Varian had seen an inverse star in the tower.
Instead of giving off heat, it'd absorb heat. The tower had a lot of weird things, but the inverse star would rank in top 10.
This star, however, was different.
"What happened here?"
As they approached the frozen star—a humungous celestial body with a pure white landscape—they felt something sting at their vitality.
Varian and Sarah pulled back.
"This is the power of a life force controller. Long after death, the field still exists."
Isadora flew around the star and entered through a particular place that didn't appear any different. But when they followed here, the field no longer affected them.
"Just like people, there are no perfect fields. If you're alive, you could cover up or take some precautions. But this fellow is long dead. Finding the loophole in the field isn't as hard." She shrugged.
As they stepped on the surface of the frozen star, Varian and Sarah frowned.
The pulse of a power could be felt beneath the surface. It was a familiar power.
"Yes, it's me." Isadora stepped on the icy rocks and continued to move forward.
The landscape was filled with mountains, plain regions of endless ice and abrupt chasms that seemed like they'd lead straight to the core of the star.
The aura of this place was also not normal. Its like a wild beast, difficult to control, difficult to affect.
"I don't know how I ended up there, but I grew up in a primitive planet. According to them, I fell from the sky," Isadora walked in front of them with hands behind her back.
In a low voice, she narrated the day that changed her life.
"No one raised me. I was at the top of a mountain, where they could see me, but couldn't reach.
But I didn't starve. The darkness at night fed me. It kept me warm. It kept me alive.
As I grow older, I grew stronger. I don't know how or why, but when I descended the mountain, they treated me as a divine being.
I can't blame them, but because of it, I couldn't fit in. I was worshipped by people when I just yearned for people to talk to. When I did talk, things I said carelessly led to hundreds of deaths.
It was a difficult time. At some point, I began to see myself as the guardian of that planet.
…Much like you."
Isadora stopped in front of a huge ice mountain and gave Varian a long stare.
With a long sigh, she send a few strands of darkness inside before motioning for them to follow.
"But I was also different. You see, some envoys visited the stray planet at some point.
They noticed how strong I was for my age. I was…12, I think and a mortal rank 3, in your terms, a level 9.
So, they made a deal. Those powerful celestial rankers agreed not to kill those people who I wanted to protect and leave the planet unharmed.
The condition was to fight in the Pala kingdom's tournament. It's a long event, a regular event. The real nobles of the kingdom don't pay much attention to it, but for the normal people, it's a great source of joy. "
As they walked deeper into the cave, her hazy voice echoed.
Varian couldn't see her face. But he thought she must be showing a sad expression.
A 12 year old blackmailed to fight in a tournmanet. And it's not as nice as she made it sound. It's a life and death competition.
Varian took a deep breath. He couldn't imagine what she had to go through.
Looking at her back, he felt like he was seeing the silhouttee of a little girl, without any friends or family, weilding a sword to protect the world she grew up with.
Accepting a competition that could risk her life, what was that little girl thinking?
"The tournament was supposed to end in ten years. I reached rank 1 in the third year and rank 2 in the seventh year. By chance, a noble woman who you wouldn't expect to be in the tournament noticed my speed of progress.
A 19-year Rank 2.
It's not completely possible, some races could do it. But I was a weed. Not a homegrown flower.
I intriuged her. She took me in."
Isadora's nostalgic narration stopped for a moment before it cracked slightly.
"I called her…mother. The woman taught me everything. I didn't know it until then but I began to realize, what a family meant. She was my mother. I was her daughter.
She loved me. I loved her. She had no one else. I had no one else. We are each other's everything. We are our family."
She paused for a few moments and sighed. "I wanted to make her proud. I trained. I grew strong.
My speed slowed down considerably after I reached celestial ranks. My origin was growing unstable. I needed the powers of order and chaos to solve the problem.
I managed to tap into two more paths, which I kept hidden from everyone. Even her. I feared for her life.
Somehow, things worked out.
I saved two orphan girls from horrible fates and admitted them to an elite organization of the kingdom.
I had a friend, I think.
My mother adopted another girl. I got a sister. I swore to protect her with my life."
Varian heard the affection in her voice. It was deep, strong and protective. Isadora never spoke like that before. She was showing them an emotional side she always hid.
Sarah who usually had small fights with Isadora maintained silence and didn't poke her painful sides.
"Five hundred years ago, the war was tough. A peak rank 9 managed to infiltrate the borders. I was dispatched to take care of the enemy. Even though I had three paths, it was a tough battle for me. When I was returning, I was told that my sister was kidnapped."
