"In the shadows of forgotten legends, the truth of one's name is often the most elusive.

The Wanderer, once a beacon of hope, now carries the weight of countless unspoken stories.

Her past, veiled in the mist of time, beckons only to those brave enough to seek its answer." 

The explosion from the crystal mountain didn't just shake the village. It reached far beyond, deeper into the land—into the forgotten corners where light rarely touched.

In one of those places, a vast dungeon lay hidden beneath the rocky hills. Empty, cold, and silent—until now.

Shards from the mountain rained down like falling stars, glowing faintly with raw mana. They pierced through the ground, some of them landing deep in the dungeon.

Animals drawn to the light or scent of the crystals wandered in. They never came back the same.

At first, there were only screams. The kind that didn’t sound natural. Their bodies twisted and tore as the mana forced its way inside. Fur melted. Bones snapped and reshaped. Flesh turned dark and leathery. The dungeon walls echoed with screeches of pain.

They changed.

Day by day, more creatures were drawn to the mana. Those that survived the transformation became something else—larger, fiercer, and completely unlike the animals they once were. They grew stronger. Smarter. Some even began to show strange new abilities—sparks of fire from their breath, cold mist forming around their claws. It was as if the magic was teaching them how to use it.

The dungeon, once just a network of dark tunnels, turned into a growing domain filled with beasts. They fought constantly. The weaker ones were hunted, torn apart. The stronger survived—and ruled.

And in time, the dungeon gained a law of its own:

"The stronger rules."

Far from the dungeon, back near the ruined mountain, Lia stood alone in the center of the crater.

The land around her was broken—jagged stones, blackened soil, and glowing crystal fragments scattered across the ground. She looked like a statue in the middle of it all, unmoving. She felt dizzy. Her hands trembled. Her vision blurred.

Then, her body suddenly tensed.

A sharp cry, as she dropped to her knees, clutching her chest. It felt like something inside her had burst open. Her veins burned, as if boiling liquid was rushing through them. Her fingers dug into the dirt, but her strength gave out. A moment later, she collapsed, her body lying still among the scattered light.

Villagers who had been watching from a distance ran to her. Fear was written all over their faces. They didn't speak—they just picked her up carefully and carried her away from the fumes rising off the crystals. Something about the air made them dizzy. Their instincts screamed at them to leave.

The chief, who had arrived moments later, didn’t hesitate. “Everyone, get away from the mountain!” he ordered. “Seal off the area. No one goes near it until we understand what’s happening.”

3 days later

Lia stayed unconscious after the incident.

When she finally opened her eyes, the ceiling above her was unfamiliar. She tried to sit up, but her body refused to move without pain. It felt like every part of her had been burned from the inside.

Beside her, the chief sat in silence. He held a small gemstone wrapped in rosemary beads, gently rolling it between his fingers as he whispered words under his breath.

“Fu...shi...sho...mi...de…”

Lia’s voice came out dry. “What… happened to me?”

The chief looked at her with tired eyes. “You were at the center of the eruption. The mana hit you harder than anyone else. We don’t know why, but… your body didn't break. It changed.”

Lia looked away, a hint of fear and confusion in her expression. But she didn’t ask more. Not yet. After a long pause, she whispered, “I can’t stay here. I have to go.”

The chief didn’t stop her. Instead, he reached for the gemstone. “This is no ordinary crystal,” he said. “It shows a person’s mana potential. Touch it.”

Lia hesitated but placed her hand on it.

The room lit up instantly. The light was too bright to look at. Even the guards outside peeked in, squinting as the glow leaked through the wooden walls. When it faded, the gemstone kept pulsing gently in her hand.

Nobody said a word for a while.

Lia stared at the stone, not sure what she was supposed to feel. “What… does this mean?” she asked.

The chief gave her a calm look. “It means you're different now. You’ve changed. But you won’t face it alone.”

"It doesn't make sense. I want to know more, but I'm trapped," she thought, drifting into sleep with a loud sigh.

Two days later, Lia left the village.

She didn’t go alone. The chief had arranged for two guards to escort her—a silent swordsman and a sharp-eyed mage. Their job was to make sure she reached the capital safely. And a few monster attacks handelled well by her escorts.

The journey took over a day and a half. The road was quiet, though the signs of unrest were clear—trails left by fleeing caravans, burnt patches of grass, and distant sounds in the night.

When the capital’s tall stone walls came into view, Lia felt a mix of relief and tension.

Inside the gates, the city was alive with noise. Carts rolled down busy streets. Shopkeepers shouted their prices. Horses clopped by, pulling wagons full of goods.

Her first stop was the Mercenary Group Building of Eryndor.

As she stepped inside, a familiar voice called out, “Lia?!”

It was the guild’s front attendant, eyes wide. “Where have you been? You vanished without a word! The Mercenary Group of Euratia is going crazy on us!”

Lia scratched her head. “Let’s just say... things didn’t go as planned.”

The attendant groaned and handed her a slip of paper. “Your meeting with the king was pushed back. It’s now tomorrow morning. Please don’t disappear again.”

Lia opened her mouth to reply, but her words were cut short by a commotion outside.

"A Protest?!" she thought.

Shouting echoed through the guild’s wooden walls.

Lia and the attendant rushed outside.

A large crowd had gathered in front of a building marked with a well-known merchant guild’s symbol. People—most of them villagers or small traders—held signs and shouted demands.

“Let them go!” one man yelled. “We need supplies! Our towns are starving!”

More voices joined in. Tension filled the air. Some guards stood nearby, but they didn’t step in—just watched with unease.

Lia scanned the crowd. Confusion mixed with frustration on every face. Whatever had happened, it had pushed these people too far.

Then the guild doors opened.

A man stepped out. Tall. Clean-cut. Wearing an official badge on his fluttering cloak. His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, and even without raising his voice, he got their attention.

He clapped his hands twice.

“Enough noise,” he said. “Start explaining yourselves.”

The shouting stopped. Murmurs remained, low and bitter.

Lia stood at the edge of the crowd, eyes fixed on the man. Something about him felt off. Not dangerous, but… controlled. Like someone used to being obeyed.

She stayed quiet, listening, as the tension in the street refused to die down.

Chapter End