Alena

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Alena Tess (also rendered as Alenna Tess) 345 356
Species/Race	Elf; one of seventeen children born from the same Mother Tree batch 344
Gender	Female 356
Affiliation	The Republic; formerly a student in an Academy City virtual realm 345 356
Occupation/Role	Academy student; aspiring warrior-path cultivator 345 355
Status	Alive; born into the real world in Rune Calendar Year 201 356
First Appearance	Chapter 343

Background

Early virtual growth

Alena spent her embryonic development in accelerated virtual realms, progressing through three developmental stages across forty virtual years before qualifying for birth 356. In her earliest “Pastoral World,” she grew from a newborn into a seven-year-old among a small community of children, where she acted as a capable and mature leader among her peers 343.

She was one of seventeen children born from a single Mother Tree batch. Shadi chose Alena as the child she would raise, and Alena grew up following her while calling her “Big Sister” 344.

At seven, Alena left her childhood town for a medium-speed Academy City virtual realm. She reunited with Shadi there and began the intermediate stage of her education 343 344.

Academy education

Alena quickly befriended Lena Tess and instinctively took responsibility for navigating the unfamiliar academy, using her terminal map to lead them to the opening ceremony 345. She selected mecha combat and high-speed driving as electives, while Cecil’s introductory physics lesson inspired her to make physics a principal subject 345 347.

Her education covered history, mathematics, integrated sciences, cultivation, humanities, arts, and advanced technical subjects. Virtual-realm upper-grade instruction also included simulated nuclear-weapons manufacturing and fission-reactor construction 356 359.

Mecha competition record

Academic stage	Result
First year	Failed to qualify from the internal city selection tournament; resolved to improve 349
Second year	Placed seventh in the first- through third-grade mecha competition; reached the Hundred Cities Tournament and fell short of the top four 355
Third year	Won her city tournament and finished runner-up in the Hundred Cities Tournament 355
Sixth year	Defeated Alexsta to win her first Hundred Cities championship 355
Eighth year	Finished runner-up in the Hundred Cities Tournament 355
Ninth year	Defeated Alexsta again and won her second championship 355
Tenth year	Graduated after her final showcase; ended her mech-design efforts and promised Lena they would meet in reality 355

Although she began designing mechs in sixth year, her designs only reached exhibition level. She eventually recognized that design was not her strongest talent and abandoned it in her final year 355.

Birth into the real world

After choosing the warrior path, Alena entered a brief virtual cultivation stage intended to familiarize students with training before real-world progress began 355. She passed the Republic Birth Act examinations with Excellent results in mathematics, integrated sciences, cultivation, and integrated humanities, and a Pass in arts 356.

Following a year in a cultivation pod, she was born as a young elven maiden. She retained her name, collected the possessions marked usable in reality, and set out to begin an independent life 356.

After her birth, Alena contacted Shadi and later toured Inferno Star remotely through an ultra-long-range Virtual Realm projection 365 366.

Appearance

After birth, Alena is a young elf approaching 1.6 meters in height, with knee-length hair and gemstone-like purple eyes 356.

• Long hair that reaches her knees; she considers it inconveniently long 356
• Gemstone-like purple eyes 356
• Prefers dresses, accessories, and personal keepsakes chosen during her virtual upbringing 356
• Considered physically slight and immature compared with older elves immediately after birth 356

Personality

Alena is curious, academically driven, and eager to understand the larger world. She responds to unfamiliar places and technologies with excitement rather than withdrawal, whether arriving in Academy City or seeing the real sun and space from Mother Tree Space Station 344 357.

She habitually takes on an elder-sister role among her peers. She guided Lena on their first school day and was proud of her long-held self-image as a “Child King” among younger children 344 345.

Competition initially affected her deeply: she became upset after failing to qualify for the Hundred Cities Tournament and cried after several major losses. Over time, repeated experience taught her to accept victory and defeat without losing her motivation to improve 349 355.

Abilities & Skills

Virtual Realm interface

Alena is highly familiar with Virtual Realm technology and uses the braid interface at the back of her head to operate connected systems.

• Altered her new residence’s interior into a recreation of her childhood treehouse through a terminal connection 343
• Uses terminals, three-dimensional maps, and academy systems confidently 345
• Can manifest remotely through the Virtual Realm network, including at Inferno Star 366

Academic aptitude

Alena consistently performs at the top of her classes and has strong interest in scientific subjects.

• Earned top marks in every subject throughout most of her Academy City education 355
• Chose physics as a primary focus after Cecil’s introductory course 347
• Met the Republic’s birth requirements with Excellent results in mathematics, integrated sciences, cultivation, and humanities 356
• Received virtual training in advanced technical fields, including atomic-energy theory and simulated fission-reactor construction 359

Mecha combat and driving

Alena trained in mecha combat and high-speed driving from her first year at the academy.

• Won two Hundred Cities Mecha Selection Tournament championships 355
• Defeated recurring rival Alexsta in both her first and second championship runs 355
• Improved through repeated losses rather than relying on early success 349 355
• Her mech-design aptitude did not equal her combat ability; her designs reached exhibitions but did not achieve major competitive success 355

Warrior-path cultivation

Alena selected the warrior path upon completing her academy stage.

• Began a two-year accelerated virtual training period focused on familiarization with cultivation 355
• Was instructed that substantial improvement would need to occur through her real body after birth 355
• No completed cultivation advancement is documented 355

Equipment and Items

• Ilya — Alena’s black Magic Beast companion. In the Virtual Realm, Ilya can become insubstantial and form violet-gold totem patterns across Alena’s body 356
• First champion’s ring — Awarded after defeating Alexsta; bears a high-level terrain-ignoring escape enchantment 355
• Second champion’s ring — Awarded after her ninth-year championship; bears the permanent enchantment High-Level Calm 355
• Personal terminal and braid interface — Used for navigation, study, communication, and Virtual Realm control 343 345

Relationships

• Shadi Tess (Shatites) — Older-sister figure and caretaker who chose Alena from her Mother Tree batch and raised her; they remain emotionally close after Alena’s birth 344 365
• Lena Tess (Rena) — Academy friend and frequent companion in school, competitions, and concerts; Alena promised to meet her again in reality after graduation 345 355
• Erno — Childhood friend from Alena’s first virtual realm. Their academy assignments separated them, but they later restored their friendship 343 355
• Alama — An older elf who socialized with Alena, Shadi, and Lena during vacations and recounted her past missions to them 349 353 354
• Ilya — Magic Beast companion whom Alena reassures and carries as body totems 356

Notable Quotes

“See you in reality.” 355

“Real life from scratch—here I come, Alenna~” 356