The little stone courtyard had been mostly unaffected by the chaos in the forest.
Under one spiritual tree, a cat and a spider chatted.
"Alexandria… What a beautiful name. I wish I also had such a cool-sounding name…"
Dark Shadow's wistful voice floated down like a feather in the wind, her massive, chitinous body hanging upside-down from a thick spiritual tree branch. All eight of her jet-black legs dangled freely, swaying slightly in the breeze that passed through the dense canopy of the courtyard. Her shadowy silhouette merged seamlessly into the twisted trunk, as though she were a natural extension of the tree itself.
"No, Big Sister, don't be like this. Your name is even cooler than mine. 'Dark Shadow'—just hearing it sends a chill running down my spine,"
