Prologue

Long ago, someone once said, "The brighter the stars, the darker the night."

It had been some time since she'd last seen a new moon, which had caused her to remember that quote. Of course, she wasn't so conceited as to consider herself a "star" in any sense of the word. Those who knew her, however, would certainly consider her one. She came perfectly prepared for every hunt, regardless of whether her target was human or beast. Even if she were to hunt a star, her preparations would put all hunts before it to shame.

And it was with that same level of preparation that her pursuers hounded her tonight. They seemed wholly convinced of their victory, leading her to sincerely think, I see—these people could certainly snuff out a star.

"Kh…!"

As she raced through the trees, bloodlust nipping at her heels, giant claws appeared from the darkness, cleaving all in their path. She instantly spun around and drew her athame to block, but she was unable to redirect the force, instead finding herself knocked into the air. As her feet left the ground, creating an opening, another set of claws slashed at her in a follow-up strike.

"Haaaah!"

With a firm step in midair, she countered with the blades in both her hands, striking down the giant claw before it could tear into its prey. The instant the attacks abated, she landed on the ground and moved onto the offensive herself.

"—?!"

Black mist rushed forward, interrupting her. A chill overcame her, and she jumped back before her eyes even registered anything. She was a hair too slow, however, and the mist brushed her left shoulder. An unpleasant shiver ran through her whole body, making her every hair stand on end. But she had no time to think about that at the moment.

"Fortis flamma maxime!"

Crimson fell from the sky like large waves born from a sea of fire, instantly turning the surrounding trees to ash from the intense heat and rushing straight for her. The girl readied the athames in both hands and spun the two blades, whirling the flames around and around, scattering them and diverting a portion of the heat wave. The ground became a bubbling cauldron of lava under the fire. Only the ground directly beneath her was untouched, leaving her standing on a small island.

"I'm impressed you survived. But we both know struggling is useless."

It was a man's voice, filled with mockery. The girl looked up at the dark sky, which was now intensely illuminated by a pale light—an enormous moon on what should have been a moonless night. Of course, this was no celestial body. It was a ball of light created by magic, a basic spell even a child could cast with enough study. She couldn't stop herself from shivering. Anyone who could turn a simple illumination spell into a temporary moon must have access to a massive well of power.

Six shadows appeared in the sky, illuminated by the fake moon. One stood atop an especially tall tree, while another sat on a broom. One was even resting on the shoulder of a mysterious giant. The star hunters all looked down on her from their perches.

"…!"

Suddenly, her left shoulder began itching uncontrollably where the black mist had touched her, and she didn't even have time to react before the sound of cackling laughter rose from within her clothes. Biting through the cloth, a hideously twisted human face about the size of a child's fist appeared.

Without hesitation, she cut away the tumor that had appeared on her body, along with a section of her shoulder. The mass of flesh dropped to the ground with a wet plop. One of the shadows watching lamented:

"Ahhh, how cruel you are to cut me off! I'm lonely, so lonely! Let me be one with you!"

Her voice was tremulous, like a sheep with a crushed windpipe. The shadow seemed to be a young girl but also an old woman, crying yet also laughing. Perhaps it had abandoned such distinctions long ago. It was no more than the deranged mutterings of an evil spirit, clinging to the essence of human speech.

"So you're the lightbearer, huh? Must be a real honor, you old hag."

The voice was feminine and seething with hostility. Stark against the pale light was a strange, full-figured silhouette that was clearly not human, especially from the shoulders up. Her arms grew in bizarre ways, with five joints on each and giant claws, sharp like tempered blades fused to her fingers. Even the section that had been sliced off in their previous skirmish was growing back right before the girl's eyes.

"..."

The shadow ignored the taunt, remaining silent as it held its staff high. That great wellspring of mana seemed to be relegated to keeping that ball of light afloat. The light silhouetting them made it impossible to see their face, but judging by the way they stood straight as a pin, she could tell this was a stern individual.

"Feel free to try me! Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The crazed laughter came from an old man's voice but was tinged with childlike innocence. The giant creature the small shadow was perched on creaked as it rose, towering far above the ground. It stretched out both of its massive hands toward the girl, like a child trying to catch a grasshopper.

"Gladio!"

She struck straight back at its palms, just as they closed in on her. Countless chunks of dirt, rendered immobile, fell to the ground. Then the girl quickly hopped onto what was now just a long stump and raced up it. Her eyes locked onto her enemy, and—

"■■■" Stop.

Her body froze. This was no curse. She was bound by something much more primal. Another shadow appeared, and she stared at it in shock.

"Good job snaring her, old man. This is gonna hurt!"

The inhuman shadow closed the distance between them in an instant. It swung its giant claws down at her with considerable might, driving a fist straight into its prey without hesitation. With a dull thud, the girl's flesh and bone were crushed—unable to resist it, she was sent crashing to the ground.

"Gahhhhhhh! That hurt, dammit!"

But that didn't mean she'd just stood there and taken it, either. The inhuman shadow howled as its right arm, severed at the shoulder, fell in pieces. A little souvenir from their earlier clash.

"…! Haaah!"

She leaped by kicking at the air to avoid landing in the pool of lava. As she hit the ground, she rolled to lessen the damage. Fortunately, she had saved her own life—but the wounds she'd sustained were inescapably severe. Her every joint shook, and her vision was stained red from the blood dripping from her eyes. Her shoulder was still bleeding from the tumor she had cut off, not to mention the numerous other wounds all over her body. She was beyond anguish. Despite that, she smiled. The fact that she was still alive was almost like a joke.

She knew that, six on one, she stood no chance of victory. Even her hopes of cutting her losses and escaping were paper-thin. However, giving up never crossed her mind. She'd experienced countless hopeless fights in her time as a mage. This one was just a little more hopeless than others—that was all.

"Ahhhhh!"

But more than anything, she'd resolved to make hers the last life that had to be lived this way. Anything she left undone would be forced upon future generations. This resolve gave her strength, and her knees refused to buckle. Mana rose within her, coursing through her veins and rousing her devastated body.

"This way!"

A familiar voice reached her ears as a bright flash cut through the battlefield. The brilliant magical light ripped through the darkness of night, turning her vision white—in that brief moment, while everyone was still confused, someone grabbed her hand and started running.

They raced through the dark forest for a while before a hole in the ground appeared before them. They both jumped in and continued on, not stumbling for even a second. The path branched multiple times. Once they could finally no longer sense the hunters chasing them, they stopped.

"...You…saved me. I never expected to escape that hell," she said through labored breaths as she looked around. They were deep in some cavern, but thanks to crystal lamps dotting the walls, it was fairly bright. Someone had prepared this in advance. "They haven't followed us…which means you've managed to keep this place hidden from them. Did you make this escape route? Very impressive. How—?"

The moment she began to give her heartfelt thanks, a vivid heat lanced through her back.

"Emmy…?"

The rescuee called her companion's name, voice quivering. In a daze, she looked down at her chest to see the tip of a blade protruding from it—an athame, blood-soaked from piercing her heart.

"I'm sorry… This was my only option…," came a teary voice from behind her. Suddenly, she understood everything. There hadn't been only six star hunters out to kill her. This girl's role was to deliver the final blow.

"But don't worry—I won't let them have even a sliver of your soul."

As the strength slipped from her body, she fell back into a gentle embrace. Even though she'd been stabbed, she could still sense the genuine love of her betrayer. Which was why she hadn't suspected anything until now.

"I've loved you for so long. Now we'll be together forever."

The girl's eyes were an abyss, filled with an endless darkness that put even the pitch-black sky outside to shame. As her consciousness faded, she could feel her soul being swallowed by that void.