"AHHH!" I gasped, jolting upright. My breathing was ragged, my chest heaving as the vivid remnants of the dream lingered in my mind.
Sigh.
What was that?
[Side effects,] stem chimed in.
'Side effects of what?' I demanded, but before I could probe further, a voice interrupted.
"Are you okay?"
I turned to see Lily looking at me with wide, concerned eyes.
"Huh?" I muttered, rubbing my temple.
'Is it just me, or… did you suddenly revert to your old self?'
Her head tilted slightly, confused.
Wait—MORNING?!
My eyes darted around, taking in the serene blue sky above and the gentle warmth of the rising sun. It was morning.
"Is… something wrong?" she asked hesitantly.
"No, nothing," I said quickly, shaking my head. "When did I fall asleep?"
"Last night," she replied softly. "You looked horrified for a moment, and then… you just collapsed."
I frowned, my mind racing. 'Stem,' I thought, 'what really happened? And what do you mean by 'side effects' earlier?'
[The canonical events have begun,] it explained. [Staying too close to one brought you into the awareness of the fates. What you saw was a correction attempt. The fates are trying to fix what they perceives as anomalies.]
'But those dreams… they didn't feel right. Something's wrong with them.'
[The first was a fragment of your memories as Amael. The second…]
'What about the second?'
[Side effect,] stem replied evasively.
'Stop being so damn cryptic and just tell me already!'
[The future,] it finally admitted. [Or rather… the past.]
'Huh?'
[… Don't dig too deep. I can't tell you more than this.]
Sigh.
Amael…
The memories, the visions—they felt too real.
That girl… she must Diana Ella Falkoria.
Sigh.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts aside.
"Let's go," I said, stretching as I rose to my feet.
"All right," Lily replied, though concern lingered in her eyes.
"I told you, I'm fine," I reassured her, forcing a faint smile. For some reason, my hand moved instinctively to her head, giving her a gentle pat.
She froze, her wide eyes locking onto mine as if I'd just done something monumental.
Realizing my mistake, I quickly withdrew my hand, feeling a tinge of embarrassment. "Sorry about that. Let's get moving."
I turned and began walking, but when I glanced back, she was still rooted in place, her hand touching the spot where I'd patted her.
'Um… why do I feel like I just raised a death flag?'
...
...
I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the back of my neck as I stared at the imposing gates ahead.
"How the hell am I supposed to get in?" I muttered under my breath, my mind racing with ideas that all led to dead ends.
So far, nothing had worked.
Damn it.
This was going nowhere.
"Should I kill them?" a voice chimed in beside me, casual as if discussing the weather.
Startled, I turned my head to see her, Liliana, standing there with an unnervingly calm expression. My bewildered gaze met hers, and for a moment, I almost thought she was serious.
If she'd undergone her second awakening, sure, that might've been possible. But she hadn't.
"You can't. Those guards are at least Genesis Level 8," I said firmly, trying to reason with her. And just like that, I found myself patting her head.
What the hell is happening to me?!
[It's your perverted nature. It's getting out of hand,] a snide voice echoed in my mind.
'Oh, shut up.'
She grabbed my hand mid-pat, fixing me with an intense and unnerving gaze.
"I told you… I'm stronger than you think," she said softly, her eyes locked onto mine.
I tried to pull my hand away, but her grip was ironclad, keeping my palm firmly atop her head.
"I know you're strong," I said, "but you're not that strong. Believe me, those guards are on a completely different level."
My attempt at reasoning only seemed to annoy her. Her pout deepened, and somehow, it was... adorable. Stop being so damn cute while talking about murder!
"I. Can. Kill. Them," she emphasized, stepping closer with each word.
At this point, I found myself unconsciously leaning back. This girl was dangerously unpredictable.
"Stop arguing," I said firmly, "You can't defeat them. That's final. Just let me think of another way to get us inside."
She exhaled sharply, her hand drifting to the simple, unassuming sword strapped at her waist.
"Fine, then," she muttered, and before I could stop her, she started walking off.
"Hey! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING? COME BACK!" I yelled, but she didn't even glance back.
Oh no.
My heart sank as I saw her unsheathing her sword while breaking into a sprint.
"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, realizing her intentions.
She was heading straight for the guards.
She's going to get herself killed!
I bolted after her, shouting, "Liliana, stop! You're going to get us both killed!"
But she was too fast.
The guards had already sensed her overwhelming mana and drawn their weapons, ready for a fight.
"Whoosh!"
The sound made me freeze for a split second. One of the guards, a mage, had raised his hand. Flames swirled and coalesced at his palm, forming a massive fireball.
"Damn it, a mage," I muttered as realization hit me.
The fireball shot toward us with terrifying speed.
And then, as if it were nothing, Liliana swung her sword in a horizontal arc, slicing the fireball cleanly in half.
What… the… hell?
I stared, dumbfounded. Was she supposed to be this strong already?
Before I could process what I'd just seen, the second guard, wielding a blade, shouted something to the mage and charged at her, his sword glinting in the sunlight.
Crap!
We didn't have time for this. They'd probably already called for reinforcements. Every second wasted here was putting us at a bigger disadvantage.
"What do I do?!" I panicked, my feet rooted to the ground as Liliana and the swordsman clashed. Their blades collided with a sharp metallic clang.
Despite being shorter and seemingly less experienced, Liliana used her smaller frame to her advantage.
And then, to my utter shock...
Splatter!
The guard's head separated cleanly from his body, a gruesome sight that left me frozen in place.
"No… way," I whispered, my mind struggling to process what I had just witnessed.
The mage's eyes widened in horror. He thrust his hands forward again, conjuring another massive fireball that erupted toward her with explosive force.
But she didn't move. She didn't do anything to stop it.
"Liliana!" I screamed, but before I could react—
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the area, dust and debris clouding my vision.
When the smoke cleared, I stood there, speechless.
The mage was ablaze, his body collapsing in a heap of fire and ash.
And there she was, standing amidst the destruction, her sword in hand and that same infuriating smirk from last night plastered across her face.
"I told you… I'm stronger than you think," she said, her tone almost mocking.
I could only gape at her in disbelief.
'System, tell me the truth... What in the actual fuck is going on? How is she this strong already?!'