More than thirteen years ago, in a remote valley where the earth lay buried beneath a thick layer of snow and the wind howled with relentless force, crowds of people had gathered in hushed groups — all facing the same direction, murmuring among themselves.
Among them stood a young girl.
No — a child, no older than four or five.
Her silver hair blended almost seamlessly into the snowy landscape, and despite wearing only a light summer outfit — a sleeveless shirt and shorts — the biting cold seemed to leave her untouched.
Her gaze was fixed ahead, unblinking.
There, just beyond a narrow line that cut across the valley, the world no longer followed its natural shape. The air twisted, the space shimmered, and what lay beyond that warped boundary was no longer this frozen land — but an entirely different place altogether.
Behind her stood a group of more than fifty people, all watching her with reverence and admiration.
They stood in silence, their expressions devout.
