Norman was lost in thought when he met the future villain.
"Mister?" Feline mumbled and tilted her head. Her crimson eyes pierced through Norman's.
A soft violet glow radiated from her, pulsing with quiet power. It bent the light around her, making her form seem slightly blurred. The aura felt alive—mysterious, dangerous, and impossible to ignore.
Feline Pendragon. Half human, half dragon.
One of the three main villains in Celestia Saga, players struggled to defeat her because of her overwhelming power, which could obliterate a nation in a single flick.
In the game's lore, she was an orphan from the moment she entered the world, abandoned by a mother who struggled with the pain of her father's departure after becoming pregnant. After her abandonment, someone took her in, but unfortunately, she faced mistreatment and was eventually sold into the slave market.
Even though life was harsh, she kept her spirits up and somehow managed to escape and gain her freedom. But then something terrible happened—she was killed by a nameless hunter in the forest near Sunhaven Town. The moment she awakened, the entire forest and Sunhaven Town were wiped out in an instant.
But Sunhaven Town wasn't mentioned in the lore, even though the awakening happened near it.
This was what Norman remembered. But why this early?
"Are you okay?" he said calmly, keeping his posture steady.
Feline's aura overwhelmed every part of the shack, even spilling outside, causing a nearby monster to retreat.
"Yes..." she mumbled. Despite her aura, she was weak and malnourished, having not eaten for days.
'She must be hungry, but I don't have food right now.'
In the distance, a familiar voice echoed.
It was Stella.
'Perfect timing!'
"Norman!" Stella shouted.
She sprinted forward, holding a basket full of ingredients. Her sweat-covered face didn't matter to her; she simply wiped it away.
Norman was astonished. Seeing her reminded him of one of his friends.
In the blink of an eye, she arrived, exhausted.
"Who is she?" she asked.
"Oh..."
Norman couldn't say Feline's name; it would probably cause trouble. But something unexpected happened.
"Christel," Feline answered.
"Christel... what a beautiful name!" Stella said joyfully. "My name is Stella!"
"Ms. please help me."
Stella glanced at Norman, and he gave a small shake of his head.
Christel darted her eyes around the shack, looking for something.
Stella noticed the girl was anxious. She patted Christel on the head to calm her down and sat her in the chair.
'Christel???' Norman widened his eyes and tilted his head.
'I'm sure she's Feline. She's half dragon and half human from what I saw in the system...'
Stella noticed the wound on her hand, the tattered clothes she wore, and the signs of her undernourishment.
"Oh, by the Great Moon! Who did this to you?!" Stella snapped.
She knelt down, took Christel's thin hands, and cast a magic spell.
"Healing!"
A soft light wrapped around the wound as she used healing magic. Warmth washed away the pain, flesh knitting together in a blink. When the glow faded, the injury was gone, as if it had never existed.
"Whoa!" Christel exclaimed in surprise.
She stood up slowly and noticed Norman staring at her. She blushed.
'Is that magic?!' he thought.
It was Norman's first time seeing real magic in real life. In his past world, magic didn't exist—it was nothing more than fiction, something he had only seen in anime and the manhwa he used to read.
'I know this game had magic, but I didn't expect it to be this cool.'
He walked beside her.
'Stella, cook some food for her. She hasn't eaten yet,' Norman tapped her shoulder. 'I'll handle this,' he whispered.
She nodded and quietly went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients.
"..."
"Hello, Feli— I mean, Christel."
Christel resembled Feline closely: white hair shimmered like snow, framing a face made striking by crimson eyes that glowed with something otherworldly—dangerous, but beautiful.
He knelt on the grainy floor.
"Did someone hurt you?" Norman asked.
"Yeah..." Christel replied.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Norman."
"Narman? Norkman?"
"No! It's Norman."
"Sorry, mister No—rman," she stuttered.
She bowed, hiding her face in embarrassment.
In the kitchen, Stella slowly scooped soup from the crockpot and took meat from the grill, placing everything onto a plate before setting it on the table.
The two were talking at the wooden chair.
"Let's eat together!" Stella said. "Come here before it gets cold."
Christel stood up immediately. Her fingers twitched, and her body trembled.
She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.
"I can't go...I need to save my sister."
"Please, help me!" she sobbed
"My sister was kidnapped."
Her voice shook with fear and anger. She had clearly been through a terrible ordeal.
Norman couldn't move his lips or body. He was powerless. He had transmigrated only an hour ago—what could a powerless person do?
The answer was simple: nothing. A powerless person could do nothing. He had been a lazy bum, a game addict who somehow gained popularity through luck.
In truth, he was scared.
'I can't—''
Stella's voice cut through his thoughts.
"I will help you!" Stella said optimistically.
Norman fixed his gaze on her. She radiated like a brilliant star, piercing through the vast emptiness.
As he looked at her, an unknown memory thundered through his mind.
• Norman meeting Stella for the first time
• Norman is fighting the bear in the forest
• ???
'Are these Norman's memories?'
He sighed and looked ahead. There was fire behind his eyes.
A sense of urgency pushed him forward. Being powerless was no longer an option.
"I will help you too."
"Norman, you can't—you're injured." Her brows knit together, and her eyes flicked around the room.
"Don't worry about me."
"Don't do anything reckless. I'm looking at you!"
Norman nodded and glanced at Christel.
"Tell me everything."
"My sister was abducted by the hunters."
"Where?" Norman asked.
"In the forest."
Christel pointed toward the forest outside.
***
The forest swallowed the moonlight, trees clawing at the sky like blackened fingers. Shadows shifted between the trunks, and the air smelled of damp earth and decay.
In a clearing, a cage of rusted iron sat half-hidden under creeping vines. Inside, a girl huddled, her hair tangled, her eyes wide and wary. She pressed herself against the bars, listening to the whispers of the forest, wondering if anyone or anything would ever find her.
Four men stood around the cage, silent and watchful, armor glinting, blades ready. Every rustle of the forest drew their sharp eye, no one would reach her unnoticed.
The girl did not flinch. Her gaze met theirs with quiet defiance, a spark that the darkness and the guards could not snuff out.
"I'm sleepy... why do I need to guard this stupid girl?" someone said.
"The boss said she was worth a hundred gold!"
"We're gonna be rich!"
"YEAHHH" someone shouted.
"..."
The four men sighted.
"Too bad our comrade got bitten by a bear!" someone said.
"Yeah, I forgot to visit him."
"I miss him."
"Man, that dude is hardworking, he even hunts on weekends," someone said.
keeek—
A man stepped forward–tall, broad-shouldered, every movement radiating strength. Just his presence silenced the space around him; it was clear he was in charge.
"Boss!"
"When is she gonna be sold?"
"The fifth day, the first week of spring, the trade is delayed because that stupid noble"
"That's a scam, boss!" someone said
"Yeah that's a scam!" someone agreed.
The boss stared at the four men.
"It was real he showed the gold, he just needed to do something," he muttered.
"Aw, so I need to endure my hunger for three days..."
"I want to buy a new dagger!"
"Yeah, I heard items tomorrow will be cheap."
"Will we participate tomorrow for the great moon?" Someone asked.
"No just guard her, I will be the one to participate." He walked down slowly as he left.
All four men also want to participate.
But they can't do anything, they are just hunters, and their boss is stronger than they are.
The boss's name is Roan.
Roan Claymore.
The first boss of Celestia Saga.