The horizon where the mountains meet the sky begins to lighten, with indigo clouds drifting above. Dawn is approaching. In Plato, the Plains Country, winter is giving way to spring.

A young man walks along the frost-covered road, appearing to be about eighteen. Despite the boyish softness still lingering in his features, his quiet, composed demeanour suggests a maturity beyond his years. Dark brown hair flows with the breeze.

Eventually, he reaches his destination village. Alderwick, a small settlement of about 200 people, is lined with buildings made of honey-coloured limestone.

After exchanging greetings with a man working in the fields at the entrance, the young man heads towards his home. His name is Libel. Ten years have passed since the storm on the plains.

***

As Libel opens the door, a sweet, soft, and mysterious fragrance wafts through the air. The familiar scent of home. It reminds him of spring on a clear day.

Two familiar faces are in the kitchen.

"Clara! You need to whisk the flour more carefully and quickly! If you're too slow, it’ll get lumpy!" The large woman barked instructions, to which Clara lazily replied, "Okay~."

"Good grief, what's with these embers? They're not catching fire at all! Hey! Hey! Hey! O spirits! Please help!" The large woman strikes the fire-bed with a poker.

"Hester, why don’t we open the window? I’ve read that wind and air spirits can help get the fire going. The firewood might be packed too tightly—let’s try stacking it to create some space," Libel suggested calmly, observing the fire.

"Oh my, Libel! You're already back. This child, coming home so early. Dinner isn't ready yet!" Hester embraces Libel with all her might.

"Go put your things in your room. Or do you want to eat now? We're making sweets. Clara, carry Libel's luggage! After you finish mixing the flour."

As Hester rattles on, Clara abandons the mixing bowl and rushes over. She buries her face in Libel's chest, nuzzling like a puppy.

"Did you wipe the flour off your face?" At Libel's words, Clara giggles, "Hehe."

"Hey, Clara! The flour isn't properly mixed yet!"

Hester scolds her loudly, but her face looks somewhat amused, not angry at all.

Libel and Clara head upstairs to his room. Clara follows, carrying the lightest of his bags.

"Hey, hey, Libel, how long can you stay this time?"

"Until Luminita's ceremony is over... about 7 days, I think."

"Hmm." Upon reaching the room, Clara stares intently at his face.

"Hey Libel, have you found a girlfriend? There must be lots of stylish and cute girls over there, right?"

Clara has the same pale green eyes as her sister, Luminita. With her emotions, those eyes show the tiniest changes in their sparkle.

"No, I haven’t, Clara. It’s only been six months, and I’m there to study Almatrian history," Libel replied as he started unpacking.

"Love is part of human history too," Clara flips through a book from Libel's backpack.

"It must be nice, having wonderful people and fun things in the city, and schools where you can study."

Libel pauses for a moment before stopping his hands.

"What kind of pictures have you been drawing lately?"

"Are you interested?"

"You've been getting even better recently."

"Really, really?"

"Really."

After repeating this a few times, Clara smiles contentedly.

"Recently, I’ve been using soot from burnt oil as paint, drawing things like sheep and rivers. My teacher showed me how. If you’re that keen to see, I suppose I have no choice."

Clara tugs at Libel's hand.

"But first, let's eat Hester's sweets. She says we'll eat them wrapped in cherry blossom leaves."

Clara had dashed out of the room, but she suddenly stopped, thought for a moment, then turned on her heel. She opened the door to Libel's room, which she had just left, before heading towards the kitchen. As she did so, the scent they had noticed in the kitchen when they returned home wafted through.

It was the fragrance of cherry blossoms. In spring, Alderwick's cherry trees, planted along the riverbank in the centre of the village, bloom.

Libel remembered their arrival in Alderwick. In those days, their faces were often clouded with the uncertainty of being in an unfamiliar place. Hester, concerned about Libel and the others, took them cherry blossom viewing. The noble and beautiful pink flowers, and this sweet scent, were unique to these cherry trees, said to have been sent from the Forest Country of Vernal.

When Libel glanced at Clara, she tilted her head slightly and smiled.

Libel found Clara's expression a bit puzzling. However, hearing Hester's voice calling from downstairs, they quickly headed to the kitchen.

***

In the kitchen, Hester was waiting with a frying pan and spatula at the ready. The sweet-making was still in progress. Realising this, Clara's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

While the two were making sweets, Libel decided to take care of some errands. He told them he was going to greet Elder Seron and the "Master" before leaving the house.

Walking along the river that runs through the centre of Alderwick, he saw children playing. They were barefoot in the water, gathering and stacking pebbles, or frolicking with makeshift fishing rods.

"You little brats! Don't throw rubbish in the river!" Looking towards the voice, he saw an old woman raising her cane.

"Oh no! It's Old Maura!" The children cried out in alarm.

"Listen here, I've grown up alongside this river since I was as small as you lot. Sometimes, I can hear the river spirits' voices or see their forms. If we take care of this river, we won't fall ill, and our wheat won't fail. Do you understand?" Maura quickly blocked the children's escape route and began her lecture.

"But I've never seen a river spirit before."

"We don't throw rubbish in the river, but my dad caught a cold the other day."

"I still don't really get it, but the guy next door said he saw a really strong spirit the other day!"

"Seriously? That's so cool!"

The children retorted one after another.

"You can't see the spirits because you lack respect. If you treasure nature, you should be able to see and hear them in a few years. Now, clean up the river! You can continue playing after that!" Maura swiftly brought the topic back on track.

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"We're sorry, old monster," the children said in unison.

"Who are you calling an old monster?! And you're not apologising to me! You understand?"

"Yes..." Though their response lacked enthusiasm, the children began cleaning up the river.

As Libel walked further, he saw a man sitting on a chair by the riverbank, painting. His poppy-coloured hair was tied back, and his clothes were splattered with ink and paint. "Good day, Mr. Sadias."

The painter smiled at Libel's greeting. He had moved to this village ten years before Libel and the others, and since then had been painting various scenes of Alderwick.

Peering at the canvas, Libel saw a cherry tree slightly to the right of centre. Around it, mysterious lines of light were depicted in delicate, pale watercolour strokes.

Beyond that, on the stone bridge over the river, a young couple walked hand in hand. They were probably tourists staying at the village's only inn.

At the foot of the bridge stood a small wooden shrine. Inside was a small stone statue in human form.

A passing elderly couple placed a bunch of fruit and a single flower on the stone plate in front of the statue. They knelt and offered prayers. They were known as the Fentons, and this prayer was their daily routine.

Libel reflected on the days he had grown up in this village.

Ten years ago, when Libel and the others, who were orphans, came to the village, not a single villager made an unpleasant face. They were accepted kindly, and sometimes strictly, as if they had been part of the village from the beginning. Now, Libel could match almost all the villagers' faces with their names. For Libel and his siblings, once orphans, this village might be the only place they could truly call home.

On the other hand, he also felt somewhat distant from this village. The more he lived in this village and became attached to its people, the more this feeling took on a strange outline.

Libel recalled the cherry blossom painting by Sadias. The cherry blossoms enveloped in bands of light. What could they see?

"Home..."

The light of the rising sun reflected off the flowing river, shimmering and sparkling. It beautifully illuminated the morning scenery of Alderwick.

***

Libel soon arrived at an open area atop a hill.

Two women were there. It was Phasmanicus training. The art of working with spirits, a skill known in this world as Phasmanicus.

A tall woman with glossy black hair tied up casually stood with her arms crossed.

In front of her was a familiar girl with brown hair braided into a plait.

The braided girl, Luminita, had her eyes closed and was seated with her hands forming a mudra. In front of her was a ceramic incense burner, emitting a faint smoke and the warm scent of earth.

It was training to sense the presence of wind and air-related spirits among the natural spirits.

"Luminita, can you feel it?" The black-haired woman was the person Libel and the others called "Master".

"Cloth... something like a warm membrane... I think it's flying around..." Luminita, with her eyes still closed, had beads of sweat on her forehead.

"I see. Let's stop here. We seem to have a visitor."

Luminita exhaled deeply. She seemed exhausted from the sensing training. When she noticed Libel, her face immediately brightened, but she couldn't stand up right away.

"Master, it's been a while. How are you?" Libel greeted the Master before smiling at Luminita.

"Half and half, I'd say," the Master answered. "She couldn't sense the spirits, but she certainly noticed her big brother's presence."

As the Master smiled mischievously, Luminita blushed.

"I'm sorry, teacher. We were still practising Phasmanicus."

"It's fine. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately. Let's end this morning's session here."

The Master put the lid on the incense burner, extinguishing the incense burning inside. The faint smoke and scent that had been lingering in the air gradually dissipated in the wind.

The three of them sat down.

"Three days from now, eh? Luminita's coming-of-age ceremony. This year it's at the 'Fourfold Grove', right? Have you decided on your companion?" the Master asked Luminita.

"I'd like to ask Libel."

"I see," the Master seemed to have known without asking.

"It's an old-fashioned ceremony. You just go to the ruins and communicate with some kind of spirit. It might take some time, but it's not an exam that determines pass or fail. You should take it easy."

However, Luminita's expression was serious.

"Luminita, you still haven't given up, have you?" the Master sighed and asked.

Luminita nodded quietly. For a moment, only the sound of the wind could be heard.

"What's so good about being a Hoshiwatari? They're just drifters, aren't they?"

"They brought us to this village. They introduced us to wonderful people."

Luminita looked straight into the Master's eyes.

"I've heard that story many times," the Master looked away, seeming a bit embarrassed.

"Just as we were helped, I want to do the same for someone else."

Her tone was clear, unlike her usual timid manner. When Luminita was like this, no one could dissuade her. The Master knew this.

"Do as you like," the Master smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up.

"Yes!"

The three of them chatted for a while longer. Soon, it was time to disband for breakfast.

"Libel, let’s play a quick game. If we start now, we won’t keep Hester waiting too long," the Master suggested. Luminita caught the hint and smiled at Libel before heading home.

After waiting for her braided hair to disappear in the distance, the Master began to speak.

The Master took out a wooden table with legs from her belongings and set it on the ground, beginning preparations. She produced a box containing glossy stones of two colours and shared them with Libel.

"Libel, you're going to see old man Seron later, right?" The Master pulled the box of white stones towards herself.

"Elder Seron will scold you again," Libel had the black stones.

"The old man is quick to anger. He must be over 90 by now, but he's still so lively," the Master laughed cheerfully. Then her face turned a bit serious.

"A guest has been staying with the old man since the day before yesterday. One of them had a familiar tattoo on their arm. A motif of celestial bodies. He's probably a Contezio."

The two were silent for a moment before starting the game.

Libel placed the first black stone on the board.

"How about you?" The Master followed with a white stone.

"I found two documents in the closed stacks of the academy library. They were non-circulating, so I made handwritten copies," Libel placed a black stone. Then he took out a small folded parchment from his pocket and handed it to the Master.

The Master placed a black stone and then unfolded the paper for a quick glance.

For a while after that, the two continued the game without conversation. The empty board gradually filled with black and white stones. Battles began in various areas where the stones of both sides approached each other.

"Magianicus... and this is..."

In response to the Master's words, Libel placed a white stone.

"It's close to ancient Almatrian. But I've never seen it before. Do you know how to read it... or what it means?"

"The Rain of "Sebewitalif."

The Master paused and murmured.

"What exactly is that?"

The Master fell silent at Libel's question.

"No... I feel like I've seen it somewhere... We need more confirmation. I'll ask around my acquaintances."

The Master folded the parchment back to its original state and returned it.

"Libel, I have two things to tell you. One is about Luminita. The other is..."

The Master looked at Libel with serious eyes. Then she lowered her gaze to the board.

"I was so focused on reading your handwriting that I made a mistake. Let's start over from the beginning."

"Eh, but Hester's breakfast... Also, Master, when you surrender, you're supposed to properly say 'I lost'."

"I didn't lose. I made a mistake. Use words accurately. Isn't that what I always teach you?"

By the time the warmth of the morning began to mingle gradually with the wind, the game ended and the two parted ways.

Three days passed. The day of Luminita's ceremony arrived.