A strange ceiling.

Loran Hill opened his eyes and looked at the draped gauze curtains above him. The soft quilt and mattress were warm, and the square pillows carried a faint scent of lavender. Moonlight streamed in through the transparent windows, casting a chilling shadow on the walls. Sandalwood tables and chairs filled the room, and exquisitely decorated oil paintings hung on the walls. A copper incense burner sat not far from the bed, emitting wisps of heat and a faint, soothing fragrance. Only a hint of light shone through the hollow copper patterns. It looked like an alchemical artifact.

Where is this place? Feeling a little unfamiliar, Luo Lanxier supported himself with his hands, sat up, turned his head and looked around, recalling the memories before he fell asleep.

I was probably at the Winter Festival party at the time. For some reason, when I saw those flying figures, I felt a strong sense of nausea and vomiting, and then my consciousness gradually became dizzy and blurred.

The person sitting next to me at that time was Frosia. Could it be that she was the one who sent me back?

After shaking his head and becoming a little more sober, Loranhill roughly guessed what happened next. It must be Frosia who sent him back, which means this is where she lives. No wonder it is so luxurious.

Pulling back the quilt, she slowly got out of bed and looked at the world outside the window. Branches and trees covered with a little snow filled her sight. It seemed that she was in the forest, and the place with the most trees in Emenas was naturally the Walled City Academy.

Pulling the bolt and gently pushing open the window, a hint of green flashed in Loran Hill's eyes. The breeze blew through her fingers and surrounded the woods. She closed her eyes and sensed the surrounding situation.

The moonlit forest was cool and quiet. A small building constructed of white stone bricks tucked away halfway up the mountain. Through the tall trees that obscured the view, one could see Jingyue Lake in the distance. Yesterday's massive stone pillars had long since vanished, leaving the lake as tranquil as a mirror. A large castle stood by the lake, its form graceful and unassuming. Green moss could occasionally be seen between the cracks in the masonry. A few lights lit the castle, lending a touch of warmth in the darkness.

Retracting her cold fingers, Loran Hill closed the window again. Since Froshia had taken her in, she decided to sleep here peacefully tonight. She wasn't the type to be picky about her bed, and she didn't want to bother someone so late. She said she wanted to go home, so she decided to save herself some trouble.

Resting her head on a light purple pillow, the silver-haired girl slowly fell asleep, her fair face soft and dreamy.

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The next morning.

After sleeping for a long time, Loran Hill woke up very early today, but she didn't get up immediately because it was cold outside the quilt.

The girl lying on the bed was thinking about what happened last night. After reading the classics for some time, she actually had some understanding of the so-called "chaos phantom".

Mana is a special substance or energy that can only be mobilized and condensed by beings possessing souls or consciousness. This is why, despite the existence of mana in the world of Ivar, no objects have ever become spirits. Even plants, though possessing a weak consciousness, still possess it, which is why a small number of extraordinary plants are born. Otherwise, like stone, no matter how long it is immersed in mana, it will never become an extraordinary object.

Inferring from this, while the 'Chaos Phantom' appears to be devoid of intelligence, it must also be a living being, possessing consciousness. Ancient peoples burned creatures infected by the Chaos Phantom, and the resulting dust still possessed the ability to corrode and infect. If the 'Chaos Phantom' were a single entity, then after being shattered into such tiny particles, it should have long since died.

However, as a being capable of disrupting and mobilizing mana, it clearly possesses consciousness, meaning it's alive. Since it's alive, and even after being divided into countless small pieces, it remains alive, meaning it existed as countless small individuals (particles) from the very beginning. Therefore, attaching itself to a larger entity causes the latter to appear chaotic and distorted.

There weren't many 'chaos phantoms' at the beginning, but they gradually multiplied and spread after continuous erosion and infection.

If we think about this process carefully, it is like turning large, rational souls into small and chaotic individuals like ourselves, just like a virus.

And most of the existing 'chaos phantoms' were transformed from those years, that is to say.

These 'chaotic phantoms' are actually the remnants of the human soul.

Or to be more precise, it is the mutated soul residue of past creatures.

So, where did the original 'chaos phantom' come from?

They passed through the vortex, crossed the boundaries of space and time, and landed here. —Inscriptions from the ruins of the ancient Giant King's Court

A giant dragon fell from the starry sky to the earth, wailing as it died. Its wings were already rotten and broken, and twisted maggots crawled out of its corpse, spreading across the world. —Ancient Inscriptions of the Eastern Continent

The Chaos Phantoms were devoid of intelligence, or rather, lacked much rationality. They were incapable of strategizing or complex thinking, which is why they were able to extinguish the turmoil that swept across the world during the catastrophe thousands of years ago.

They instinctively pursue pure souls, or the power of the world, eager to devour them. And after devouring them, the "Chaos Phantom" seems to become smarter and more rational? - "The Fifth Large-Scale Survey on Chaos Disaster"

I boldly speculate that these initial 'chaos phantoms' may have been created or produced by a race that had once traveled deeply into the realm of the extraordinary. — "Summary of the Great Sage Junanna at the Post-War Conference"

While thinking and organizing the memories and thoughts in my mind, the door of the room opened.

Golden spiral hair draped over an elegant white long skirt with light green decorations and patterns on the edges. As she walked in, a fresh floral fragrance slowly wafted over, and blue eyes like lake water came into Luo Xier's sight.

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