Kro City Afternoon
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the magical barrier of the library's dome, casting dappled patterns on the floor. Fa and Aelia returned to the library once more, walking side by side up the spiral staircase leading to the top floor. The air was filled with the unique scent of ancient pages and magical energy.
"Grandma Inya's office is like a small labyrinth," Fa whispered, her star eyes faintly glowing as they scanned the complex runes on the walls. "When I was little, I often got lost here until Grandma etched magic into the soles of my shoes."
Aelia moved gracefully, her long robe rippling with faint light as she walked. "The elders of the elf clan also like to hide knowledge in secret places," she replied with a smile. "They believe true wisdom only reveals itself to those willing to put in the effort to seek it."
When they reached a door composed of floating pages, Fa reached out and gently touched one. The page immediately emitted a soft blue light and slid aside, revealing the domed observatory behind it.
Inside the observatory, dozens of astronomical telescopes slowly moved, tracking celestial paths invisible to the naked eye. At the center floated a massive rotating desk, surrounded by quills suspended on silver threads, each corresponding to a guardian spirit in a section of the library.
"Little Fa is still so unruly." A low, raspy voice came from the shadows, accompanied by the faint rustle of feathers.
A winged person emerged from the darkness, clad in a deep blue satin robe. Her head retained owl-like features—sharp yellow pupils and a curved beak—but her arms were humanoid, covered in fine white feathers. Magical patterns faintly glowed between her knuckles.
"Grandma Inya!" Fa hurried forward, embracing the elder who had cared for her since childhood.
The winged librarian's feathers gently wrapped around Fa's shoulders, her beak leaning close to examine Fa's right eye. "The star eye's glow is even stronger... It seems the wheel of prophecy has indeed begun to turn." Her voice carried a subtle hint of worry.
Aelia gracefully performed an elf greeting, her fingertips touching her chest as laurel leaf patterns shimmered faintly. "The elders send their regards, saying your laurel wine remains an irreplaceable delight in the Emerald Tree Sea."
Grandma Inya let out a few gurgling sounds resembling laughter, her wings suddenly shaking violently, causing the suspended quills to fall and rise again. "Skip those outdated pleasantries. You're here for the Heart of Stars—but remember, the pages here have never recorded its fragments."
Fa's heart skipped a beat. "But in the Star Path Prophecy that Aelia brought..."
"That book is missing the most crucial six pages." Grandma Inya's pupils contracted into thin slits, her bird-like claws tapping the desk surface. A silvery mist suddenly surged from the tabletop, gradually forming a three-dimensional map of Planet Muret. "The Heart of Stars shattered into twelve fragments after the chaos of war, each enchanted with a 'Memory Erasure Curse' that prevents anyone from probing them. But I once witnessed a fragment's fall firsthand."
Aelia exclaimed, "You participated in the Battle of the Heart of Stars?"
"More accurately, I was a survivor." Grandma Inya's wings lightly brushed over a faded scar on her chest, which faintly emanated dark energy. "Back then, I was a young bird warrior and saw the fragment plummet into the depths of Mick Forest. Later, the bandit group 'Iron Claw Gang' tried to seize it, and none survived—except their leader, Red."
Fa felt a burning sensation in her star eye, her mind flashing back to the mysterious letter her father left before disappearing. "So now, the clue to the fragment lies only with Red?"
"Smart child." Grandma Inya pulled out a yellowed map from under her wings, its edges tattered and inscribed with elven incantations in ancient script, stained with blackened blood. "Red has fallen to beggary, hiding in the 'Forgotten String Zone.' His body is eroded by the fragment's curse, a fate worse than death. Only when he sees someone with the star eye will the curse lift."
Fa took the map, her star eye automatically scanning the information. She noticed several key points on the map faintly glowing, as if resonating with her eye.
"Grandma, why have you never told me this?" Fa's voice trembled slightly. "If I had known earlier that Father's disappearance was related to the Heart of Stars..."
Grandma Inya's wings gently rested on Fa's shoulder. "Some knowledge known too early only brings danger, little Fa. Your father learned too much too quickly back then..." Her voice was filled with the worry and wisdom of an elder. "Now that your star eye has matured, it's time you knew."
Aelia carefully examined the elven incantations on the map. "This is high-level prohibition magic; only someone who has seen the fragment firsthand could draw such patterns. It seems this Red truly holds vital information."
"Go find him," Grandma Inya said softly, "but be careful. The Forgotten String Zone is the most dangerous area in Kro City, teeming with dangerous elements and magic-polluted tech waste. Even I dare not venture there lightly."
Fa nodded and carefully stored the map. "We'll be cautious, Grandma."
As they prepared to leave, Grandma Inya suddenly called them back. "Wait." She pulled two small amulets from under her wings—one flickering with tech blue light, the other emanating magical silver glow. "Take these; they might save your lives in critical moments. The blue one is an energy shield generator, the silver one is an elven amulet that wards off dark magic erosion."
Taking the amulets, Fa felt a warm current spread from her hand throughout her body. She hugged the winged librarian again, then left the observatory with Aelia.
The Experience of the Forgotten String Zone
Twilight began to descend upon Kro City, the setting sun sliced into fragments by towering magical spires. Fa and Aelia passed through bustling streets, heading toward the city's edge.
The closer they got to the Forgotten String Zone, the more dilapidated the surroundings became. High-tech buildings gradually gave way to crude shacks, the hum of hovering vehicles replaced by hoarse hawking and the screech of mechanical failures. The air mixed with mechanical waste oil, magical herbs, and an indescribable foul stench.
"The magical energy here is extremely chaotic," Aelia whispered, her elven senses clearly more attuned to the environmental changes. "Multiple sources of magical energy intertwine and clash, mingled with tech radiation pollution."
Fa observed through her star eye, the scene before her overlaid with various magical and energy fields. "I see multiple magic leak points and tech radiation sources; these energies are polluting the land and water. No wonder the city guard refuses to manage this area."
They cautiously navigated piles of discarded crystal cores and broken machinery, their feet occasionally crunching on shattered magic crystals and rusted metal parts. The walls were covered in graffiti and strange symbols—some magical incantations, others tech markings.
Following Grandma Inya's directions, they arrived at a particularly rundown area. The buildings here were almost entirely collapsed, leaving only ruins interspersed with chaotic debris. In a corner, they spotted a huddled figure.
It was a frail body wrapped in a tattered cloak, with disheveled gray-white hair obscuring most of the face. He clutched a broken clay bowl, empty inside. Most striking were his exposed hands—covered in deep, bone-exposing scars that seemed to writhe with life, emanating an ominous black aura.
As Fa's star eye scanned the figure, the beggar suddenly lifted his head. Under the messy hair, a pair of milky-white eyes stared straight at Fa, his mouth twisting into a distorted smile.
"Decades... Finally, someone with the star eye has come." His voice was raspy like gravel scraping metal, yet carried an odd urgency.
Aelia's fingers subtly traced a protective incantation, but Fa gently shook her head to stop her. Fa slowly approached the beggar, her star eye examining the energy field around him. She saw the black aura constantly eroding his life force, while a strange energy sustained his existence.
"Are you Iron Claw Red?" Fa asked softly, crouching down to meet his gaze.
"Iron Claw died in Mick Forest." The beggar muttered, his trembling hand fumbling under the broken bowl to pull out a scroll. "Now only this cursed shell remains." He unrolled the paper—a hand-drawn map with twisted landmarks and symbols, centered with the words "Shadow Worm Nest" written in ink mingled with black blood.
Aelia scrutinized the map, paying special attention to the elven incantation in the corner. "This is a 'Silence Seal'; only someone who has seen the star fragment firsthand could draw such a magical mark."
"That year, my 13 brothers were all buried there." Red suddenly grabbed Fa's wrist, his fingers cold as a corpse, knuckles pressing below her star eye. "Their souls are trapped around the fragment, wandering endlessly like marionettes. And I..." He tore open his tattered collar, revealing more skin entwined with black aura. "Cursed by the fragment into this form, neither living nor dying."
Fa felt her star eye resonate with the black aura, and suddenly a series of images flooded her mind: A night where moonlight was sliced by leaves, a group of humans with glow sticks delving into the dense forest, led by a young Red with an arrogant smile; then sudden darkness swallowing the light, companions' screams and the horrifying crack of bones; finally, Red's last sight before fainting—a fragment emanating soft light, suspended atop the worm nest, beautiful and deadly like a moon in the night.
As the images faded, Fa took a deep breath and gently placed her hand over Red's black-entwined back of the hand. "Grandma Inya said only the star eye can dispel the shadow worms' haze." Her right eye emitted a soft blue light, seeming to slow the black aura's activity. "We'll seek the star fragment and let your brothers rest in peace."
Red's milky eyes seemed to glisten with tears. He fumbled in his bosom and pulled out a small glass vial containing silver liquid mixed with blue blood beads. "Pour my blood on the 'Weeping Face Fern' at the entrance to Mick Forest; it will open the hidden path for you. Remember, never light an open flame at night—the shadow worms' sense for heat is sharper than a starving wolf's."
Fa took the vial, noticing tiny specks of light suspended in the liquid, as if carriers of some magical energy. "Thank you, Mr. Red. We'll proceed carefully."
At that moment, Aelia suddenly looked up alertly. "Someone's coming—more than one, armed with weapons and magical gear."
Fa immediately saw through her star eye three figures approaching, clad in mismatched tech and magic equipment. "They probably saw us talking to Red and think we're trading something valuable."
Red tensed and huddled further. "Go quickly; they're thugs from the 'Shattered Shadow Gang,' specializing in robbing visitors to the Forgotten String Zone. Don't tangle with them."
Fa and Aelia exchanged a glance and quickly decided to leave. But as they turned, the three figures blocked their path.
The leader was a tall half-elf, one eye a mechanical prosthetic, the other glowing with magic. He held a crossbow combining tech and magic, its arrowhead wrapped in unstable energy.
"Look what we've found," the half-elf grinned, revealing metal teeth inlaid with tech. "An elf and a human, chatting with the old madman in the Forgotten String Zone. Must be some interesting deal, huh?"
Fa subtly activated Grandma Inya's amulet, an almost invisible energy field enveloping her and Aelia. "We're just here for charitable aid; no deals involved."
The second was a stout dwarf, wielding a massive power hammer embedded with glowing magic crystals. "Charitable aid?" He scoffed. "In the Forgotten String Zone? Don't lie—hand over what you got from the old madman!"
The third was a tech-augmented human, skin covered in partial tech armor and some magic tattoos. He said nothing, but the dark magical energy gathering in his hand signaled readiness to attack.
Aelia stepped forward lightly, her longbow already in hand. "We mean you no harm; please clear the way."
The half-elf laughed. "Oh, an elf wanting to fight? That's rare!" He raised his crossbow. "Last warning: hand over what you got from the old madman!"
Fa knew conflict was inevitable. She whispered to Aelia, "I'll handle the mechanical parts; you deal with the magical defenses."
As the dwarf charged with his power hammer raised, Fa drew her short blade from her waist, its tech runes igniting in blue light. She agilely sidestepped the heavy blow, her blade precisely slicing through the hammer's energy conduction lines. The magic crystals on the hammerhead flickered erratically, the energy output becoming highly unstable.
Meanwhile, Aelia chanted an elven incantation, firing several light arrows toward the half-elf's crossbow and the tech human's dark energy. The light arrows collided with the magic, creating small explosions that temporarily disrupted their attacks.
"Damn! They're not ordinary visitors!" The half-elf retreated a few steps, his mechanical eye rapidly analyzing the situation.
The dwarf tried to raise the power hammer again, but Fa's blade was already at his throat. "The next strike won't just sever energy lines." Fa's voice was calm and dangerous, her star eye flickering with data streams predicting his moves.
The tech human reformed his dark energy, but Aelia had drawn her bow fully, a shining arrow of pure light aimed at his heart. "Dark magic stands no chance against pure light," the elf said calmly. "You can try."
The half-elf gritted his teeth, weighing the odds. Finally, he gestured: "Retreat. Not worth the risk for unknowns."
The three thugs slowly backed away, vanishing into the shadows of the ruins. Fa and Aelia remained vigilant until confirming they were truly gone.
"The Forgotten String Zone is even more dangerous than legend says," Aelia whispered, her bow still at the ready. "We should leave here quickly."
Fa nodded in agreement, turning to bid Red farewell, only to find the old man gone, his broken clay bowl rolling on the ground. At the corner, a faint magical message symbol was fading—Red's last message: "Beware the Shattered Shadow Gang's revenge."
"It seems Mr. Red is more mysterious than we thought," Fa said thoughtfully. "He's not just a simple bandit leader."
Aelia examined the magical symbol closely. "This is an ancient elven cipher, unused for centuries. It means 'Where knowledge resides, danger follows.'"
The two quickly left the Forgotten String Zone, returning to the relatively safe urban areas. Night had fallen, magical street lamps lighting up one by one, intermingling with tech neon lights.
Back at Fa's residence—a studio and living space combining tech and magic—the two began preparing for tomorrow's journey to Mick Forest.
Fa's studio was filled with various tech equipment and magical artifacts, walls hung with star charts and energy flow diagrams, the workbench scattered with disassembled mechanical parts and magic crystals. Most striking was the holographic projector in the center, slowly rotating a 3D model of Planet Muret.
"This was my father's studio," Fa explained softly, a flicker of nostalgia in her eyes. "He was researching the secrets of the Heart of Stars before he disappeared."
Aelia curiously observed the equipment around her. "The elf clan rarely combines tech and magic so closely. You humans always invent astonishing things."
Fa retrieved several items from a sealed cabinet. "These are expedition gear my father designed, blending the advantages of tech and magic." She picked up what looked like an ordinary coat. "This is protective clothing, embedded with an energy barrier generator and woven with magical wards." She then took out several small devices. "These are environmental scanners, energy trackers, and emergency beacons—of course, only for emergencies."
Aelia inspected the gear carefully, her fingers tracing the magical patterns. "These designs are exquisite; magic and tech not only avoid interfering but complement each other. Your father must have been a genius."
Fa's face showed pride mixed with sorrow. "Yes, he was. Even now, I still can't understand what he discovered or why he suddenly disappeared..." She shook her head, shaking off the emotions. "Let's focus on the task at hand. What do you need to prepare?"
Aelia pulled several materials from her magical pouch. "I need to brew a potion to conceal heat energy, plus some protective and scouting magical items." She laid out shimmering powders, colored liquids, and peculiar plants on the workbench. "Can you prepare some basic tech containers for me? Magical potions can be unstable in certain environments and need tech means to preserve them."
Fa nodded and began preparing various sealed containers. The two worked side by side, tech and magic coexisting harmoniously in this small space, creating wondrous combinations.
During the preparations, Fa couldn't help but ask, "Aelia, why are you willing to help me? The elf clan usually avoids human affairs, especially such dangerous ones."
Aelia paused her work, her emerald eyes deepening. "The fragments of the Heart of Stars concern not just human fate but the elf clan's as well. In ancient prophecies, when the Heart of Stars reassembles, all races will face judgment and rebirth." She lightly touched the silver pattern on her ear tip. "As a member of the elf clan, I have a duty to ensure this process unfolds in the right direction."
Fa's eyes widened in surprise. "The right direction?"
Aelia smiled faintly. "Yes, the elf clan has waited generations for the prophesied star eye bearer to appear." Her expression grew serious. "But we must be cautious; other forces are also seeking the fragments, and their purposes may differ entirely from ours. So tomorrow, we must be extremely careful."
Fa nodded firmly. "No matter the danger, I must find the fragments. It's not just about my father's disappearance—it's about the fate of the entire planet."
After completing preparations, the two decided to rest for a few hours before departing at dawn. Fa prepared a guest room for Aelia, then returned to her own.
Lying in bed, Fa couldn't sleep. She took out the only item her father left before disappearing—a peculiar pocket watch, its dial marked not with numbers but stars. The watch's hands always pointed northwest, never changing.
"Father, what exactly did you discover?" Fa whispered to herself. The pocket watch suddenly emitted a faint glow, its hands trembling slightly, as if sensing something.
Meanwhile, in the guest room, Aelia stood by the window, gazing at the twin stars in the night sky. She softly chanted an ancient elven prayer, holding a small World Tree amulet in her hands. The amulet emitted a soft green light, resonating with the stars in the sky.
"May the World Tree guide our path; may the light of stars protect us from dark erosion," she prayed softly, her emerald eyes shining with determination.
On the other side of the city, in the shadows of the Forgotten String Zone, three figures were reporting to a hidden base beneath the ruins.
"They seem to be heading to Mick Forest," the half-elf said to a figure shrouded in darkness.
The shadow let out a low chuckle. "Good, let them lead the way. Once that elf and the star eye bearer find the fragment, we'll snatch it. Much more efficient than our aimless search."
The dwarf shifted uneasily. "But the Shadow Worm Nest is too dangerous; our people were nearly wiped out last time..."
"This time we have more people—what's there to fear?" the shadow said calmly. "And with them paving the way ahead, we just need to follow and reap the rewards."
The tech human nodded silently, the dark energy in his hand twisting and morphing.
The shadow added finally, "Track them, but don't alert them. When they find the fragment, that's when we strike."
The three thugs bowed and vanished into the darkness.
The shadow stood alone in the dark, toying with a peculiar circular device in hand.
"Soon," the shadow murmured to itself. "Once we get the star fragment, we can cash in a hefty reward and call it quits early."
Outside the window, the twin stars shone unusually bright in the night sky, heralding an extraordinary dawn. In various corners of Kro City, different forces prepared for the impending journey, as the threads of fate began weaving a story filled with danger and miracles.
Tomorrow, in the depths of Mick Forest, an adventure concerning the fate of the entire planet was about to begin.