As Volk's hulking form was forced back, his figure faded into the distance, and the field fell silent, a heavy, almost reverent stillness settling over the ground.
The grandmaster's ethereal form wavered for a moment, and she felt a profound sense of calm wash over her—a sigh of relief so deep it touched the very core of her being.
In that fleeting moment, a cascade of memories surged through her mind, vivid and unbidden, each one sharper than the last.
She could see herself as a young girl, eyes wide with wonder as she wandered her family's modest farm.
Her parents, simple folk with calloused hands and kind hearts, taught her everything they knew, her father's laughter filling her memories like a song.
There were endless fields of golden crops, the smell of fresh earth and rain, and quiet nights under a sky filled with stars.
