Although the journey was not far, walking through the forest was still quite difficult for a five-year-old child.
The woods outside the town were not some carefully landscaped park.
They formed a true wild forest filled with countless ancient trees whose branches created a vast, vibrant green world.
Even an adult would tire after exploring it for long.
Yet Edward had no intention of turning back.
He forged ahead, stepping through mud and soft earth, pushing aside branches with his small strength wherever they blocked his path.
Children often become fixated on things for no clear reason.
He listened to the rustle of dry leaves beneath his feet and breathed in the fresh forest air.
The interlocking branches formed a lush green canopy high above.
It felt as if he had stepped into a living fairy tale.
The sweet fragrance of nature surrounded him in this peaceful paradise.
He felt the soft soil under his feet, listened to the gentle sounds of the forest, and breathed in the fresh scent of dew.
Finally, he reached the tallest ash tree.
However, falling leaves momentarily blocked his view.
Edward raised his small hand to shield his eyes.
At that moment, a gentle breeze swept through, parting the leaves and revealing a clear scene before him.
Countless streams glittered like trails of falling stars.
Their surfaces shimmered with scattered specks of silver light, tinted with a soft ethereal blue.
Warm sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, creating a beautiful play of light and shadow.
In that peaceful spot, a girl dressed in pink lay quietly, her eyes still closed in sleep.
She blended perfectly with the surrounding nature.
The breeze carried swirling flower petals that gently danced around her.
Her silky pink hair, as if infused with the sweet scent of countless blossoms, was softly stirred by the wind and petals, adding a pure glow to her flawless face.
It felt like he had wandered into a storybook world.
At that moment, something deep within Edward stirred.
His very first true sense of beauty awakened inside him.
Without realizing it, he had already walked closer.
His black shoes stepped lightly across the green leaves, which looked even more beautiful in the dappled sunlight.
Suddenly, a creaking sound broke the silence.
Edward’s reverie shattered.
He lifted his head and, with the sharp senses of a child, quickly located the source of the noise.
High up in the dreamlike tree, a large branch hung precariously.
Only a few thin fibers still held it in place.
It looked as though it could fall at any second.
And directly beneath that dangerous branch was the sleeping girl.
A gentle breeze blew past.
With a dry snapping sound, the branch finally gave way and plummeted downward.
The falling branch whistled faintly through the air.
To the forest, a single broken branch was nothing unusual.
But if it struck the girl, it would hurt her badly.
She would probably cry.
Edward instinctively closed his eyes for a brief moment, not wanting to see it happen.
Yet his body moved forward on its own.
Just as the wind brushed past his hair, the expected sound of impact never came.
Instead, a wonderfully sweet fragrance, like pure honey, filled his senses.
After a few seconds of silence, no cry of pain rang out.
Edward opened his eyes.
He had somehow caught the fallen branch.
The girl beneath the tree had awakened.
She stared at him with clear, beautiful powder-blue eyes.
For a moment, the entire world seemed to stop.
His dark eyes met her ocean-blue gaze.
Then Edward gently extended his right hand and, following a strange impulse, spoke.
“Hello.”
“My name is Edward.”
“Will you come with me?”
In her star-like azure eyes, she saw his gentle smile and the hand he offered.
Time began to move once more.
===
A distant dawn, a gentle spring breeze, a lush green forest, and flowers dancing in the wind.
And most importantly, a flawless girl.
In her azure, star-like eyes, she saw only the boy standing close by: his gentle blue eyes, the warm smile on his lips, and his outstretched hand.
He had stepped out from the shadows of the thicket, past thorns and tall grass, like a prince walking toward the light.
The girl, who had only just come into this world and had not yet fully understood herself, followed the purest feeling in her heart.
She slowly reached out her small hand.
“Then…”
“I’ve decided.”
Edward carefully took her tiny fingers in his, as gently as if he were holding a delicate flower.
Her hand felt incredibly soft and warm.
[This is your first encounter with the girl.
Elysia’s originally brilliant and flawless life has now taken an unknown turn.]
[In this dreamlike meeting, Edward chose to bring this abandoned infant he found in the woods back to his home.]
This action was completely different from what he remembered.
It was not a staff member who found her, but a young boy named Edward.
She did not go to an orphanage.
Instead, he brought her to his own home.
To the young boy, whose innocent mind still saw his parents’ house as the safest place in the world, this felt completely natural.
This was another strange deviation.
In a sense, Elysia could only watch this scene like a dream.
She blinked her colorful eyes slowly, looking somewhat dazed.
The butterfly effect, probability… many explanations could fit, yet none could account for the sudden appearance of this strange boy.
A boy who had never existed in her memories.
Even with her extraordinary talent for making friends, she could not recall him at all.
It was very strange.
However…
At this moment, only one thought filled the girl’s mind.
Ah…
So…
Was I really this cute when I was found?
[Edward’s decision was quite bold for a child his age.
Even if it was a bit naive, bringing home a baby and asking his parents to raise her would normally cause quite a shock.]
[Fortunately, his parents were kind people.
They immediately took a liking to the adorable infant.]
[They did not mind that she had been abandoned and agreed to adopt her.]
[Do you agree?]
“Hmm…”
The girl hesitated for a rare moment.
She pressed her delicate finger against her lips, which curved into a faint, charming smile.
This was undoubtedly an important choice.
For most people, such a decision could change their entire life, including their name and their future.
“Alright then~?”
For Elysia, there was little difference between a grand, noble identity and a simple one.
Her true plan to change the world would still require her to leave home one day and meet those destined to shape the future.
No matter her identity in this town, it would not stop her from visiting her friends at the orphanage or the director who had taken her in.
[I agree.]
===
“That’s pretty good.
We can travel together.”
[At six years old, the new addition to your home did not disrupt your daily life.
However, you began to prefer staying indoors.
You spent more time at home watching Elysia or reading books far beyond your age.]
[Whenever you sat down to read those advanced books, the girl would lie beside you on the bed, resting her chubby cheeks in her hands as she looked at the pages with you.
Her little legs would wiggle constantly.]
[Though it looked like she was reading, her bright azure eyes rarely stayed on the book for long.]
[The girl remains very attached to you.]
[Is it because you were the first person she met and the one who invited her to come along?]
[At seven years old, you had a very healthy year.
Your strength and speed improved noticeably, and it was time to begin elementary school.]
[You did not want to attend school in person.
Although your parents were hesitant at first, your talent was truly exceptional.
You could easily answer questions meant for much older students.
In the end, they respected your wishes, and the school made an exception allowing you to study at home.]
[At eight years old, Elysia had begun to speak clearly.
Her voice seemed to carry a special charm that could make anyone smile.
Everyone in the small town adored her.]
[Your relationship with her was excellent.
You cared for her diligently, treating her as your own family.]
[Perhaps there truly was some kind of imprinting from being the first person she saw.]
[The bond between you and the girl was incredibly strong.]
[At nine years old, you devoted even more energy to studying, trying to develop your intelligence as much as possible and testing whether you might excel in academic fields.]
[At ten years old, you came to understand that you only possessed ordinary human intelligence.
After accepting this limit, you chose to focus more of your attention on Elysia.]
[Compared to those with special advantages, the limits of normal human intellect felt rather small.
Although you had some talent, it was still within the range of ordinary people.]
[No matter how hard you tried, you were unlikely to become a central figure who could guide the flow of an entire era, like the protagonists written about in history.]
[In that case, it felt more meaningful to simply spend your time accompanying the girl]
[You still remembered how she would walk barefoot with you through the stream, catching fish and doing all kinds of simple, meaningless things together.]
[She would sometimes step on slippery moss-covered stones, lose her balance, and fall into the water with a splash.
She would then lie on her back, staring up at the sky.
The sound of the flowing stream was crisp and clear beneath the orange sunlight filtered through white clouds.]
[Whenever this happened, you would invite her to play in the town’s only swimming pool, telling her that she was already wet anyway.]
[In truth, you simply wanted to cheer her up and keep her from feeling sad.]
[When you swam, you liked to dive to the bottom of the pool, then turn over and float there for a while, gazing up at the pool lights through the water.
The warm yellow glow mixed with the soft blue, while the bubbles you released rose like tiny jellyfish before vanishing.
The scene felt almost magical.]
[This peaceful and wonderful life continued until one ordinary day in September.]
[The girl who had always stayed close to you and loved accompanying you suddenly seemed to change completely.]