The sun of this world shall eventually return, ushering in that long Second Dawn...
Fuguang—or perhaps Danxi—the world's first and last "Sun," fell upon the wilderness.
Its body grew heavy, soaked with primordial sorrow.
The wind blew from the west of the wilderness, causing the dark green moss grass to roll like waves of wheat, tickling the damp wings of the Golden Crow.
Before long, the lonely steppe caught fire; it was the exaggerated body heat of the "Sun" that ignited the grasslands.
High above the meadow plateau, the stars revolved in the night sky.
The mountains sang: "...Good."
The sound was deep and low, echoing like an ancient, distant bell.
The carriage of the "Sun"—magnificent and grand, meant to run along the celestial tracks—was now scattered to pieces from the high-speed impact, unrecognizable.
The world had lost its sun.
And so, eternal darkness descended.
The shepherd named Cecia watched all of this in silence, then raised a blade and ended her own life.
...
Morning.
Inside an extraordinarily ordinary home in the city of Asgard.
【93 days remaining until maximum health reaches zero】
Cecia stared at the numbers in front of her for a few seconds before lowering her head to continue poking at the potatoes in the charcoal fire with a wooden stick.
She was about to die.
But breakfast still had to be eaten.
There was no salt, no seasonings at all—just potatoes roasting in the embers.
She manipulated the fire element within the embers, adjusting the heat.
Sparks occasionally burst from the charcoal.
When the potatoes were nearly done, Cecia let out a long sigh and looked at her panel once again.
【Name: Cecia Laplace】
【Age: 12】
【Class: Sun】
【Realm: Realm Zero】
【Spell: Fireball Lv. 1】
【Skill: Burnt Offering Lv. 1, Meditation Lv. 3】
【Status: Abyss Erosion (Continuously drains the host's maximum health; effect increases over time. 93 days remaining until completely drained)】
【Talent: Light Element Affinity, Fire Element Affinity, Light Element Resistance, Fire Element Resistance, Enhanced Learning Ability】
The girl's worry stemmed from the shocking warning on her system panel.
She had only ninety-some days of life remaining, with no idea how to extend it.
Once time ran out, she would die.
Today was Cecia's second day in this world.
The day before yesterday, she had been sleeping soundly in another world. When she opened her eyes again, what she saw was a sun crashing down to earth.
Cecia was unlucky, and her body's original owner hadn't fared any better.
She had simply been herding sheep on the steppe to help support her family, only to accidentally stumble into an earth-shattering battle—the sun in the sky plummeted straight to the ground, looking like an overcooked tomato smashed in an iron pot.
Immediately after, a large swarm of abyssal fiends, demon archdukes, and similar monstrosities closed in.
Realizing that if she fell into the hands of demons, even her soul might never find peace, the original owner chose to take her own life.
And at the precise moment her soul departed, the fallen sun seemed to make one final choice.
A power that Cecia still couldn't comprehend crossed two worlds, forcibly dragging her consciousness into this newly vacant body.
By the time Cecia was fully conscious, it was all over.
She had acquired the 【Sun】 class, along with several skills and talents.
She guessed that during its desperate death match against the abyssal monsters, the fallen sun had wiped out most of the creatures on the steppe, before succumbing to magic exhaustion and lethal poison itself.
In its final moments, it transferred a portion of its power and authority to Cecia, along with the abyssal curse.
This was the origin of the 【Abyss Erosion】 on Cecia's body.
It wasn't entirely bad news, though. At least Cecia gained Fire Element Affinity and picked up Fireball for free, allowing her to roast potatoes to perfection.
Come on, in a world of swords and magic, learning a magical spell was a rare blessing that people would beg on their knees for.
Cecia was already better off than most ordinary people.
After all, when it came to roasting potatoes alone, probably no one in all of Asgard could do it better than Cecia.
The potatoes were finally cooked. Cecia didn't even care that they were piping hot and grabbed them with her bare hands—after all, with her elemental resistance, she wasn't afraid of heat in the slightest.
Before she could take more than a few bites, a knock sounded at the door.
Cecia opened the door and saw a girl a head shorter than her, yet possessing an air of maturity well beyond her years.
The girl was dressed impeccably in a frilled dress that reached her calves, adorned with a delicate and refined bow at her chest.
The newcomer was named Scarlett.
Cecia remembered her.
Scarlett took in Cecia's current state, swallowing her words before they could leave her mouth.
The Cecia standing before her was tall, her eyes filled with an indescribable melancholy. Though her hair wasn't messy, her downcast gray eyes added a touch of detachment to her melancholy.
Scarlett didn't dare look at Cecia any longer, her cheeks growing slightly flush.
She still remembered when she first enrolled, full of anxiety in an unfamiliar environment. It was this senior schoolmate in front of her who had guided her through the procedures and routines.
Senior Cecia seemed so crestfallen now, and Scarlett felt a sharp pang in her heart.
“Miss Scarlett, it's the weekend. What brings you to see me?”
Cecia asked as she munched on her potato, somewhat puzzled as to why this young noble lady had come to the slums to visit her.
Scarlett tapped the tips of her round-toed leather shoes together.
Steeling herself, she raised her head to look at Cecia and got straight to the point:
“It's about... the magic exam.”
Scarlett's voice wasn't loud; in fact, it sounded a bit tense.
She was worried—after all, if her senior was expelled, she wouldn't be able to see her anymore.
Cecia had been stuck at Realm Zero for too long. If she placed last again on this final exam, she would face expulsion.
For someone like Cecia, who came from an ordinary family, this meant she would no longer have access to the free meditation materials and esoteric texts provided by the academy.
The original owner had always viewed this exam as a trial to change her destiny.
In a world of swords and magic full of peril, how could one survive without power to protect oneself?
At this thought, Cecia's heart tightened as well.
“Thank you for making a special trip to remind me, Miss Scarlett.”
Cecia stepped aside to open a path.
“Come in. It's windy outside.”
The interior was dim. Cecia offered the only presentable chair to Scarlett while she leaned against the side, continuing to eat her potato.
“The exam date has been set. There are twenty days left.”
Scarlett pulled a sheet of paper from her small leather bag.
It was a retake notice, stamped with the bright red seal of the Magic Academy.
“Dean Rowan asked me to notify you.”
Scarlett paused before continuing:
“The format is the same as before: a one-on-one duel. If you win, you pass.”
Scarlett sat properly, glancing around her surroundings.
The furniture was meager, and the walls were mottled and far from clean.
Cecia had always held a special place in Scarlett's heart.
However, half a year ago, Senior Cecia suffered some unknown misfortune. She began taking frequent leaves of absence, her grades plummeted, and the two grew distant.
Now, Scarlett couldn't hold back any longer:
“Senior Cecia, have you run into some kind of trouble? If... I mean, if you need any help, you can come to me anytime.”
Cecia froze for a moment.
Scarlett Roland was the young lady of the Roland family. When they first met, Cecia had been riding high—ranking near the top of the academy, with an intimidating Meditation level of Lv. 3.
Because of this, the academy had dispatched Cecia, an outstanding student, to serve as Scarlett's guide around campus.
Who could have guessed that Scarlett would come looking for Cecia every few days to hang out, bringing along delicate snacks? Over time, a genuine friendship developed between them.
Later, however, Cecia's father passed away in an accident, stripping her household of its primary source of income overnight.
The original owner was forced to take frequent leaves to herd sheep and work odd jobs to keep the household afloat.
As for why she didn't ask the little rich girl in front of her for help?
Cecia guessed the original owner simply possessed her own quiet pride.
With more and more absences, she fell behind on textbooks, meditation materials, and training classes, until her academic standing slipped away piece by piece.
Fortunately, her foundation remained intact, keeping her Meditation level at Lv. 3.
Now that Cecia was in her shoes, she found herself in a bit of a dilemma too.
After all, what had happened to her was far too bizarre. Neither the 【Sun】 class nor the 【Abyss Erosion】 could ever see the light of day, and she really didn't want to drag innocent people into this mess.
“Don't worry, I'm completely fine.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Cecia opened her palm, and a vibrant, powerful flame suddenly burst forth.
Scarlett was visibly startled.
“See? Passing the exam shouldn't be an issue.”
Cecia flashed a confident smile.
“Senior... when did you learn this spell?”
Scarlett stammered slightly.
Cecia smiled calmly.
“There was a little accident two days ago, and I suddenly picked it up.”
As for whether a sun falling from the sky counted as "a little accident"...
It probably did.
In all honesty, thanks to her extremely high Fire Element Affinity, her combat power had taken a qualitative leap.
Moreover, the original owner's Meditation level was as high as Lv. 3, allowing her to draw upon far more mana than most apprentices in the academy.
Once the Sun class provided her with an innate spell, the solid foundation left by the original owner truly came to light.
“In that case, I won't worry too much. If you need anything, come to the Roland household to find me anytime. Got it?”
Cecia nodded solemnly.
Reaching the door, Scarlett suddenly turned back, as if making up her mind about something huge:
“Senior Cecia... are you going back to school for classes next Monday?”
Cecia froze for a second:
“Um, yes...”
“Then next Monday will be just like before! Let's go to school together!”
“Sure, but you don't have to be so solemn about it...”
Upon hearing Cecia's promise, Scarlett dashed off like the wind, looking equal parts shy and afraid.
As she departed, Scarlett wondered if it was just her imagination—
Deep within Cecia's pale gray eyes, there seemed to flicker a faint, golden glow.
Rate on N.U.
