In a vast, boundless wilderness, a red-haired woman stood there.
She held a longsword in her hand, her eyes flickering with murderous intent, the sharp gleam of the blade far more dazzling than the holy armor she wore.
After a brief silence, she took a deep breath and raised the longsword high…
“Holy — Judgment!”
A blinding, radiant golden light suddenly burst forth across the wilderness.
The golden sword aura erupting from the longsword shot straight into the sky, dyeing what should have been a clear blue heavens a brilliant gold.
The ground trembled continuously, and in the face of this terrifying power, the flowers and withered trees all seemed to bow reverently toward Lorabel, as if to absorb the sacred light into their bodies.
Suddenly, within the golden radiance, a streak of black flowed and drifted about like a pest, gradually eroding and infecting the golden light until the towering pillar of golden brilliance completely turned black.
In an instant, the golden sky darkened—a darkness deep as an abyss, impenetrable even by sunlight, a black more terrifying than night yet purer than the sun itself.
The surrounding flowers withered instantly, and even the long-dead trees crumbled into scattered fragments.
Finally, she brought down the longsword, slashing toward the horizon.
Before the blade could even fully touch the ground, the entire earth shattered in an instant.
Molten lava surged forth from the surface, and the sky seemed to split open, revealing a rift that showed nothing but endless darkness, like the very blackness borrowed from the deepest hell…
The sky began to collapse, and the surrounding scenery blurred. Lorabel knew this magical space had reached its limit.
Without looking again at this world on the brink of destruction, she simply closed her eyes.
Only when the sounds of flowing lava and the sky breaking had completely faded did she slowly open them.
At this moment, she was already back in her own room.
Her strength was somewhat depleted.
She carelessly tossed the holy sword into a corner of the room and lay weakly on the bed.
Glancing at her palm, she saw the black light still flickering at her fingertips.
She gently pinched it, and the black glow shattered like broken light and dissipated into the air.
“Why… exactly why…”
She could clearly feel that the power within her body, bestowed by the goddess, was no longer pure.
It seemed something had crept inside her, contaminating her sacred power and making it filthy.
What worried her even more was that this thing seemed far stronger and more dangerous than the power the goddess had given her…
It was altering her mind, further muddying an already impure heart.
Especially when facing her sister, the personality born of suppressed desires stirred restlessly.
Now she even feared any skin-to-skin contact with her sister, knowing it would make her heart more agitated, yet she couldn’t stop herself from drawing closer to her each time…
If this continued, she would become strange.
Knock, knock.
Just as she lay there deep in thought, the window suddenly sounded two light knocks.
She rose from the bed and drew open the tightly shut curtains…
“An elf?”
It was a mischievous little elf peeking its small eyes from the window. Upon seeing Lorabel, it quickly flew away.
Some elves just liked to play pranks; Lorabel was no longer surprised by this.
She was about to close the curtain when her gaze accidentally caught the sky, and her hand froze.
“Those are…”
She initially thought they were leaves blown into the sky after some tree was cut down.
But squinting, she realized they were actually elves?!
They streamed continuously from the courtyard, drifting leisurely through the air.
“Sister… Sister is still there!”
Sensing something was happening in the courtyard, Lorabel immediately grabbed her sword and hurried downstairs.
Upon reaching the courtyard, she saw many people standing there, including Misha, who usually disliked sunlight.
They were gathered around Aurora, seemingly watching something.
Lorabel’s gaze casually flicked, and she saw that her sister was holding someone in her arms, a delicate pink hand dangling limply in the air.
In that instant, a blaze of jealousy erupted fiercely within Lorabel’s heart.
Murderous intent flared in her eyes as she tightened her grip on the longsword and strode toward the group.
Hearing the heavy clank of armor behind her, Azalea and Misha knew it must be Lorabel. After all, no one else liked wearing armor in the sunlight.
“Lorabel, you’re here…”
Azalea began as she turned around, but before she could finish, Lorabel passed by without a word.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing the longsword in her hand, Azalea couldn’t help but worry.
“Who is the person Sister is holding?”
A voice full of grievance and chill came from behind Aurora.
Hearing the discordant tone, Aurora was startled but relaxed when she recognized it was her younger sister’s voice.
“This is my familiar. I don’t know why she suddenly took human form. Look!”
She turned around, and Lorabel finally got a clear look at the person in her sister’s arms.
It was a girl who looked about sixteen, with cherry-colored long hair faintly scented with flowers.
Her fair skin seemed smooth enough to burst at a touch, and beneath long lashes lay eyes softly closed.
Though her pupils were hidden, anyone seeing her appearance would instinctively guess her eye color: the color of cherry blossoms.
Seeing the girl was just a child, Lorabel’s murderous intent gradually faded.
Noticing the sword in her hand, Aurora asked in puzzlement, “Why are you holding a sword, little sister?”
“Because… I was just practicing swordsmanship.”
Saying this, Lorabel sheathed the longsword.
She looked at the little girl again and asked softly, “Why has Sister’s familiar become like this?”
“I heard Misha say something about a royal seed,” Azalea said.
“Queen seed,” Misha interjected.
“Elven queen seeds take on human form after growing up. It helps them spread the elven species faster.”
“Your familiar’s long sleep probably means her body is rapidly developing. She should feel much better once she wakes up.”
Hearing this, Saga exclaimed, “But doesn’t that mean Miss Eve has essentially been raising a child?!”
“Well, that’s not so bad. Becoming a mom early isn’t the worst thing,” Misha teased playfully.
“Oh, then I’ll be the dad!”
Azalea’s words immediately drew Lorabel’s icy glare.
She shivered but quickly added, “I think Lorabel would be a good fit too, hehe.”