Dr. Elock's message was extremely shocking.

Although Alice had already suspected that her father's identity was not ordinary, she had never imagined that the man who seemed to be just a small-town doctor had such a remarkable past.

A member of one of the sixteen ducal families, the second son of the Seraphio family, a chief researcher of the Empire...

Such an identity represented power and wealth. Alice could barely imagine what her father had gone through to fall from a prominent noble to a mere small-town doctor.

Even more, she couldn’t understand why the Empire would send agents to assassinate someone with such an illustrious background.

But, as it seemed, Dr. Elock had already recorded all the answers in that "research journal"...

................

"My noble origins are not worth mentioning. Although, as the second son of the direct line of the Seraphio family, I was born with the name Andal, I always knew how difficult it was to survive in a family of great nobles."

"Yes, I had a formidable elder brother, the designated heir of the family. Your father, whom you see as weak, neither had the courage nor the capability to compete with him for the title of 'Grand Duke,' so, like my other siblings, I chose an alternative path to survive."

"However, unlike your uncles and aunts, who simply indulged in worldly pleasures, I was always fascinated by biology. That’s why I decided to become a scientist, and before long, I became one of the chief researchers of the Empire's secret projects."

"To be precise, I was one of the 'front researchers' for the sixteen ducal families. After all, the Astralis Court could not conduct its research without the supervision of the dukes. Thus, fifteen other young nobles and I were sent to 'be present.' But it was precisely this opportunity, which had initially filled me with enthusiasm, that gave rise to the tragedy that haunts me to this day."

The orderly handwriting on the white paper showed that, after a brief introduction about his cruel family, Alice’s father had finally reached the central point of the matter. From this point on, his writing seemed to carry a heavier weight...

..............

"I was a high-ranking researcher. I had the right to participate in any imperial project, and unlike the other 'front researchers,' I possessed real knowledge that surpassed most of the Imperial Academy."

"I could genuinely contribute to the research of the Astralis Court! Thus, it didn’t take long before I gained access to the core of the most advanced research project of all: the study of the 'Anti-Entropy Idealistic Lifeform'!"

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"Anti-Entropy Idealistic Lifeform?"

Hadn’t her father already said that Nisha was one of them? Could this impressive research project be related to beings like Nisha, the so-called "phantoms"? Were there others like her?

Surprised, Alice looked up at little Nisha, who floated in the air with her innocent expression. Her heart felt somewhat uneasy.

She had long suspected that scientists who claimed to "explore the truths of the universe" would be interested in extraordinary beings like Nisha. And, as it seemed... she was right.

The Astralis Court had been investigating this for a long time.

"So that’s why 'no one can discover Nisha’s existence'?"

Tilting her head slightly and furrowing her brows, Alice quickly returned to reading her father’s journal.

On that cold, rainy night, for the first time, she realized that she had never truly understood the little phantom that had always been by her side. Perhaps that journal, left behind as her father’s legacy, could grant her some knowledge.

Even if that knowledge was stained with blood and tears.

..............

"In my opinion, ever since the first 'Anti-Entropy Idealistic Lifeform' was discovered about thirty years ago, the entire Astralis Court and the sixteen ducal families have gone completely mad."

"Scientists soon realized that these creatures, often called 'phantoms,' could freely alternate between reality and the intangible. More than that, they were capable of annihilating or creating energy and matter from nothing! Even if they were torn apart, in just an instant, they would regenerate by their host’s side."

"Everyone had to admit that this was a power that completely defied the laws of physics. A force so inconceivable that many scientists began to believe that these 'phantoms' possessed the true dominion of the gods. Thus, the Astralis Court named its ambitious research initiative the 'Divinity Project.'"

"The nobles and researchers wished, through the study of the 'phantoms,' to usurp divine power and even achieve immortality!"

As it detailed the shocking ambitions of the Astralis Court, Alice’s father’s journal finally revealed its most crucial content.

The arrogance of a stellar empire. The embodiment of human greed, forever insatiable. Who could say how far this secret project had already progressed? How many powerful forces were lurking in the shadows, seeking to claim the power of a "god"?

Although this information was astonishing, the truth was that Alice, lacking much experience in political intrigue, was not as shaken by the scientific aspect itself.

What truly made her fingers tremble was the remainder of that long letter—the confessions of her father, which made her feel as if the world was spinning around her.

For, on the slightly crumpled pages of the journal, the young girl, with a heavy heart, could almost picture Dr. Elock under the lamplight, using increasingly disordered handwriting to confess his sins:

"The deranged Empire used the cruelest and most violent methods to capture several girls who possessed 'Anti-Entropy Idealistic Lifeform.' They called these innocent ones 'Reverse Entropy Bearers' and decided to study them thoroughly along with their mysterious 'phantoms.'"

"Yes, Alice, you can probably already imagine how far a group of lunatics would go for unlimited power. Inhumane research methods, cruel and insane experiments... Even today, many scientists still believe they are treading the path to becoming gods. But in reality, all they did was mercilessly slaughter countless innocent girls, all in the prime of their youth."

"The most tragic and unforgivable thing of all? Eleven years ago, your father... was one of the main figures responsible for planning such atrocities!"