It was an ordinary day in the kingdom. People filled the streets, chatting and laughing as they moved between market stalls, their voices blending into a cheerful hum. Children darted through the crowds, their laughter echoing as they played their games, carefree and untroubled.
Suddenly, a child came running back to his mother, his face flushed with excitement. He tugged at her sleeve, eager to share what he had discovered.
"Mom, do you know what happened today?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with a mix of excitement and curiosity as he looked up at his mother.
With a curious smile, the mother leaned closer and asked, "What happened, dear?"
Breathless with excitement, the child exclaimed, "I saw my reflection!" His eyes sparkled with wonder, as if he had uncovered a secret that only he could understand.
Then his mother smiled gently and said, "But don't you see your reflection every day in the mirror?"
With innocent wide eyes, the child replied, "No, Mom, I saw my reflection without a mirror! And it talked to me."
Upon hearing this, the mother's expression shifted to one of shock; her face turned pale, and for a fleeting moment, fear flickered in her eyes.
The mother grasped his hand tightly and hurried toward the Stellar Priest, her mind racing with a single thought "Maybe it's not too late."
As the Stellar Priest caught sight of the child, he motioned for the mother to come closer. Leaning in, he whispered something urgent and solemn into her right ear, his voice barely audible yet heavy with meaning.
The mother's eyes widened in shock as the priest's words sank in. A tear traced down her cheek, soon followed by another, until she was silently weeping. Beside her, the child looked up, bewildered, unable to understand the weight of the moment.
The child asked, his voice heavy with unspoken sorrow, "What happened, Mom? Is there something wrong?"
The mother forced a trembling smile and replied, "No, there's nothing wrong, my son. Can you stay here for a while? I'll be back soon." With those words, she turned and ran, her tears falling like silent confessions as she disappeared from sight.
Worried, the boy's heart raced as he watched his mother run away. Without a second thought, he bolted after her, calling out, "Mom! Wait!" His small feet pounded against the ground, desperate to catch up.
Suddenly, the Stellar Priest stepped in front of the boy, his presence commanding and unyielding. "You aren't going anywhere, kid," he said firmly, his voice calm but resolute.
The boy, tears streaming down his face, cried out in frustration and swung his fist at the priest. But before it could land, an unseen force stopped the attack mid-air, leaving the boy frozen in shock and fear. The priest's hand didn't even move, yet the boy's punch was effortlessly blocked as if by an invisible barrier.
The boy's tears dried as a surge of fury overtook him, his small frame trembling with uncontainable energy. His eyes began to glow with an eerie, otherworldly aura, casting an unnatural light around him. Then, as if possessed by an ancient force, the boy started speaking in a strange, guttural language, the words flowing from his lips like a forgotten incantation.
In an instant, the invisible barrier shattered with a thunderous crack, leaving the Stellar Priest momentarily stunned. A flicker of curiosity crossed the priest's face as he observed the boy's newfound power. "Interesting," the priest murmured under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he studied the child with a newfound intensity.
In the next moment, the boy raised his trembling hands, his glowing eyes now radiating with an intense, unearthly light. Words of the strange language spilled from his mouth once more, faster and more powerful than before, as if the very essence of the spell was controlling him.
A surge of energy erupted from the boy, rippling through the temple like a tidal wave. The walls began to crack and splinter, ancient stones groaning under the force of the unleashed power. Statues crumbled, and the air grew heavy with the sound of destruction. The boy, now entirely consumed by the force possessing him, stood at the epicenter of the chaos, his small figure shrouded in an aura of raw, untamed energy.
"Okay, now that's enough," a voice drawled, dripping with laziness yet carrying an undeniable authority.
As the words echoed through the chaotic temple, the boy's glowing eyes dimmed, and the strange aura surrounding him vanished in an instant. He stumbled, falling to his knees, back to his normal self, breathing heavily as if waking from a dream.
At the same time, the destruction began to reverse. The cracked floors mended themselves, the shattered walls reassembled, and the broken statues reformed, as though time itself had been rewound. The temple stood pristine once more, as if nothing had happened.
From the shadows, a figure emerged, exuding an air of effortless confidence, his tone still tinged with casual indifference. "Really, kid? Don't let the power go to your head."
The Stellar Priest turned to the figure and asked, "It's odd to see you here. Aren't you usually in your room?"
The young man yawned lazily, his voice as unbothered as his demeanor. "Yeah, but Aki told me it was urgent. Something about checking in here as a Reflecter every week. Since everyone else visited yesterday and I skipped it, I figured I'd make up for it." He casually approached a nearby box and placed something inside, his movements unhurried.
The boy, still recovering, squinted, trying to make out the man's face. But before he could see clearly, the figure turned his back. It was the man's voice, calm and laid-back, that gave him away. The boy's eyes widened slightly as he realized—this was no elder; the man sounded like someone barely out of his teens, maybe 18 or 20 years old.
The Stellar Priest bowed slightly in gratitude. "Thank you, PeaceXan, for everything. I hope you'll continue to be as regular as always."
The man paused near the temple gates, turning his head just enough to let a faint smile curl his lips. Then, without a word, he stepped out into the sunlight, disappearing beyond the gate.