Under the grace of blooming cherry blossoms, a woman with short black hair stood alone in the soft morning light.
Wearing her shrine maiden attire, performing a ritual in solitude.
She didn't come out of duty; rather, it was a habit—a ritual she upheld even with no one there to witness.
Barefoot on the soft earth, she held a gohei in hand, swaying together with the tinkling of bells that chimed in with every moment of hers.
With a final bow, she ended the dance, keeping her lips quiet for knowing there was no spectator around.
But then—
Clap clap clap
There was always one person who would change that mood.
"Wow, Young Priestess, you're quite the dancer!" A cheerful voice broke the silence, and the black-haired woman—no—Seon looked up to see a woman with long pink hair, pointed ears, and bright blue eyes beaming at her.
"Elaine." Seon's eyebrows frowned upon seeing her presence. "Shouldn't you be busy as a guildmaster?"
"Oh, don't call me that! Right now, I'm just a traveler, not a guildmaster."
Elaine pulled out a small cloth-wrapped bag from her back and handed it to Seon.
"Hey, want a rice ball?"
Seon eyed it suspiciously. "You didn't put poison in this, did you?"
"Please! I'm not like those 'friends' of yours from past lives." She nudged Seon playfully. "Nobody else could put up with your attitude like I do. Remember that!"
"As if you have friends too."
"I have plenty of friends!"
"Friends with financial benefits?"
"Obviously!" Elaine shot back, and the two of them laughed.
Their laughter mixed together with the gentle rustling of the cherry blossoms above.
Such a peaceful life indeed...
As Seon took a bite of the rice ball, she suddenly noticed something off.
She tasted nothing at all.
'Right… This… isn't real.'
The scene began to shift, and the once vibrant cherry tree withered, its blossoms turning to ash as flames flickered across the landscape.
Seon now saw herself from afar, as if watching a vision unfold in third-person.
Her past self knelt on the scorched ground, holding Elaine's lifeless body in her arms. Even in death, Elaine wore a peaceful smile.
Seon felt a lump form in her throat, a faint sadness rising as she watched the reenactment of that tragic moment.
"Stupid Elaine… haunting even my dreams," she murmured in a bittersweet tone.
She moved closer to the vision, gathering the courage to approach the memory, even as her gaze settled on her own tear-streaked face from the past.
'Yeah, she looked ugly when she cried'
Seon immediately acknowledged her past self's pitiful face.
Then, her eyes drifted to Ellaine's neck, noticing something she hadn't before. A strange mark—a trio of dots arranged like a fang.
"This is…"
—SLAM!
Seon jolted awake as her head smacked against the floor. With a groan, she lay there, feeling aches prickling through her body.
Falling out of bed wasn't exactly her preferred way to start the day—let alone the most embarrassing way of waking up.
"Ugh... another vision?" she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. "No, just a dream. There's no way a past life could actually show up as visions."
As she started to get up, a small, fluffy shape blocked her view—a crying hamster, its chubby cheeks pressed right against her face, unwilling to leave.
"Ugh! What is this rat doing?" Seon muttered, trying to push it aside.
But Hunter, seemed to continue nuzzling his face against hers with pitiful squeaks, ignoring her attempts to brush him off.
"I said, get out of my sight!" she yelled, finally grabbing him by the scruff and, without a second thought, tossing him toward the open window.
"SQUEAK!"
Hunter let out a squeal as he tumbled from the second floor, vanishing from view.
With a sigh of peace, Seon stood up, only to wince as pain shot through her feet.
Glancing down, she saw they were covered in cuts and bruises—wounds she didn't remember getting.
But oh well she just shrugged it off.
'Probably from the boots I always wear?' -She assumed.
Limping over to her wardrobe. After pulling on her black dress, she decided to head for a bath to forget the remnants of that dream.
*****
The sun bore down mercilessly, casting heat across Seon as her feet remained firmly on the ground.
'SWING!'
An unmistakable hiss of her blade cuts through the air.
With her eyes slightly focused, Seon inhaled deeply, centering herself. She studied the weight of her sword and attuned the balance and grip.
'SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!'
She then launched into a series of slashes, creating an invincible arc in the air.
Carving sword patterns before disappearing into the empty horizon.
"huff..."
Beads of sweat trickled down her cheeks.
She spun the blade arcing over her head, catching the sun's rays for a split second.
Then ending it with a downward cut.
'SWOOSH!'
Each time Seon's blade swings, she seemed to ease a bit of the tension she felt.
Yet the villagers who watched from a safe distance, don't seem to feel the same way.
"Shouldn't we… say something to her?" one whispered, looking nervous.
"Better not. She doesn't remember a thing about last night," another replied, suppressing a shiver. "It's probably safer that way."
"Still… the way she's going at it… gives me chills."
"Who knows! It might be us next!"
Seon's brows knitted as she caught fragments of their conversation, a faint annoyance built inside her head.
'What did happened last night?'
She searched her mind, but it was blank.
All she remembered was lying down, trying to ignore her worries about the system, and then... waking up to a bright morning. Everything in between was a complete void.
She shrugged off the questions, tightening her grip on her sword as she returned to swinging once again.
And then the long-awaited system's notification blinked before her:
[ Daily Mission Finished ]
"Finally..." She murmured, as she glanced over the system interface, feeling a small sense of satisfaction.
____________________
System: Daily Mission
100/100 downward slashes
100/100 stabs
100/100 sit-ups
100/100 curl up
Reward 50 arcana points have been added in item slot
____________________
'Well, I'll keep farming these arcana points until I figure out what they're really for.'
As she sheathed her sword, a familiar face approached—It was Yunnie. He seemed nervous, shifting his weight before he finally spoke up.
"Uh… Madam Prophet?" he stammered, clearing his throat. "Do you… maybe need some therapy?"
Seon blinked, trying to understand the question.
"...What?"