(Light cosmic horror, with a setting reminiscent of the Foundation.)
For thousands of years, humanity has debated the origins of their kind.
Perhaps they were created by the gods, or born from all things, or their blood carried divine power, or...
Beneath the lead-gray mist, a girl who called herself Ning Xi, or perhaps Adele, opened the door to a new world in a daze.
"Sign this contract, and you'll become an agent of SAL."
The girl would never forget the moment that twisted the course of her life.
The eerie howls by the coast, the Book of Truth hidden in the shadows, the ancient sea god's temple shimmering like a mirage.
Beyond that door, all the peace and tranquility of the past shattered in an instant, giving way to the frenzied babbling of madness on the eve of catastrophe.
Hideous, twisted, she plunged into the endless starry sky that had gazed upon the ancients.
This is always the final fate of those who dare to pry into forbidden secrets.
The roar of steam thrust so-called reason and truth onto the throne.
The gods' contempt sent decaying arcane arts and spiritual power tumbling down into the mortal world.
An identity ensnared in a web of conspiracy. A secret tome forgotten by time, a contract signed with the future.
Countless forgotten secrets whispered to the girl, tempting her to return to the path she had once walked.
The glory and rot of steam continued to consume this city of secrets. Hand in hand, the girl resolutely set off on an unknown journey.
