My eyes felt heavy, unbearably so. Why couldn't I open them? Wait… why was I even thinking about opening my eyes? I had just died. Yes, I remember. A scooty hit me, driven by a lady. I died… from a scooty accident. How ridiculous. No, beyond ridiculous—it was downright embarrassing.
I mean, who dies from a scooty accident? But thinking about it, it's possible. After all, a lady on a scooty is a dangerous combination. Whenever I walked on the road, I had three principles: avoid dogs, children, and ladies on scooties. Yet here I was, killed by the third on my list. What poetic irony.
Suddenly, a sensation jolted me. My eyes felt… lighter, as if I could open them. Curiosity overpowered the weight, and I forced them open.
The scene that greeted me made my breath catch. Above me, a massive flaming ball streaked through the sky, hurtling straight toward me. It was enormous, fiery, and far too close for comfort. I froze in shock. My mind screamed, This isn't real. It has to be a dream.
Instinctively, I closed my eyes, praying the vision would disappear. When I opened them again, the fireball was still there, its heat prickling my skin. The sheer size of it made dodging impossible. Fear rooted me to the spot as I braced for the inevitable. This is it. I survived a scooty accident just to be roasted alive. Fantastic.
My thoughts spiraled as I prayed to every god I could think of, hoping for a miracle. And then, it happened.
Out of nowhere, a sword appeared. No, not just any sword—it was massive, almost divine, and beautiful beyond words. Its blade shimmered with a mesmerizing black and white glow, radiating an aura of power. It cleaved through the fireball as if it were paper, splitting it in two. I stood there, dumbfounded.
The sword didn't stop. It surged forward with an unstoppable force, straight toward a man clad in black who was standing far away, acting like some second-rate chunibyo villain. He didn't even get a chance to react before the sword struck, slicing through him cleanly.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, a hand rested on my shoulder. I flinched, letting out an involuntary yelp, and turned my head to see the source.
There she stood.
A woman of ethereal beauty, unlike anything I had ever seen. Her long, snow-white hair cascaded down to her waist, gleaming under an invisible light. Her piercing purple eyes locked onto mine, and I found myself lost in their depth. She wore a flowing black gown that shimmered faintly, as if it were alive.
Her gaze held mine, unyielding yet strangely comforting. She raised her hand, palm outstretched, and in that instant, another sword materialized out of thin air.
The blade was enormous, larger than life, and it passed through the air beside me, so close that it ruffled my hair. I turned to look at her, my eyes wide with awe and fear. She smiled, a soft curve of her lips that was both mysterious and enchanting.
Then, with a thunderous boom, she vanished.
The sound snapped me back to reality. I spun around, only to see utter destruction. The group of men who had been standing there moments ago—clearly the ones who had tried to attack me—were no more. In their place was chaos. Smoke rose from the scorched ground, and a massive beast stood in the center of the carnage, its roar shaking the very air. It was unlike any creature I had ever seen, its eyes glowing with primal fury.
The beast turned its attention toward me, but before it could make a move, another explosion erupted behind it, obliterating everything in its path. The sheer force of it sent me staggering backward.
I struggled to make sense of the scene around me, my mind a whirlwind of confusion, fear, and disbelief. My body felt heavy, as though the weight of the moment was crushing me. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges.
Through the haze, I saw her again—the woman in the black gown. She stood there, calm and serene, watching me with those hypnotic purple eyes. For reasons I couldn't explain, a single word escaped my lips.
"Aunty…"
Her smile widened slightly, as if amused by my choice of words.
And then, everything went black.
---
When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying on a cold, hard surface. The air was heavy with the scent of ash and something metallic. My limbs ached as if I had run a marathon, and my head throbbed with a dull pain.
I forced myself to sit up, wincing as I took in my surroundings. I was in the middle of what looked like a battlefield. The ground was charred, and debris was scattered everywhere. The air shimmered with heat, and faint traces of smoke rose into the sky.
And then, I remembered.
The fireball. The sword. The woman. The beast.
Was it real? Or had I dreamed the whole thing?
I touched my shoulder, the one where her hand had rested. It felt warm, as though her presence had left an imprint on my very being.
A shiver ran down my spine. Who was she? And why had she saved me?
Questions swirled in my mind, each one more confusing than the last. I didn't have any answers, but one thing was clear—my life, or whatever this was now, had changed forever.
As I sat there, trying to piece together the fragments of my shattered reality, a faint voice echoed in the distance. It was soft, almost melodic, but I couldn't make out the words.
Summoning what little strength I had left, I stood up and turned toward the sound.
And so, with unsteady steps, I began to walk, not knowing where the path would lead, but certain that nothing would ever be the same again.