Dinner eventually came to an end.
The children had eaten until most of them could barely move.
Sato was the first to complain.
“I can’t walk anymore.”
Nagisa looked at him.
“You said that after your third serving.”
“I underestimated myself.”
Hirata laughed.
“You overestimated your stomach eating capacity.”
Sato ignored him and leaned back in his chair.
Ren was barely awake.
Airi had already stopped talking and was resting her head against Celeste’s arm.
Across the table, Kaito looked just as exhausted.
His earlier confidence had completely disappeared.
“I think I’m going to sleep.”
Yuna nodded.
“Good.”
Mei yawned.
Daichi quietly stood.
Rina followed him.
The adults began cleaning the table while the children slowly gathered themselves.
Nagisa stretched.
Her small body felt pleasantly heavy after the meal.
She glanced toward the window.
The night sky was beautiful.
Countless stars covered the darkness above the estate.
A large moon hung over the distant mountains, casting a soft silver glow across the trees.
Nagisa stared at it for a moment.
She had seen countless celestial skies during her four thousand years in the Celestial Realm.
She had seen stars that were larger than worlds.
She had seen entire galaxies from places far beyond the mortal realm.
Yet this simple sky felt different.
It was closer.
More peaceful.
It felt like home.
“Nagisa.”
She turned.
Celeste was standing nearby.
“Time for bed.”
Nagisa sighed.
“But I’m not tired.”
Celeste raised an eyebrow.
Nagisa yawned.
“…Maybe a little.”
Her mother smiled.
“Come on.”
Nagisa followed her.
The children were eventually taken to their rooms.
Nagisa curled up beneath her blankets.
Her siblings were nearby in their own rooms, and the estate had finally become quiet.
She could still hear faint voices from the adults downstairs.
Someone laughed.
A door closed.
Footsteps moved across the hallway.
Then everything slowly faded into silence.
Nagisa closed her eyes.
For a few moments, she simply lay there.
Her mind wandered.
She thought about the family gathering.
Her cousins.
Her siblings.
Her parents.
Her grandparents.
And eventually, her thoughts returned to the Awakening Ceremony.
Five years.
It sounded like a long time.
But she had already learned that time could move faster than expected.
She remembered spending four thousand years in the Celestial Realm.
At first, she had thought every year would feel endless.
Then suddenly, they were gone.
Nagisa pulled the blanket closer.
“Five years…”
She whispered the words.
Then her eyes became heavy.
She fell asleep.
Nagisa opened her eyes.
She was sitting on a throne.
For several seconds, she didn’t move.
She looked around.
The room was enormous.
Massive pillars stretched toward a ceiling she couldn’t see.
The floor beneath her was polished black stone, reflecting the faint light that filled the chamber.
Long curtains hung between the pillars.
They moved gently despite there being no wind.
Nagisa looked down.
She was wearing clothes she had never seen before.
They were elegant, dark, and decorated with strange patterns she couldn’t recognize.
Her legs were crossed.
One hand rested against the arm of the throne.
The other rested casually against her knee.
Nagisa stared at herself.
“…What?”
Her voice sounded different.
Older.
Much older.
She looked around again.
There were people everywhere.
Hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
They stood on both sides of the enormous hall.
Some wore armor.
Some wore robes.
Some looked human.
Others clearly weren’t.
There were beastfolk.
Winged beings.
Tall figures with strange features.
Humanoids surrounded by faint spiritual energy.
And creatures Nagisa couldn’t identify at all.
Yet none of them were attacking.
They were simply standing there.
Waiting.
Watching her.
Nagisa looked toward the front of the hall.
A figure stepped forward.
She couldn’t see the person’s face clearly.
The entire area around them seemed covered in mist.
“Your Majesty.”
Nagisa froze.
Your Majesty?
She looked behind herself.
There was no one there.
The figure lowered their head.
“We await your command.”
Nagisa stared at them.
“My… command?”
The words came naturally.
Her voice echoed throughout the hall.
Everyone remained silent.
Nagisa looked around again.
Something about this scene felt strange.
She wasn’t afraid.
She should have been.
She was sitting on a throne surrounded by countless powerful beings, yet she felt completely calm.
Almost comfortable.
Like she belonged there.
A person standing near the front slowly approached.
They knelt.
Then another.
Then another.
One by one, people throughout the hall lowered themselves.
Soon, everyone was kneeling.
Nagisa’s eyes widened.
“Wait.”
Nobody moved.
She looked at her hands.
They were different.
Older.
More refined.
She couldn’t tell exactly how old she looked, but she was clearly no longer a child.
She slowly stood from the throne.
The entire hall remained silent.
Nagisa looked across the sea of people.
For some reason, she felt something deep inside her chest.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Recognition.
As though some part of her already knew these people.
She couldn’t remember meeting them.
Yet the feeling remained.
Nagisa walked down the steps of the throne.
Every step echoed through the chamber.
She stopped before the first person who had spoken.
“Who are you?”
The figure raised their head.
But before Nagisa could see their face clearly—
The dream changed.
She was standing somewhere else.
A vast field stretched before her.
The sky was filled with countless stars.
There were no buildings.
No armies.
No throne.
Only endless grass moving beneath a gentle breeze.
Nagisa stood alone.
She looked around.
“Hello?”
No answer.
She took a few steps forward.
A strange feeling tugged at her heart.
She looked toward the horizon.
Someone was standing there.
A woman.
Nagisa couldn’t see her face.
The woman stood beneath the stars, watching her.
Nagisa slowly approached.
“Do I know you?”
The woman didn’t answer.
Instead, she raised one hand.
A small light appeared in her palm.
It floated toward Nagisa. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Nagisa reached out.
The moment her finger touched it—
Warmth flooded through her.
Images flashed through her mind.
A forest.
A massive city.
A strange academy.
A battlefield.
A tower reaching into the sky.
A pair of enormous wings.
A glowing sword.
A dragon.
Then everything disappeared.
Nagisa stumbled backward.
“What was that?”
The woman remained silent.
Nagisa looked at her.
“Are you trying to show me something?”
The woman smiled.
It was a familiar smile.
Nagisa couldn’t understand why.
She felt like she had seen it before.
Long ago.
Very long ago.
The woman finally spoke.
“Not yet.”
Nagisa frowned.
“Not yet?”
The woman’s voice echoed strangely.
“Your time will come.”
Nagisa opened her mouth to ask another question.
But the world around her began to dissolve.
The stars disappeared.
The field vanished.
The woman became nothing more than a silhouette.
Nagisa reached toward her.
“Wait!”
The woman smiled one last time.
Then everything turned white.
Nagisa opened her eyes.
She stared at the ceiling.
For several seconds, she didn’t move.
Her heart was beating quickly.
She slowly sat up.
The room was dark.
Moonlight entered through the window.
Everything was normal.
The blankets.
The walls.
The furniture.
Her small bed.
She looked around.
Nobody was there.
Nagisa touched her chest.
Her heartbeat was gradually returning to normal.
“It was a dream.”
She whispered.
She looked down at her paws.
They were the same as always.
Small.
Furry.
Nothing unusual.
Nagisa rubbed her eyes.
“What a weird dream.”
She remembered the throne.
The people kneeling before her.
The mysterious woman.
The strange images.
Yet the dream didn’t feel frightening.
If anything, it had been peaceful.
Almost comforting.
She lay back down.
Maybe it was simply her imagination.
After all, she had been reading too many books lately.
Her mind was probably mixing everything together.
Nagisa closed her eyes.
Then she paused.
Something about the dream bothered her.
Not because it was scary.
Because it had felt real.
Far too real.
She thought about the words.
Your time will come.
Nagisa pulled the blanket over herself.
“Whatever.”
She turned onto her side.
“I’ll figure it out someday.”
Her eyes slowly closed again.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
Outside her window, the moon continued shining over the estate.
And deep within Nagisa’s soul, something remained quietly dormant.
Waiting.
Not for today.
Not for tomorrow.
But for the day when she was finally ready to awaken.
Finally I’m good with it a bit, but the family arc inserting is kinda hard, as it’s multiple characters