Sapphire took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm herself. 'Freaking out won't solve anything. I need to stay calm and rational.'
Looking down at the guidebook, she then looked towards the ruin. 'I can only do what I can. And right now I have a quest I need to complete.'
Another chime rang out, making the players comprehend.
A new notification bloomed across every player's interface.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – GLOBAL OVERRIDE UPDATE]
For optimal immersion and emotional realism, all avatars have been updated.
▪ Your original physical body and facial structure have been re-integrated into your character model.
▪ Hair color, eye color, and race selection from character creation will remain.
▪ All cosmetic changes unrelated to your real-world form have been reverted.
This change is permanent.
Enjoy your stay in Blade Horizon Online.
A soft hum filled the air, gentler than before, but no less ominous.
As the final line of the notification faded from view, every player on the plaza was suddenly engulfed in light. It wasn't harsh or blinding, more like being caught in the gleam of a distant sunrise. Soft motes of data shimmered around them, swirling in lazy spirals as the transformation took hold.
Sapphire squinted as the players around her began to change. Some cried out in surprise, others in dismay. Height shifted. Body shapes adjusted. Facial structures reformed—nostrils flared, jaws narrowed or widened, cheekbones lifted or softened. Weight changed. Scars returned. Freckles reappeared. Tattoos hidden in real life were etched into in-game flesh.
For a terrifying instant, the plaza felt like a waking dream—everyone caught between the person they wanted to be and the person they really were.
Clothing adjusted accordingly, reshaping to fit the true forms. Yet hair, eye color, race—those stayed as selected. The Sylvarin girl who had once looked like a fashion model now looked more like a cute girl-next-door. The towering axe-wielder shrank slightly and stared at his own hands, disoriented.
A gasp rose from somewhere behind Sapphire.
"Oh my god… that's me… that's really me."
"Wait, this isn't what I—no, no no no—"
Sapphire felt the glow wrap around her, too, brushing like static along her skin. A ripple passed through her body, but it didn't hurt. It simply… settled. Like puzzle pieces clicking into place.
When the light dimmed, she blinked and looked down at herself.
No change. Not really.
Same slender limbs. Same curves. Same cold, beautiful face. She reached up and touched her cheek. Her skin felt colder than before, but that was it. Her braid swayed in the breeze, the same way it always had.
'Huh,' she thought. 'Figures.'
Then she glanced up and saw the stunned expressions around her.
She saw confusion, embarrassment, fear, and disappointment among the players.
One girl glanced at her, eyes wide with uncertainty. Then another. And another.
Sapphire didn't flinch. Didn't blush. Didn't look away. She just tilted her head slightly in question.
The long silence in the plaza stretched… until someone whispered, "She didn't even change."
Another muttered, "Was she already using her real face?"
"She looks like a freaking model…"
Sapphire turned, expression unreadable, and began walking toward the Wyrmlight Ruins again. Her fingers rested lightly on the guidebook, the blade at her side swaying with her stride.
The crowd behind her dissolved into a low roar—confusion, bickering, and the beginnings of panic-fueled arguments. Some players were trying to console each other. Others argued with their party members, voices rising as personal insecurities clashed with raw reality. A boy screamed and dropped to his knees. A girl stared at her reflection in a fountain and began to sob.
Sapphire didn't stop walking.
The wind picked up slightly as she passed beneath an archway that led out of the plaza. The further she moved from the center, the thinner the crowd became. Here, away from the noise and eyes, the world felt quieter. Almost peaceful. The glass leaves of the crystal trees chimed gently, like they hadn't just watched the world unravel.
She passed a group of players gathered around a glowing map projection, arguing over directions to the training hall. One of them glanced her way.
"That girl… she's already leaving?"
"Is she crazy? After everything that just happened?"
"No. She's got the right idea," someone murmured. "While we're standing here like idiots, she's already moving instead of moping and freaking out."
Sapphire heard none of it—or at least, she didn't acknowledge it. She had tuned them out.
She passed through the outer gates of the City of Origins, boots crunching over a gravel path that led into a valley below. The path curved downward toward a cluster of ruined spires and broken arches nestled among glowing violet grass and drifting flowers.
A floating UI marker blinked in the distance:
[Wyrmlight Archive Ruins – 350m]
She stopped briefly atop a small hill, the city now far behind her. From here, the Horizon Spire loomed in the far sky like a blade stabbed into the clouds. It was impossibly tall, glowing faint blue at its core.
Sapphire stared up at it for a long moment.
"A hundred floors," she whispered. "And only one way out."
Then she descended the slope.
The grass rustled gently as she walked through it, casting soft motes of starlight into the air. Strange flowers blinked like eyes as she passed. Somewhere in the distance, a smooth hum echoed—a haunting, melodic vibration from the ruins ahead.
A new notification slid into view.
[Location Discovered: Wyrmlight Archive Ruins]
First-Time Bonus: 150 EXP
Environment Scan: High Mana Residue Detected
Eidolon Activity: Active
Quest Objective Updated: Search for Lumishards (0/5)
The air here felt… heavy. Not dangerous, but not safe either. Like the ruins were watching her. It brought goosebumps to her skin.
Just then, a flicker of movement among the shattered archways caught her eye.
A girl, no, not a player. She was sitting cross-legged amid the glowing flowers, surrounded by a slow spiral of lumi-wisps. Long white hair fell in waves down her back, and her eyes were closed in a serene trance. The closer Sapphire looked, the less human she seemed.
[Zayla – Mana-Touched NPC]
Sapphire slowed, approaching cautiously.
The girl didn't react at first. Her violet eyes snapped open.
"Oh, hello. This is quite the surprise. I don't get a lot of visitors, you see," Zayla said softly, tilting her head. Her voice was calm, distant, like someone speaking from inside a dream. "Are you lost by any chance?"
Sapphire stopped a few feet away. "Mr. Dorian from Dorian's Repository sent me. I'm here for the quest. Echoes in the Dust."
Zayla smiled faintly. "Ah, Dorian? He's such a sweetie. I hope he's doing well. But I'm unsure of how to help you. I wonder why Dorian sent you to me."
Sapphire tilted her head. "To explain to me how to gather the lumishards?"
Zayla's eyes glowed at that, and the lumi-wisps around her pulsed with light. "Ah, that makes sense! Okay, then let's try this."
A new prompt appeared:
[New Sub-Objective Unlocked]
[Meditate with Zayla to enhance and unlock mana.]
[Optional – Increases chance to detect hidden Lumishards and unlocks deeper dialogue options.]
Sapphire glanced in the direction of the Spire… then back at Zayla.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips.
"…Okay," she said, and slowly knelt among the flowers.
The wind whispered through the ruins.
Zayla's expression brightened slightly, as if pleased by Sapphire's willingness to participate. She shifted on the mossy stone she was seated upon and patted a smooth patch of glowing grass beside her.
"Good," she said gently. "Let the world grow still, and listen for the mana's song."
Sapphire lowered herself onto the soft grass. The ground pulsed faintly beneath her palms—slow, rhythmic, like a heart breating beneath the soil. She closed her eyes.
"Now," Zayla whispered, her voice soft as a lullaby, "Lumishards are crystallized fragments of negative mana residue left behind in places where the mana leylines have been disturbed. Most often found near ruins, abandoned native homes, broken shrines, or old dungeons. Many believe they are the "tears" of the world, compressed into mana." She breathed in slowly, then exhaled. "To gather these Lumishards, the [Mana Sight] skill is needed. Do you know what meditation is? This is the easiest way to unlock your mana."
Sapphire actually did know how to meditate. Her aunt had taught her when she was eleven years old, when hormones were starting to act up. Also, this wasn't the first time she did this quest. In order to climb the tower a player had to have all five general skills. [Meditation], [Identify], [Mapping], [First Aid], and [Crafting]. If even one of these skills were missing, the Tower would block them from entering.
Sapphire nodded once, keeping her eyes closed. "Yes," she murmured. "It calms and clears the mind. Focuses the breath. And grounds you in the present. As well as helps recover mana."
Zayla smiled softly. "That's right. A steady breath is the key to a calm mind."
Around them, the ruins seemed to respond. The whispering wind grew gentler, and the lumi-wisps hovering in the air slowed their dance, circling in smoother arcs. The flowers glowed faintly warmer, their inner lights flickering like candle flames swayed by an unseen rhythm.
"Then let us begin," Zayla said.
Sapphire let out a slow breath and shifted slightly, settling deeper into the soft, glowing grass. The warmth from the flowers seeped through her armor, strange but comforting. She kept her eyes closed and focused on the rhythm of her breath.
Inhale—slow and deep.
Hold.
Exhale—long and steady.
Again. And again.
Each breath brushed against the strange mana-infused air, drawing it in, letting it mingle with the rhythm of her heartbeat. She could feel it, the pulse of the world itself, thrumming beneath her palms like some great sleeping beast.
Zayla's voice drifted to her, soft and melodic.
"Now… quiet your thoughts. Let them pass like clouds in the sky. The world does not ask for your control. It only asks for your attention."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION – SKILL ACQUIRED]
You have learned a Basic Skill: [Meditation].
Skill Effect: Allows you to recover Mana more efficiently and sense ambient mana fields. Prolonged use may unlock advanced perception abilities.
[Progression Path Unlocked: Mind – Stage 1 Initiated.]
Sapphire exhaled slowly, and her vision behind closed eyelids seemed to deepen. The darkness was no longer just darkness, it shimmered faintly, like distant stars behind a curtain. Something was… shifting.
Suddenly, she felt something click.
A gentle tug at her chest. A subtle pulling sensation, like her mana had begun to wake up and flow through her properly for the first time. A cool sensation tingled in her fingertips, then spread upward through her limbs.
Zayla's voice returned, distant and dreamlike.
"Yes… your mana is responding. You're doing very well."
Then, she felt it.
The world wasn't silent—it was singing.
Faint threads of sound, like a chorus of wind chimes and river whispers, echoed from all directions. Beneath it, a low hum—deep and ancient—resonated from the ruins around them. It wasn't just ambiance; it was language. A language Sapphire was beginning to understand.
The grass beneath her hands flared softly. Her breathing synced with the rhythm of the mana around her. She felt light.
[SYSTEM UPDATE – SKILL SYNERGY DETECTED]
[Passive Effect Gained: Resonant Calm]
While meditating in mana-rich areas, your perception increases and minor wounds recover more quickly.
A new prompt shimmered faintly into view in her mind's eye:
[Optional Path Branch Discovered: Mana-Touched Affinity (Dormant)]
Conditions to Awaken: Complete a guided meditation with Zayla. Accept a fragment of her resonance.
"Would you like to receive my blessing?" Zayla asked, her voice gentler now. "It is not necessary, but… if you do, you may begin to hear the world more clearly. To feel it."
Sapphire's brows knit slightly, but she didn't open her eyes.
"…What's the cost?"
Zayla gave a soft laugh, like the tinkle of falling snow. "Only a piece of your attention. I don't ask for anything more. This world is full of noise. Sometimes, all it takes to hear the truth is to listen."
Sapphire hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
"Then I accept."
A pulse of warmth spread from Zayla's direction. The lumi-wisps began to spiral faster, forming intricate, almost musical patterns in the air. One of them floated toward Sapphire and hovered before her chest.
Then, it sank into her.
A sudden flood of sensation—cool, soothing, and vast—swept through her. Her breath caught, and for a heartbeat, she saw it: the leylines beneath the surface of the world, golden and blue veins pulsing through the earth like living roots. The whole landscape shimmered with life and memory.
[You have received the Blessing of the Mana-Touched.]
[You may now detect Lumishards in high-residue zones.]
[New Ability Gained: Mana Resonance – You can sense mana within areas rich in high concentrate.]
[Affinity Trait: Mana-Touched (Zayla)]
—Zayla will remember this.
When the vision faded, Sapphire opened her eyes slowly.
Zayla's smile had grown a little wider, though still tinged with melancholy.
"There. It suits you," she said, eyes shimmering like moonlight in deep water. "But be careful. Once you start hearing the world's whispers, it's hard to stop."
Sapphire blinked slowly, letting her breath steady again. She felt… more connected. Like a fog had been cleared from her senses.
"Thanks," she said simply, rising to her feet and brushing off her hands.
Zayla stood too, her bare feet silent on the glowing grass. "You'll find your first Lumishard near the altar at the heart of the ruins. But be wary. The mana is not always at peace."
Sapphire nodded. "Got it."
The quest updated once more:
[Mana in the Dust – Active]
Locate and gather Lumishards from the Wyrmlight Archive Ruins.
Progress: (0/5)
Current Objective: Investigate the altar ruin.
Optional: Use [Mana Resonance] to uncover hidden treasures.
As Sapphire turned to leave, Zayla's voice called out one last time. "Oh, and Sapphire?"
She paused.
"Thank you… for listening."
Sapphire gave a small nod, then stepped into the ruins, the wind brushing past her cloak as the flowers closed behind her. The melody of mana lingered in the air, guiding her forward.
The pathway ahead curved between collapsed stone arches and overgrown flagstones, the glowing grass dimming beneath her steps. Sapphire kept one hand near her blade, her other brushing the edge of the guidebook clipped to her hip.
Despite the beauty of the ruins, there was tension in the air—like a taut string ready to snap. The faint hum she heard earlier deepened, a low vibration that made her skin prickle.
A few more steps, and the broken walls gave way to an open courtyard.
In the center stood the Altar of Wyrmlight—a cracked obsidian slab covered in tangled roots and faded runes. Violet moss clung to its edges, and glowing blue script shimmered faintly along the surface.
A new system notification pinged:
[Objective Area Reached]
Search the altar grounds for Lumishards.
Lumishards found: (0/5)
Sapphire scanned the area.
A few clusters of floating light hovered low to the ground—not lumi-wisps, but something more inert. Mana residue pockets, maybe. She stepped forward carefully, boots crunching over scattered crystal shards. The atmosphere here was thick with mana. Not hostile. Not kind. Just… dense.
She crouched by the altar and activated her new skill.
[Skill Activated – Mana Resonance]
A soft pulse expanded from her chest outward in a circular wave. Subtle distortions in the air revealed five glowing fragments hidden in the ruins—each tucked into different corners of the courtyard.
Target marked.
Sapphire stood and moved quickly. She wasn't the type to dally.
—The first shard pulsed faintly beneath the broken statue of a drake. She kicked aside a fallen wing fragment and retrieved the shard. It was jagged, blue-violet, and cold in her hand.
[Lumishard Acquired – 1/5]
The second one lay half-buried under cracked tiles near a toppled column. She jammed the heel of her boot under the slab, pried it up, and snatched the shard from underneath.
[2/5]
Third: hidden in the hollow of a root coiled around a shattered obelisk. She drew her dagger and carefully cut away the vine, snagging the shard before it could fall.
[3/5]
The fourth took a little longer. It was embedded in the base of the altar itself. She had to crouch low, scraping away thick moss with a flat-edged tool. The shard came free with a sharp snap.
[4/5]
As she reached for the fifth—
The hum spiked.
A grinding noise echoed through the courtyard as the altar shifted.
From the far end of the ruins, a cluster of bone-white serpentine constructs slithered into view—thin, tall, almost eel-like. Their joints cracked with unnatural angles, eyes glowing with corrupted mana. Three of them.
A notification flashed:
[Enemy Encounter – Archive Sentinels (x3)]
Level: 7
Status: Corrupted
Objective: Defend the altar from intrusion.
Sapphire narrowed her eyes. "Figures."
She shifted her stance, drawing her blade in a single, fluid motion.
The first construct lunged.
She sidestepped, pivoted on her heel, and slashed clean across its midsection. Sparks and violet mist burst from the impact point. It screeched—a sharp, static-like wail—and recoiled.
The second twisted around behind her, but she was already moving. She ducked low, kicked off a broken tile, and came up under its guard with a vertical slash that split it down the middle. Two down.
The third reared back, glowing veins along its spine charging up.
Sapphire's fingers snapped outward.
[Skill: Swiftstep]
She blurred left as the corrupted construct fired a lance of condensed mana into the ground where she'd stood. The explosion left a crater.
Too slow.
She was already on it.
One clean slash across its core. The construct fell apart in shards of pale metal and leaking mana.
[Enemies Defeated – +220 EXP]
A brief silence returned to the ruins.
Sapphire exhaled, rolled her shoulder, and sheathed her blade.
Then she calmly picked up the final shard—half-hidden beneath a displaced slab the third construct had knocked loose.
[5/5 Lumishards Acquired]
Quest Objective Complete.
Return to Dorian for reward.
She didn't linger.
With the ruins still faintly humming behind her, Sapphire turned and made her way back up the path. Her expression remained unchanged, calm, focused. As if the battle hadn't even registered.
She had what she came for.
As she walked, she pulled up her quest log.
❖ Lesson I: Mana in the Dust
Objective: Discover the fragments left behind by those who came before.
— Speak to Dorian, the Archivist (✓)
— Visit the Wyrmlight Archive Ruins (✓)
— Locate and collect (5) Lumishards (✓)
— Speak with Zayla, the mana-touched girl among the Lumi-flowers (✓)
— Craft a Mana Core (Requires: Lumishards + Chant)
— Return the core to Dorian
Quest Rewards:
• 450 EXP
• 500 Col
• 5 Crafting Materials
• [Mana Sigil Ring] – Common Grade
• +Affinity with Zayla
• +Familiarity with the native citizens of the City of Origins
Sapphire closed the quest log with a blink, the soft shimmer of the interface fading from her vision. She redid the braid in her hair and began the quiet climb back toward the city.
The wind had stilled.