Three years ago.
On a high place in the middle of Seoul, seemingly at the top of the world, the 21-year-old Baek Da-In silently stared at the city's canvas, catching a glimpse of blinking city lights under the cold moon's embrace.
Wearing fine above-the-knee sleepwear bottoms, revealing her flawless thighs, and simply a well-fitted white top that accentuated her figure, with her glimmering amethyst eyes, Baek Da-In momentarily shifted her gaze to the stars as she held on to the railings of a spotless balcony.
Different from someone who could be considered a legacy in the idol industry, Baek Da-In's thoughts were as tranquil as ever, like her mind world transformed into an undisturbed sea.
The expectations of tomorrow.
The flashes of cameras from all sides, each with an unspoken intent.
The constant shouts and gazes of admiration and hatred.
The bustling digital world filled with barely any real personality.
All of which were finally leaving her heavy soul—she was feeling at peace, inexplicably so.
"Strange... I never would have thought true peace feels so priceless." Her somewhat hoarse yet incomprehensibly pleasing low voice echoed.
Slowly retreating from the railings, Baek Da-In closed her gem-like eyes and spread her arms wide like a puny butterfly flapping its fragile wings while savoring the night's gentle breeze.
Taking a deep breath, the memories of her career flashed through her mind, her heart reliving every moment of it—both its roses and the thorns.
Being scouted at the age of sixteen (16), she auditioned and was evaluated to be of exceptional talent by one of the big agencies in the entertainment industry.
At the same age, she debuted as the youngest member of the girl group "White Pandora," which consisted of five members.
Baek Da-In was then acknowledged internationally for her crispy yet captivating voice, otherworldly visuals, natural intellect, and excellent social ability.
With a humble background, she developed a meek yet strong personality, and before she could even decide for herself, Blanc Lumen Entertainment assigned her the stage name: Athena.
The Goddess of Wisdom and War—under this mystical impression, Baek Da-In's presence alone served as the immovable anchor for those who thought and felt that they were on the brink of collapse.
Every time she faced the audience, their hearts would be captured and undeniably burn with intense desire to keep moving forward as though they were at war against their own world.
With such thoughts, Baek Da-In chuckled softly.
She recalled her meaningful journey alongside the four other members of White Pandora—their debut and its mixed aftermath, the interviews that were either showcasing them leisurely or documentary-worthy, the behind-the-scenes of joy or tears, and the world tours.
The dating rumors for the sake of destroying one's image.
The sasaengs or lunatic stalkers who did not know any boundaries.
The unintended political scandals.
The intense pressure from it all.
Baek Da-In completely understood that such matters were among the consequences of being an idol. However, in one of White Pandora's rare controversial interviews that reverberated throughout the idol industry, she once asked, "Why do such things have to be a part of our lives?"
Weren't we just humans too?
Why do some of these people think they own our lives?
The idols' role was to bring light into someone's darkening world.
Yet some people yearned for the source of the light... Even if it meant darkness for the source itself.
Baek Da-In sustained her lips creeping up, albeit for a second or two, as such memories within her now peaceful mind flooded uncontrollably.
Despite these moments that prompted her to question what it meant to be an idol, her heart at this moment was still.
She then continued to reminisce—as well as remember the purpose of White Pandora as a whole.
If there's one thing, White Pandora's music aimed to inspire the people to go against the cruelty of life... That sometimes, if it's necessary... people could be a little evil.
Slowly opening her eyes and looking up for a moment, savoring the beauty of the hovering white moon overseeing the world, Baek Da-In murmured, "What a flawed yet tragically beautiful world."
At the same time, as her body and soul seemed to be breaking, a crystal-like tear unconsciously flowed down first from her mesmerizing right eye.
—She was happy.
Lowering her arms, along with an unreadable expression, Baek Da-In looked back in silence. Her supple lips formed an apologetic smile before they reluctantly moved.
Yet at that moment, the words that escaped her mouth were muffled away by the evening winds.
Whoosh!
A moment after that, she dashed to the railing of White Pandora's penthouse balcony and finally embraced the path from a high place to oblivion... towards peace as she defined.
What kind of peace was she seeking?
Was it something that could only be achieved by not knowing what the future holds—what came after death?
Falling from the 133rd floor of the luxurious building, her thoughts submerged into transparency.
Every internal conflict that was plaguing her mind and eventually killing her soul was miraculously washed away.
True peace—as she defined—finally settled in her soul; the heavy burden of being the people's star instantly vanished.
The idol image she had to keep in front of the world.
The damning social media where every action of an idol was either the truth or misinterpreted.
The risks from maniacal stalkers and utter delusionals who could not bring to love themselves.
Such thoughts and emotions born from them became worthless.
There would be no tomorrow for her. Yet to this day, her death would be remembered throughout the nation, across the wide world.
Whoosh!
Feeling the raging winds cutting through her skin, the instant agony was the only thing she had waited for as she instinctively closed her eyes.
Seconds or perhaps a minute or two had passed. She wasn't sure.
Considering the pull of gravity with air resistance, her body desired by many would have splattered by now, followed by the screams of the passing pedestrians.
However.
Of all the attention she had gathered throughout her idol career, death was not one of them.
**
"Da-In... Da-In!" A cheerful voice echoed beside Baek Da-In, snapping her out of her own thoughts.
"Ah-?" Looking at the source of the voice, she saw a young woman around seventeen to eighteen years old, who possessed incredibly alluring yet innocently-looking golden eyes, comfortably sitting on a crimson chair.
They were waiting for the entertainment audition to start with the winner's only ultimate prize—the so-called Emerald Siren's arsenal.
Seeing her reaction, Lena pouted.
"What's on your mind again this time? Is it because of the latest incident caused by those godless bastards?"
From time to time, Da-In could not help but think of that moment—the day when everything began...
The day before she was transmigrated into this new unfamiliar world.
"..."
Sensing her unusual silence for a moment, Lena pressed, "Are you perhaps...?"
"Right. I'm hungry." Da-In chuckled.
"I should have known."
Baek Da-In retained her smile as she glanced at Lena Goldhart, a daughter of the Baron Household.
"What do you think about the Glaubenlos' latest move, Lena?" Forgetting her remark about being hungry, she queried.
Of all the worlds she would transmigrate into, it had to be the kind that was plunged into seemingly endless wars across the four continents with each one led by a major superpower—The Glaubenlos Empire; The Divinia Theocracy; The Diamond Republic; and The Spero Federation.
"Well, what should we expect from those godless bastards? They've become and continue to be bolder since two years ago. And if it's not a curse enough, the western and eastern superpowers are keeping each other in check." Lena responded in slight frustration.
Strategically, the Glaubenlos Empire was located in the Northern Continent. With that said, despite the empire's atrocities and distance, instead of being the subject of continuous condemnation, the Divinia Theocracy from the West and the Spero Federation from the East partially neglected the north and instead focused on keeping each other in stalemate since if one of the other managed to get ahold of the empire that deserve its downfall, it would mean getting the unpredictable into their own doorstep.
In other words, the empire—ironically so—was under the unintentional protection from these two superpowers.
"..."
Hearing Lena's remark, Da-In remained silent for a few seconds.
How did my life spiral from being an idol to this one...?
But she didn't hate it. For some reason, her new identity was far more ideal than what she was in the past.
And at the moment, she's currently residing in the Diamond Republic of the Southern Continent for around two years.
Sensing Da-In's silence, Lena reached out to the void and pulled a chocolate bar from it, which she offered to her.
Da-In, upon seeing the seemingly abnormal phenomenon of taking something from space, accepted the chocolate bar with a smile. At this point, she's now used to it—the power in this world that couldn't be found on Earth.
"Diamond Mars?! Thank you. I'll remember this gesture.
"...?" Lena snorted at her polite remark.
It was then that the blood red curtain from the stage was raised, showing what was hidden behind.
At the center of the platform, a glass case containing a miniature emerald sphere with the symbol depicting that of a siren's tail was situated.
However, less than a few seconds after the curtain was raised, this object was gradually being stained by crimson, prompting the other audience to look in bewilderment.
"H-huh?"
"W-what...?!"
"T-this is—!"
Hanging high on the ceiling of the platform were dead bodies. Their eyes expressed incomprehensible fear, and from their noses and ears, blood dripped down as if the ground was calling for it.
Lena gasped heavily.
They were the performers for the audition!
Then, with ominous feeling, just as they were about to run, all doors in the theater burst open, pouring several soldiers in black-purple uniform engraved with upside down cross with a lone eye in the center.
In their grasp were guns emitting a black-purple aura—the Mark of Blasphemy.
"Well, well! Look at this! Young talents from the Republic gathered in one place?
" Don't move! You know we won't hesitate to shoot!"
"Raise your goddamn hands and don't try anything funny!"
Seeing everything unfolding before her eyes, Baek Da-In, observing everything in silence as they raised their hands, couldn't help but inwardly mutter,
'Fuck this!'