It would take nearly a decade of work and the blood, sweat and tears of an entire family for the first Phantom Bridge to be set. To think that such a miracle could emerge from such a disaster.

But first, we must start with the beginning...

Prologue: Cold Start

It was a cold day on Freehaven; it was terribly dark and even the weather was acting strangely for one of the coldest planets in DRSU control.

It was probably because of the giant hole in time and space. Even the very light seemed to flow towards it.

Adelaide Whitt was shivering in her insulated uniform, the hushed grey tones blending in eerily to the snow. She took a peek at her bracer's thermometer function. The temperature read -4 C, easily too cold for anywhere normal.

But this place was nowhere near normal.

She turned up her thermostat a notch, sighing in relief as the suit began moving to a better temperature.

[Cold day, sir?] the right bracer chimed, its crisp, artificial tones somehow soothing her nerves.

"Divert power to life support Marksman, she said, shivering in her boots."

[But sir anymore and we ll be unable to engage Combat Ready in regulation 10 seconds.]

"Ah, just do it Marksman. We're on a dead world, nothing ever happens here, ya?" she breathed, lowering her visor. Good grief, for a smart AI, he sure is a stickler for rules.

[Diverting Life Support at 40% total consumption, armour and weapons holding at 20%]
[Warning: cold start required for weapons and armour subsystems.]

"Understood Marksman, dismissed."

She was here, on one of the coldest planets in the universe, running a ramshackle security patrol for a bunch of technicians, in a camp somewhere in the backwater regions of the world, staring deeply into a dimensional rip for a reason: She was the firstborn of her family. And she was an only child. Traditionally, the firstborn of the family would join the DRSU in Security as a mage. However, her mother had a birth complication that left her unable to have any more children. Her dad was very much distraught; his family had nearly disowned him as a result, were it not for her grandpa's intervention. Grandpa asked her to go ahead and serve; tradition didn't actually specify a male firstborn.

And she was supposed to have been born under a lucky star. What a disappointment that turned out to be. At least she got to take her big toys out for spin today.

She shook her head minutely, turning her attention towards the gaggles of technicians below, babbling excitedly in their tech-speak and jargon. She noticed the dimensional rip flex slightly before being barely quenched by the auto-containment system. Enormous magic powered those limiters, easing the flow and ebb of energy in the tear. Creator knows what would happen if the fuses blew.

She heard a small pop on one of the control panels.

Adelaide hated life sometimes.

The rift swelled up, breaking through the dimensional binds set up to contain it.

She really hated life sometimes.

A technician slapped the emergency button, sending a shrill klaxon emanating throughout the camp.

"Emergency. Dimensional shield breach. All personnel evacuate sealing circle."

Adelaide's eyes widened in shock as the dimensional rip began growing at an alarmingly fast rate.

"Marksman! Get the boosters up!"

[Yes sir!] the bracer chimed, beginning its start-up sequence. [30 seconds!]

It would have to do.

She kicked into action, jumping down to ground level from the second floor, feeling her Magic Core jolting to life as she dashed to each of the errant men, panicking like headless chickens, punching each of their safety crystals.

The rift grew bigger; a small sensor, worn down by the elements, was supposed to have triggered the failsafes.

As each man folded into nothingness, appearing some 3 kilometres away, her eyes scanned furiously for the Safety Switch.

[5 seconds!]

An automatic lockup system monitored by an AI was taken offline today, after it logged a suspicious user on the network.

She slammed the big red button, watching as the monstrous maw slowly choked on itself.

[3 seconds!]

There were supposed to be three mages capable of sealing the portal instantly on site at all times. Only one was here today, and he was out for a hot drink.

Adelaide crushed her own teleport crystal, only to see it fizzle ineffectively.

[TELEPORT FAILURE: PROXIMITY TO DIMENSIONAL RIFT]
[Armour up, Booster Drive Active]

Her drab, grey armour quickly slid on, extending from her bracer, encasing her uniform completely in an instant, and magical boosters hammered on power.

"Marksman! Power to boosters, now!"

[Diverting 90% power to armour subsystems]

The boosters flared up, a bright blue light bursting out. She could feel the dying throes of the dimensional rip dragging her legs inwards.

[Heart-rate unstable, priority divert to life support,]

"Screw that! FULL POWER!"

It was tearing her apart; she could feel her ankles being twisted painfully...

"Lucky stars, my ass!" she cried, her eyes blacking out gently, the maelstrom around her fading away

So very cold...

The rest of 6th Platoon smashed into the area, only to watch as the hole winked into non-existence. Slowly, as the men around secured the breached door, they made way for a young boy. A mage of formidable power, his tongue was burnt and his face was flushed as he sprinted into the site.

He was supposed to have been here with her, and he let her die.

It was a cold day on Freehaven; it was terribly dark and even the weather was acting strangely for one of the coldest planets in DRSU control.

And just when things couldn't get any worse, it rained hail.

Interlude: Directive

There were better choices, to be honest. But you will have to do.

It is my opinion that, most humans will never really change.

Everything they know changes, but fundamentally, they never change at all.

Creation and destruction, love and hate, war and peace.

Fundamentally, these things never change and never will.

But big things can happen when there is a small change.

Even the smallest pebble will make a ripple upon the water.

You have no future in this world you are about to see. You must build your own future.

The lucky stars you were born under never existed. You must find your own luck.

There will be other lost souls around you. You must help guide them along.

Show me what passes for tenacity in your human heart.

Prove me wrong. All humans can change.

I shall start with you, little girl.