- Varethe Residence -

Moonlight was peeking through the curtains of the windows of everyone's homes as the moon rose high up into the sky. The people of Daerin were bustling with activity as they were getting ready to start their day.

At a certain residence, the light slowly inching across the room had peeled away some of the darkness to reveal a young girl fast asleep. On her pillow, strands of long red hair were strewn about and had covered her eyes.

She gradually showed signs of waking as the light trickled onto her face to announce its presence.

Slowly opening her eyes, she found that her vision was obstructed by her unruly bed hair so she pursed her lips and blew her hair to the sides to reveal her pair of crimson red eyes.

“Today, I am ten years old. Will you come visit me Papa?” She whispered.

She turned her head towards the window in deep thought. A smooth, bright ball of pale red was illuminating the city of Daerin. The bit of warmth that had come from it indicated it was daytime.

She gave out a light sigh before leaving her bedroom and heading downstairs. Walking through a corridor, she felt heat moving through the air from an open doorway. A woman was inside the kitchen preparing breakfast.

The woman was wearing an apron accentuating a slender physique while sturdy movements indicated she had a well-trained body. She swept her light brown hair behind her slightly pointed ears and revealed a beautiful face with emerald green eyes.

As she was placing breakfast on a tray she had prepared on the counter, she noticed the quiet entrance of the young girl.

“You're awake, Celeste?” Speaking with a clear and affectionate voice, the woman turned her head and laid her eyes on the young girl rubbing her eyes. This was her daughter, Celeste.

“Good morning Mama.”

Her gloomy mood brightening with the sight of her mother cooking, Celeste returned the greeting with a small but cheerful voice and a sunny smile that had blossomed on her face.

Her mother's name was Stella Varethe, she adopted the last name of Celeste's father after they had gotten married.

Celeste's ears and distinct features, her red hair and eyes, were inherited from her father, but her face, given a couple more years, would become as beautiful as her mother's.

“Mama? Will Papa be back today?” There was a glint of hope in her eyes as she asked.

Stella gave her an apologetic smile,“ I'm sorry little Celeste, I don't think papa will be back for your birthday.”

“Alright... Mama, what are you cooking?” Celeste didn't want her mother to be troubled and glazed over her earlier question with another.

However, once Stella saw how her daughter's hands were pressing onto her clothing, she stopped what she was doing and came closer to hold her child in a soft embrace. She brought her face in front of Celeste's and gently caressed her daughter's cheek.

“Well, what do you want to eat? It's your birthday after all, we'll make whatever you want.” She smiled.

“Bread— Bread rolls... I don't like rice...” Celeste answered.

“I know—” Reaching towards the tray on the kitchen counter, Stella showcased the contents to her daughter with a look of triumph. Bread rolls, fresh from the oven.

“Here you go, now bring this over to the table, the milk is on the cupboard beside the door.”

Celeste happily took the plate full of bread rolls and made her way towards the dining table with light steps. Stella glanced at her beloved daughter and fell into a pensive state.

Her husband rarely had time to spend time at home. He, along with the council of long-eared Elves, was too busy dealing with the matters of the Nifyr infestation inside of the city.

The Nifyr, mysterious creatures that couldn't be seen without developed mana roots, began appearing a few years ago, wreaking havoc inside the city and alarming the Elder Council. Elves were easy prey as Nifyrs were basically invisible predators to them.

Magic creatures classified as demi-humans, Elves had bodies with a different system of mana circulation from humans. Unlike the humans who developed mana roots from a seed at the age of ten, elves didn't possess roots.

The Elder Council, left with not much choice, placed the city on lockdown and urged civilians to stay indoors. They appointed Luca Varethe, the captain of the guard and the only human in the city with a high aptitude for fire, to take command of the Flame Brigade.

A special operations group formed to combat the threat of the Nifyr, the Flame Brigade was composed of both humans and half-elves. A few of them, from the city's existing guards, followed Luca to the brigade when he was appointed.

The Nifyr had a certain peculiarity, they were attracted to fire despite being weak to it. Like moths drawn to a flame, they would burn themselves away after attempting to devour a flame. Without a fire nearby, however, they would draw towards the nearest thing possessing the slightest bit of mana.

Humans, only able to use mana to bring out fire, used to only be given jobs like cooking and blacksmithing as well as mundane jobs like lighting street lamps throughout the city, were now at the forefront of combating these creatures.

Half-elves, born from the union of a human and an elf, have similar features as the elves. Beautiful appearances, pointed ears, and slightly longer lifespans. The half-elves' ability to manipulate mana along with mana roots, however, were inherited from the parts of themselves that were human.

Stella was previously a part of the city's guard but retired from her post to take care of her and Luca's daughter, Celeste. She would not hesitate to accompany her husband if it wasn't that she had to stay here and raise their daughter. Although her daughter would usually act mature and understanding for her age, Stella knew that the current situation was taxing for such a small child.

“Little Celeste, after breakfast, come help mama with the cleaning. We can play games after lunch, alright?”

Celeste mischievously shook her head. She flashed her white teeth and her expression showed that she didn't really want to but still agreed.

“Okay, mama! But after lunch, games!”

“Yes yes, games, and if you do a good job cleaning, I'll give you your present.”

At the mention of a present, Celeste's head which was shaking from side to side, began nodding up and down instead.

- Streets of Daerin -

“Where is it!?”

“Over there! It went into the alley!”

A few people were running and shouting around dark streets with unlit streetlamps. They were all wearing clothing of the same vivid colors with an identical red band hanging on their left arms.

Under one of the lamps, a man with red hair was kneeling on the ground holding a small child with long ears. His crimson eyes looked incredibly pained as he held the cold body devoid of mana in his arms. He bit his lips in frustration as the child had reminded him of his own daughter.

A man with light brown hair, pointed ears, and emerald eyes arrived and stood beside the red-haired man.

“Did you get the Nifyr?” With his head still lowered, the red-haired man inquired.

“We took care of the one that escaped, alas, it seems we were too late.” Looking at the child in the red-haired man's arms, he put on the same pained expression.

“She should be around the same age as Celeste. Today would be her tenth birthday, right captain?”

“Yeah, although it looks like I won't be home for this year's celebration.”

The red-haired man stood up and handed the child's body to another person that had just arrived.

“Identify the victim and notify her family members.” He instructed.

“Captain Luca!” Another person arrived with his chest heaving up and down, he was wearing the same red armband as everyone and seemed to have urgently come from a distance away.

”I received a report about a squad of our men being surrounded by Nifyr at the eastern block, near Erden's Tower.”

“We just can't seem to catch a break.” Letting out a sigh of resignation, the man with light brown hair turned towards their captain for orders.

“Everyone! Gather around! We're going to provide relief for the squad at the east block!”

Yelling out with a loud voice, the red-haired captain exercised his authority and gathered all members present in the area before rushing to the location of the report.

A few hours later, in a wide street at the east block, a brightly lit area revealed the red-haired captain standing in the middle of flames scattered all over the surroundings. A portion of the flames that had yet to dissipate started moving towards him like it had a mind of its own.

Amidst the fire, a hand clad in pure darkness, its fingers resembling sharp claws, had reached out in a futile attempt to grab Luca before falling to the ground and disappearing within the remaining flames.

The man with light brown hair appeared a few minutes later and stepped on a small ember that was left smoldering on the ground.

“No matter how many times I see that spectacle, it never ceases to amaze me, captain.”

The sight of their captain flickering with red light to attract the Nifyr before igniting the surroundings and covering them with flames. Their captain, Luca Varethe, not only was he suited to command the Flame Brigade, he himself held enough firepower to rival an entire unit. But no matter how powerful he was, he was only a single person. He had limits.

“Captain, that was the last of them, I think we can turn in for the night.”

The man with light brown hair looked at Luca. He was breathing heavily, bent down, and had his hands on his thighs.

“No, there might be more that appear. Tell everyone to take a break, we'll resume patrol in an hour.”

“Captain— brother-in-law,” The man with light brown hair changed his tone to an informal one, “Fine, but we're near your house, why don't we drop by and see how my sister and Celeste are doing?”

Luca deliberated for a moment before conceding to his brother-in-law's request. They took a quick look around the area to assure that there were no Nifyr left, before leaving in the direction of the Varethe Residence.

- Celeste -

Celeste was standing in front of a mirror in her room, admiring the present her mother had given her. An elegant white dress with an ornate blue cardigan.

At this time when the pale red light up in the sky had dimmed, instead of being in bed, she wore the present her mother had given her and started dancing in circles in front of the mirror.

“How pretty...” Her expression was bright as she thought that the only thing that could top this birthday present was the presence of her father at home. She decided to go downstairs again to ask her mother to sleep together with her for the night, but as she arrived at the top of the stairs, she heard a commotion occurring at their door.

In quiet steps, she went down the stairs and took a peek at the front door. She saw her mother speaking with somebody outside before leaving and closing the door behind her.

“Papa???”

For a short moment, she thought she saw a glimpse of her father's red hair and ran towards the door. After going outside, she searched for signs of her mother and father.

At the far end of the road leading up to Erden's Tower, straining her eyes to see in the darkness, she saw a red light outlining the shape of a person. Celeste hurriedly followed in its direction as she felt a feeling of great familiarity from its glow.

***

- Luca Varethe -

“She just went upstairs a couple of minutes ago to sleep.”

I clicked my tongue. We were too late, Celeste was already asleep. Maybe I should have listened to Simone, then we could have gotten here earlier.

“Ah, don't bother waking her up then, we'll only be a short while.” I replied.

“But she's been looking forward to seeing you since today's her birthday.” Stella pleaded.

The look on her face was making it hard for me to refuse, but,

“No, it's alright. I'll try to look for a day off to spend some time with her.” I said.

We only had a few more minutes before we returned to patrolling the city. No use in waking her up when we'd leave right away. Growing kids need to sleep.

“Okay, then what do you want me to tell her when she wakes up tomorrow and finds out that her papa visited last night?” Stella frowned.

That's the voice she makes when she's annoyed. I'm telling you, there's nothing I can do about it.

“You don't have to tell her. Just say that I sent a letter to wish her a happy birthday.”

“You—! That's even worse you know?“ She snapped.

“Now now. It'll just be a moment, I'll go wake her up. She'll be happy once she wakes up to her uncle's handsome face.”

My brother-in-law Simone, who was behind me, was listening to us bicker and stepped in to intervene. I should thank him, couldn't handle my wife when she's angry.

[Lu...c..a....]

And there it is. Time to go back to work.

I took a deep breath and held my hand up to ask for a moment of silence. Stella and Simone understood. They've been with me long enough.

[W...es...t...]

The Fire Spirit was giving instructions.

“They're appearing in the west, near Erden's tower.”

I interpreted what the Fire Spirit had said and relayed the instructions to the two beside me.

“Captain!! A number of them in the south!!”

Really, more? A member of the brigade suddenly came running up to us from the road with a panic-stricken voice. This was frustrating.

“You go west, I'll go with my brother to the south.” Stella looked towards me and spoke, intending on providing assistance.

Clenching my hand, I was going to refuse.

[H..u..rr...y...]

The urgency of the situation didn't give me enough breathing room to deny help. We left the house and ran in different directions. Leaving towards the western road, I started gathering mana. The red emitted from my body was perfect Nifyr bait.

[H..e...r...e....]

I stopped in place and continued circulating mana, but just as I prepared myself for the upcoming battle, my thoughts had suddenly frozen over. The hair on my body stood on its ends and I was gripped with great fear.

A few meters in front of me, a huge specter of a magic creature clad in black had begun to rise up off the ground. The object of great fear that had taken ahold of the many citizens in this city.

However, it wasn't the Nifyr that had frozen me in place, it was the red-haired little girl approaching me, a longing expression was showing on her face.

I ran forward with great speed and took hold of my daughter, throwing her behind me to save her from the mouth gaping down to devour her.

“What are you doing!? Get away from here Celeste!!”

I yelled at her with not much time to explain as more Nifyr started popping up behind the one in front. Flames had begun crawling up from the tips of my fingers, up to my wrist, and then my forearms as I started to channel mana into my arms. The moment I sensed that Celeste had started running away, I brandished my immolated arms towards the Nifyr clawing towards me.

[T..he...To..w..er]

“Ahhhh!!” I let out a shout in frustration as I was too busy securing the escape of my daughter. However, this moment of distraction had allowed one of the Nifyr to land a hit on my chest, flinging me across the road.

Not minding the pain of having mana gouged out from my chest, I looked up at Erden's Tower in the distance. With staggered steps, I stood up and released a wall of fire to distract the Nifyr before I followed in the direction of where Celeste had run away.

Upon reaching the city's square at the foot of the tower, I immediately looked around for signs of my daughter. The fountain in the middle had drawn my attention as standing right beside it, the body of a huge Nifyr was encased in ice. I rushed towards it and saw my daughter unconscious on the ground with no apparent injuries.

Just as a wave of relief had washed over me, it was quickly replaced with alarm as I saw the Nifyr I was engaged with earlier catch up, parts of their bodies still aflame.

Running away by myself would have been easy, but it was a different story if I had to carry somebody else. As I saw even more dark patches on the floor rising up from the ground, I fell into despair.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began gathering mana to prepare for the last stand.

“What should I do?” I muttered.

[Fou..ntain..]

Thank goodness, I heard the voice of the Fire Spirit echo in my head, clearer than before.

[Place..her....n...wa..ter..]

I had no time to ask why. I quickly took Celeste into my arms, intending to follow its instructions and leaned over the fountain. As my unconscious daughter's hand touched the water's surface, the water, which had been reflecting the darkness of the night, started shining with luminescent blue light. The glow from the water started spreading from my daughter's hand onto her body, and she dissipated into motes of blue light.

[Safe...]

Just that one word was enough to reassure me. I took the small blue cardigan that had fallen off my daughter from the ground and folded it beside the fountain, before turning around to face the threatening group of Nifyr surrounding me.

- Age Ten - Celeste -

“What are you doing!? Get away from here Celeste!!” Papa yelled.

He doesn't want to see me? I don't understand.

Why? Was it my fault? What did I do?

I didn't even notice when I had started running. Only when I'd stopped to catch my breath did I notice that I was already in front of Daerin's fountain. I could see Erden's Tower behind it illuminated by the pale red moon. In the middle of the fountain was a statue, letting out a stream of water from its mouth.

I set my gaze below as I listened to the sound of water. I began to slowly close my eyes as I attempted to calm myself down, only for them to snap back open in surprise.

A boy?

Ashen grey hair, a trait that was common among the elderly, yet a face with not a stubble in sight. It was clearly a young boy, looking about the same age as me. He was constantly sniffling while wiping away the tears running down his face.

I looked beside me to check if there was anyone else in the vicinity. Nobody. It suddenly occurred to me that what was supposed to be my own reflection was showing somebody else.

After a few minutes, the boy had also taken notice of me as his line of sight aligned with mine. The color of his eyes, an icy blue. His tears still fresh on his face reminded me of the way ice had melted.

Watching him in his flustered appearance, it gave me time to gather my thoughts. Never mind getting any answers, I didn't have to understand. The boy in front of me was already showing me what to do.

Tears had started to drip down as emotions that have been welling up within me spilled onto the cold pavement below. Some of the sadness that had been weighing heavy on my heart had been relieved, although not completely.

I raised my hand to wipe my face as my crying had eventually stopped. Taking a look at the water's surface, the boy had also stopped crying and reached out to me. I held out my hand and reached out to meet his as well.

But as I touched the water's surface, I felt sudden movement behind me. I didn't hear anybody's approach, only the sound of the fountain in front of me. And before I could turn around, a sudden rush of warmth had come over my body and forced me out of consciousness.

By the time I had woken up, my vision was blinded with bright light when I opened my eyes.

“A streetlamp?” I whispered, and brought my hands up to cover my face.

But why is it so bright? How big a streetlamp would it be to make everything this bright?

As my eyes adjusted to the light, they opened wide when I got a better look at the scenery. The sky was blue? The greenery of the surrounding plants was so defined.

“Where am I?”

In my line of sight was the huge wall spanning from both corners of my eyes so I thought that maybe I was still in Daerin?

I spent a moment taking it all in before I noticed that somebody was nearby. A tall looking adult was approaching me. He had a stern face, golden-colored eyes, and... ashen grey hair.