The forest was quiet, except for the soft rustle of leaves in the evening breeze. Moonlight filtered through the branches, casting silver threads across the dirt path. Sho walked slowly, the events of the past days still echoing in his mind — the Minotaur battle, the ball, and his training with the Domination Pulse.
And yet, despite all that, he couldn't stop thinking about the girl he had seen the night before.
The clearing appeared again, bathed in gentle moonlight. She was there — the same girl, sitting beneath the apple tree, her long silver-white hair catching the glow of the moon. Her crimson eyes were fixed on a fruit in her hand, the subtle curve of her lips betraying a faint smile.
Sho stopped a few meters away, uncertain.
"Um… hello again," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The girl tilted her head, eyes meeting his. "Hello," she replied softly, almost lazily, as if she had expected him. "Back for more apples?"
Sho blinked. "I… I didn't know anyone could just… sit here. I thought I was alone."
She laughed quietly, a sound like wind chimes in the night. "The forest is rarely empty. It's just that most people don't notice who—or what—is here."
Sho frowned, curiosity piqued. "Who… or what?"
The girl's crimson eyes glimmered in the moonlight. "That's for me to know… and for you to wonder."
Sho tilted his head, studying her. "You… seem… really calm. Even now. Are you… really human?"
She smiled faintly, tilting her head as if amused. "Do I seem dangerous?"
Sho hesitated. Dangerous… yes, but not in a threatening way. "I… I guess I just… feel like you're not telling me everything."
She laughed again softly, eyes glinting like rubies. "Perhaps. Or perhaps I simply choose what to reveal. You have a sharp mind, Sho. I can tell that much."
Sho felt a faint thrill run through him. Her words… they weren't just teasing. She was testing him. Testing what? he wondered, but before he could ask, she continued.
"You've been training, haven't you? I can sense it… though I'm not exactly close."
Sho froze. "Y-You… you can sense mana?"
She shrugged lightly. "Only a little. Enough to know you're no ordinary boy. And perhaps… enough to know you're curious."
Sho swallowed, feeling a pull in his chest he didn't understand. "I… I just want to understand things. Magic, people… the world. And… you."
Her crimson eyes softened, just a fraction. "Be careful with curiosity, Sho. Sometimes, it leads to answers you may not be ready for."
Sho stepped a bit closer, the forest around them silent, holding its breath. "I think… I'm ready."
The girl tilted her head, regarding him with amusement and something older, wiser, and far beyond her youthful appearance. "Are you?" she asked softly. "Or do you simply think you are?"
Sho hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Maybe both."
For a few moments, they simply stared at each other. The forest seemed to lean in, the moonlight falling on her silver hair, casting a faint, ethereal glow. Sho felt something unexplainable — calm, warmth, and awe all at once.
Then she took another bite of her apple, slowly, deliberately, giving nothing away. "It's getting late," she said finally. "Perhaps we should meet again… when the moon is kind enough to watch over us."
Sho nodded, barely able to speak. "I… I'll be here."
She smiled faintly, then stood, moving like a shadow between the trees. Within moments, she disappeared into the forest, leaving only the faint scent of apples and the whisper of something ancient, something powerful — hidden, yet unmistakable.
Sho exhaled slowly, leaning against a tree, his mind racing.
> Who… is she?
Why do I feel like I've met her before — in dreams, in memories, or somewhere beyond this world?
And why… does it feel like the world itself has shifted just because she's here?
The moonlight lingered on the clearing, shimmering faintly through the leaves, as if acknowledging the beginning of something neither of them could yet understand.
> She's no ordinary girl…
And one day… our paths will collide in ways neither of us are ready for.