The First Dawn let out a final, shuddering breath before its eyes closed, and the realm fractured—shattering into oblivion.
In an instant, the battlefield was gone.
Celestia and the ghostly warrior stood once more in the vast, open grasslands beneath a sky filled with stars as grass danced with silhouettes with stars residing within each blade of grass.
The gentle glow of the celestial field returned, the wind whispering softly against the swaying blades of grass, as if the world itself had sighed in relief.
Beside her, the ghostly warrior stood still, his straw hat tilted downward, hiding his face.
Then, he laughed.
A quiet, exhausted, yet somehow content sound.
"I vowed to kill that bastard… from the moment I was seven years old." His voice was distant, like a fading echo. "Thank you, ma'am. It means… everything to me."
His form flickered, the ethereal glow around him dimming.
"That monster burned my home, slaughtered everyone I loved… My brother, my parents, my friends… all of them."
He inhaled shakily, though he no longer needed to breathe.
"I was just a kid, out picking berries for my mother… and when I came back… everything was gone."
The mimicked katana in his hands dissolved, vanishing into dust, as the lower half of his body began to fade into the night.
He turned to her, his face visible at last—a man who had lived with nothing but vengeance, now free of his burden.
"My name is Sirius Goldenmount."
He bowed his head slightly.
"It has been… a pleasure. I have completed the only thing I ever dreamed of… and it is because of you."
His body dissolved into countless white sparks, floating toward the heavens, carried away by the night breeze.
Celestia watched in silence, the afterimage of his presence lingering in the air.
She exhaled, her gaze shifting.
A bloodstained field stretched before her.
The bodies of her party lay motionless in the grass, their weapons still clutched in lifeless hands, their faces frozen in expressions of determination, pain… and acceptance.
The wind picked up, sweeping over them.
She closed her eyes.
"If there's one good thing to come from this bloodbath…"
Her grip tightened on her blade.
"At least… I did something worthwhile."
Snow fell in slow, deliberate swirls, yet the air was burning cold.
Above, the sky shattered.
Not into darkness, not into light—but into the shape of something beyond comprehension.
A tail. Massive, and endless. A shifting, celestial mass that coiled through existence itself.
The clouds twisted around it, no longer skies but ice-cloaked remnants of what once was.
Celestia's breath hitched as she instinctively gripped her blade.
The moment she did—
[Passive: Blessing from Serakaris] faded away with several of her Passives following quickly behind.
A silence fell, suffocating.
Two deep and dark crimson eyes peered down at her.
They pierced into her, peeling apart the layers of her soul, unraveling her very existence.
Then—a voice.
A voice not bound by singularity.
It was male, female, child, elder.
It was every language, yet none at all.
It was divine, yet not divine, twisted yet had a sort of beauty and charm.
"You... you do not belong in this time period."
The voice crawled into her mind, each word a weight pressing against the walls of her sanity.
"Who art thou, who dares trespass within the world I hold dominion over?"
The serpent's colossal body began to coil, shifting through the heavens with a weight that made Cresbel tremble.
Celestia's heart pounded as the very air became heavier, the realm bending under its sheer presence.
Then, it spoke again—hissing, piercing, absolute.
"Who art thou? What is your name? I shall not ask again."
The ice that had veiled the sky shattered—replaced by an unrelenting storm.
Fire and lightning. Tornadoes and quakes. A storm fused with a volcanic hellscape.
Mountains crumbled, continents broke apart.
It was a declaration.
Celestia gritted her teeth, forcing her voice through the chaos.
"Celestia… Celestia Solara!"
The moment her name left her lips, silence. everything had been restored in an instant.
The serpent loomed closer, its unblinking, ancient eyes narrowing before it slithered downward, its body twisting through the cosmos as if bending reality to make room.
Then, It landed.
A small island, compared to its vast, god-like form.
Celestia watched in stunned silence as it changed.
The monstrous, celestial serpent shifted, twisted—morphing.
The towering figure that emerged was no longer a beast.
But a woman.
Tall. Imposing. Dressed in an elegant black dress, long black gloves. Her long, dark crimson hair billowed behind her, her gaze burning with a slight serpent's golden-red Irises.
She strode forward, the weight of something more than divine radiating from every step.
Then she spoke—her voice no longer an amalgamation, but smooth, confident, yet it held a tone of something deadly.
"What is it you desire by coming here… and killing one of my pets?"
She lifted a single hand—
SNAP.
Instantly, Celestia was ripped from Astra's body.
Astra collapsed—lifeless.
"A little change... never hurts."
Celestia gasped, spinning to face the woman—
Only to feel something warm, yet ice-cold, press against her skin.
Hands.
Fingers cradled her face, forcing her gaze upward before letting go of her face.
Crimson eyes bore into her, their depths endless, consuming, patient.
"What is it that you desire?"
The question slithered through the air like a whispered curse.
Celestia's throat was dry, yet she did not hesitate.
"A contract with Serakaris."
The words hung in the air, heavy, unyielding.
The sky parted.
A flicker of genuine amusement crossed the woman's lips—a slow, knowing smirk.
"A mortal… who can say a divine being's true name?"
She stepped forward, getting closer to Celestia by a few steps.
Celestia barely had time to breathe before she felt warm fingers trace along her jaw.
The touch was soft—yet undeniably dominant.
A slow, rich chuckle left the woman's lips, her voice carrying a silken edge, something both elegant and foreboding.
"Mmm… interesting."
Her crimson eyes burned into Celestia's, searching, prying, devouring every inch of her expression.
Then, with a flick of her wrist—
A contract manifested between them, woven from stars and shadows, the parchment shimmering with cosmic authority.
"Very well…" The woman purred slightly, the space between them growing even smaller, until Celestia could feel the warmth of her breath against her lips.
"I shall grant you… an amazing contract for that mere reason alone."
The words dripped with something dangerous, intoxicating.
Her gaze flicked down, lingering on Celestia's parted lips for half a second before she leaned in, brushing her fingers slowly down her throat, tracing the shape of her collarbone.
"There are not many who can do that, you know?" Her voice was softer now, almost like a secret meant only for Celestia.
Her fingers lingered, pressing just enough to feel the pulse beneath Celestia's skin.
"Call it…" She exhaled, eyes half-lidded as her smirk deepened.
"An investment."
With a slow, deliberate motion, she lifted her other hand and placed a pen into Celestia's grasp.
The woman's fingers curled over Celestia's, guiding her hand to the contract.
"Go on," she whispered, her voice dangerously smooth.
"Sign it."
Celestia's eyes flicked back up, locking onto the woman's intense crimson gaze. "What exactly are the terms?" Celestia asked, her voice steady despite the unease creeping through her.
The woman's smirk only deepened.
"Mmm..." She exhaled, tilting her head slightly as if amused by the question. Her fingers, still lingering against Celestia's hand, traced delicate circles over her skin.
"Does it really matter?" she murmured, her voice silk and shadow intertwined.
Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly. "It does to me."
"…Freedom. Power…" The woman said softly, lingering on the words as if savoring. Then, she went silent, completely.
Celestia swallowed, her breath hitching. "And the cost?"
The woman pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes again, her fingers tightening slightly around Celestia's hand.
A slow smile spread across her lips. "Who's to say?"
She guided Celestia's hand closer to the contract, her movements unhurried, deliberate, possessive. The warmth of her touch sent a shiver coursing through Celestia's body.
"Just sign it." Her voice rich with something both commanding and dangerously sweet—like the whisper of a goddess promising the world, but with a hint of mysteries hidden beneath very syllable.
Celestia exhaled slowly as the system flickered into existence once more, its glowing text casting an eerie light against her face. Without hesitation, she lowered her gaze to the contract, fingers tightening around the pen. She signed her name on the bottom line.
The instant the final character was complete, the contract dissolved into shimmering fragments, vanishing as if it had never existed. The woman stepped back, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement as she studied Celestia one last time.
"…It was a pleasure doing business."
Without another word, the air around them twisted. A violent hailstorm erupted, freezing the land in a mere instant. Icy winds howled, coating the ground in a thick, glacial frost. And just as suddenly as she appeared—she was gone. The storm dissipated in an unnatural silence, leaving only a frozen landscape in her wake.
Then, the system pulsed again, its text materializing in the frigid air before Celestia.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
Second Major Quest Complete
Title: Trial of The First
Task: Complete the Trial and Contract Serakaris
The age of starless rule draws near.
REWARDS:
Contract with Serakaris
TITLE: Starless One
Passives Unlocked:
Dawn Killer
First Contractor
Blessing of Serakaris
Starless
Star Blessings
Skill Enhancements:
[Tempest Arts] → [Starless Martial Arts]
[Dragon's Gaze] → [Gaze of Serakaris]
[Manipulation] +10 Levels
[Gaze of Serakaris] +15 Levels
[Starless Martial Arts] + 10 Levels
New Skill: [Ice Infuse] Level 44
Exp Gained: 70,000Fear Rating: 4,378Bounty: +60 Gold
--------------------------------------------
Celestia stared at the glowing screen, her gaze locked onto the words as if they might shift or change under her scrutiny. A long moment passed before she exhaled sharply and dismissed the system, swiping it away.
Suddenly, the world around her was swallowed in blinding light. The sheer intensity forced her to shield her eyes, raising both arms in front of her as the radiance consumed everything.
Then, just as abruptly as it appeared, the light was gone.
A salty breeze hit her senses. The rhythmic creaking of wood beneath her and the faint lull of waves reached her ears. Celestia's breath hitched as she bolted upright, gasping for air, her fingers clutching the sheets beneath her.
Her eyes darted around. Polished wooden walls enclosed the small room, the scent of seawater and aged timber filling the space. A dim lantern swayed gently from the ceiling, casting flickering shadows. Beside her, a figure stirred.
She turned sharply.
The medic sat in a sturdy wooden chair near the bed, his gaze already on her. His expression was unreadable—relieved yet wary.
"Where am I? Where are we?" she demanded, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. "Calm down. We're in the middle of the sea, heading toward Blossom's Bloom. That's where I left my high-tier potions—ones that can cure just about anything." His eyes flickered over her, assessing. "But… it seems we won't need to stop there after all. You're awake."
"What do you mean?" she pressed. "How long was I out for… for you all to be concerned?"
The medic hesitated, his throat bobbing as he swallowed. His gaze drifted past her, settling on the small, round window across the room, where endless blue stretched to the horizon.
"You've been in a coma for the past four months."
Silence.
Celestia's breath stilled as she processed his words. Four months?
Her fingers curled slightly against the sheets as she closed her eyes, mind racing.
'Time moved differently... The quest… I counted every day and it was just over two months, not four. If time was slowed by half its normal speed while I was inside… then why-'
She exhaled sharply, shaking the thought away. Remembering that [Manipulation] had been used on Rosaline.
Her expression hardened. "I see."
She threw the covers aside and swung her legs over the bed, standing in one smooth motion. The wooden floor was cool beneath her bare feet, but her body felt… fine. Strong, even. There was no stiffness, no weakness—nothing that should have come from lying unconscious for months.
The medic watched, his gaze sharp, calculating.
'A girl who's been in a coma at sea for four months… gets up and walks around like nothing happened? Not even a hint of fatigue or imbalance? Interesting…'
He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples before pushing himself up from the chair. Without another word, he turned and left the room.
Celestia followed.
The two ascended the narrow wooden staircase leading to the deck. The scent of the ocean deepened, the fresh salty air filling her lungs as she stepped out into the open sky. Above, the heavens stretched endlessly, dotted with drifting clouds, while the sea shimmered under the late afternoon sun. The ship rocked gently beneath them, cutting smoothly through the waves.