The silence after the battle was louder than any roar. Only the rain continued to fall, steady, relentless, hammering on stones and pools of blood.

Alice stood, panting, her arms hanging limply. Before her, the body of the Mist Guardian lay at last lifeless. A shapeless mass of burnt flesh, broken bones, and extinguished mist. The air reeked of ash, magic, and the end.

And yet... no smile on her face, just a heart too heavy. No victorious cry, just the silent fall of the rain..

Her legs almost gave out, but she held on. She approached the crater slowly, painfully, and knelt. At the center, among the debris, something shone faintly, a soft, familiar light.

“Golly...”

She stretched out her hand. Between her fingers, the golem’s magical gem still pulsed faintly. Still warm and intact.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she clutched it to her chest.

“Sorry... I shouldn’t have... You were right. I wasn’t ready. I...”

But no words could be enough.

Hati stood beside her, yapping as if he too mourned the golem.

She gently placed the gem into her pouch, handling it with infinite care, as if any rough movement could damage it.

It was all that was left of him.

She stood up, unsteady, and looked up toward the blackened ruins of the sanctuary. There, in the darkness between the fallen columns, a strange vibration caught her attention. At the bottom of her pouch, another one vibrated softly, responding to something.

The Lich’s and the Guardian’s medallions seemed to have reacted to each other’s presence.

She stepped forward, as if in a trance, her footsteps echoing on the wet stone. An ancient arch awaited her, hidden among vines and rubble. At its center, a large circular stone door covered with faint runes. Two perfectly circular indentations were embedded.

Alice understood without thinking. She took out the medallions and inserted them into the receptacles.

A rumble emerged from the ancient mechanism. The ground vibrated softly. The runes lit up, one by one, tracing a glowing spiral. Then the door slowly turned, with the dull sound of forgotten gears. Behind it, a dark room appeared, intact despite the centuries. The air inside was warmer, almost sacred.

Alice slowly walked inside, afraid to trigger a trap or awaken another monster.

A scent of incense, mostly faded by moss and dust, rose to the sharp nose of the young girl. Despite the dimness, she could guess the room was large and majestic. It radiated an overwhelming presence. Polished walls, flawless. White-gray marble veined with light.

At the back stood a statue, three meters tall, carved from stone so smooth it seemed alive. It depicted a woman, the same as the one in the temple five years ago, but here it was intact. Eyes closed and arms open, she displayed a gentle yet impassive face. She radiated an ancient serenity, almost timeless.

Alice approached; her heart was pounding.

As soon as she stepped on a central circle on the floor, a light activated beneath her boots, running through the engraved grooves like a living pulse.

And then... a voice echoed in the temple, both from nowhere and everywhere. The same that had called her in her dreams for years. The one who had guided her here. Soft. Deep. Eternal.

“Alice... Child of destiny. You have finally come to me.”

The statue lit up. And before it, in a burst of pure light, appeared a silhouette. Majestic and ethereal. A woman made of light, gentle and warm, suspended in the air. Her hair floated like solar veils. Her gaze shone, kind yet serious.

Alice stood there, frozen.

“Fear nothing. I am the one who reached out to you, the moment your soul was fading in your old world.”

“What... How?”

“You died, Alice. Overturned in an anonymous street, your heart stopped beating. But before your spirit dissolved into nothingness, I came. I offered you a choice.”

Alice lowered her head. A vague memory, a fragment of a forgotten dream... A light in the dark... a voice...

“I offered you rebirth in this world. And you accepted. In exchange, I promised you this: if you fulfill your mission... those you have lost will be returned to you.”

Alice’s heart skipped a beat.

“You mean... my parents? My brother? But how? They have been dead for a long time... and so have I.”

“I will bring you back to the dawn of your life, and I will make your destinies diverge from their fatal ends.”

The voice was calm. Neither sad nor joyful. Just... true.

Alice felt her legs tremble. A flood of emotions rose as she remembered the loving faces of her family, her friends, her old, safe world. She could live a quiet, peaceful life surrounded by those dear to her heart.

“But this task is not simple. The evil you must face is ancient. Cunning. And it hunts us, even here. That is why I sealed some of your memories. For your safety and that of your mission.”

Alice raised her eyes.

“The Sect... The Lich and the Guardian... It was them, wasn’t it?”

The light flickered slightly around the silhouette.

“The Lich... The Guardian... They are not mere monsters. They are sentinels placed here to prevent you from reaching me.”

Alice clenched her fists. She had sensed all this. But hearing it... gave a new weight to every battle.

“You have braved everything they put in your path. You cried, you fought, you survived. And you lost. But you moved forward.”

The voice softened.

“Your friend, the golem... His heart still beats. His gem is intact. You can bring him back. It will require knowledge, power, and will. But it is possible.”

A breath escaped Alice’s lips as hope filled her heart. A chance to repair and ask forgiveness.

“Finally, to aid you in your future quests, I offer you this.”

A sphere of light rose from the statue’s chest. It pulsed gently, then flew toward Alice. She felt the magic enter her, warm and gentle..

[New Magic Acquired: Light – Level 1]

“It is time for you to leave this prison. To join the light.”

A magic circle lit up behind the statue.

“In the imperial capital of Draknar stands the Temple of Creation. There, we can speak without fear. There, I will wait for you.”

[Main Quest: Go to the Temple of Light]
Rewards: Experience, #@€&!?#

“Wait! I still have so many questions!”

But the light was already fading. And the room grew silent again.

“I wanted to know more about the system... about blood magic... about our ennemies...”

She grimaced.

“…At least she could have told me how to get to the capital...”

Alice stepped toward the glowing circle. She cast one last glance at the room, then stepped into the light.

When she opened her eyes, she stood outside. The air had changed, now warmer and filled with the fresh woody scents of the morning. The sky, still heavy with thick clouds, let through the first light of a new day.

Around her, all was calm. Only the rustle of the wind in the leaves and the gentle dripping of raindrops accompanied her breath.

She recognized the place.

It was here, at the top of the ravine, where it all began. Where she had awakened six years ago. Without understanding, she had seen her parents die here.

Today, she returned, much stronger and ready to face this world. But also deeply marked by these years of exile.

She approached the edge slowly. Her gaze finally took in the entire cursed forest.

She saw it as never before: a dense, dark sea of foliage, almost perfectly circular, encircled by steep cliffs.

From up here, the truth appeared in all its clarity. It was not just a forest. It was a prison. A natural jail, cleverly disguised as a wild expanse. A cage to isolate her from the world... until she was ready.

“Damn... Don’t tell me I’m just out of the tutorial...”

She stayed there a moment, her hands clenched on her pouch straps. She thought of Golly. The promise she made with the goddess. The nearly forgotten faces of her old life.

Then she turned around. Before her stretched an old moss-covered road, lined with cracked stones and wild bushes. An ancient path, abandoned, but still visible enough to guide her steps.

It led north to the Empire. To the capital. To the next chapter of her story.

Suddenly, a flicker of excitement stirred her heart.

A whole new world was finally opening to her, full of mysteries, encounters... and magic. With a newfound motivation, she looked at her companion.

“Ready, Hati?”

The young Fenrir barked in approval.

Alice took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and took her first step.

Then another.

End of Act 1