The climate on the planet Nomeka had always been humid and rainy, but that night, since the late afternoon, the rain began to fall gently from the gray sky.

The fine winter rain was always cold and biting, with each drop feeling like a crystal of liquid ice. They fell from the sky indiscriminately, soaking the green bushes, penetrating the soft soil, and washing away the bloodstains on the ground.

Yes, just like water passing through a bucket of spilled red paint, the ground of residence 158 was covered in a layer of this red paint, and although the colors had softened and quieted under the rain’s current, it was precisely because of the water that each drop of blood seemed more penetrating, reaching deep into the heart.

It looked like a true slaughterhouse.

Irregular pieces of flesh were scattered throughout the garden, and several weapons, with sparks flying from them, were shattered.

Although the rain had softened the scent of blood, the scene still starkly contrasted with the once-welcoming garden, now filled with the flowers of "Winter Arrived."

Undoubtedly, this was Alice’s house, which had just finished a battle.

The young girl stood at the door of the house, unharmed, while her enemies had been completely defeated by Nisha.

She had won decisively, but... the emotion filling the girl’s heart held no joy.

For at that moment, the door to her house was open, and inside the living room, with the floor covered in blood and shattered glass reflecting the cold light, lay the lifeless body of a man, dressed in an immaculate suit.

It was Alice’s father.

From the objects near the corpse, a metal suitcase and a cellphone, it was clear that the mysterious Mr. Elock had already sensed something was wrong before the crisis arrived.

He had probably been at home, hurriedly packing his suitcase and trying to call Alice’s teacher to inform them that she needed to miss school.

But unfortunately, before he could make the call, imperial secret agents had invaded the house, breaking the window...

What happened afterward, of course, goes without saying.

The little girl clearly remembered a week ago when her father told her that white-collared shirts matched better with navy blue ties.

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But now... the collar, once pristine, was stained with a dark red, and the navy blue tie was submerged in a pool of blood.

It was evident that Dr. Elock, with a bloody hole in the back of his neck, was dead.

"..."

"Plop, plop."

Alice, without saying a word, entered the dark room and stood there, staring at her father’s body. Her mind was completely empty, cold as ice.

She didn’t know what to think or what to do.

It was impossible to accept that the man who had always raised her, waking up early every day to make breakfast, was now dead.

It was impossible to accept that her father had died silently in the living room of their home, at the hands of mysterious men.

Up until now, Alice, with Nisha’s help, had easily defeated the imperial agents who had invaded her house, but even with her extraordinary power, no one could bring the dead back.

That cold and rainy winter night, Alice truly lost her peaceful life and her warm home.

She had also lost her father.

"..."

"Nisha, Nisha, listen to me, we need to escape now! In Law class, the professor said that the imperial guard’s tactical glasses can transmit everything they see in real time to data terminals. These glasses must have this function as well. What happened here must have already reached the kingdom, and my father always asked me to hide his existence because the empire must have a way to deal with you... so... so we need to leave before the imperial army arrives. Father... father is really... really dead, but... sniff sniff... You and I still need to live. We need to get out of here..."

With a choked voice, Alice shared her pain with Nisha, tears gleaming on her pale face. In the end, even though she couldn’t fully express her words, she couldn’t help but cry.

Although her above-average intelligence still made her take rational decisions, for a girl only eleven years old, the death of her father was still an incredibly painful blow.

"..."

The rain outside only intensified.

The soft sound of water soon turned into the roar of running water, and thunder began to tear through the sky, accompanied by lightning that ripped through the dark clouds. The stormy night seemed like a hungry monster letting out a cry of agony.

And that dark and cold night, Alice, with a silver suitcase, walked silently down the deserted street. Even with Nisha acting as an improvised umbrella, the girl still stepped heavily on the slippery ground.

Alice, driven by an internal force to leave her home and her father’s body behind, took nothing but the suitcase.

She knew that any valid document from the Kingdom of Astralis, like an identity card or a bank card, contained a “resident locator” system.

Therefore, anything identifiable, such as the student card or public transport card, should be left behind. From now on, she would have to learn to protect herself.

But... the Astralis system dominated the entire Avril region. For a girl only eleven years old, where could she go?

"Anyway, I need to catch the magnetic train first. Let’s leave Avril, and then we’ll figure out what to do. Maybe the kingdom has frozen my father’s assets, but I still have some money to buy the ticket. This suitcase prepared by my father must have some money in it. If not..."

As she spoke, lost in her thoughts, Alice tried to express her plan to Nisha, although in reality, she was just talking to herself, since the little ghost still didn’t understand concepts like money.

But now... it didn’t matter if Nisha understood her complicated words or not. He was the only one she could confide in.