The moonlight bathed the forest in silver.Lina leaned against the old oak, her breath ragged, her body sore.Beside her, the silver-furred wolf watched over her like a loyal guardian.
She stared at the mark glowing on her palm, its light pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat.
"Why me?" she whispered. "Why choose someone like me?"
But the stars had never made mistakes.They chose not based on power… but potential.
And within Lina burned a spark that had once changed entire worlds.
The Voice Returns
As Lina drifted into a half-sleep, the warmth of the starlight surrounded her.Then—A soft voice entered her mind.
"Child of the Star, the First Gate has opened."
Her eyes fluttered open.She wasn't in the forest anymore.
She stood upon a bridge of light.Below—nothing but the endless cosmos.
Stars swirled around her, each whispering something she couldn't understand.Before her floated a glowing doorway, shimmering like crystal.
"Beyond this gate lies the beginning of your true path."
"But beware—each step forward draws the darkness closer."
Lina hesitated.
Then stepped through.
The Starlight Trial
She emerged in a vast hall made of star-metal and skyfire.Celestial runes danced along the walls.In the center stood a statue—of a woman, holding a staff shaped like a galaxy.
"Is that… me?"
The resemblance was uncanny.
Suddenly, the statue's eyes glowed, and the runes flared.
The voice echoed again:
"To walk the Starlight Path, you must prove your will."
"Defeat your fear. Embrace your truth."
The statue moved.
And attacked.
Fighting Herself
Lina dodged barely in time, the staff sweeping past like a comet.She summoned her starlight shield, but it cracked under the first blow.
"I can't win against this!"
But then she remembered the shadow's words.
"You are unripe."
No.
She wasn't unripe.
She was growing.
And fast.
She focused.
The mark on her hand lit up fully for the first time.
A sword of starlight appeared in her grip.
"If you are me—then I'll surpass even myself."
She charged.
Breaking the Illusion
The battle raged.
Starfire clashed with starlight.
Every blow Lina took showed her memories—of her fears, her doubts, her loneliness.
But she didn't falter.
She accepted them.
"I am scared. I have been weak. But that doesn't make me worthless."
With one final cry, she slashed through the statue.
It shattered into dust and light.
The hall faded.
The stars sang.
"The first trial is complete."
A New Gift
Back in the forest, Lina awoke with a jolt.
The mark on her palm had changed—it now had two rings.
Her senses felt sharper.
Stronger.
The wolf licked her hand gently.
She smiled.
"Looks like I passed."
Then she heard something.
A chime—like a bell ringing from far away.
She turned.
A floating crystal appeared before her, humming with energy.
Words appeared in the air:
[Starlight Path: Gate I Completed][Gift Unlocked: Star Sense Lv. 1][Ability: Sense danger and cosmic beings nearby]
She blinked.
"System messages?" she whispered.
No. Not quite a system.
Something older.
Something divine.
Across the Realms – A New Stirring
Far above, in a floating palace made of moons and dreams, the Twelve Star Elders sat in silence.
One of them opened his eyes.
"The girl has passed the First Gate."
Another nodded.
"Soon, she will remember what she truly is."
A third frowned.
"But the Abyss moves faster this time."
The leader—cloaked in constellations—spoke.
"Then let us prepare the Astral Assembly. The Sovereign's return… cannot be stopped."
In the Depths of the Abyss
In the dark throne room of the Abyss, the shadowed figure growled.
"She passed?"
Another voice, high and cruel, answered:
"Yes. And her power is growing."
"Then send the Sealed Ones. Let her taste true despair."
Dark gates creaked open.
And ancient beings, long lost to time, began to awaken.
Lina's Resolve
Back in the quiet forest, Lina packed her things.
She couldn't stay here.
The world was changing.
And she needed to be ready.
The wolf howled, the sound echoing through the trees.
Lina looked up at the stars.
"No more hiding. No more fear."
"I will become the Star Sovereign."
And somewhere—beyond time and space—the stars began to align.