Chapter 2 : The Starlit Prisoner

A fine drizzle fell from the low-hanging gray sky, dampening the earth with a crisp, cool scent. In the center of Orville Town's square, a heavy iron cage stood, its thick chains rattling softly in the rain.

Leo stood nearby, his expression calm as he observed the captive thief—a frail-looking girl. She curled up in the corner of the cage, her body caked in mud, her tattered clothes clinging to her form. Long silver-white hair, drenched from the rain, stuck to her face. When she lifted her head, her left eye shimmered with a flowing silver radiance, like drifting starlight in the vast night sky.

"Her eyes…" The gathered villagers whispered uneasily.

"What's your name?" Leo asked in a steady voice.

The girl remained silent for a moment before murmuring, "…Luna."

The villagers exchanged uncertain glances. No one had heard that name before. The village elder, leaning on his cane, stepped forward and frowned. "Why did you steal our food?"

Luna hesitated, then lifted her gaze. Her voice was hoarse as she replied, "My homeland was swallowed by the 'Black Tide'… Everything there was erased. I had no choice but to steal to survive."

"Black Tide?" The villagers murmured among themselves, confusion written on their faces.

Luna lowered her head. "I was sent here by a random teleportation spell, but I was never meant to be here… I am… a member of the 'Clockwork Court.'"

As soon as she spoke, the iron bars of the cage shuddered with a low, eerie vibration. Rust spread across the metal at an unnatural speed, crawling like a living thing. But it was no ordinary rust—it was a deep, blood-red hue, damp and putrid, as if veins pulsed beneath its corroding surface.

Fear swept through the crowd.

"She's a heretic!" "She's cursing us!" "Get rid of her before she brings disaster!"

Just as the commotion was about to spiral out of control, an elderly priest stepped forward, clutching a short staff inscribed with ancient runes. His voice was calm yet firm. "Let her undergo purification first. We cannot pass judgment so hastily."

Reluctantly, the villagers accepted this decision and dispersed. Only Leo and a few young men remained to escort Luna to the sanctum.

Inside the sanctum, clear water filled a stone basin, rippling softly. Luna stood before it, silent as the priest performed the purification ritual. He soaked a cloth and gently wiped the dirt from her skin.

But when he reached her arm, his hand froze.

Under the water's reflection, Luna's skin gleamed with an unnatural sheen—it was not flesh but an intricate weave of metallic fibers. Within her, delicate gears turned with precise motion. Her joints bore the subtle marks of mechanical construction, as though she were a masterfully crafted automaton.

"She… she's a machine doll," the priest whispered, his voice tinged with shock.

Word spread quickly through the town. The villagers, already wary, grew even more uneasy. Though they allowed Luna to complete the purification ritual, none were willing to take her in. Her very existence defied their understanding of the world.

After the ritual, Luna stood at the sanctum's entrance, her head bowed, facing the wary gazes of the townspeople—fear, distrust, alienation. It was a familiar sight.

Just as she turned to leave, Leo stepped forward. His tone was casual, yet firm. "Come with me."

Luna blinked in surprise, looking up at him.

"You're willing to take me in?" she asked, an edge of disbelief in her voice.

"You need a place to stay," Leo shrugged. "I've got an empty room."

Luna hesitated, then gave a small nod.

To make amends for her theft, the villagers assigned Luna the task of repairing the town's abandoned clock tower.

None of them expected what happened next.

Luna demonstrated an astonishing talent for machinery. She placed a rusted gear in her mouth for a moment, and when she removed it, it was as pristine as new. Broken pendulums reassembled themselves under her touch as though time itself was reversing.

On the night of the full moon, as the repairs neared completion, Luna absentmindedly played a tune on the metal framework. The ancient melody drifted through the night air, and suddenly, all the metal in the vicinity began to levitate. Silver light flickered like stars suspended in the sky.

The villagers, once wary, now stood in awe. Some even began to seek her out for help in repairing tools. Leo, too, was surprised by her abilities.

One day, while cleaning the stained glass window at the top of the sanctum, Luna made a discovery. Beneath the dust, she uncovered an image—an old depiction of an adventuring party of five. The figure at the forefront bore an uncanny resemblance to Leo.

A deep sense of intrigue took root in her mind.

That night, she shared her discovery with Leo and voiced her desire to search for the "Silver Pentagram Adventurers."

Leo was silent for a long moment. Then, almost unconsciously, he touched his collarbone. There, a five-pointed star was branded into his skin.

He had never understood its origin. Perhaps searching for the Silver Pentagram Adventurers would help him reclaim the memories he had lost.

In the end, Leo decided to leave town with Luna.

But the morning of their departure, the village elder received a torn and weathered wanted poster from Emerald City.

The symbol on it—the same five-pointed star—was identical to the brand on Leo's collarbone.

Everything grew more uncertain.

Before Leo and Luna could set out, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Luna was suddenly dragged into the depths of the clock tower by an unseen force. Leo rushed after her, only to be met with a shocking sight.

Beneath the clock tower, a massive bronze wall loomed, covered in dense inscriptions—rows upon rows of confessions, each etched with a weight of sin and regret. And at its center, carved deeper than the rest, was a name that sent a chill down his spine.

"Leo."

He stood frozen, a flood of fragmented memories pressing at the edges of his mind.

"…What is this?"