Just as Ashe was being classified as non-recyclable waste, far away in the prosperous imperial capital of Nabistin, a vast complex of magnificent and austere palaces rose in solemn splendor. At the heart of it all stood the most striking structure—a towering spire built upon a small island in the center of Lake Yalan. Its white walls and blue roof shimred above the water. Orioles sang among the greenery, white doves wheeled through the sky, and the entire tower seed less like a building of stone and mortar than sothing lifted straight from a fairy tale.
"And so, the brave knight slew the fire-breathing dragon. He rescued the beautiful princess from its lair. Together they returned to the imperial capital, where the people rejoiced. The king himself presided over their wedding, and from that day forward they lived happily ever after. A most joyous ending."
The kindly old woman closed the picture book with a gentle smile. At that mont, the clock chid midnight, and a little cuckoo bird popped out to announce the hour.
"Your Highness, the twelve o'clock bell has rung. It's ti to sleep," she said softly, tucking the blanket around the princess as though even that small movent required the utmost care.
The princess blinked, her pale green eyes bright as starlight. Her skin was white as snow, her lips red as blood, and her long black hair fanned across the pillow like a spill of glossy silk.
"Grandma, when will a dragon co to take away?"
The old woman chuckled and stroked her head. "Brave knights guard you outside, so no dragon can carry you off, my lovely princess."
The princess frowned slightly. "Then won't the dragon be disappointed? It wants to take away so badly... just like I want to see Nina. Grandma, when will Nina co visit ?"
"Princess Nina is very busy. When she finds the ti, she will certainly co."
With that, the old woman switched off the lamp and quietly left the room.
Alone in the darkness, the princess let her thoughts drift. She pictured the dragon in vivid detail. In her imagination, it had four elegant horns, gleaming scales, sharp yet perfectly aligned fangs, and eyes as large as mirrors. In those vast pupils, she could see her own reflection.
When she turned over in bed, she froze.
Outside the window hovered a bronze dragon, exactly as she had imagined it. Its wings beat slowly in the night air, and through the glass, a single vertical pupil stared straight at her.
The princess threw aside her blanket and slipped from the bed. In her white cotton nightgown, she stepped barefoot onto the cold marble floor and walked to the window, eting the dragon's gaze without hesitation.
"Have you co to take away?"
The dragon did not answer. It simply watched her.
And yet, she seed to hear sothing. A radiant smile spread across her face. "Alright. I'll go with you."
Compared to the knights who guarded the tower below, the dragon felt more like the hero who had co to save her. She would ride upon its back, soar through the heavens, look down on the vast and glittering land, and live the adventures she had always dread of.
She carefully climbed onto the windowsill. The invisible barrier that had always restrained her seed to dissolve in that instant. Sitting there with her small crystal-like feet swaying in the air, she opened her arms toward the dragon.
"Thank you, dragon."
The knights below were not guardians. They were guards.
The bronze dragon did not exist, but the princess jumped nonetheless.
A shrill whistle ripped through the night. The entire palace erupted into chaos. Sorcerers were summoned in haste. Three-Winged Sacred Realm sorcerers flew straight to the top chamber of the tower and scoured it from floor to ceiling, yet found nothing.
"Where is the princess?"
"She's gone!"
"Search at once! Summon the Diviner! No! Use the Book of Gospel! Ask it for her location! Spend whatever points or blessings are required!"
"It won't respond. The Book of Gospel is rejecting the request!"
"How is that possible?"
The searchers stord out in frustration, extending their sweep to the entire imperial capital.
No one noticed the uninvited guest already standing in the room, quietly observing the commotion.
He stepped to the window, braced his hands on the sill, and leaned out to admire the illuminated city below. Curtains of aurora-like light unfurled across the sky. Thousands of Hawkeye drones lifted into the air. Laser-like grids spread over streets and rooftops as every surveillance system roared to life. Within minutes, every corner of the capital was scanned. Every spatial Miracle was shut down, all for the sole purpose of locating the missing princess.
"That saves quite a bit of effort," he murmured with a faint smile, resting his chin in his hand. "Educating the Swordswoman cost quite a bit of ti."
An indignant voice ca from behind him. "Who are you?"
He turned to see a girl in a black dress standing beside the bed. She had a face of exceptional beauty. Her skin was snow-white, her lips blood-red, and her long black hair cascaded down her back.
Unlike the gentle princess who had leapt from the tower, this girl blazed with fury. Hands planted on her hips and cheeks puffed in indignation, she glared at him as if she might spring forward and bite at any mont.
The Watcher spread his hands. "I'd like to say this is our first eting, but we were already staring at each other monts ago. Pleasure to et you, witch. I am the Watcher of Doomsday. You may call the Watcher."
She strode straight to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "I am not a witch! I am Princess Lysdia. You may call Princess Lys or Princess Dia. I have never had such a ridiculous title as witch!"
The Watcher leaned back slightly. "Then should I call you Lys, or Dia?"
She blinked. "Dia."
"But I still think witch has a nicer ring to it," He turned toward the distant imperial capital, now growing livelier. "So, witch, how does freedom feel?"
Dia grabbed his collar and yanked him back, almost lifting him off the ground. "Are you mocking ? Who are you? How did you pass through layers upon layers of barriers to enter the imperial city, even my tower? Without the bronze dragon's help, I could never have escaped this cage!"
She spoke seriously, "Let's say only a Four-Winged Legendary Sorcerer could infiltrate here. The fact that you can see already surpasses the realm of mortals. I am neither soul nor spirit, nor mana. I am an illusion, a thought, an emotion. Apart from Lys, no one can notice . No one in this world can see ."
Dia studied the Watcher's mist-shrouded face. "How can you see a thought? Are you the Divine Lord?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Even being held like this, the Watcher showed no anger. He spoke calmly, "I am not a god. At least... not yet. On the contrary, I've co to request your help."
Dia tilted her head. "What help?"
"Beco my companion. Accept my arrangents."
"May I interpret that as a declaration of enslavent?"
"I will defend your right to imagine freely to the death."
"Absurd."
Dia suddenly shoved the Watcher out the window. Pure white radiance radiated from her, and in an instant the entire world beca a blank expanse of white. Only Dia, standing firm, and the falling Watcher remained.
The Watcher's dark red gradient coat slowly faded to gray. He froze in place as if ti itself had halted.
"I do not know who you are, nor how you see ," Dia said, enunciating each word. "But if you can communicate with , it ans you exist within my mind. Intruding into another person's realm of thought is extrely dangerous."
She clasped her hands together. "Be cut into fragnts by countless monts of ti, Watcher!"
The mont her words fell, the Watcher's body shattered like a mirror. The fragnts grew smaller and smaller until he beca a glittering heap of crystalline sand.
Hmph... is that it?
Just as the thought surfaced, a sharp cracking sound echoed from all directions.
Dia looked up. The pure white world she had frozen and created fractured like a mirror, splitting into countless shards. Within every piece floated the Watcher's hazy, indistinct form. It was as though he were omnipresent.
The Watcher's voices thundered in layers, shaking Dia to her core. "It's not a phantom, nor an illusion. Every one of them is the real . We co from one second ago, one nanosecond ago, one millionth of a nanosecond ago... Compared with using ti to kill, you should learn to use ti to survive.
"It seems I cannot save any effort after all."
***
When Dia regained her senses, she found herself sitting on the edge of the bed. The Watcher still leaned against the windowsill, as if nothing had happened.
But Dia knew that in that clash of minds, even within her own realm of thought, she had lost completely. She could not describe the feeling. How could free thought be defeated?
She rolled across the bed and hid behind it like a startled rabbit. "Does an existence like yours truly have any need of my help?"
The Watcher smiled. "You seem to have overestimated . I am rely a distant remnant of thought. Without certain special thods, I could not even see you. My true body has just stepped onto the Continent of Ti. I do not even possess a single golden feather. I'm weaker than you. With your help, exploring the Virtual World will beco far easier."
Dia could not believe he had only two wings. Impossible...
Nevertheless, she caught the key phrases he had ntioned. "Virtual World exploration?"
The Watcher nodded. "Yes. You will join my exploration team. Together, we will venture across the Continent of Ti. But do not expect to provide intelligence. You likely understand the Virtual World and the Continent of Ti far better than I do."
Explore the Virtual World together?
Dia instinctively wanted to reject the idea. But thinking it through, the fact that the Watcher could see her made forming a team in the Virtual World seed almost ordinary.
More importantly, he had no reason to deceive a re Two-Winged sorcerer, even if she was favored by the bronze dragon.
But if he is truly weaker than ...
The Watcher seed to recall sothing. He added, "Oh, right. I also have a swordmaster companion. Together, we have sailed through the Sea of Knowledge and slain many enemies."
Dia suppressed the bold thought forming in her mind. "Do I have the right to refuse?"
"I also have a swordmaster companion. Together, we have sailed through the Sea of Knowledge and slain many enemies," the Watcher repeated with a smile.
She jabbed a finger at him in anger. "You are threatening !"
The Watcher tilted his head. "I prefer to call it an incentive. But I will defend your right to imagine freely to the death."
Dia seed about to speak again when her expression suddenly changed. Her form blurred and vanished.
"Not even a goodbye? Such an ill-mannered princess," the Watcher said lazily, sitting on the vanity chair. "She was rely captured by cultists. Why panic so much? She should have known the bronze dragon's favor is not so easy to bear."
The Swordswoman sat on the windowsill with her black-stockinged legs swaying gently. A hint of worry crossed her face. "Compared to you, she's far more mischievous... almost too much. I'm worried that Ashe might not be able to handle her."
"Relax," the Watcher smiled with amusent. "Isn't Sonya there as well?"
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