A few hundred years subsequent to the huge war that had transpired between the different races, to the people’s relief, a prolonged period of serenity descended upon the world.

 

Behind the scenes, the council of twelve began to help rebuild what was lost and destroyed caused by the centuries of the ensuing chaos.

 

As they found success with their operation, the world that they had known before had completely changed forever. Previously many had followed a life full of superstitious thinking, anxious to step out of the so-called line, afraid to incite the wrath of the gods, and face punishment or eternal damnation in the underworld. The existence of demons and gods in the people’s mind were erased. Following the war, one of the few things left unrecorded by historians included the presence of these entities.  

 

Most people who participated in the war decided it was better to not disclose information on the horrors of the wars. As time went on, it became virtually impossible to extract information from any records or books about ‘demons’ and ‘gods’. They gradually became forgotten by humanity as their appearances in historical records started to lessen. The only times the beings from these two specific races were brought up, it was to integrate a fear factor into the fables and tall tales told to teach misbehaving children a lesson.

 

 

 

 

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A young girl can be seen wandering inside the enchanting mystical forest with her little feet in a forest. Her eyes instantly glistened, mesmerized by the alluring leaves falling from the trees, and the enticing ruffling sound of the wind brushing against the trees, creating this peaceful harmony for her ears. As she became more immersed with the magnificent forest, her presence integrated with the forest more and more. She had only stayed here for only a few incense sticks of time, yet the harmony of scents were quickly getting to her. It felt like this was the first time she actually took a nice breather. As she enjoys the scenery, a trail of silver particles appeared before her, attempting to lead her somewhere.

 

Following the silver trail, she found herself in an unusual spot. What was originally a quiet and safe haven, had faded away and transformed into a flat grassland. As she quickly adapted to her new surroundings without panic, off in the distance laid a large old manor with butterflies surrounding it. The young girl entered the premises with interest, as she wondered what could possibly be hiding within this eerie estate.

 

Upon entering the villa, she was taken away by the breathtaking architecture of the house. Although it was evident that everything in here from a simple carpet to a piece of furniture came from a long-forgotten era, they remained unaffected as time went on. There were no cobwebs nor any signs of the wooden planks deteriorating any time soon. It was as if someone lived here and took care of the place, but they were unwilling to make contact with the outside world. Regardless of how good the condition of the manor was, she did not feel anyone’s presence other than her own. 

 

As the little girl wandered around the huge hallway of the mansion, a heraldic design was glowing into her eyes in the middle of two-way stairs—an engraved owl with little swords around it. The eyes of the owl illuminated brilliantly. Thus it only fueled her curiosity piqued even more. The silver trail continued to lead underneath the heraldic design. She touched the wall until it made a rippling motion. Her hand extended further, phasing her through the wall. She was astonished by her discovery.

 

“Woooow~!”

 

The young girl’s silvery-white hair fluttered as she phased through the wall. Her midnight blue eyes sparkled brilliantly, as her dopamine levels continued to climb with what she thought was an astounding discovery. She started descending the stairs, following the silver trail. She stopped to find a tall golden gate with a sculpture of an owl before her. She entered the gate, looking the owl up and down, which had strange runic letters transcribed on it. The eyes of the owl flickered, frightening the young one. Its perceptive tubelike-shaped eyes scanned the room for any people dared to intrude its area. It slowly turned around to spot a child trespassing. The owl’s eyes beamed in the direction of the girl as if it was assessing her.

 

Upon completing its ‘assessment’ on the girl, the gate unlatched. Even with her heart staggering vigorously, she managed to get a hold of herself with the help of a soothing chime. Putting her trust in it, she followed the faint sound leading her to a peaceful room. Then she got entranced by a woman with a similar hair color to hers, resting peacefully without a care in the world inside of a chamber made of some translucent crystalline materials. Underneath the crystalline rock, a young boy was sleeping sitting up on the right of the woman.

 

The woman’s natural beauty obviously bewitched her, but what really attracted her attention was the boy sleeping beside the lady. The young boy’s refined features stood out, demanding for the praise it well deserved. His long jet black hair paired with a face like that—long eyelashes, a pair of tinted red lips, and soft silky skin. He was a perfectly sculpted doll. 

 

When she was reaching out for his face, the boy's eyes suddenly opened. The two stared at each other before the girl gasped in fear.

 

“AHH—HH!!”

 

As she attempted to back away and run from him, she stumbled down and landed on the ground. She whimpered for the excruciating pain she felt. 

 

“Uuuuu—!!” 

 

The boy stood up and offered a helping hand.

 

“Are you okay...? I apologize if I happened to startle you.”

 

The boy’s eye pupils were not identical with one another, as one was silver where it resembled the little girl’s hair and the other one was pure dark which resembles the unfathomable never-ending abyss, two unique eyes staring — a winsome figure standing before her. The boy might have also been in a similar position as her, as his gaze focused on the girl. It reminded him of the woman that’s sleeping in the crystalline rock. He had a feeling he forgot something, but didn't know what he was looking for.

 

 

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Somewhere in a forest, a worried father was yelling out his daughter’s name with all his might despite his hoarse voice, hoping to finally end the search alongside 20 of his personnel. 

 

“Alice! Where are you?! Papa is here to take you back home, so please come out! ”

 

“Young Miss Alice!”

 

“Young Miss!”

 

As more time passes by with no satisfactory results, the father’s stomach couldn't help but start anxiously gurgling. They had been searching for his daughter for hours and hours, but there were still no traces or any clues of where she may have gone. “Dammit! Where could Alice be?! Why did she happen to wander in the forbidden forest of all places?! May God Please Have Mercy On Us! Damn it all! If something happens to her, I will never be able to forgive myself.”

 

They could not find any traces of her even with their different types of magic. As they continued to search for Alice, all of their mana had been used to the fullest. A few hours ago, a mana singularity had begun enveloping the forest unbeknownst to them. When they discovered the singularity, it was already too late. It shook the entirety of the forest to its core. The mana that surrounded the environment became more compact and suffocating, as it greatly stifled all the people in the forest, crushing the wills of the people who wanted to survive. They automatically gathered the abundant mana present within the atmosphere. To keep up with this influx of energy and hold themselves to the immense pressure was almost an impossible request to ask of them.

 

Fred Schwartz, the name of the father who’s searching for his daughter, was in the same situation as the others. He was on his knees as he tried to create a vacuum in his place to alleviate and suck the pressuring mana that’s making his body go into turmoil. “What kind of monstrous mana is this? It’s so dense! I’m afraid I can only go on for so much longer.”

 

As his body cannot keep with the pressuring and suffocating mana, he toppled onto the flood. The image of her daughter smiling resurfaced in his mind as his consciousness started fading away. However, a radiant circle that consists of unknown phrases around it emerges. Unsure whether or not he was about to be cast into eternal slumber, the last thing he saw before his eyes closed were two pairs of feet belonging either to dwarves or children.

 

 

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As the boy stopped to look at the girl, he couldn't help but be bewildered. The long silver hair and her clear blue eyes matched the woman sleeping. He turned to look back and forth from the girl to the woman. The girl’s resemblance to the sleeping beauty was nothing but uncanny. He snapped out of his daze to help the girl out.

 

After helping her stand up, the boy barraged her with a series of questions.

 

“Why are you here? Did the old man bring you here?”

 

With that question, the girl tilted her head in confusion. 

 

“Old man? I got here by myself.”

 

The girl’s reply only created more questions than answers.

 

“Then how?”

 

“I followed the shiny thing!”

 

“Shiny line?”

 

“The shiny line! You know, the shiny line that led me here.”

 

“What...?”

 

He’s dumbfounded as he watches the girl shouting ‘The shiny line’ to his confusion. 

 

Then, he suddenly remembered something.

 

“If you went here by yourself, then you’re an orphan?”

 

“Orphan? No way!! Papa and Mama are at home right now!”

 

“Why are you here then?”

 

“... Ah... Uh...” 

 

She remembered the horrifying figure of her mother staring at her in anger. Her face started sweating ferociously, she started panicking. 

 

“Waaaa! I’m so dead! Mama is going to kill me. I need to go home!”

 

She was about to run off, but the boy stopped her.

“Do you even know how to get back?”

 

It made her stop in her tracks, and she slowly turned her head away from the boy in embarrassment.

 

“No...”

 

“I’ll lead you there, just make sure you always stay behind me within five meters or so.”

 

Her eyes glistened upon hearing that.

 

“Thank you so much!”

 

The two went out of the mansion, coming across the beautiful sight of green plants and insects living peacefully in harmony. 

 

As the two were walking, the girl asked a question to which the boy stopped. 

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Oh, I forgot to give you my name. I’m Sirius Steorra, the son of the woman that you saw earlier in the room, Catherine Schwartz.”

 

“Schwartz?! My last name is Schwartz too!”

 

“Eh?”

 

‘She’s part of our family? If so, then the possibility of that...’ 

 

“I’m Alice Schwartz! Nice to meet you!~ I’m 10!”

 

“Nice to meet you too.”

 

“Your name is so cool!”

 

Her liveliness reminded him of her mother, who was sleeping inside the room where they left earlier. He smiled, “Thank you.”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Ten...I think...”

 

“No way! You talk like Papa. Hehehe...”

 

They started conversing with each other while walking towards the exit. The one initiating the conversation was the little girl, while the boy just kept responding to her. It’s the first time in his life to have someone his age be able to converse with him properly, as adults and other children couldn’t look at him eye to eye.

 

They stopped in front of the barrier that separates time and reality.

 

“We’re here.”

 

“Um... I still don’t know how to get home...”

 

“Haaa... Okay, I’ll help you find your way home.”

 

“Thank you!”

 

Placing his hand on the barrier, it rippled. The mana in his body started flowing out of his body like cargo discharging from its vessel. He focused the mana to the center of his palm, creating a thunderous wave to descend upon the barrier. 

 

“I, Sirius Steorra, order for the gate that manipulates the concepts of reality and time to open.”

 

[Hidden Parabola: Release]

 

The barrier shined for a bit, and an oscillating image of a forest appeared at the center of the barrier. Sirius looked to the girl beside him, checking if she was prepared for the trip. Then, he extended his hand towards her.

 

“Shall we...?”

 

“Umu.”

 

Alice nodded, grabbing onto his hand.