among the mages at a secret academy. The plot centers on the heroine’s attempts to master combat magic with the help of an immortal demon and to find a mysterious "redeemer" whose blood possesses incredible power. The book is part of a fantasy novel series called "The Enchantress" and is the second in the series. This cycle also includes "The Enchantress of Shadows," "The Enchantress of Lightning," "The Enchantress of Blood," "The Enchantress of Time," "The Enchantress of Oceans," and "The Enchantress of Storms."

Life at the Academy and Secret Enemies

Academy student Vilu continues her secret training. She attempts to master the manipulation of inner energy on the roof of the building to successfully confront numerous enemies. She is assisted by Raven, a silent immortal Raven, a former servant of the devil, who was subjugated by magic specifically to protect the heroine. Raven gradually and painfully awakens her chakras. She dates a seemingly ordinary guy named Gray, but their relationship is constantly thwarted by his annoying friend Sebastian Blackthorn.

Darren, the dark sorcerer who previously tried to kill the main character, reappears within the walls of the academy. Vilu tries to avoid him, relying on Raven’s unwavering protection. Furthermore, Vilu is periodically threatened by a student named Rocky, who can transform into a wild panther. Meanwhile, Vilu is being watched by Kian, a mysterious man possessing immense power. He insistently demands that she stop searching for the redeemer and leave the academy for her own safety. Vilu abruptly refuses.

Guilt torments the heroine over her past arrogant behavior. The academy hires a new history teacher, Mr. Barrett, to replace Mr. Wilmore, who suffered serious consequences earlier. Vilu writes a heartfelt letter to the former teacher, deeply apologizing for her previous arrogance.

The attempts on Vila’s life become more sophisticated. A deadly trap of flying ice and glass shards suddenly activates in the hallway. The math teacher, Mr. Roberts, who turns out to be a secret hunter of evil spirits, saves Vila by dragging her into an invisible magic circle that protects her from any spells. Later, in Vila’s room, a similar trap of poisoned glass is triggered. Raven shields the girl with his body, sustaining severe wounds to his back, and then sucks the poison out of a stray scratch on Vila’s arm. The girl begins to suspect Raven of lying, doubting his absolute loyalty, but he continues to risk himself for her.

The academy’s tranquility is shattered when a terrifying monster bursts into the girls’ dorm during an underground student party. Warden Scarlet single-handedly and brutally dispatches the beast. The next morning, Vilu is horrified to realize that all students and the principal have completely lost all memory of the night’s attack. Only Vilu, Ravin, and Kian remember what happened.

Temporal anomalies and blood magic

Vilu learns the terrible truth about Scarlet. The Commandant is a powerful blood mage, assigned specifically to maintain order. Oli, the heroine’s seer friend, contacts her and shares terrifying details. The memory lapses in those around her are caused by someone else’s manipulation of time. The powerful chronomag is constantly altering the past, causing many events to be erased retroactively. Soon, an aggressive she-devil attacks Oli’s apartment. Vilu teleports to his friend’s place with Raven, Raven engages in mortal combat, and the heroine manages to heal the seer’s severe head wound.

The situation at the academy escalates. Sebastian publicly accuses Vila of witchcraft, displaying her pendant, found in his ransacked room. Gray defends her and later confesses his supernatural origins. He is a Nephilim — the son of an angel and a human. Sebastian’s strange attachment to Gray is revealed. The Nephilim saves Bas’s life with a special angelic healing ritual.

Meanwhile, Darren offers Vil a truce. The sorcerer, having lost most of his magic to an unknown enemy, understands the threat looming over them both. Vil and Darren attempt to find historical clues in the library, but are attacked by a disembodied phantom, which hurls heavy bookcases. Thanks to his newly awakened gift for electrical discharges, Vil manages to weaken the phantom and escape with Darren, activating the fire suppression system just in time.

Deadly Excursion and the Ice Monster

A true disaster unfolds during a school field trip to the Natural History Museum. An unknown enemy summons a massive ice elemental. The monster unleashes an unprecedented snowstorm on the town. The students, along with their new history teacher, Mr. Barrett, find themselves trapped inside the local café. Vilu, Darren, and Kian are left outside under a deadly barrage of ice spikes.

Ravin once again shields Vila with her body, absorbing multiple blows from sharp spears and rapidly losing strength. In the chaos of the storm, Vila is attacked by the same she-devil, attempting to strangle her. Vila uses electrical magic, electrocuting her opponent and breaking free from her grip. Daren attempts to flank the assassin, hiding in the snowstorm, to destroy the elemental’s summoning circle. The unknown mage brutally dispatches him. Daren falls dead in the snow, and Vilu is completely unable to help him.

To stop the elemental, Kian engages in direct combat with the giant ice monster. Vilu and Ravin climb onto the elemental’s back. Vilu rips a glowing icicle, the "heart of the element," from the giant’s neck. The heroine gains the ability to hear the creature’s thoughts and understands its suffering under its control. This gives Ravin the chance to break the magical seal on the elemental’s forehead. The monster disintegrates into thin air. The storm finally subsides.

After a hard-won victory, Kian reveals his true nature to Vila. He is a demon bound by a strict magical pact with the Magic Council and Scarlet. Kian is obligated to find the Redeemer and become her constant guardian. Scarlet mercilessly threatens to kill Vila if the demon continues his romantic relationship with the mortal witch. Realizing the hopelessness of the situation and the direct threat to Vila’s life, the lovers make the difficult decision to part ways.

Revealing secrets and new solutions

Rescuers evacuate the frozen students back to the academy by helicopter. An exhausted Vilu spends several days in the infirmary with a high fever. When she awakens, she learns the harsh truth. Daren’s murder has once again been erased from reality by the chronomage. None of the students remember the existence of this fair-haired sorcerer at all. The only exception is Vilu herself. She struggles to come to terms with the loss, even though Daren was her adversary.

The classmates’ secrets continue to unravel. Vilu’s friend, Oddet, publicly confesses to the students that she has been spying on them. It was she who regularly reported all the secret student parties and disciplinary violations to the principal, having succumbed to blackmail with bad grades. The students are angry, but thanks to Vilu’s active support, they give Oddet a chance to redeem herself.

Oli reconnects and confirms the theory of destructive time loops. A powerful enemy is reshaping reality at its own discretion, forever erasing entire lives and significant events. Realizing the scale of the looming threat, Daren’s unjust death, and the lies surrounding her on all sides, Vilu categorically rejects the weak position of eternal victim. She firmly resolves to take control of the situation, fully master combat magic with the help of the immortal Raven, and independently seek out the Redeemer to end the chain of senseless deaths once and for all.