Act - 1
When people think of reality as a whole, it leaves them wondering how it was created in the first place. People wonder, people think about it—but there is no clear answer. Yet, the curiosity remains. If nothing existed, if the fabric of reality had never formed, if Adams were absent, if particles had no shape—the only things dormant would be the shadows of darkness, the aura of light, or perhaps a combination of both. This raises a recurring thought: if nothing existed, would there even be a "color"?
Either way, darkness would exist. It very much does. For generations, darkness has been described as a concept of evil, something malevolent—but does it truly have to be? Darkness could be peaceful, reassuring—even quiet.
There was a time when the Big Bang erupted, bringing stars and galaxies to life. Amid this chaos, darkness gained consciousness. It created a form based on the ideas of humans, particularly. Worlds after worlds—even reincarnated worlds—had similar forms, so darkness used these as a template to create a vessel: a girl.
On an asteroid, a girl formed. She had beautiful red eyes and long blue hair tied back, wearing a kimono of Japanese human culture. Darkness knew of this culture because of time. If God can see far beyond time, darkness can see even farther. Creating this vessel left room only for so much information, and thus, the vessel—known as Laila—was born.
This is where the story truly begins.
Laila awakens, looking around at the space surrounding her. She stands, not remembering how she came to be, but she feels a strange yet strong connection to darkness, as if it flows through her very blood. She sees nothing as far as the eye can reach and sits floating in what seems like an endless void. Eventually, a mask appears before her. She grabs it. It has no features, no power—nothing—but she holds onto it as she continues to float through the vacuum of space.
Eventually, the asteroid seems about to collide with a planet. She remains seated as it draws closer, breaking through the planet's atmosphere and crashing into the fields below. When she rises, she is unharmed. Looking around, she begins to traverse the fields. An orb of light follows her, tracking her movements as she admires the prehistoric landscape. Giant beasts walk past—dinosaurs, far as the eye can see. Not a human in sight.
Her mind, capable of holding immense knowledge, registers everything as new. She continues traveling across the planet. The Spinosaurus go about their lives, mostly oblivious to Laila. Those that notice her are frightened by the dark aura emanating from her. She keeps her grip on the mask. As time passes, dinosaurs begin to fade from existence. One day, the mask in her hand also disappears. She cannot understand why.
Yet, time continues. Every generation, she feels more darkness entering her body. Her vessel grows stronger. Eventually, humans evolve, building structures. Some of these structures become ancient, remembered only in myths.
Due to her appearance, Laila blends in with humans. Nobody notices her dark aura. She lives her endless eternity, feeling little—so she believes. One constant remains: the glowing light orb following her. She never comments on it, and humans cannot see it.
As humans progress, reaching the point of interworld travel, Laila stays. She senses something growing inside her. Eventually, she learns to create portals to other worlds, deciding to explore the vast multiverse. She becomes a worldly traveler.
One day, she enters a world of magic and sorcery. Exiting a portal for the first time, she observes her surroundings and speaks, learning from the humans of this new world.
"What is this place…" she mutters softly.
She sees new creatures and a medieval-like landscape. She eventually reaches a town but is stopped at the gate by guards.
"Stop right there," one guard says. "I've never seen you around here before. Let me see your adventurer's license."
"Adventurer's license?" she responds, confused.
"Don't worry, she's with me," a mysterious teenage boy says, presenting a card with his personal information and the words "Rank A."
Laila turns to the boy, expressionless. She says nothing.
The guard raises an eyebrow. "Jack, huh… alright, come on in. What are you waiting for? Come on."
Jack leads Laila into the town. The light orb still follows her.
"So, you must be new here. Where are you from?" Jack asks.
"Where am I from? I… don't know," Laila replies.
"You don't know? Do you at least know where you were born?" Jack asks.
"No," she responds.
"You're quite the strange one, aren't you? Well, I'd assume you're a spirit trainer," he adds, referring to the light orb.
"Spirit trainer?" she asks, confused.
"Yeah, the light orb," Jack replies. Laila frowns; she's seen spirits before, but nothing like this orb.
"It's not a spirit," she says.
Jack stops and looks at her. "Not a spirit? Then what is it?"
Laila thinks, feeling a strong bond with the light. After a moment, she says, "It is my sister."
Jack is surprised. "That's your sister?"
"Yes," she replies. Jack continues to look shocked.
"Wow… I've never heard of anything like that. Hey, you must be hungry," Jack says.
"No, not really. I've never eaten food before," Laila replies.
Jack sighs. "You never cease to surprise me. Well, I might as well treat you to something. Oh, I almost forgot—my name's Jack. Nice to meet you, stranger."
"Nice to meet you too. My name is… Laila," she says quietly, pondering.
"Well, nice to meet you. Since you're so confused, I can teach you about the world… maybe even get you some new clothes? I've never seen anything like that before," Jack says, referring to her ragged, old kimono.
"Oh, this?" Laila gestures to her faded brown clothing. "Now that I think about it, I never actually tried getting new clothes before."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE JUST BEEN WALKING AROUND LIKE THAT THIS ENTIRE TIME?!" Jack exclaims.
"Pretty much," she replies.
"This just can't do… come with me," Jack says, leading her through town while explaining how the magic system works, including spirits and mystical beasts. Laila decides to hide the fact that she's from a different world.
Soon, she emerges from a dressing room in new clothes, no longer ragged.
"Wow, you look nice," Jack says.
"Thank you…" Laila replies, flustered despite her inability to express emotion.
"You okay?" Jack asks.
"Oh… yeah, I'm fine," she responds.
Jack shows Laila the Adventurer's Guild, where she registers as an E-rank adventurer. The guild explains the ranking system: E, C, B, A, and S. Lower-ranked quests involve tasks like fetching herbs; higher ranks involve dangerous battles. Monster taming is optional.
Afterwards, Jack shows Laila the inn. She thanks him and sits on the bed in her new room. The light orb floats before her.
"So… you're my sister… I can feel it," Laila says.
Before she can continue, she notices two people jumping in through the window—a boy and a girl.
"What's going on? Who are you?" Laila asks, on guard.
One figure pulls down his hood. "Hello, I am Adam. And this is—"
He's interrupted as the other figure pulls down her hood, her voice emotionless yet calming.
"I am Twila. We've been looking for you, sister," she says.
"Sister? You are related to me? How come I haven't seen you before?" Laila asks.
"It seems our vessels manifested in different locations," Adam replies.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Laila asks.
Adam holds his hand to the light. "Wait, what—" she stairs, but a bright light fills the room. When it clears, a girl stands in place of the light.
"Hello," the mysterious girl says.
"What did you do?" Laila asks.
"I sped up their aging slightly. I am the concept of Time," Adam replies.
"And I am the concept of Nautical Twilight," Twila adds in a bored tone.
"Concept?" Laila asks, confused.
"Yes. A concept is essentially a personification of something believed to have no feeling. You yourself are the concept of Darkness," Adam explains.
"Concept of Darkness…" Laila repeats.
"We've been watching you for quite some time. This is our first time speaking to you," Twila adds.
"Yeah, we were shy at first, to be blunt," Adam says, scratching the back of his head.
"I see…" Laila responds.
"I didn't know I had more siblings… and…" she begins, looking at the orb.
The orb speaks for the first time. "Hello… I'm…" They pause, thinking, then continue, "I'm Lucky."
"Lucky?" Adam asks.
"Yes," the orb replies.
"…Lucky…" Laila repeats.
"They look more like a Lucy to me," Twila says.
"Lucy?" the orb repeats.
"Yes," Twila confirms.
"I… like it," the orb says quietly.
"Lucy fits," Laila says. Stars light up in Lucy's eyes. "I'M LUCY!" she exclaims joyfully.
Soon, Jack comes running in. "LAILA, ARE YOU OK?! I HEARD VOICES!?"
Jack pauses, looking at the four of them. "What's going on?" he asks, confused.
"These are my siblings," Laila says.
"Seriously? How can you tell?" Jack asks.
"It's the same feeling I got with my sister," Laila replies.
Jack looks at Lucy. "Wait…"
"Yes, that is her. Her name is Lucy," Laila confirms.
"I see. Well, as long as you're all right, I guess," Jack says.
"Tomorrow I'll take you to a slime-hunting spot for a quest so you can earn some gold," Jack continues.
"Okay, sounds like a plan…" Laila replies.
Jack looks to the others. "We should get going. We have a busy morning."
"Oh… okay," Laila responds as Jack and Twila leave through the window.
"Wow, they're fast," Jack says.
"Yeah, sort of like ninjas," Laila replies.
"Ninjas?" Jack asks, curious.
"Don't worry about it," Laila says.
"All right, if you say so," Jack replies.
Lucy crawls into bed beside Laila like a sister. Laila smiles, noticing Lucy has already fallen asleep.
"All right, I should let y'all sleep… have a good night," Jack says, closing the door.
Laila lays down, looking at the ceiling. The room is silent. Slowly, she closes her eyes and falls asleep.