At the edge of the Celestial Peaks, the cliff wind howled like a beast’s own breath.

A girl in black trousers and a white shirt stood shoulder‑to‑shoulder with four middle‑aged elders, all straining to hold off the ancient terror before them—the Beast Tetracorn.

A roar split the sky.

The Beast Tetracorn threw its head back, its cry dragging the clouds into chaos. Wind lashed out in violent waves, sharp enough to sting the eyes.

Celeste Whitmore narrowed her gaze. Fingers tightening around the Demon‑subduing Staff, she sprang upward. The staff’s crystal tip burst into blinding light as she swung it down toward the creature’s skull.

The Beast Tetracorn buckled with pain. Celeste was just about to shatter its soul when a violent force erupted from deep within the beast. It smashed into the five of them like a mountain falling from the sky.

The four elders hit the ground hard, blood spraying from their lips.

The creature staggered back toward the cliff’s edge, then lifted its head and howled again. Lightning tore through the clouds, a few bolts slamming down to carve open a swirling vortex above the precipice. The air churned with a crushing aura.

Chief Elder Sykes paled. “It’s opening the Gate of Time and Space! Miss Celeste, we can’t let that beast escape!”

“That little monster’s got some nerve,” Celeste muttered.

She angled the Demon‑subduing Staff toward the ground, gathering every ounce of power she could muster and flooding it into the weapon. Her figure shot forward like a thrown spear.

The Beast Tetracorn’s eyes flashed sharply. It twisted around and lunged toward the Gate.

But Celeste was already on its heels. The staff was about to crack down on its skull when a bolt of lightning slammed into the swirling vortex.

A deafening blast followed.

Celeste’s eyes widened. A wave of vicious energy surged out like a storm swallowing heaven and earth. It engulfed her completely. Consciousness slipped away in an instant.

Above the cliff, the world slowly fell silent again.

The four elders stared in shock.

“M‑Miss Celeste… she’s gone?”

“Shut your mouth!” Chief Elder Sykes barked, quickly pulling out his communicator and calling the Whitmore family. The moment the line connected, he demanded, “Is Miss Celeste’s Soul Jade intact?”

On the other end, someone replied, “I was just about to report to you—just now, her Soul Jade shook violently and cracked… but it has already repaired itself.”

Chief Elder Sykes exhaled in relief. “If the Soul Jade still stands, then her soul lives.”

The messenger’s voice came in tight and hurried. “Chief Elder Sykes, the astrolabe is acting wild. I’ve already told the others to record every shift.”

Chief Elder Sykes shot to his feet. “Move! We return now and calculate the Eldest Miss’s whereabouts!”

…

Celeste Whitmore snapped her eyes open—just in time for a bolt of agony to rip through her lower body. The pain was so sharp it nearly tore her consciousness apart. Something inside her was forcing its way out.

“Ah… gods, that hurts.”

“Drink this. You’ll need strength to deliver.”

A boy in white, Evander Sterling, lifted a bowl of ginseng broth to her lips.

Celeste froze.

Deliver… a child?

What nonsense was this?

Wasn’t she still fighting Beast Tetracorn at the edge of the Celestial Peaks?

Memory hit her like a hammer. Beast Tetracorn had burned its final strength to tear open a gate of time and space. Then lightning struck, the gate burst apart, and in that chaos her body had been blown to dust.

Lucky for her, her soul had slipped into another body.

“Ah—!”

Another spasm tore her thoughts to shreds.

She glared at the white‑robed youth beside her. His eyes were covered with a thin layer of white gauze—blind, most likely.

“Get out!”

Evander didn’t budge. “Drink the broth. I nearly lost my life dragging you back from death.”

Celeste downed the ginseng soup in one breath. Only then did Evander step out and pull the door shut.

Instinct took over. She curled her legs, braced herself, and forced the child out.

A sharp cry soon pierced the cramped room.

Celeste exhaled hard. Too fast—shockingly fast. Barely the time for a cup of tea.

She cut the cord, glanced down, and saw the wrinkled little thing—a daughter.

“So ugly.”