The night was quiet.
Beneath the pale glow of Gaia's three moons, the forest seemed untouched by the chaos that had unfolded hundreds of kilometers away.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
The cries of nocturnal beasts echoed faintly in the distance.
Crystal slowly opened her eyes.
"..."
Pain.
Every inch of her body screamed in protest.
She attempted to stand, only for her knees to buckle beneath her.
"Cough!"
A streak of black blood spilled onto the grass.
The ancient poison within her body had become even more unstable after forcibly invoking Arcana Magna.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before glancing toward the bundle resting beside her.
"Waaah..."
The child continued crying.
Crystal's cold expression softened ever so slightly.
"You're certainly energetic."
With trembling hands, she lifted the child into her arms.
The baby immediately stopped crying.
His tiny fingers wrapped around one of hers.
"..."
Crystal blinked.
She had faced countless enemies.
Walked battlefields littered with corpses.
Even stood before beings capable of shaking kingdoms.
Yet...
She found herself completely at a loss before a child barely a few months old.
"You really are troublesome."
A tiny smile tugged at her lips.
It was perhaps the first genuine smile she had shown in years.
Her emerald eyes carefully examined him once more.
Nothing.
No matter how many times she looked...
She could not understand him.
His bloodline...
Unknown.
His physique...
Unknown.
Even his Magna felt strangely... quiet.
It wasn't absent.
It simply refused to reveal itself.
"As expected..."
"I can't see through you."
For someone who had once reached the Sovereign Realm, such a thing should have been impossible.
Yet the child before her seemed to exist outside everything she knew.
Suddenly—
Rustle.
Crystal's head snapped toward the trees.
Several pairs of glowing eyes stared back from the darkness.
Gray Wolves.
Five of them.
Normally, creatures of this level would never dare approach someone like her.
But now...
They smelled blood.
The pack slowly advanced.
Crystal sighed.
"...Persistent."
Without standing, she released the slightest trace of her aura.
It was only a fraction of a fraction of her true strength.
Yet to the wolves...
It was like facing an ancient catastrophe.
Whine!
Their ears flattened.
Their bodies trembled violently.
Moments later, the entire pack fled deeper into the forest.
Silence returned.
Crystal lowered her aura.
"...Looks like I can still manage Monarch-level pressure."
That was reassuring.
At least ordinary beasts wouldn't trouble them.
Unfortunately...
She doubted stronger creatures would be so easily discouraged.
She slowly looked toward the sky.
"The poison has worsened."
"If this continues..."
"My recovery will take years."
She looked down at the child again.
"I suppose we'll be traveling together for quite some time."
The infant stared back at her with bright silver eyes.
Crystal frowned.
"Silver?"
She was certain they had been closed moments ago.
Perhaps she had imagined it.
The child yawned before drifting peacefully back to sleep.
"..."
Crystal remained silent.
For the first time in many years...
She didn't know what the future held.
---
Far away...
Inside a massive underground chamber illuminated by crimson flames...
Silence dominated the room.
Several cloaked figures stood in a circle.
Each radiated terrifying pressure.
At the center...
A distorted spatial rift suddenly tore open.
A body crashed onto the black stone floor.
"ARGH!!"
Canston rolled across the ground before finally stopping.
His breathing was ragged.
His left arm...
Was gone.
Blood poured endlessly from the shoulder.
One of the cloaked figures slowly stood.
"...Explain."
His voice carried no emotion.
Canston immediately knelt despite his injuries.
"My Lord..."
"The mission..."
"Failed."
The chamber became deathly quiet.
Another figure finally spoke.
"You encountered someone capable of injuring you to this extent?"
Canston lowered his head.
"...She used it."
Several figures stiffened.
"...What did you say?"
Canston swallowed hard.
"Arcana Magna."
The words echoed through the chamber.
For the first time...
Even these terrifying individuals fell silent.
One elder slowly clenched his fist.
"So..."
"It has appeared once more."
"No..."
Another interrupted.
"Only a glimpse."
"If she had truly awakened it completely..."
Canston would never have returned.
The leader's fingers tapped slowly against the armrest of his throne.
"Interesting."
"Very... interesting."
He looked down at Canston.
"The child?"
Canston's face paled.
"...Escaped."
Silence.
An invisible pressure instantly filled the chamber.
Cracks spread across the stone floor.
Canston's body trembled uncontrollably.
"I-I beg forgiveness!"
The leader closed his eyes.
"...Find them."
"Regardless of the cost."
"The child..."
"...must not be allowed to grow."
"As you command!"
Canston lowered his head until it touched the ground.
Yet hidden beneath his fear...
His crimson eyes burned with hatred.
---
As dawn slowly approached...
Crystal carried the sleeping child through the forest.
Each step was careful.
Measured.
She had no destination.
Only one goal.
Survive.
Then recover.
Only after she had regained enough strength could she begin searching for answers...
About the child.
About those hunting him.
And about the ancient mystery that had awakened when she uttered two forbidden words beneath Gaia's three moons.
Far above...
Unseen by any living soul...
An old man with long white hair sat casually upon a drifting cloud, lazily swinging his legs.
He watched Crystal disappear into the forest before chuckling to himself.
"Hehehe..."
"So..."
"It finally begins."
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small clay jug.
Taking a sip, he smiled toward the endless horizon.
"The board has been set."
"The pieces have begun to move."
"I wonder..."
"Who will be the first to realize..."
"...that this game has been going on since before history itself?"
He laughed quietly.
The wind carried his voice away.
And somewhere...
Far beyond the Melika Realm...
Something ancient slowly opened its eyes.