Elric’s eyes snapped open, and he found himself submerged once again in the forest lake. Gasping for air, his lungs burned as he clawed his way to the surface. 

If I don’t get out now, I’ll definitely drown, he warned himself. With a surge of adrenaline, Elric propelled upward, breaking through the water’s surface with a desperate gasp. He clung to the edge of the lake, his body heaving and coughing as he struggled to regain his breath. 

Was all of that just a dream? No. That pain felt too real. Wait, pain...?!

In a sudden rush, Elric remembered the deep wounds inflicted by the shadow panther, yet astonishingly, all the pain he once felt had dissipated. Peeling back his worn shirt, Elric was stunned to find not only the scars from the shadow panther had vanished but also those accrued from Leonard over the past four years.

“It was all real. I was really on the precipice of death. And Kyro…” Elric shut his eyes. “Even a guy I never met before had so much faith in me… Just what kind of life have I been living?”

It was a rhetorical question, but Elric knew the answer was glaringly obvious. His approach had been flawed from the start. He never intended to defeat the strong; instead, he chose to obey. He thought he had no other choice, as that was the only way he and his family could survive in such an unfair world. 

But he was wrong. 

So painfully wrong, and the cruelest fate had claimed his family as a result.

Gathering his resolve, Elric opened his eyes, and they burned with a determination they never had before.

“I’m done treading lightly,” he declared icily. “Waiting is all a cursed neric can do? No. Patience never spared my family, and it sure as hell won’t spare me.” Elric staggered to his feet. “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth? That’s too kind of a punishment for what they have done. There will be no mercy and forgiveness; I alone will be the instrument of their downfall.” With that, Elric tightened his fists and began to walk away from the lake. He was unsure what “power” Kyro had given him, but it didn’t matter—anything could be turned useful when it came to exacting his revenge. 

As Elric walked away, each step echoed the weight of his newfound purpose, while his body emitted a gentle glow matching the color of his piercing eyes.

* * *

Stationed on the outskirts of a small, obscure fishing town in the southern reaches of Selis, two cloaked figures engaged in a card game while another buried their nose in a book.

“Argh! Seriously, Aris, you can’t be getting all these hands legitimately,” one of them accused.

Aris, unmasking himself and revealing a mane of long, blonde hair, shot a mischievous smirk at the accuser. “I’d never stoop so low. You’re just a sore loser, Sidney.”

“Y-you!” Sidney turned to face the cloaked figure engrossed in their book. “Come on, Jon! Back me up here! He’s clearly cheating!”

Jon responded without lifting his gaze. “Leave me out of this.” 

“Urgh, fine...! It’s always like this. I’m bored stiff! I can’t stand this town anymore!”

Aris shook his head as he began tidying up the cards. “You heard the boss. We can’t leave until we’ve gathered some new information.”

“Nothing’s changed with the barrier despite us being here for six years already!” replied Sidney. “I say we report to the boss that there’s nothing to see and beg her to let us come back. Or at least station us somewhere less dull!”

“I agree,” Jon chimed in, still engrossed in his reading.

Aris looked at his companions and sighed. “If you guys want to go that badly, just go. I’ll stay and do the job for all three of us.”

“Going without you is a bit…” started Jon. 

“Yeah, the boss is kinda scary, but she favors you. Say you’ll come with us! Please!” pleaded Sidney. 

Aris rubbed his temples in annoyance. “The barrier is important. One of us has to stay.”

“Ugh. It’s always the barrier this, the barrier that,” grumbled Sidney as he approached and rested his hand on it. “It’s been like this for five centuries. Nothing’s going to–”

Crack.

The impenetrable mana barrier that had stood for half a millennium... shattered.

“Ahh! It wasn’t me!” Sidney exclaimed in panic.

Once the initial shock wore off, Aris broke into a wide grin. “Guys, do you realize what this means?”

“Um... that we can finally return home?” answered Sidney. Jon whacked him on the head with his book.

“No! It means the star’s advent is finally upon us!” 

The trio quickly set out to deliver their report to their superior. As they moved, their cloaks fluttered in the wind, revealing the symbol of a thirteen-star ring.

* * *

A young noblewoman, her hands and face both smeared with dirt, hastily lifted a rare plant from the ground. She was Alyvia Humes, the only daughter of Viscount Humes, and had spent the majority of her spring break scouring through the forests of Selis.

“I finally found it!” she yelled in excitement. 

The Mystic Orchid.

It was an elusive flower that bloomed every one thousand years. During its infancy, it is indistinguishable from a standard wildflower; however, once it’s fully mature, its stem becomes clustered with thorns, and its petals turn an iridescent navy color. Despite numerous attempts to document its characteristics, scholars have been unable to describe anything but its appearance because of its scarcity.

With this, I can actually make a difference, Alyvia thought. 

She was an earth mage with a specialization in plant magic, and though she had not yet formed her first circle, she had awakened with an impressive silver mana core. However, her circle status hindered her spell performance, which meant, in society’s eyes, she was useless. 

“Is everything alright, my lady?”

In response to Alyvia’s yell, Marcus, a trusted knight of House Humes, moved from where he stood guard and approached her with a look of concern. 

Alyvia nodded eagerly, unable to contain her enthusiasm. “Everything is more than alright! I found it—the Mystic Orchid!”

Marcus’ brow raised in disbelief, a rare break from his typically composed demeanor. “Truly? After all this time searching?”

Alyvia beamed as she held out the precious flower for him to see. “Yes, it’s right here! Can you believe it?!”

To Marcus, her smile was so radiant that it caused a deep blush to creep onto his cheeks. It was the first time in a long time that his lady had smiled that happily. 

“Th-that’s great,” he stammered.

Alyvia turned and carefully placed the flower in a pouch. “I must document everything,” she declared, her mind already racing with plans for her thesis research. “I need to take samples, record its growth patterns, analyze its mana properties...”

“My lady?” inquired Marcus. Alyvia had abruptly paused in the middle of her sentence.

What if something goes wrong during the research process?! she thought in worry. She was granted the chance of a lifetime, but it could just as easily blow up in her face. I need to find another orchid, she resolved.

“Sir Marcus, I have to go deeper in the forest.”

Marcus cast a sorrowful glance at Alyvia. “We’ve already reached the recommended distance to avoid danger in Feywild Forest. Going any deeper will put your life at risk.”

Alyvia frowned. Another Mystic Orchid was in this forest; she was sure of it. 

“Please, Sir Marcus. This may be my only chance to prove myself.”

Marcus hesitated, torn between his duty to protect Alyvia and his desire to see her smile happily again. Finally, he sighed, knowing he couldn’t dissuade her once her mind was set.

“As you wish, my lady,” he relented. 

Alyvia excitedly stood up and began to lead the way. 

*

The two had walked a considerable distance deeper inside Feywild Forest and still had not encountered another mystic orchid.

“I was wrong,” said Alyvia. 

Her tone was dejected, and it was clear that she felt like a failure. Marcus, standing behind her, wiped the blood of weak mana beasts from his face and attempted to gently place his hand on her shoulder before retracting it back.

“Don’t feel bad, my lady,” he reassured. “The path to success will always be unpredictable.”

Alyvia sighed. Marcus was right. She needed to appreciate the chance she was given.

“Alright... Let’s head back.”

As they turned to make their way back through the dense forest, Alyvia tried to rid herself of the feeling of disappointment while Marcus walked beside her in silence. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Marcus halted as well, his hand instinctively moving towards his sword’s hilt.

“What is it, my lady?”

Alyvia didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at what lay at the bottom of a nearby oak tree—a bed of wildflowers. As she approached it, her heart sped with anticipation. And there, nestled among the bed of young wildflowers, was a fully mature Mystic Orchid. 

Alyvia’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t believe her luck. 

“My lady, you’ve found it,” Marcus said softly.

Alyvia smiled and plucked the flower out of the ground. “No. We–”

Before she could finish, the ground beneath her began to shake violently. “Sir Marcus! Watch out!” 

Two massive figures emerged from the depths of the forest, their large forms draped in snow white fur. 

Frost Hounds?! Alyvia thought in confusion. They usually aren’t this big...

Alyvia continued to stare at the beasts’ strange change in appearance. Instead of the usual glacial blue, their eyes blazed with a sinister crimson hue. Even more unsettling, froth dripped from their snarling jaws, adding to their terrifying appearance.

“By the gods,” Marcus muttered. “These are no ordinary Frost Hounds.”

The hounds charged towards them, and Marcus stepped directly in front of Alyvia. “Stay back, my lady. I’ll handle this.” With those words, he leaped into action, and his aura-covered blade began to skillfully parry their attacks. Initially, Marcus held his ground, his skill evident in the fluidity of his movements. However, as the onslaught persisted, the ferocity of the beasts proved unrelenting.

“Damn it!” cursed Marcus. While he was focused on the hound that was attacking him directly, the other had released ice magic and frozen the ground beneath his feet. His aura is usually able to easily slice through a Frost Hound’s ice, but these particular hounds were more powerful than he ever encountered.

“Sir Marcus!” Alyvia cried out. The second hound was slowly stalking towards her. 

“My lady!” Marcus replied. He violently thrashed his body around to break the ice, but it was to no avail. In fact, his struggles only made him a more vulnerable target. The hound near him took advantage of his inability to focus and painfully sank its fangs into his right arm.

“Argghhh…!”

Alyvia watched the scene in front of her in horror. Sir Marcus also possessed a silver mana core, but unlike her, he was extremely proficient in combat. And yet, someone as impressive as him was losing!

I can’t just do nothing, Alyvia thought in panic. Even though she was terrible at it, she began to chant in preparation for the basic combat spell she had learned. 

“Vined Constriction!”

Instantly, long, verdant vines appeared and began to bind the large beast that was making its way towards her. 

“Okay, now I should go help Sir Mar-”

SNAP!

The hound immediately broke out of the vines Alyvia conjured and continued to advance towards her. In fear, Alyvia took a step back, which caused her to stumble and tightly clutch the precious orchid to her chest. Marcus’ yells had begun to echo as she raised her arm to shield herself. 

I’m sorry you had such a selfish master, Sir Marcus, she thought remorsefully.

The jaws of the beast opened widely, and Alyvia closed her eyes, prepared to be devoured as its next meal.

HOWL!

A piercing yelp shattered the moment of distress, compelling Alyvia to open her eyes once again. 

What she saw shocked her.

The hound that was seconds away from consuming her was violently flung across the forest floor. What stood behind in its place was a skinny boy with wavy black hair.