As the morning sun slowly climbed above the horizon, bathing the Ruins in pale golden light, a little girl in a tattered black tunic skipped happily through the cracked streets.
She stumbled over a broken slab of concrete, let out a tiny “eep,” dusted herself off with all the dignity a child could muster, and continued on her way as though nothing had happened.
Her destination was the Fallen King.
She had seen the colossal stone spire countless times since the day she was born, yet every glance still filled her with both wonder…
and an inexplicable sense of dread.
‘Father is such a bore…
He’s always saying I’ll get myself into trouble.
Hmph.’ Today, she was determined to prove him wrong.
As the immense shadow of the Fallen King stretched over her, she grinned from ear to ear.
At this hour, the district was unusually quiet.
Most of the Ruined were still asleep, leaving the streets almost eerily peaceful.
She happily skipped toward the towering entrance.
“I’ll show you, fa…” Her voice trailed off.
Something stood in the distance.
Far away, at one of the massive crossroads facing the First Great Wall, a lone figure rose against the morning light.
It looked…
Like a scarecrow.
“…A scarecrow?” Curiosity immediately replaced her hesitation.
Scarecrows were rare in the Ruins.
The only one she had ever seen stood beside the makeshift graveyard.
So…
What was one doing here?
“Hmm…” The little girl tilted her head before cautiously making her way toward the strange figure.
With every step, the curiosity in her eyes slowly transformed into awe.
“…Woah.” The scarecrow…
It was really well made.
It looked as though a real man had been hung there instead of a bundle of straw.
A few seconds later, she stood only a couple of feet away.
Now that she was close enough to see it clearly, she couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship.
The scarecrow wore an intricate black uniform over onyx leather trousers.
Its pale skin was drenched in what looked like thick red paint.
Its hair…
“…Huh?” “That’s not straw…* what is it?’* Unable to contain her curiosity, the little girl slowly walked around to its front.
She expected to see the face of an incredibly lifelike scarecrow.
Instead…
A single crimson eye stared back at her.
Its lifeless gaze remained fixed on her, while the rest of its face had been reduced to a hollow, blood-soaked shell that barely resembled a man.
She froze.
Her innocent, childlike eyes widened in horror.
Then…
“AHHHHHHHH!” Her scream shattered the morning silence.
*** I was floating in an endless abyss of darkness.
At the edge of my vision stood a distorted figure.
It looked…
Familiar.
I couldn’t make out its face.
Or maybe…
I simply didn’t want to.
There was something strangely peaceful about the darkness.
Then…
It slowly began to fade.
Brilliant rays of sunlight pierced the abyss and assaulted my eyes.
“…Ah.” I slowly opened them.
For a moment, I simply sat there, staring blankly ahead before lifting a hand in front of my face.
…
I wasn’t dead.
I was…
Alive.
Huh.
As that thought crossed my mind, I tried to stand.
“ARGH!” Pain immediately shot through my entire body.
“…Right.” I forgot.
My body had been turned into minced meat last night.
I caught myself against the nearest wall before I could collapse like an idiot and let out a slow sigh.
The moment I steadied myself, the image of Lee’s corpse flashed through my mind.
A dark feeling stirred in my chest.
God…
I just wanted to forget.
Forget all of it.
Pretend none of it had ever happened.
But the bloodstained bandages wrapped around my body…
And the bitter scent of medicine hanging in the air…
Refused to let me.
I shook my head and forced the memories aside before turning my attention to my wounds.
Thankfully, they didn’t hurt nearly as much as they had last night.
The bleeding had miraculously stopped.
Now…
Everything simply ached.
Terribly.
I groaned as I took a step forward, instinctively clutching my chest.
Every movement hurt.
Every breath still burned.
…F*ck.
Staggering out of my room, I slowly made my way toward Stephanie’s.
Carefully pushing the door open, I stepped inside.
There she was.
Still fast asleep.
Her peaceful figure lay quietly on the bed, rising and falling with each gentle breath.
Without realizing it…
I smiled.
Staggering to her bedside, I gently placed my healthy hand against her forehead.
I almost flinched.
The strange sensation…
It was gone.
Yesterday, her body had given off that impossible feeling.
Heat…
and cold at the same time.
I still couldn’t make sense of it.
But now…
That sensation had changed completely.
What I felt instead was…
vitality.
A strange, vibrant sense of life.
My gaze drifted over her.
Steph’s skin was clearer than before.
The sickly paleness was gone.
Even the dark circles beneath her eyes had faded.
She no longer looked like a malnourished child.
She looked…
Healthy.
Strong.
My eyes widened.
Her Ability Fuel Core…
It must have awakened during the night.
Stephanie wasn’t an Aspirant anymore.
She was…
A Superhuman.
An actual Ability User.
For a long moment, my mind simply stopped working.
A cluster of emotions flooded my mind.
So much had happened in these past few days that I wasn’t even sure what to feel anymore.
But…
I was sure about one thing.
I was happy.
So…
so happy.
Just then, Steph stirred.
Her eyelids fluttered open before her sleepy gaze landed on me.
As soon as they did…
“Huh?!” Before I could even greet her, she threw her arms around me.
“Where were you?!
I was worried sick!” “OW!
O-Okay!
Maybe loosen up a little…
it hurts.” She immediately let go.
Only then did she truly look at me.
Her eyes swept over the bloodstained bandages wrapped around my body, the bruises covering my skin, and the exhaustion etched into my face.
The color drained from her face.
“W-What…
what happened to you?” “Nothing,” I replied far too quickly.
“Nothing to be worried about.
Nothing at all.
I’m alive, aren’t I?” Her expression twisted with worry, and her hands tightened around my shoulders.
“You…” Knock- Knock- Knock- Three sharp knocks interrupted her.
My attention shifted toward the door.
I let out a weary sigh.
With a groan, I pushed myself upright and began staggering across the room.
“Wait.” Steph immediately climbed out of bed and wrapped one of my arms around her shoulders, helping me walk.
“…Thanks.” She shot me a stern glare.
“You’d better have a very good explanation for…
all of this.” “I…
I’m fin-” “Shut up.” I frowned.
“…Okay.” Together, we reached the door.
I pulled it open.
“…Lev?” Lev stood outside the cottage, his usual calm expression nowhere to be found.
His grey eyes silently swept over my battered body, lingering on the bloodstained bandages wrapped around my chest and arms.
Something dark flickered behind his gaze.
He opened his mouth to speak.
Then…
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
A deafening siren tore through the district.
The three of us instinctively covered our ears.
“…F*ck.” My head already felt like it had been run over by a truck.
Now this?
Damnation.
Several seconds later, the siren finally died away.
Lev slowly lowered his hands.
His eyes never left mine.
“Did you hear that siren?” I stared at him, then chuckled slightly.
“…Uh, yeah.
I’m not deaf.” There wasn’t even a hint of amusement on his face.
After briefly glancing toward Stephanie, he looked back at me and spoke in a low, serious voice.
“Then come with me.”