"Next one, step forward!" an intimidating voice bellowed.
With hesitant steps, the young girl clad in rags stepped in front of the table, her eyes fixed on the torn toenail she'd gotten earlier that day when she tripped over a stone.
"Name, age?" the voice rang out again.
Without looking up, the girl answered, "Kira, fifteen."
The man, to whom the intimidating voice belonged, wrote it down.
"Touch the stone," he commanded.
Kira had watched dozens of other kids do the same. It was all the town had done today—watch children touch a stone. She was certain it wasn't just any ordinary stone; otherwise, why would the ever-serious adults observe it so closely?
She slowly reached out and placed her hand on it. Immediately, she felt a foreign energy forcing its way through her body. It wasn't painful—more like a gentle yet unrelenting stream. As quickly as it came, it vanished again.
Kira felt strangely empty afterward, already missing the sensation.
The stone blinked twice with a faint light.
That's new, she thought. The stone hadn't done that all day.
"Finally!" the man exclaimed with sudden elation. "Go stand behind me."
"Why?" Kira asked, surprised by her own boldness.
The man didn't answer. He simply called for the next child.
Kira looked around in confusion. Whispers rippled through the crowd, and many eyes were on her.
Then the mayor came over and ushered her behind the man.
He leaned in and whispered, "Don't offend the Immortal!"
Kira raised an eyebrow. "How is asking a question offensive?"
The mayor looked thrown off for a second before replying, "The Immortal is already in a bad mood. Except for you, he hasn't found a single recruit today."
"Recruit for what?" she asked, still unsatisfied.
"Stupid orphan," the mayor sneered. "You don't know anything."
"And whose fault is that?" she shot back, her voice sharp.
Anger flashed in his eyes, and before she could react, her head was slammed to the ground with a dull thud. The square went quiet.
The man—who had just dismissed another child—turned around slowly and fixed the mayor with a cold stare.
The mayor, once a proud ex-warrior, shrank under the Immortal's gaze. He opened his mouth to speak—but before a word left his lips, his arm dropped to the ground with the same dull sound Kira's head had made.
She didn't even understand what had happened. The man hadn't moved. There was no sound—no scream. The mayor's mouth was wide in agony, and blood gushed from his stump, but it was as if reality had muted itself.
"This girl already holds more value than any of you," the man said in a monotone. "We don't care where someone comes from. We care only for their future. With spiritual roots, her future is brighter than even your precious king's."
Spiritual roots? Something clicked in Kira's mind. She remembered overhearing conversations about them—the rare trait needed to cultivate immortality.
She had never imagined she possessed something so rare… so precious.
Her head throbbed. Whether from the punch, the fall, or the thoughts crowding her mind, she didn't know.
Half an hour later, the last child was tested. Kira remained the only one selected.
Suddenly, the man appeared behind her in a blur. Shocked gasps rippled through the crowd.
Kira felt an invisible force wrap around her. Her heart skipped a beat—it was the same enchanting sensation she had felt from the stone. But this time, instead of entering her body, it wrapped around her like a cocoon.
She had never felt safer.
She didn't even panic when the ground vanished beneath her feet and the landscape blurred into streaks of color. They were flying—soaring through the sky at breathtaking speed.
A bit dizzy, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the embrace of the force.
And then, she slept.
Kira woke to a crashing pain.
The Immortal had unceremoniously thrown her onto the ground—where many other children had already gathered.
Before she could curse him, he was gone.
"Are you okay?" a sweet voice asked.
Kira turned her head and found herself face-to-face with the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Her pain vanished. A smile formed on her lips.
Seeing her smile, the girl blushed a little.
"What's your name?" Kira asked.
"M-Mizu," the girl stuttered, returning the smile.