~ In a distant future ~
"Clara, could you come over here, we need an extra pair of hands!" A person shouted across the room as the person tended to the wounded.
"I'm coming Miss Elaria!" as a tall, beautiful woman walks over to the person who called her earlier. Clara helps Elaria tend to the wound quickly and as they finished, they looked out the window and saw a towering tree outside their clinic that glowed vibrantly green with lush flowers and greenery bloomed at the base of the tree, called... {The Witch's Grace}
"Clara, are you done with work?" a voice rang out from the door and as Clara turned around, she saw Ann standing by the door. "You really love the tree, don't you?" said Ann who stood by the door, recalling the awestruck look on Clara who was watching the {The Witch's Grace} earlier.
"She's done with her work Ann; you can take her out." Elaria spoke as she looked over to Clara with a concern looked. "She hasn't even taken her lunch break earlier." She said exposing Clara to Ann.
Clara protested softly "But there were people who still needed to be treated..." but before she could finish, Elaria interrupted her. "Celeste wouldn't want to see you overworking yourself now, wouldn't she?" and as she said those words, Clara could only stop mid-sentence as she lowered her head, and apologized. "I'm sorry Miss Elaria."
Elaria didn't really mind but it was concerning her deeply how devoted she was to helping people and often overworked herself because of it. "Come on now, Ann is waiting for you." she said as she kept pushing Clara to Ann. "Little Ann, take care of her for me now, okay?" she asked Ann, as she responded back. "I'm no longer little, Ela!" she protested and added "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her!"
The Monster Wave and the people involved in it have grown and were now deeply connected with one another after those events and in the center of those events were two people who played a crucial role in protecting the town from being overrun from the monster waved, and it became a legend amongst the town's citizen and adventurers alike.
And with the passing of years, the little town has grown into a small kingdom and has been dubbed as {The Kingdom Blessed with Grace} Eisenwald and etched into every people's memory and books was the "Phanerosis", the white pillar of light that emanated from the center of the monster wave that emerge during the monster wave.
~ In the Present ~
Time had passed, and the stone walls Mirelle had built were beginning to crumble. A small number of monsters had already broken through, slowly advancing toward the place where Celeste, Mirelle, and Tsukihana remained.
Mirelle could do nothing more—her mana had long since run out. The only one still capable of fighting was Tsukihana. As the monsters drew closer, she rose to her feet and quietly merged with the ground beneath her, vanishing completely.
Moments later, she emerged from the shadow of a monster, striking it down in an instant. Then, just as quickly, she sank into the earth once more, only to reappear elsewhere to eliminate another threat. Again and again, she repeated the process—erasing monsters one by one. But the more she fought, the more the defenses collapsed. The stone walls protecting them were crumbling, allowing more monsters and beasts to flood in.
After fighting tirelessly, Tsukihana emerged again—only to be struck before she could land a blow. The force sent her flying past Mirelle and crashing into the protective barrier surrounding Celeste. Still, she got back up. And once again, she disappeared into the ground, launching another stealth attack. But each time, she was knocked back—her strength waning—until at last she was hurled into the barrier again, too weak to rise.
The monsters continued their advance. Then, suddenly, the earth beneath them cracked and gave way, forming a wide crevice encircling the trio. Mirelle, using the very last of her mana, had carved out the trench—a final act of protection for her beloved master. And it worked. Many monsters stumbled into the gap, while others hesitated at the edge.
But it wouldn't last.
With their overwhelming numbers and variety, some monsters began preparing to leap across the trench. One of them leapt—and in its path stood Mirelle, now petrified in her statue form. The monster collided with her, fell into the crevice, and in doing so broke off her arm. The greatsword she had embedded in the ground fell beside her with a loud clang.
More monsters jumped.
Another came from Mirelle's side, crashing into her again. The blow shattered her body into pieces. Her upper torso slid across the dirt and came to a stop beside Tsukihana, who was still struggling to rise.
Tsukihana grit her teeth, pushing her broken body up in vain. She had no strength left—no power—but she refused to stop. With each failed attempt to rise, she tried again, just to take down one more enemy… just to protect her master.
The monsters were only steps away now.
Tsukihana hissed at the nearest ones as they approached the barrier. They flinched briefly—then grew angry. One monster swatted her aside, slamming her into the edge of the barrier. But she rose again, hissing with defiance. Enraged, some of the monsters raised their crude weapons, claws drawn back, ready to strike her down.
They trampled over the shattered pieces of Mirelle.
And then, a crack.
A sharp sound rang out from the barrier. Fine fractures spread across its surface, glowing with radiant white light. Then, in an instant, it shattered.
A blinding white beam erupted skyward, piercing through clouds and sky—a pillar of pure light that could be seen even from the distant town.
The monsters closest to it were blinded.
The stone walls, as if responding to some unspoken command, collapsed all at once.
And in the very center of the radiant pillar, a small figure stood. She stood still, watching her surroundings. Those far away could not make out what had happened…
…but those close enough saw it clearly.
A young girl.
— In the heart of the radiant pillar stood a young girl, a girl too small to be an adult, veiled in the shimmering light of the pillar as the Mana in the surrounding area started materializing and glowed with a purple hue resulting in a purple mist surrounding the area of the radiant pillar, with runes spreading on the ground as it shimmered white with a mixture of purple.
She didn't move, yet a subtle pressure was pressing on each monster on the field with the ones closest to the radiant pillar feeling the immense pressure. The world or rather the reality was shifting and bending towards the girl, it was as if the girl was sucking the world into her —subtle pressure curling in the lungs, pulling at something primal within the onlookers.
She was no goddess, no spirit of legend, but something else entirely. The warmth of the light was not divine—it was knowing, ancient, and arcane. She felt like judgment cloaked in mystery, and in her silence was a revelation—a truth unfolding, not shouted, but quietly shown. She had changed. Something within her had awakened, and the world itself now paused to bear witness.
Suddenly the radiant white pillar exploded, blinding every person and monster in the field and it had reached the town. The white flash surrounded everything, even the town and as the blinding light died down, the radiant pillar, the purple mist and runes had disappeared and in its place is a girl.
The girl stood in place, used to have dark purple hair that seemed to swallow light and soft violet eyes which were full of mystery and warmth. Yet today, the girl who stood in the middle of numerous monsters now had parts of her shiny dark purple hair changed into strands of white hair, and one of her eyes had now changed in white with golden hues, while the other remain the same with the exception of white hues now clearly visible.
Who was this girl, who stood so brazenly despite being surrounded by numerous monsters?
It was Celeste, she stood in front of those monsters, her focus on not on them but on her shattered friend scattered on the ground, Mirelle and an injured cat struggling to get up beside her, Tsukihana. She lowered herself besides them, her hand reaching out to Mirelle's scattered parts and gathering them near her as her trembling hands reached out to her most intact part of her loyal friend — Mirelle's upper torso — and gently lifted the heavily injured Tsukihana in her other hand as she kept the two close to her and rose to her feet.
The monsters couldn't approach, as they could feel something terrible had happened. Despite these monsters not having much intelligence, their instinct told them.
Move, and you're dead.
Without retrieving her staff, numerous golden flaming spears appeared out of thin air. Their size getting smaller and thinner, reaching the size of an arm and width of a regular arrow, it's tip with the edge of the spear were getting sharper and hotter.
Suddenly the numerous golden spears the size of an arrow went flying throughout her surroundings, taking out one monster after another, with each one who had been pierce by the flaming spear bursting into flames and immediately turning to ash, crumbling to the ground getting swept away by the scared monsters running away from Celeste.
"...<<<[Hi no Shinkai: Kagutsuchi]>>>..." Celeste uttered the spell's name quietly.
The flaming spear kept flying out and spreading out, defeating and incinerating the monsters on the field, and when it passed through the Adventurers and Guards of Eisenwald, who were still stunned by the sight were shocked and scared but nothing happened to them as the flaming spear passed through them, they could only react in awe and confusion.
As the monsters were swiftly being dealt with, Celeste looked down at the two figures clutched carefully in her arms. The ambient mana in the air had begun to stir once more, responding to her presence. Gently, she drew the two girls even closer, pressing them tightly against her chest—shielding them, protecting them. She leaned down and placed a soft kiss atop Tsukihana's head, whispering into the air with tenderness:
"...Light Magic <<<[Lichtkuss]>>>."
The moment the words left her lips, and her kiss lifted from Tsukihana's forehead, a gentle light bloomed from the spot she kissed. It spread across Tsukihana's body, soft and radiant; faint at first, then growing stronger where her injuries were deepest. The healing light pulsed gently, surrounding Tsukihana in a warm, golden glow. Her bruises faded. Her cuts sealed. Her cracked bones realigned and mended. And then, slowly, the light began to fade—taking with it the pain, the wounds, the exhaustion.
In its place, warmth remained and renewed life.