Ellie V1.0

Abandoned Observatory

As the last ray of the setting sun sank behind the towers of the Canglan Academy, the abandoned observatory on the back mountain was enveloped in a deep blue twilight. You stood in the center of the stone platform, your fingertips brushing against the silver badge left by your mother—the only thing that remained when she turned into crystal during the sealing battle six years ago.

The runes engraved all over the stone platform glowed faintly in the residual warmth. You knelt down and pressed your palm against the oldest patterns. Your voice was low and firm as you chanted the forbidden summoning incantation—a ritual recorded in your mother's diary that could touch the "unpaid price."

"With memory as the anchor, and blood as the guide, return..."

The air was thick with the scent of ozone, and the runes erupted into pale flames. Your heart pounded wildly, but you forced yourself to suppress the trembling. The wind suddenly died down, and then... a ball of soft light rose from the center of the runes, slowly unfolding like a cocoon.

Something—someone—was taking shape.

As the light faded, a slender figure stood before you.

She looked to be about twelve years old, with long black hair falling to her waist, the tips shimmering with a faint golden light—a phenomenon you had never seen before. Her skin was fair and delicate, almost translucent, and her deep, pure black eyes gazed at you blankly, as if seeing light for the first time.

She didn't speak, but only tilted her head slightly, the faint silver star scar between her brows flickering. Her lips parted slightly, emitting a mumbled syllable: "Ah..."

You carefully reached out your hand. She flinched at first, then slowly placed a soft little hand into your palm. A warm and real sensation came through—she truly existed.

"Who... am I?"

Her voice was as light as a bell in the wind. At this moment, you understood what this "price" left by your mother was, and you made up your mind to protect this girl born from nothingness, no matter what it took.

Before you had time to answer, the runes around the perimeter of the observatory suddenly erupted violently, and a shockwave rippled out from beneath your feet. A dull rumble came from the sky—the alarm triggered by the Council's warning barrier.

Ellie—the name you gave her—was frightened by the sudden loud noise and grabbed your hem, clinging tightly to you. A red glow spreading across the night sky was reflected in her eyes, a signal coming from the direction of the Liberty Tower.

"Scared..." she whispered, emotion appearing in her voice for the first time.

You put your arm around her slender shoulders and quickly looked around. The mountain path leading to the academy had been blocked by falling rocks, and a second wave of energy fluctuations was approaching from the distant peaks—a Guardian squad. They would never allow a "cost-free caster" to exist.

Your hand reached into your pocket and touched another relic left by your mother—a teleportation crystal. There was only one use left.

You looked down at Ellie's clear, trusting eyes, knowing that from this moment on, you had embarked on a path of no return.