"Star, the mysteries of the universe lie within you."

The words still echoed in the air as Siegfried, Klara, and Friedrich sprinted toward her collapsed form, limp beneath the morning canopy, her sword still faintly glowing.

Siegfried, Klara, and Friedrich rushed toward Star, who had fainted from using her Gnosis. Klara burst out of the forest, her breath ragged and heart pounding. She spotted a lone figure resting by the riverside—an older man seated beside a medium-sized carriage drawn by two horses. The carriage’s once-white cloth roof hung dull and stained, like a ghost of better days.

She hurried over, voice trembling with urgency. “Sir, is this carriage in use?”

His eyes were sharp, almost unsettlingly so, like he had seen more than most. Around his neck hung a strange coin etched with runes, swaying like a pendulum as if marking time itself.

“I was planning to carry my goods to Valhalla’s capital,” he said quietly, voice calm yet steady. “But it seems the road’s calling me to other duties today.”

Klara hesitated, but desperation pushed her forward. “My friend… she passed out. We need to get her home quickly.”

The man’s gaze darkened for a moment. “Passing out after using Gnosis… that’s no small matter.” He stood, brushing dust from his sleeves. “Come aboard. The wilderness doesn’t wait for anyone—not even heroes.”

As the horses pulled the carriage forward, he hummed a low tune — an old folk melody that felt both comforting and strangely melancholic. Klara stole glances at him. He didn’t say much, but when she asked about the strange occurrences around Valhalla, his eyes darkened.

"Some things... some things have been sleeping for too long," he murmured. "And they don’t like to be disturbed."

Klara glanced back once more, catching the man’s gaze briefly. There was something unspoken there—a warning, a secret. She didn’t know what it meant yet, but she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Along the way, Klara introduced herself to the merchant, and he did the same. His name was Ludwig, a trader from Valhalla's capital who came from the village of Eirhart.

During the journey, Klara and Ludwig didn’t talk much—just some small talk. The trip took a while, as they had to pass through dense wilderness.

When they finally arrived, Klara jumped down and called out loudly for Siegfried and Friedrich. Ludwig also got down from his seat and helped the two young men lift Star’s small body into the carriage, placing her gently in the center.

Star stirred—but this time, she awoke beneath a colossal tree that shimmered with an otherworldly light, its branches stretching like veins of pure starlight across the dark sky. The air thrummed with raw power and ancient secrets. Standing before the glowing tree was a figure—tall, radiant, and with golden hair that seemed to glow like the dawn itself.

“Star…” His voice was calm yet charged with an undeniable authority, carrying the weight of centuries. “We meet again.”

Her breath caught. The figure’s eyes were piercing, filled with knowing beyond her years. She hesitated, searching her memory. “You... the nameless hero?”

He nodded slowly, a faint, almost sad smile touching his lips. “Yes, you and I met once before—here, in this dream realm. I am the one who granted you the Gnosis.”

Star’s heart pounded. “Why did I faint when I used the Gnosis? Why does it feel like it’s tearing me apart?”

Alioth’s gaze deepened, shadowed with something sorrowful. “Because, Star, Gnosis is not a simple gift. It is a power born of the cosmos itself—light from which all else flows. Human body is fragile. The power overwhelms at first. There is a safety mechanism—a barrier your mind must learn to break.”

He stepped closer, and the space around them seemed to pulse with energy. “But your Gnosis… it is unique. You wield the Light itself, a force long thought beyond human grasp. That is why the price is so steep.”

Star’s eyes searched his face, desperate. “What price? What does it cost me?”

Alioth’s voice dropped to a whisper, heavy with unresolved truths. “Everything in this world comes with a price. Even the gift I gave you. I don’t yet know the full cost... but it will demand more than you can imagine.”

She swallowed hard, trembling. “Why... why me? Why did you give me this... different kind of Gnosis?”

He fixed her with a steady gaze, unwavering and resolute. “Because your true nature is more than what you believe. You are not just a child of this world. You carry a destiny that reaches beyond the stars.”

Star’s breath caught in her throat. “What do you mean? Who am I?”

Alioth took a step back, his figure beginning to blur, as if the light around him consumed his form. “I cannot tell you everything yet. That truth must wait until we meet again—in the waking world.”

“Wait! I haven’t even asked your name!” she called, desperation creeping into her voice.

“Alioth,” he said, his voice echoing as he faded away. “Just call me Alioth.”