In the center of the chamber stood a tall woman.
Her long white hair flowed down her back like pale moonlight, and her calm eyes reflected the countless stars swirling above her head. Both of her hands rested gently over the rim of a circular divination table, where countless glowing runes rotated and rearranged themselves like pieces of an endlessly shifting puzzle that formed an incredibly complex mathematical model.
Although it was not yet time to deduce, she had come here today because she felt uneasy.
It had been a long time since she felt this way, making her suspect that something was going to happen.
This woman was one of the world's most secretive figures, and in another life, she had once been the teacher of a certain Elena Evergreen!
The stars slowly shifted before her eyes as she watched the future unfold.
"…Interesting," she softly muttered.
Her eyes scanned the billions of stars that all seemed to intertwine in different ways. Each was independent, possessing their own unique orbit and personal characteristics. No two stars were the same, making this virtual sea of stars seem incredibly complex and mysterious. If one were to look at this scene without the proper preparations, it was not impossible for them to collapse.
Her gaze was drawn towards a very specific 'star'. This single star drifted through the virtual void freely…
Upon closer inspection, it didn't seem to belong to any given orbit, and it almost appeared to drift without reason, existing as an uncontrollable element in this orderly choir of chaos. Although it did not move far from its original position, there were already signs that it intended to break away and begin traveling towards different regions of this strange space. It should also be said that this starry sky didn't represent the true sky. Instead, it was formed from a combination of the power of 'Fate', 'Cause & Effect', and countless 'Predictions mixed with Deductions!'
This strange star was one of the 'variables' that had appeared in the world of Pillomal, a disturbance within the natural order of the world's history.
The woman quietly observed.
"It still hasn't fully awakened…" she muttered.
In her own mind, she didn't understand what 'awakened' even meant, but this term seemed to almost come to her naturally, which was why she paid so much attention to this strange green star.
She had learned to trust her instincts.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed.
From the center of that strange green star, following a tremble, something else had started to appear…
Is that, a shadow?
She leaned closer, trying to see what this strange mass of black light was…
At first it was faint, barely visible beneath the surrounding light, but then—
Pst!
The world shook, something in the unseen world moved, and the darkness began to spread! Like thick ink spilled into water, the shadow slowly bled outwards, 'staining' the nearby stars black!
The woman's breath caught in her throat, and she instinctively pulled away!
It happened so fast!
"…N-no…!" She unconsciously trembled, losing her composure for the first time!
Her brain couldn't keep up!
The darkness continued to 'bloom' around the green star!
It expanded, devoured, and spread its 'black', infecting the surrounding stars!
"W-what is this…!" Her eyes widened in horror! This was not the means of her astrolabe!
Like a poison, this dark patch of sky continued to increase in size!
It began to disturb the surrounding orbits, spreading through some unseen means, causing an error that quickly began to affect its surroundings at an exponential rate! Buzz! Soon, it slowed down and stopped expanding, leaving the surrounding stars in a blackened state! To her shock, only the green star remained brightly lit, shining as brightly as ever through the veil of 'black', now surrounded by countless dark stars that had all fallen away from their original trajectories, all taking an unpredictable path!
The shadow had stopped, but the damage had been done!
This scar would continue to compound, starting from Llynun, and quickly spread throughout the world!
It would spread through the star map like a slowly unfolding apocalypse!
Her body trembled, quickly realizing that these blackened stars could no longer be divined!
Her lips quivered.
Her hand lifted instinctively towards the projection, as if she could stop something, or change something, but her fingers shook uncontrollably as they approached, as if warning her that it was futile. She did possess the means to do something, but her instincts told her that if she tried, an even more dangerous situation would unfold, like poking a sleeping beast.
"…What is this…?"
The shadow rippled once more around the green star, then slowly retracted, disappearing completely...
Everything fell silent, and for the first time in many, many years—
The woman felt a deep, indescribable sense of fear!
* * *
Verdelith Castle—
The rain had not stopped.
High above, above the darkened city of Llynun, thunder still rolled through the clouds, though the storm had now softened into a steady curtain of cold rain, leaving the world with an ominous and uncomfortable atmosphere. Combined with the occasional roar of thunder and wail of the wind, the world felt abandoned and desolate. Inside the castle, however, the atmosphere felt far heavier than the storm outside, leaving even the local insects to fall silent...
-
Verdelith Castle, Mansion, Second Floor—
The large room was quiet.
Mell stood near one of the windows, arms crossed as she stared into the rain. Her dark ponytail hung down behind her back, and the faint glow of the lights reflected in her tired green eyes. Behind her, Wind leaned against the wall with her arms folded. Her snow-white eyes were narrowed in deep thought, with a clear worry visible on her small face. Her long ears drooped as she unknowingly bit her lip in irritation, staring out into the haze.
The atmosphere was heavy.
Not far from them sat Levy, who seemed to be a lot less worried. She could even be said to be carefree!
She lounged comfortably in a chair as if the entire situation were nothing but mild entertainment for her. One leg was crossed over the other while she slowly spun a small purple pen between her fingers.
"So," Levy said lazily, quickly glancing between Petras two head maids, "you asked me out here because you're worried about your little master?"
Mell did not smile, but she hummed in confirmation, "She hasn't moved for nearly an hour..."
Wind quietly sighed. "And even when she does move," the silver elf added with a strange expression, "the air around her twists like something alive. It's not just us, all of us can tell that she's not ok. We don't know what that weird thing is, and we're worried that if we approach, something might happen."
"Oh~?" Levy raised an eyebrow, brushing it off.
Mell's voice lowered a bit. "I've seen Petra angry before, but..." She paused, touching her wrist. Her tightly wrapped arm faintly throbbed, as if trying to tell her something. "…But this time it's different." Her mind flashed back to that time, and she frowned.
Wind nodded.
She remembered the brief battle in the cave with Owen from the Sky Tower. "She's holding 'something' back, and unlike last time, she doesn't have an outlet. I'm afraid that if this continues…" Wind shook her head, then explained the incident from back then. She racked her brains, then also told Levy about all of Petras 'tantrums' over the past few years.
Levy's purple eyes flickered.
"That bad, huh?"
It was impossible to tell what she was really thinking.
Mell hesitated, then she answered honestly.
"If Petra loses control right now…"
She was worried that she wouldn't be able to come back. In truth, regardless of how powerful Mell believed Levy was, even she wasn't fully confident that Levy could pull Petra back from 'that state.' Back then, it was only because Petra could quickly resolve the problem, allowing her to stay sane. If that state lasted longer than a few minutes, then she wasn't sure what would happen. Mell still remembered the small river of black blood that came out of Petra's body after that battle.
Speaking of Petra's body…
Actually, even Levy didn't quite know what was going on with Petra's body. For her, there wasn't a problem on this planet that she couldn't solve, but what could she say, as expected of the master's daughter? Petra was indeed a challenge for her!
As for 'solving the problem…'
Mm, Levy wasn't sure if she should intervene, after all, her priorities were far different than Mell and Winds. Those two were mostly worried about Lilly and Luna, but they didn't seem to sense the real problem surrounding Petra's soul.
Levy slowly leaned back in her chair as her expression turned thoughtful.
Interesting!
That child had always been abnormal.
Levy had sensed it the moment she first met Petra in this life.
She was definitely different from when they met back on Earth.
Thinking back on it—
She had always shown small signs, but it was only in this life that they manifested in full.
Her strange intuition, the terrifying ability to calculate, the weird way she always wanted to treat the world like a game, treating pieces as if they could be rearranged at will, and playing around all the time. It was definitely not a mortal's perspective. Back on Earth, during the short period where Levy had lived with her, Petra had shown all of these traits, only back then, she was incapable of acting on them because of her strange circumstances and weakness.
And yet, despite all of this…
She was still a child on the inside! Levy could feel that, despite being forced to grow up too quickly on Earth, Petra's personality never fully caught up to her.
It was ironic that in this life, she was stuck in the body of a child!
Levy quietly watched the rain tapping against the window.
If the small one was ever to truly break…
What kind of monster would be born from the pieces left behind?
Her lips faintly curled up.
In the end, Wind and Mell were left without an answer…
* * *
Verdelith Castle, Front of the Mansion—
Beneath the cold rain, Nebula stood quietly under the eaves.
In front of her, Petra stood several meters ahead.
The little green-haired girl hadn't moved much since returning. She simply found a spot outside and stared towards the distant city, unperturbed by the rain. She didn't even bother to come inside, appearing to almost be waiting for the signal that would allow her to attack.
From behind, Nebula could clearly see 'it'…
The tension in Petra's small shoulders, the faint tremble in her hands, and the dark aura that seemed to quietly coil around her body like an invisible smoke. All of it was subtle, but to Nebula, she felt as if it were a volcano just waiting to explode!
Petra looked calm, too calm.
She knew that soon, if Petra didn't vent, something would eventually happen…
Nebula watched silently for a long time.
She didn't know what to do.
This was definitely not the kind of thing she was good at…
"…Master." She finally called out, but her voice was swallowed by the storm.
Petra didn't turn around.
Nebula lowered her gaze slightly.
"…You don't look well right now, I don't believe you can't feel it."
There was no response, only the sound of rain striking stone.
"If you're doing this to prepare, then please think again. The others are worried about you…"
Still, there was no response.
Nebula stood there for several minutes before quietly stepping back.
If Petra wished to be alone—
Then she would leave her alone…
As Nebula walked away through the rain, a faint thought flashed through her mind.
…Father? Was this why you entrusted me to her?
She glanced back one more time before returning inside.
It was unknown what she really saw in Petra, but one thing was for sure, and that was that her vision and Levy's vision weren't much different.
Before disappearing completely, she looked back one last time.
Petra's small figure stood motionless beneath the storm. She was like a small statue carved from sheer silence. She didn't look like much, but the power in that small frame was unimaginable to Nebula. Seeing this, Nebula couldn't help but feel pressed. If this was the kind of guardian she needed, then just what kind of enemies did her father have…?
Nebula's eyes narrowed slightly.
After what felt like a long time, she disappeared into the mansion completely…
* * *
The night began to tick by, and after an unknown amount of time, where Petra was standing—
The storm continued to fall.
Suddenly—
Her fingers abruptly twitched!
Her eyes snapped open!
"…!"
She finally felt it, a faint signal!
It was weak and subtle, but unmistakably there!
To no one's surprise, Lilly and Luna had been released. From what Petra could 'feel', they seemed to be locked in a secret room in the Azurefell Families' ancestral land.
Her mind turned, and the surrounding space twisted in a flicker of black light.
She tried to pull them through space, but—
Nothing happened…
"It's an array..." Her voice came out, but it was colder than the rain.
Someone had constructed a spatial formation that prevents spatial manipulation in and out of the Azurefell family's ancestral estate.
For several seconds, Petra simply stood there. Then, after a moment to cool down, she quietly exhaled.
"…I see." Her voice was once again calm…
Petra slowly turned toward the mansion.
Her eyes had darkened to an unimaginable degree.
With a sneer, a black light wrapped around her body as she was pulled through space and disappeared from the spot, leaving only the screaming static of the storm…
* * *