Layla

"Layla Grant, a prominent member of the Eruditio Rangers, bravely protected the core of Eruditio tech—the Starlium Reactor, during a vicious attack on Eruditio just a day earlier. While her actions protected civilization, they also proved that the youth of the city possessed resilience and perseverance and that the love and belonging for this home they shared was the life force flowing through the veins of Eruditians. Thus, the honorary title of "Shining Star" was given to her.

This year, the title of Shining Star was not awarded to a Scholar, but to a member of the Eruditio Rangers, and it was no other than the "daughter of Eruditio". She grew up in the streets of Eruditio, and every Scholar in the Spire of Knowledge had experienced her mischievous nature at some point or other. Somehow though, the occasional trouble she caused would miraculously help a Scholar breakthrough in their research. Other times, Layla would suddenly appear from nowhere trying to strike a deal on behalf of the traders with her funny accent when they find it difficult to converse with foreign visitors. Every porter at the docks has also enjoyed her assistance in one way or another. Like an ever-diligent watchman, she watches over the city like a shining star.

Meanwhile, Layla's only blood relative—the old but still strong as a bull former captain of the Eruditio Rangers, Thomas, had never shown signs of joy. Sitting in a backlit room, his silhouette was like the distant shadow of the lofty mountains. Stroking an old-fashioned gun, he looked imposing yet desolate.

Holding a crying baby in his arms, Thomas' beloved daughter vanished behind the "Infinite Gateway" that turned into stardust in the sky, leaving him only this precious little thing. As if she knew what was going on, her cries echoed into the night sky endlessly. Hurriedly, he ran home with the infant in his arms as the morning star in the east gradually rose, because he didn't want the daylight to hurt her as the protection of the night was fading fast. He had lost a daughter for the dawn of mankind, and the one in his arms was all he had left.

He would swaddle the baby in the cloak of darkness in order to hide her, naming her Layla—the dark night.

Over time, she grew up and was such a delight to Thomas' barren life. She loved both the sky and the earth, and her little life was always bursting with joyful energy. Because of this, Thomas' face, which once marked by pain began to smile again. He picked up the equipment from his youth when he was still a young Ranger, and together with Layla, he leaped from the ground and flew across the skyline of Eruditio, becoming the biggest headache for the young Eruditio Rangers. What were these poor lads supposed to do, chase down and arrest the old man whose face is printed on the Ranger's rulebook? She was everything to Thomas—dawn, high noon, and dusk. But deep down, she still wanted to know where her parents had gone.

"It's a tragedy that they had to die during the meteor crash. Hey, why don't you check out Grandpa's newly fine-tuned weapon for you? It's got three times the firepower of the previous one!"

When Layla's ponytails reached her shoulders, she stopped asking him about her parents because she couldn't bear to see the sadness and evasiveness in her grandfather's eyes any longer. She soon realized that the grandfather who never left her side always left the house before dawn one day each year. So, Layla followed him quietly and discovered the answer to her question. He had gone to a cemetery to pay his respects to a woman named Lillian, a name Layla had seen in an old newspaper, and which had appeared in an official obituary of the Spire of Knowledge. She was a great Scholar who died for the advancement of Eruditio. Layla realized it was her mother, and that knowledge made her proud beyond measure, but she was also saddened by the thought that they could never be together. The tombstone next to Lillian had no name or photo but just a line—I'll hold your hands amidst the starry sky.

Layla understood that her grandfather wanted to erase all traces of her parents from her life so that she'd never have to grieve. Though Layla understood, she still wanted to leave a little door in her heart for the woman named Lillian, so that if Lillian ever missed her, she could still visit her in her dreams. As for the mysterious man's tombstone, since she didn't have a single clue at all as to who he was, she hoped that he'd one day walk through that little door with her mother and finally reveal his true identity.

In her heart, Layla vowed that she'd remember her mother no matter what, and that she would protect Eruditio—the city which her mother had laid her life down for.

In her grandfather's eyes, Layla was on a very different path from her mother. She disliked studying and flunked every single test she sat for, but she was strong, and no scoundrel had ever walked away without learning a lesson. However, this was just great news to her grandfather, because that way, she'd never end up a Scholar, sacrificing herself for the future of humanity. And most important of all, she'd never share the same fate as... Lillian.

So when Thomas learned that Layla almost died protecting Eruditio, he went into the room that he had sealed for 15 years and sat in there for a long while. The entire life of Lillian played back in his mind. She was incredibly passionate, intelligent, and courageous, and she was also protecting Eruditio in her own way. She was the brightest star in the sky, and they were exactly the same.

"Hey, Grandpa."

The girl's timid voice sounded in the doorway, and a sash was seen hanging across her body. It seemed that the treatment at the Spire of Knowledge had restored her body perfectly. However, Layla was filled with guilt as she knew the lengths her grandfather would go through for her even for just a little scratch. So, this time, since she had been severely injured while protecting Eruditio, she expected her grandfather to get really angry...

But he just held her tightly to him, his entire body trembling violently.

"Your mother would be so proud of you."

Thomas handed Layla the gun he had locked away in the cabinet—a prototype gun left by Lillian. For 15 years, he could not bear to see any trace of Lillian, but he forgot that the most beloved girl in front of him was the most beautiful and deepest trace Lillian had left him with.

"If you want to protect Eruditio, then you'll need to be equipped with the strongest firepower. This is a prototype gun... that your mother and father made. So, hold it tight and protect yourself with it!"

With the malefic gun in Layla's hands, no evil stands a chance in front of her, as if the stars would always guide her. Whenever Layla is holding her gun, she felt that Lillian is just beside her. Even that nameless man, too, is there for her.

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