"Have a seat, child." She said softly, pointing to a nearby chair.
Nox felt almost no energy from the person in front of him. But oddly enough, he felt compelled to obey her command.
'A divinity?'
Without a reason not to, the boy slowly sat down with a concerned expression.
The grandma had pure white hair, with pupils as black as coal. Her wrinkled skin was covered by a thin white robe, similar to the one he was currently wearing.
Seems to be made of the same material, he guessed.
Inside the wooden hut, the two awakened stared at each other. After a while, the Mythmaker felt a bit awkward. Why hasn't the old woman said anything?
"Greetings, grandma…?" Nox started, but was interrupted by the young girl.
"Grandma? Show some respect to the Constellation!"
'Constellation?' His face paled.
As he desperately thought of a way to salvage the situation, a small chuckle emerged from the weathered face of the Constellation.
"Now now, Sarah. Don't be rude to our guest.."
"My apologies." Sarah quickly bowed, still glaring daggers at Nox.
Then, turning her attention back to the boy, showed a small smile.
She leaned in, eyes twinkling with curiosity. "How did you manage to defeat the Guardian?"
Nox cursed inwardly. He still wasn't over the betrayal of Lorn. Deciding to wait a while before revealing his secret, he answered vaguely.
"I got lucky… that's all. Hit the beast when it wasn't looking."
"Is that right?" The Constellation replied, with a gentle smile on her lips.
Seeing this, Nox inadvertantly frowned. It seemed like she already knew he wasn't telling the full story.
"What exactly is a Constellation doing here?" He asked, trying to change the topic.
The old woman stood up, slowly pacing around the room.
Bump!
Accidentally hitting her knee against the table, she stumbled. The girl hurried over, supporting her with both hands.
"Grandma! Please don't push yourself!" She begged, hugging her tight.
"It is alright, my child. The adventurer deserves to know. After all, we'll be here for a long time."
Getting back up, she began, "It all began during the Celestial Era…"
"Gods roamed freely, creating life and traveling around Universes as they pleased."
"Gods?" He asked, looking confused. All he's ever heard about were Constellations and Devils.
"Before they were divided, all celestial beings were in unity."
"Of course, this didn't last forever. There were arguments, and disputes about how their power should be used. This eventually spiraled out of control."
The Constellation slowly raised her hand.
"On one side, we have the Constellations." Bright blue energy swirled around in her palm.
"On the other, the Devils." Red specks of power mixed into her fingers, creating two sides that clashed with one another.
"But grandma, what made the Devils break away? Where would they go?"
Sarah stared down at the floor with a solemn expression. "The Devils wanted to be able to destroy and create life as they please. A huge war broke out, and the Devils were exiled out of the Sky, conforming the depths of Hell into their domain."
'So the Constellations I've been fighting against were the good guys?' Nox frowned. Something wasn't adding up.
"How come we haven't heard anything from the Devils? The world where I come from is dominated by the Constellations."
"After being banished, they lost the majority of their power. However..-
The Constellation stared into his eyes. Nox sensed a mixture of pity and astonishment in her gaze.
"Over the millions of years, they have regained a portion of their past power. I presume that in the coming years, they will attempt to break open their cages and cause havoc in the real world."
"When that happens, it'll all be over."
————————————————————————————————————————
In a cozy bedroom, a beautiful girl lay there on her bed. Elysia stared at the ceiling.
'It's been a week…'
An entire week had passed since she completed the First Challenge. Since then, a lot has happened.
Contrary to her worries, reinforcements from other branches of her Clan quickly arrived after she left, rescuing the survivors and driving away her dreaded older brother. However, Nox was still nowhere to be seen.
A huge celebration had been prepared for her; to celebrate her awakening.
However, the princess had called it off. Despite the initial warnings from the elders of the clan about the backlash it might create, Elysia settled for an alternative.
In a few days, a funeral service will be hosted for the lives lost during the Challenge.
She argued that this would increase their clan's image as well as encourage more talented civilians to join them.
Although most opposed to her idea at first, her father ended up giving her the green light.
Turning to a photo hung up on her wall, she lightly caressed the gold-rimmed edges of the frame. Taken many years ago when she was still a child, the photo was of her parents and herself, smiling to a large crowd of people.
Elysia sighed, turning away.
After her mother's death, her father hasn't been the same. Once friendly and outgoing, all that remained was a cold shell of calculatative authority. Every decision he made was for the 'greater good of the clan', even if it meant killing people.
Even in the past week of her return, he had only come to see her once, on the first day.
"I hate you!" The mage screamed, throwing a pillow across the room.
She stared at her hands with a determined expression.
"I will become powerful, enough that you won't treat me like a child any longer."
Taking out a pen and paper from her drawer, Elysia began to formulate a plan. In the coming month, she would escape the protection of the mansion and become an adventurer.
'Just you wait…'
Unbeknownst to her, a tiny black bird was watching her every move through a small gap in her window. As the morning turned to dusk, the creature dissipated into the air, leaving behind the sleeping girl.