The fingertips of her right hand scattered light once more. 　Seeping away. Dispersing like mist. Regardless of her will, the magical essence dissolved into the twilight air. 　Elara exhaled and tried again. The star-shaped mark etched on the back of her left hand grew faintly warm as she concentrated her consciousness. Light, gather. Take form. Obey my will——. 　White particles flickered at her fingertips. But in the next instant, they scattered like smoke. "……Again." 　The whisper reached no one. 　In the stone well plaza at the center of Hasla village, Elara sat on the edge of the stone wall, studying her right hand for a long moment. Slender fingers. Pale knuckles. Joints without a single callus. A few small scars accumulated over seventeen years. They were all the proof that she still existed here. 　Her long hair, a pale violet, flowed in the evening breeze. The green embroidery on her cloak caught the setting sun and dimmed. Her amber eyes were fixed on the distant edge of the