The road along the Sylphis River remained cool even past midday. The sound of flowing water mixed with their footsteps, a constant presence. The scent of grass and the cold dampness drifting from the river's surface. Mira watched Solis's back as he walked ahead, her mind replaying yesterday's events over and over. The Moonlight Shrine. An empty pedestal. That hexagram carved into the wall. "Don't dwell on it." She couldn't forget the look in Solis's eyes when he said that. Just for a moment—truly just a moment—that calm face had gone rigid. He knew something. But he wouldn't tell her. The Shard had been stolen. They didn't know who took it. They had no leads. And yet here they were, walking along the river. They didn't even have a clear destination. (But I can't just give up.) Mira looked at her left wrist. A small Lumen Shard emblem glowed faintly there. A Light Guardian—even being told that's what she was supposed to be, it still didn't feel real. She could fire Lumen Shots now. She'd purified a Crepsula. But that was all. "Mira." Solis spoke without turning around, his voice low. "[serious]Black smoke to the south." Mira's gaze lifted. Beyond the trees lining the river, the southern sky was indeed darkening. Smoke. Not thin wisps. Multiple columns of thick, substantial smoke rising in billows. "[surprised]That's——" "[cold]Run." Both of them broke into a sprint at the same moment. --- It took less than ten minutes to reach the source of the smoke. The small settlement spread across the south bank of the Sylphis River—the farming village of Ashbel—had become hell. Three thatched-roof houses were engulfed in flames, black smoke rising in pillars toward the sky. Villagers screamed and fled in panic. Children wept. An elderly man lay curled up, unable to move. And—beasts with eyes discolored black and purple ran rampant through the village, moving in every direction. Crepsula Beasts. Animals corrupted by the power of the Void. Four, five of them gathered in the village square. And in the midst of them, a young man was fighting. He held a farming scythe in both hands, facing three Crepsula simultaneously. His movements were rough and unrefined, nothing like proper swordplay. He jumped right, rolled left, threw his body into the path of the beasts' charges. He took their attacks head-on without mercy, yet still remained standing. Black hair with red streaks mixed through a short cut flickered in the firelight. "——Rian!?" The name escaped her lips. She was surprised at herself. But there was no mistake. That silhouette, those movements, the laugh lines that formed on his left cheek—the face of her childhood friend, someone she'd spent years with at Harmonia. "[serious]Move forward. I'll place a barrier around the villagers." Solis spread his palm. A faint membrane of light solidified, covering the trembling villagers at the village's edge. She could tell his strength hadn't fully returned. Thin sweat beaded on his forehead. Mira ran forward. She concentrated light in her right hand. Focused it to a single point——and released it. A Lumen Shot traced a white arc, striking the Crepsula's flank. The beast convulsed, wrapped in light, and the black miasma dispersed. One purified. Rian spun around. His bright green eyes widened for just a moment. Then laugh lines creased his left cheek. "[laughing]Mira!? Your timing is insane!" "[angry]This isn't the time to laugh—focus!" "Got it!" Rian turned back to face the remaining two. Mira fired light projectiles in rapid succession. One missed, the second hit. Another beast vanished. The last one Rian held at bay with his scythe while Mira's shot finished it. Silence returned to the village square. Someone's weeping could still be heard in the distance, but the Crepsula's snarls were gone. Mira exhaled deeply. The smell of smoke stung her nostrils. --- After Solis dissolved the barrier, the villagers began carrying water from the river to extinguish the burning houses. Fortunately, injuries were minor and there were no deaths. Mira found Rian sitting on a fallen log and approached him. "[laughing]Man, I'm glad you came. If you hadn't shown up, I'd probably be Crepsula food by now." "What are you doing out here, so far from Harmonia?" "I was on a little journey. Then I saw the village burning, people running... I couldn't just leave." "That's not a good reason——wait, that." Blood was flowing from Rian's right arm. The sleeve was torn, red seeping through. "[surprised]You're injured!" "Oh, this? It's nothing serious." "It is serious. Sit down." Rian obeyed with a wry smile. Mira pulled cloth from her bag and moved to press it against the wound. It looked like a Crepsula's claw had raked across it—not too deep, but long. As she pressed the cloth and tried to examine the deeper part of the wound, her fingertip brushed against it. Rian drew in a small breath. "[gentle]Sorry." "No, it's fine——" Mira repositioned his arm gently. She adjusted how she held the cloth and slowly pressed down over the wound. As she did, the distance between them naturally closed. Their faces were closer than she'd expected. Something stirred deep in her chest. (Why does this feel strange right now?) It should just be concern. She was just treating his wound. So why did she feel so unsettled? Mira tilted her head inwardly, keeping her gaze fixed on the wound as she continued pressing the cloth. "[gentle]...Thanks, Mira." His voice was slightly lower than usual. Mira answered with just a "yeah" without looking up. Her cheeks felt a little warm, but that was surely from the smoke. She decided to think of it that way. Then. BOOM!! A muffled explosion echoed from the direction of the village's edge. Dust and smoke erupted from a barn roof. "What was that!?" A small figure stumbled out of the smoke, rolling across the ground. A ponytail of light blue hair was covered in soot, her face and hands blackened. But her eyes—only her eyes, a vivid purple, moved with undiminished energy. "[excited]I'm fine! The experiment was nearly successful! I was almost able to control it!" Mira and Rian exchanged glances. Rian muttered quietly. "[sarcastic]...Nearly successful? You just exploded." Mira felt her mouth twitch with suppressed laughter. She couldn't hold it back completely and let out a small laugh. --- The soot-covered girl introduced herself as Elara. A fifteen-year-old apprentice mage enrolled in a branch school of "Prisma Academy," an institution for Lumen magic research and education. Prisma Academy had its main campus in Soleil and boasted three hundred years of history as a facility for training mages. Elara had come to this area from a branch school near Harmonia to conduct her own research. "I was conducting experiments in a borrowed barn. Then the Crepsula came and the village was in trouble. I tried to drive them away with magic, but the spell formula went haywire..." Her small hands moved expressively as she spoke, her pace rapid. She clearly enjoyed talking. Solis listened quietly. That was when it happened. Mira's left wrist grew warm. Her palm glowed deep green for just an instant. Shard Resonance—a phenomenon that only occurred in Light Guardians when a Shard was nearby. The glow faded quickly, but it had definitely happened. Elara stopped mid-sentence. Her purple eyes fixed on Mira's hand. "[surprised]...That glow pattern. Shard Resonance!? Are you a Light Guardian!?" "Huh?" "[excited]You're the real deal! I've studied Lumen Shard distribution theory at Prisma Academy——seeing Shard Resonance in person for the first time! I'm coming with you!!" "Eh?" "[excited]I'll definitely be useful! I can narrow down the location of the next Shard!" Solis opened his mouth. "[cold]Knowledge and ability are separate things." His voice was cold and emotionless. Elara flinched slightly. But she quickly recovered. "[serious]The foothills of the Kalen Mountain Range. The Cavern of Laments——on old maps, magnetic field reactions similar to Shard signatures were detected there." The Kalen Mountain Range ran north-south through the western part of the continent, home to Solga Mountain, the highest peak in Luminara. At its foothills lay a place called the Cavern of Laments. Solis went still. Mira became aware of her left hand. She focused on the sensation of Shard Resonance—the direction of that warmth. West. Yes, there was definitely a faint response in the western direction. Solis said nothing. He simply turned on his heel and began walking. Toward the Kalen Mountain Range. That was his answer. "[excited]Yes!!" Elara jumped up in excitement. Still covered in soot. Rian leaned close to Mira and whispered. "[whispers]...The person who was exploding earlier is coming with us?" "[gentle]I think it'll be okay. Probably." "The 'probably' is what worries me." Mira laughed softly. The four of them set out walking toward the Kalen Mountain Range. --- The foothills of the Kalen Mountain Range were approaching evening. The sky began to turn orange, and the mountain ridges turned black. The four of them made their way along a barely-passable animal trail, the ground beneath their feet rocky and uneven. Elara walked ahead, unfolding a map and saying "It should be just a little further, the entrance should be around here——" Rian walked behind her, testing rocks ahead of time to make sure Elara wouldn't stumble, his support subtle and natural. Eventually, a large opening appeared in the cliff face. The Cavern of Laments——an ancient cave located at the eastern foothills of the Kalen Mountain Range. The entrance was twice the height of a person, and damp, cold air drifted from within. The rock surface was darkened, and instead of moss, some kind of dark stain spread across it. Mira's left wrist grew hot. Steadily warmer. The Shard was here. "[serious]Don't approach the entrance." Solis suddenly spoke in a low voice. All four of them stopped at once. From the shadows of the cave entrance, a figure in a black robe slowly emerged. He was tall. A middle-aged man. His hood was down, revealing sharp eyes exposed beneath the darkening sky. His face bore deep wrinkles and the exhaustion of someone who had pursued something for a long time, yet an unwavering obsession still burned in his gaze. In his right hand, he held a crystal. Discolored black and purple, it pulsed with a sinister, ominous light. A Lumen Shard. But it was no longer a pure crystal of light. The Shard stolen from the Moonlight Shrine had been corrupted by the power of darkness. Solis's body went rigid. "[cold]...It's you." All emotion had drained from his voice. Not anger, not surprise. Something deeper——recognition, in a single word. The man opened his mouth. "[cold]A Guardian? So a hollow shell with an eight-hundred-year gap comes crawling back." His voice held no mockery. It was merely stating a fact, delivered in a dry tone. That made it all the more terrifying. Solis stepped forward. "[serious]Fall back, all three of you." "But——" "[angry]I said fall back." Mira bit her lip. But she obeyed. She, Rian, and Elara all stepped back two, three paces. Solis spread both hands. Pale light swirled, and a barrier began to expand around the four of them. But——that light seemed less reliable than usual. His strength hadn't fully recovered. The exhaustion from the battle at the Moonlight Shrine still lingered. The man raised the Shard. There was a sensation. Not a sound. The air changed. The atmospheric pressure warped, as if the inside of her ears had become clogged. Black miasma poured from the cave entrance. Like a tsunami. Slow, but unstoppable, a thick black mass crawled across the ground toward the four of them. Solis's barrier trembled. The black miasma touched the membrane of light—— CRACK!! The barrier shattered. The sound of breaking glass, light fragments scattering in all directions. Solis staggered. His kn