“Humans. Leave this place.” Both male and female voices called out a warning as Lin and his party stopped in front of an bamboo grove. Thick ivy vines slithered between the gigantic stalks of bamboo akin to trees, seeming to form an impenetrable natural wall.

This was in the inner confines of the Sel Forest on a path hidden from human eyes, where only those that either knew the truth of the place, or are utterly lost fools, could visit.

“We’ve come to see Isolde.” Lin was the one who spoke to the wall of trees.

“...Who are you to call our great matriarch by her name?” The voices paused before replying with a hint of scorn.

“My, my. It seems that there are some that don’t recognize Lin here.” Morrighan laughed as she rubbed Peygie’s small shoulders. Clearly, she had taken a liking to her.

“Probably some newbloods on the other side.” Fallas stroked his white beard as he replied to Morrighan. “Can’t really blame them since we have not set foot in this place for so many years.”

“Humans are no longer welcome in this place. Leave!” The voices on the other side grew in number, and replied with venomous hostility. Several powerful pressures emanated from the other side. Although Lin and his party were unaffected, Peygie felt her body sized up in fear and felt as if she would pass out any moment.

“For shame!” Morrighan shouted in anger as she wave a hand and a orange-brown glow surrounded her Peygie, protecting her. Before Lin could stop her, Morrighan had stamped into the ground and a gigantic halberd flew from beneath the earth and into her hands.

“Morrighan stop!” Lin tried to halt her as she swung gave the halberd a few practice swings before walking towards the wall of bamboo.

“If the Forest Princess is still sleeping, then I will wake her up!” Morrighan declared coldy as she raised her weapon into the air, clearly intending to cleave a path through the grove if necessary..

“Hikara. Kage. Let them pass.” The voice was ancient, yet euded a youthfulness that only comes with spring. At her words, Morrighan’s eyes narrowed but she stopped..

The otherside of the gate could only be described as a small country of beasts. Large, hollowed out portions of the giant bamboo-like trees served as homes, and giant vines served as walkways between the stalks of bamboo. The bottom layer of the forest was a giant farm, where various fruits and foods were cultivated for the country’s magical beast inhabitants.

The magical beasts avoided Lin’s party as they were escorted through the walkways, with eyes peering out from behind closed doors. Humans seldom traveled through here, and even the few that appeared humanoid were merely magical beasts that had taken human forms.

Hikara and Kage were such creatures, humanoid with fox-like ears and three tails that trailed behind them as they politely guided Lin’s party. There were the creatures of myth that human tales were based on, Divine Beasts that are capable of challenging the strongest of heroes.

“Please enter.” After a few tense minutes, the two Divine Beast clothed in untarnished silk robes stopped in front of a gigantic tree. So great and grand was its splendour, that it could only be described as a ‘world tree’. This was the castle and home of the one called the Great Spirit of Nature, Isolde the Princess of the Forest..

“You have nerve to show up in front of me once more,. Spirit Walker.” The same voice at the gate spoke up as soon as Lin entered the trunk of the World Tree with Peygie in hand. Eir and the others had respectfully stayed behind since only Lin had the qualifications to speak to the Forest Princess.

“This one is a descendant of Neptunia.” Lin gave an encouraging pat before pushing Peygie forward. “I only came here to pass her off to you.”

“Neptunia…” There was a deep grief and sadness in the voice but it was quickly replaced with bitterness. “Leave her here and leave this place. Out of respect for my scion’s last wishes, I will not harm you. But that does not have to tolerate your presence.”

Lin turned to leave after patting Peygie’s head once more, but just before he was about to step out, he hesitated and turned around.

“Is there… any changes to Aotapia?”

“...You of all people, do not have the right to ask. It is no longer your concern.”

“I swear. People these days are getting more and more bold. Don’t they know that war is on the horizon?” Veona grumbled as she met up with her superior officer, Tedore.

“Listen to this, Tedore!” Veona scowled as soon as her mount pulled up next to Tedore’s horse. “I ran into a cadet that abandoned the ways of Ecclisa to sign up to be an adventurer! The audacity!”

“There’s no need to be so short sighted. Associating oneself as an adventurer is a good for those that value their freedom.” Tedore scolded. “The Church of Ecclisa hasn’t changed in the past one hundred years and that… is not a good thing.”

“Should someone that is an officer from the Harbinger Crows say such things? The Enforcers or the Inquisition will come for you.”

“I am a crow. It is my job to speak,ramble and utter ill tidings.” Tedore smirked.

“You only say that when it fits!”

“That too, is part of what it means to be a Harbinger Crow. Saying the right thing at the right time greatly influences the flow of a conversation.”

“It’s pointless trying to argue with you.” Veona scowled, exasperated at his words.

“Arguing? This is instruction. The art of conversation and negotiation is also a discipline. If you were more proficient, you may have convinced that girl you spoke about before.”

“She seemed pretty dead set. Judging by her tone and attitude, she is no weak fighter as well. It’s a shame we lost such a cadet.”

“Who was she?”

“Beats me. She said her name was Yuelei.”

At the mention of the name, Tedore jerked up and his horse neighed at the sudden shift in weight. He knew all too well what the girl was capable of.

“...Don’t mention this to anyone for your own good, Veona. You’re lucky to be alive.”

“...Tedore?”

“Neäir..?” Ittai furrowed his brow at the unfamiliar name as he stood in front of a small humming stone. Even though he was a warrior of many years, communicating with the leaders of the League of Adventurers made him nervous. “Never heard of him.”

“The records says that you evaluated this man.”

“I evaluate hundreds of individuals each day. You can’t expect me to remember every single one.” Ittai huffed.

“Based on the records and the man’s adventurer card, he was given a rather low rank.” This time, it was a women’s voice. “From what we know, his strength is beyond this.”

“My ratings are always accurate. Plus, why is the League suddenly interested in a random person?” Ittai grumbled and shot back.

“There have been rumors that he is involved with the disappearance of one of the members of the League of Adventurer. To be precise, in your branch.”

“Zuan.” Ittai quickly realized.

“The rumors are not confirmed and comes from an untrustworthy source. Right now, we are trying to come into contact with this man and learn where these rumors originated from, or whether they hold value.”

“It makes this old man happy that you monsters are actually taking action.” Ittai replied.

“It is because we must. The Necromancer’s influence is slowly expanding. He no longer has regard for our boundaries, and we had one dungeon collapse because of him.” The voice was almost seething was anger. “We should contact all the other branches as well.”

“Our Red Slate Republic Main Branch is more than capable of dealing with the Necromancer.” Another voice pointed out..

“...You are all fools if you think you can take him on.”

The voices at the other end of the humming stone had started to argue.

“Klaris. What’s up with you?” Minerva asked after she realized that Klaris’s food was untouched. “Normally, you’re the most ravenous out of us all, but you’ve not eaten anything.”

“I was just mulling over somethings.” Klaris realized that she was acting strange and quickly wolfed down the food before asking for seconds. Next to her, Sime had already curled up in a bundle and fallen asleep.

“Over that man, I’m guessing.” Curtis scowled. “The impudence to try to challenge Lord Dumeis…”

“It is good that you admire our teacher, but you’re letting arrogance and pride cloud your eyes.” Minerva scolded at him. “Did you not see that man’s spell? Do you think that you could block that and come out unscathed?”

“So what. It’s only expected that a mage would be able to use such spells. But Lord Dumeis’ title is Sword Emperor! How can he challenge for the title as a mage!”

“Still so short-sighted.” Jaela sighed as Minerva and Curtis continued to argue. She had her head against Padin’s shoulder. “Shouldn’t you stop them?”

“No, let them argue.” Padin grinned as he stoked the fire. “It’s been a decade and they’re still going at it. A bit more won’t hurt.”

“Still so laid back as usual.” Jaela smiled and brushed her hand down his arm. “What do you think of that man? Do you think he will actually attempt to challenge Lord Dumeis?”

“.... He did not seem like someone who would lie. It makes me wonder if he can defeat all of us.”

“Of all us here, it’s funny how the eldest disciple is the most humble.” Jaela laughed, and it was a warm and serene sound.

“That’s because if I argue with you, there can be no good end.” Padin grinned and Jaela punched him in response.

“...Miss Florella. Miss Siegla. I had not expected to see the two of you here.” When Cecilla had returned to her rented room that night, she found two people seated by the table against the wall.

“Miss Solas.” Priscilla rose to meet Cecilla, and Byrhilda followed suit. “Or I suppose it is simply Miss Cecilla now.”

“You are correct. I’ve revoked the name.” Cecilla smiled bitterly and accepted Priscilla’s outstretched hand. “I suppose you are here to convince me to go back, or in search of Yuelei.”

“And if I said we were?” Priscilla chuckled.

“Yuelei is my friend. That is your answer.”

“Hilda here says that your loyalty is quite commendable.” Byrhilda made a few signs with her hand, and Priscilla translated for her.

“Enough with the pleasantries. You should know well enough that I do not like the games of the court.” Cecilla emphasized her point by slamming her halberd into the ground. “If my family sent you here to take me back by force, then it will be over my dead body.”

At her taunt, Byrhilda stepped forward but Priscilla blocked her with an arm.

“We are indeed here to hopefully bring you back.” Priscilla confessed. “But not because for the reasons you think.”

“Speak.” Cecilla scowled but did not lower her guard.

“I understand that you are cautious, so I won’t beat around the bush.” Priscilla was not intimidated by Cecilla’s stance and walked forward until they were almost touching.

“I am here because I believe you are similar to us. Bounded by rules of family and tradition. Likely being forced into a marriage you are not willing to accept. Bearing a grudge against the Church for what it has become. The very fact that you have abandoned your family name is reason...”

“Reason for me to extend a hand of invitation to my faction.”

“The Lizardmen are here!” The sound of a trumpet could be heard at the adventurer camp throughout the night. The camp has yet to recover from the undead attacks the night prior, and yet they were besieged once again.

“What's the situation?!” Wallt shouted to the sentries as the camp slowly roused itself from its stupor. Adventurers slowly trailed out of their dwellings in gear as they dragged themselves, almost unwillingly, towards the gate.

“We don’t know! There’s a large group gathered at the foot of the stairs, but they’re not moving at all.”

“I’ll be right down, don’t try anything unless they do!!” Wallt quickly pulled on a helmet before running down the stairs descending to the dungeon floor below. Near the bottom, the two sentries as well as a few of the more veteran adventurers had already formed a shield wall.

“This is clearly a war party, but they’re not attacking.” One of the veteran adventurers frowned. “Something is not right here.”

Wallt glanced over the shield wall and adrenaline surged through his body as he saw the Lizardmen numbers. He shot at incredulous look at the man that had spoked prior. This was no war party. It was an army!

“This… this is not good.” Wallt wiped some sweat off his brow as he realized that reinforcements would never make it in time even if he requested for them right this moment.

“Did someone go out and stir up the entire nest or something?” Wallt grumbled.

“There’s movement!” Wallt and the others quieted as a large lizardman seated atop what could only be described as a gigantic raptor stepped forward. In one movement, it hoisted a giant tree branch with a piece of white cloth attached and waved it around.

“...A white flag? Are you serious?” More than one of the defenders gawked at the sight. Wallt was as flabbergasted as the others were, and they watched in shock as another Lizardman approached, this one carrying a naked young girl with her head covered by a bag.

“Are they going to execute her in front of us?” One of the adventurers sucked in her breath as the Lizardman accepted the rope that the girl’s binded hands were tethered to. Then he lifted his spear until it was pointing at the girl’s head.

As the defenders watched with bated breath, the Lizardman slashed down at the girl, undoing her bounded arms and feet. She must have felt the sensation of cold steel because she started to cry and lash out. Before she could injure herself, the Lizardman tugged off the bag and returned her vision.

With the butt of his spear, he pushed her until she started moving forward. It was only after the first few steps did her eyes adjust to the darkness and she saw her human kin in front of her.

“Help me!” She started running towards the wall of shields, and the defenders sucked in another breath as the Lizardman picked up a different spear that was attached to his mount.

“Protect the girl!” Wallt quickly made a choice as the Lizardman cocked back his arm to throw the spear. It would be a devastating blow to their already low morale if the girl was to be skewered in front of them.

However, nobody acted, or rather, they reacted too slowly. The spear shot over their heads and impaled itself on the doorway of the stairs, a small bundle dangling from where the spear shaft met the spear tip. A few seconds later, the girl finally reached the wall of spears while sobbing uncontrollably.

“Karak Zorn!” The Lizardman seemed to nod his head before turning to leave. The sound of scales hitting the dungeon floor rumbled in the chamber as the Lizardmen retreated, having fulfilled the request to return the girl.

Indeed, they had brought an army to an escort mission.

Such was the amount of respect they paid to the Enlightened Beast of the Marble Tower.

In the office of the High Commander of Gareth’s Bulwark.

“And you’re saying that castle is the reason that the night has not ended?!”

“That’s the only possible explanation! None of our flying scouts ever returned from that flying fortress in the sky, and even now, the Shadowless continue to grow in number. Do you have word from Lady Geisla?!”

“Three of the maidens will be arriving in a few days to bolster the forces. The Templar Order is currently mustering more of its troops...”

“Currently mustering?! Do they think this is a game!? Gareth’s Bulkark will fall at this rate! Our men are holding back the endless tide of Shadowless, and there is no reprieve since dawn hasn’t come in the past day!.”

“I’m sure the maidens would be able to remedy the problem-”

“We don’t have two days! Last night, I’ve lost an entire squadron to a group of Shadeless! I have held the Bulwark as did my father and his father before him. This isn’t your typical Shadowless War!”

“But sire-”

“Wait a minute. Did you just hear that?”

“Hear what-” However the knight fell silent as the sound of what could only be described as static electricity followed by tiny booms. The two men glanced at each other before running towards the window where bright white light was filtering through.

Outside, from the Night Citadel in the sky, it was as if the night was suddenly washed away. Comets of purple-silver moonlight fell from the sky, and any Shadowless below the falling comets were instantly disintegrated. It was only after the comets slammed into the ground did the knights realize that it was not a comet.

It was the army of the Night Princess making their appearance.

The Legion of Aerolite Archons.

“Why, Kailee. It’s been a while since you’ve visited!”

“The Papalis Marketplace is as lively as ever, Porrin.” Kailee tossed her bow to the side of the sofa and collapsed onto it afterward. “Get me something to drink will ya? It’s been a long and tiring road.”

“You can serve yourself.” Porrin pointed the tip of her quill at a cabinet by the door. “You already know where the cups and drinks are.”

“Is this how you treat an old friend?” Kailee grumbled but nevertheless stood up. When she returned to her seat, she had a cup of aged liquor. After downing it, she glanced at the cup before tossing it aside and drinking directly from the bottle.

“Such a hoodlum, can’t you drink with a bit more class?” Porrin scowled as she signed her name off several documents. The Papalis Marketplace was ever growing, and especially with the war on the horizon, even more goods and services were trying to enter.

“Nope. I’m the sole daughter of The Huntress, and I have to deal with stupid formalities everywhere I go.” Kailee scowled as she downed another gulp of the mouth-burning liquor. “At least let me ease off in here.”

“Gosh, you have it rough.” Porrin replied sarcastically as she placed the bundle of papers next to her and stared at the ever-growing amount of paperwork she needed to sign off on.

“To be honest, Porry. You shouldn’t expand too much.” Kailee added. “That’s just going to end up giving you more work.”

“There’s too much at stake here, Kailee. War is a time of opportunity for merchants.”

“Vultures, the lot of you.”

“I’m not going to deny that.” Porrin shrugged. “War is a merchant’s plaything, and as long as both sides are happy, I don’t see the problem.”

“You were such a talented tracker back then. Mother still wonders why you became a merchant.”

“Tis the family tradition.”

“Do you know how much work you put me through now that I have to do the tracking too!?”

Archive of the Ancients.

“It seems our boy still has much to learn.” Fieluri nodded to herself as she continued to write into a black book. “With this, I’ve given him motivation and desire, yet at the same time, detached him from his family.”

“Really, he’s such a pain to manipulate.” Fieluri sighed. “You’d think that a former prince wouldn’t have family issues and yet here he is, unwilling and undaunted.”

“Maybe I should have went with the usual protagonist. Someone who’s family is dead and buried.” Fieluri spoke nonchalantly as she chewed on her quill. “But that’s way too cliched, and is below me.”

“The sculptor cannot work with the finest of clay, and everyone loves a story where the underdog prevails.” Fieluri’s unnatural grin seemed to cast shadows around the room. “By all means, he should have died, and yet he is still here.”

“Unable to use magic, for it was stolen from him. Unable to rise to the throne, for he is no leader of men. Unable to even become a puppet for others, for I won’t let him.” Fieluri mumbled as she flipped through the book she was holding. “A weak character and person by all definitions, overshadowed by the alter ego I gave him.”

“But everyone is capable of being a hero.” Fieluri’s hand stopped on a particular page, this one being a sketch of Neair’s face. “They simply have to rise to the occasion.”

“As the Witch of Altered Fate, I decree that this boy, whose fate was to be be buried by fate, shall become my canvas.”

“And the disciple of the History Eater is no mere canvas.”

In a gore-splattered forest.

“By the Goddess. This is not something done by a man.” An aged knight errant wrinkled his nose as the cadets around him start to vomit. The freezing temperatures had preserved the scene of Yuelei’s handiwork a bit too well, and the lingering traces of magic even kept the wild predators at bay.

“She… she killed them. We just came to talk, and she killed them!” One of the female cadets who saw everything spoke in a shaky voice. “And even after she killed them, she destroyed their bodies with a spell!”

“It was done to send a message.” One of the other knights said grimly. “The Templar Order were fools to try and pursue the matter after their Enforcers suffered a similar fate.”

“She killed a fellow human being. Whether or not they were of the Templar Order is of no consequence anymore.”

“You say that now, but I don’t recall you asking us from the Devout Guild for our opinion before acting.”

“We believed that we could handle the situation. Clearly, we were wrong to let this outsider into our midst. Not only had she killed our Enforcers, she has also raised a sword against her fellow cadets.”

“‘Our’ Enforcers? Does Knight-Captain Warlin understand your actions? Where is the representative for the Heavenly Sonata, and why is there a Wuuther Warlock here?!”

“...This event has not been reported to him yet. And that man is no leader of the Templar Order.”

“Your words are heresy! This will be reported to the High Priestess!”

“...I’m afraid you will not be leaving this place alive.”

War has yet to even begin, and yet the body count continue to rise.

“How can you possibly control so many Divine Beasts?!” Liliana mumbled to nobody but herself as she struggled to stand amidst the corpses of a thousand iterations of herself. “Thousands, no, a million versions of me, yet how can it still not be enough?!”

“They call me the Enlightened Beast of the Ivory Tower. Is it truly so baffling that I have an army of Divine Beasts at my command?” In front of Liliana’s kneeling figure, Fieluri laughed as she lazily swung about Saika, Lilianna’s treasured sword with a blade as reflective as a mirror.

Liliana stared at the distance where countless possibilities of herself were fighting against a wave of magical beasts. Even as more versions of herself continued to tear apart the fabric of space to enter her world and fight for her cause, even more magical beasts seemed to pour out from the rifts in the sky.

“It seems that your Reality Rift is not as impressive as I thought it to be.” Fieluri sighed, as if she was greatly disappointed. “Unique as it may be, you are still lacking.”

Fieluri gently swung the weapon and a gale slammed into Lilianna, blasting her and sending her flying. A warrior in red armor and a mage appeared behind the flying figure and caught her, but in the next moment, they were clawed to pieces by a great crimson dragon and a skeletal panther.

Lilianna’s clones all understood that if she were to die, the spell would be broken, yet they did not hesitate as they sacrificed themselves to block Fieluri’s strikes.

“Enough of this. I’m starting to lose interest.” Fieluri scowled as she swung down once more, only to be intercepted by a Lilianna with emerald-green hair. However in the next moment, that Lilianna’s prior opponent speared her through the plate armor with a sharp tentacle through the heart.

“And so it ends.” Fieluri shook her head as she walked up to Lilianna once more. This time, all of Lilianna’s clones were held back by the magical best tide.

There was an alternative version of Liliana that specialized in defeating magical beasts, yet even as it slay a giant ogre to try and reach her, more and more magical beasts block her way.

There was another version of her that Lilianna envisioned to be a peerless swordsman, yet it struggled feebly against a lizardman with six arms.

There was a version of her that Lilianna envisioned to have been a destroyer of countries, yet even as it rained down meteors and comets from the sky, a giant beholder in the countered her magic word for word, spell for spell.

There was a version of her that Lilianna envisioned to have been an untouchable assassin, yet now that version of her laid on the ground, beheaded.

Lilianna’s ability was to bring forth possibilities, yet it still wasn’t enough for her to create a possibility where she had won.

“Any last words?” Fieluri held the blade against Lilianna’s neck. “Be proud. You were the strongest challenger that has come this far, worthy enough for me to use the full might of the title, ‘Enlightened Beast of the Ivory Tower.’”

“Something like you… should not be allowed to exist!” Lilianna’s eyes were defiant despite the blade held against her throat. In the distance, she could hear her own voice screaming from her clones, yet they were too far to make a difference now.

“I agree.” Fieluri nodded ruefully. “But you are not capable of stopping me. It seems that my sister has chosen wrongly.”

“This is was my choice!” Lilianna shouted in response.

“Ah…. poor, foolish Lilianna of Lorresta.” Fieluri put down her weapon and laughed. “The only choice you made was to refuse my sister’s help. And now, thousands more will die until a worthy successor arrives, and I will return to a slumber once more.”

As Fieluri raised the weapon in the air to prepare to deliver the final strike, Lilianna gritted her teeth. She did not know why herself, but she had a deep-seated loathing for this person in front of her.

“If you so desire victory, then you know the terms.” A voice called out to Lilianna in her head, a voice that had guided her throughout major turning points in her life. It was only now that Lilianna realized why she detested the Fieluri in front of her, it was because the voices were almost exactly the same.

“Fine! I accept!” As soon as Lilianna shouted those words, she lost control of her body and the sword in Fieluri’s hand suddenly let loose a golden-colored luminance.

A soul-wrenching feeling assaulted Lilianna as she was brought to the edge of her life to bring forth the impossible.

“So this is how it is…” The Fieluri standing in front of an army of beasts glanced over at her hand where Saika had left behind a scathing rainbow-colored mark. “A version of the girl that had the possibility to become a History Eater. And like this, you can come into being, sister.”

The newly arrived Fieluri did not reply, instead shooting a glance at the now collapsed Lilianna on the ground as her body slowly faded into nothingness. All of the versions of Lilianna had vanished, saved for the one that held a black book in her hands.

She raised a hand and countless rifts opened up behind her.

End of Arc 1