A while after nightfall, Mia pulled out the sleeping mat she had found in the Cave of Learning.
Looking at the fabric, which would turn to powder if rubbed at the edges, Mia briefly reminisced about her days before reincarnation.
But what could be done?
One must always move forward.
“Sigh—” With a long sigh, she lay down on the sleeping mat.
Soft grass collected nearby was spread underneath; while it couldn’t be called comfortable, it wasn’t exactly miserable to sleep on either.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Mia saw Wilden sitting on the ground leaning against a pillar, with some of his weapons still on him.
“Someone has to keep watch, right?” Mia looked to the side; Kalé had already crawled into his branch tent, and the nomadic merchant’s donkey was lying on the ground, its ears twitching.
“Alright then.” Mia acquiesced to Wilden’s action and lay back down.
Staring at the starless night sky, after experiencing so much, she finally had time to seriously contemplate her situation.
Reminiscence of the past and worry for the future made the young girl toss and turn, unable to sleep.
This was her first time…
her first time in two lives camping in the wild.
Perhaps she lacked a sense of security?
Mia forced herself to close her eyes, entering a less-than-beautiful dreamland amidst the crackling of the campfire.
— After an unknown amount of time, Mia opened her eyes.
The campfire had gone out, and the long night still lingered.
The girl sat up, looking around in confusion.
It was as if a veil had been draped before her; everything looked misty.
It wasn’t until she stood up that she realized the mist only floated below her knees.
It was as if she had entered a fairyland, with a refreshing, delicate fragrance lingering at the tip of her nose.
But she was indeed supposed to be at the Church of Elleh.
Kalé was lying in his small tent, with only his feet showing, appearing to be in a deep sleep.
Wilden, who said he would keep watch, was leaning against the base of a wall with his eyes closed.
What happened?
“Tarnished, come here, please.” A soft, ethereal voice pierced through the mist and reached Mia’s ears.
Looking toward the sound, she saw a woman sitting on the broken wall of the church.
She wore a long white robe and a large, pointed hat.
Even without announcing her name, one could tell this was a witch’s attire.
‘At a time like this…’ Having woken up for unknown reasons and still feeling somewhat hazy, Mia walked toward the woman as instructed.
Standing beneath the low wall, Mia saw that her face was not the usual flesh color of humans, but a deep blue like polar ice.
She also had four hands, which peeked out playfully from beneath her thick cloak—two resting on her knees and two pressed together at her chest.
Her face was as exquisite as a doll’s; anyone, regardless of gender, would be drawn to her appearance and unable to look away.
But what was most unforgettable was her one closed eye.
Mia walked to the low wall and looked up at her.
“I believe this is our first meeting.
I am the witch Renna.” The witch calling herself Renna spoke of her own accord.
“I heard that the unknown scion has returned to The Lands Between.
It took me some time to find you.
It seems it is indeed you.” “What?” Mia frowned in confusion.
Is there something wrong with the lines?
Why are they different from what she remembered?
Furthermore, the timing of the witch’s appearance was also different from her memory.
Watching her reaction, the witch said, “Do you not know?
Is it that you have forgotten, or perhaps, she never told you?” “What does that mean?” Mia pressed.
The witch Renna did not answer, continuing to herself, “I have items to hand over to you, entrusted to me by that Soldier.” She reached out, holding a bell in one hand and a small box in the other.
“This item is called the spirit calling bell.
From it, you can summon spirits from ashes that have not returned to the Erdtree.
Those spirits will temporarily recognize you as their master and recreate their battle forms from when they were alive…” After speaking, she paused.
“Use them as you see fit.” With that, she placed the two items on the stone bricks beside her, clearly intending for Mia to take them herself.
“Excuse me…” Seeing that Renna was about to say her exit line, Mia could no longer wait and spoke up.
“What exactly did you mean just now?
What have I forgotten?” Do not blame Mia for her urgency.
Because from Renna’s words, she heard that her transmigration seemed to involve someone else’s deeper scheme.
“Perhaps she did not tell you because she had her own considerations.” “Can you be a bit clearer?” “That is all for now.
I expect we shall meet again.
Until then, enjoy the taste of The Lands Between.” “Wait, Ranni—” Watching Renna, who had already spoken her exit words, Mia urgently tried to make her stay, even calling out the witch’s true name.
She had too many unresolved doubts.
Ranni’s appearance had directly dragged her into a mystery.
“Oh?
It seems you are not entirely ignorant after all.” But Ranni only smiled with interest, showing no intention of staying.
Her body had already begun to gradually vanish.
“I look forward to it.
What, in the end, will you choose to become?” The witch Renna—Lunar Princess Ranni—disappeared, leaving two items on the low wall.
And Mia remained in a state of bewilderment.
Riddle after riddle, and Ranni was not an NPC.
She wouldn’t wait for Mia to fully digest one sentence before saying the next.
Mia felt like her brain capacity was almost at its limit.
Ranni had been gone for a long time, but she was still pacing anxiously under the night sky.
‘Unknown scion…’ Was she talking about me?
Who is’she’?
Did her transmigration have some hidden secret?
“Scion…
scion…
she…” “Whose scion would I be?” “Hers?” Suddenly, Mia stopped.
She twisted the tips of her golden hair with her fingers and turned to look at that magnificent, radiant tree.