FIVE FRAGMENTS

After shuffling through the original novel.The night was still.

Selthia lay in bed, half-listening to the soft hum of the palace lanterns outside. The room was quiet—almost too quiet. No wind. No insects. Not even the distant shuffle of guards.

She was just beginning to notice the oddity when it struck.

A blinding surge of light tore through her vision—searing, soundless. It wasn’t like fire or magic. It was too pure. Too raw. Her body jerked upward, breath caught in her throat as the world around her vanished.

In an instant, everything was gone.

She stood upright, barefoot, in a realm of blank white. The ground didn’t feel like stone or soil—there was no temperature, no air, no scent. Just an infinite expanse of pale nothingness.

Her heart thundered in her chest. “What in the—?”

Before the words could finish, light shimmered in front of her—condensing, folding, until it formed the shape of a man.

He stepped forward, serene and unhurried. Clad in flowing white robes that shimmered like spun crystal, his silver hair cascaded to his back like moonlight turned to silk. His eyes—ice blue, piercing and ageless—regarded her with a calm beyond understanding. Not detached. Not warm. Simply knowing.

Divine.

Selthia instinctively took a step back. “Who—?”

he said gently, voice resonant yet soft. “ I am known to them. I am the one who watched as your world bent.”

His presence was overwhelming—not aggressive, but vast. Like standing beneath a sky too large to breathe under.

“I am called many things. But you may call me Lahas"

Selthia's eyes narrowed. “huh .. If I am not wrong its the name of the God"

" Is he the God...no wonder he looks majestic..am I really seeing a God "

“You died once,” he said simply. “and you don't belong to this world"

A flicker of heat ran through her chest." yes"

He stepped closer, the folds of his robe untouched by any wind. “The Hollow has begun to stir again. What was sealed now strains to break free. You carry a thread of that unraveling.”

Her throat tightened. “ what ??..actually I don't understand a thing please use a simple language that I can understand "

" hnn ..I need your help "he said, tilting his head. “ to put it simply there's a seal that divides monster realm and human realm.... its slowly weaking "

She didn’t respond.

Lahas raised a hand, and from the air, a figure descended—wings outstretched, feathers streaked with silver and night, eyes glowing gold.

The hawk landed beside her, regal and imposing. It examined her with a judgmental flick of its beak.

“He was once the familiar of a hero,” Lahas said. “Now, he is yours.”

The hawk’s voice cut into her mind, calm and sharp. “You may call me Chuk. I don’t care if you like it.”

Selthia blinked. “…Chuk?”

The hawk gave a very unamused blink.

Veritas only smiled faintly.

Selthia was still blank. “ So what am I supposed to do with this bird and that seal "

Veritas gaze turned serious.

“Find five fragments that are scattered,” he said.

The white around them began to ripple—cracks of gold threading through the blankness.