In the days that followed, Hegemon was astonished to discover that the Elf village was much larger than he had imagined, a sanctuary hidden among ancient trees. He quickly befriended the warriors and villagers, enjoying a rare moment of peace. However, the peace did not last long.
At the center of the village lay a "Forbidden Library"—a repository of the world's most ancient forbidden magic. The Elf tribe had sworn an oath to protect this place with their lives, for legend had it that if the seal were broken, a curse from the God of Tree would descend, bringing disaster and destruction to the entire village.
One midnight, a mysterious figure sneaked in and threw open the forbidden door. The next morning, the sky over the Elf village turned a grim gray, a sign of impending doom.
Panic ensued when the villagers discovered footprints at the scene that perfectly matched Hegemon's foreign shoes.
Furthermore, several guards claimed to have seen his figure lurking outside the glass cage at night.
All the blame immediately fell on Hegemon. Despite Lily's attempts to defend him, tearfully explaining that he had stayed in the same room all night and hadn't gone outside, the Elves' anger and fear of the curse had blinded them.
The immense pressure from the council of elders rendered Hegemon's justifications ineffective.
He was escorted, chained tightly with magical shackles, and thrown into an iron cage, awaiting execution before the entire village, much to Lily's utter helplessness.
While Hegemon was imprisoned in the dungeon, Lily refused to give up. In the dead of night, she sneaked into the ordinary library of the Elf village, frantically flipping through dusty ancient books. The flickering candlelight illuminated the weary but resolute face of the young girl.
"If the energy of this world operates according to a certain logic, and Mana is the cyclical flow within every soul cell of every living being..." Lily murmured, her fingers swiftly gliding over the pages of the magic book, "Then, if someone can alter the structure of Mana within their soul, will their outward appearance—including their physical form and footprints—change accordingly? Can magical identities be forged?"
She closed her eyes, searching deep within the "infinite treasure trove of knowledge" hidden deep in her memory. Suddenly, an ancient term flashed: Astra.
The essence of Astra is the spirits representing the Mana of Logic itself. They have no fixed form, can split into multiple individuals, and are more than capable of creating illusory clones of others. "But the supreme Astra spirits are proud; they have no reason to interfere in the affairs of the Elf village. No spirit has ever bothered with this place before…" Lily frowned in thought. "Unless… the culprit somehow borrowed or usurped Astra's power!"
The clue was clear, but Hegemon's execution was only days away. A spirit that moved erratically—finding its whereabouts in this vast forest was impossible without time.
"I must go to the eastern edge of the forest, where Mana is most concentrated, to find Astra's traces! Wait for me, Hegemon…" Lily resolutely closed her book and rushed out of the library that very night.
However, she was unaware that a pair of cold, sharp eyes were watching her from the shadows. At midnight, in the desolate edge of the forest, a dark figure suddenly approached. Before Lily could react, a cold flash of light tore through the night. She fell, blood staining the green grass, her breath fading before she could clear her friend's name.
The next morning, in the damp dungeon, Hegemon sat huddled in the corner of his cell, his spirits broken. Suddenly, the voices of two guards reached his ears:
"Have you heard? The girl from another tribe who was with that criminal is dead."
"Yes, I heard she was murdered on the eastern edge of the forest last night. Her body was found early this morning. Serves her right, for covering up for the one who destroyed the village."
Boom! A thunderclap struck Hegemon's head. He slammed against the bars, frantically shaking them, the magical chains on his body clanging menacingly.
"You bastards! What did you say?! Lily's dead?! Impossible! She was here yesterday!" Hegemon yelled, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead.
An angry guard stepped forward, slamming his spear against the bars: "Shut up, murderer! Your friend's death is your karma!"
"IT WASN'T ME! Neither Lily nor I did it! Someone else harmed her!" Hegemon lost his mind, roaring, the five-dimensional energy within him surging, but the magical chains locked him down, causing excruciating pain.
"This brat dares to argue!"
Enraged by the prisoner's aggressive attitude, the guard flung open the cage door. Three soldiers rushed in, repeatedly kicking Hegemon with the butts of their spears and their feet. Gunshots and the sounds of pounding fists echoed through the dungeon. Hegemon was beaten until he coughed up blood, collapsing onto the cold ground, but his mouth still mumbled through tears:
"It wasn't me... Lily... why did this happen... I have to kill them all..."
Hatred and despair officially erupted in the mind of the man who once wanted to be a protector of peace.