The night was silent.
Not peaceful—just empty.
Tomu May Aura stood before the ruins of her home, her expression cold as the wind brushed past her face. The house behind her had long been reduced to ash and broken wood, yet it still stood barely upright, like it refused to fall completely.
Just like her.
It had been days since the fire.
Days since everything ended.
Her parents were gone.
Not chosen. Not saved. Not protected.
Just… gone.
Tomu's fists tightened slowly at her sides. She didn't cry. She hadn't cried since that night.
She wasn't that kind of person.
Life had never been kind to her, and she had learned early that tears didn't fix anything. While others waited for help, she fought. While others broke, she endured.
A tomboy.
A survivor.
Someone who refused to stay down
But even she couldn't understand this.
In a world where the Realm Sorcery existed—where people were chosen and given power beyond imagination—her parents had lived and died as nothing.
Ordinary.
Forgotten.
"…Why them?" she muttered under her breath.
The air shifted.
Tomu's head snapped up instantly.
Something was wrong.
The space in front of her twisted unnaturally, like reality itself was tearing apart. A crack formed midair, glowing with a deep violet light. It spread rapidly, expanding into a swirling portal that pulsed like something alive.
Tomu stepped back. "No…"
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Breathing became difficult.
Then—
A voice echoed.
Cold.
Ancient.
Absolute.
"Candidate selected."
Tomu's eyes narrowed. "…Me?"
"Enter."
Her jaw tightened. "I didn't ask for this."
But it didn't matter.
A force seized her—not her body, but her soul. It dragged her forward with overwhelming power, ignoring her resistance completely.
Tomu dug her feet into the ground.
"Stop—!"
Useless.
Her body lifted.
Pulled.
Controlled.
And in the next moment—
She was swallowed whole.
Darkness consumed everything.
Then—
Light.
Tomu slammed onto the ground, the impact knocking the air from her lungs.
"Ugh—!"
She coughed, forcing herself up immediately.
The air felt wrong.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
She looked up.
And froze.
Creatures.
They surrounded her from every direction.
Twisted, unnatural beings with distorted limbs and glowing eyes that locked onto her instantly. Some crawled. Some hovered. Some simply stood still, as if waiting.
Tomu's heart pounded. "What is this place…?"
The voice returned.
Now inside her mind.
"Welcome to your first trial."
Her breath caught. "…Trial?"
The moment the word settled—
The creatures moved.
All at once.
They rushed her.
Tomu reacted instantly. She grabbed a sharp fragment from the ground and swung it at the nearest creature, smashing it across the face. It shrieked as dark blood splashed across her arm.
"Stay back!" she shouted.
But they didn't stop.
They never would.
A creature lunged from the side. She twisted, barely dodging, and slammed her elbow into another. She fought like she always had—fast, aggressive, fearless.
But this wasn't a normal fight.
Claws tore into her arm.
Teeth sank into her shoulder.
Pain exploded through her body.
Still, she refused to fall.
"I'm not dying here!" she shouted, her voice filled with raw defiance.
But the creatures kept coming.
Endless.
Relentless.
One leaped straight for her throat.
She tried to block—
Too slow.
Pain surged.
Her vision blurred.
Her strength faded.
Tomu staggered.
Then fell.
The creatures swarmed her instantly.
Darkness swallowed everything.
…
Silence.
…
Tomu opened her eyes.
She stood in a vast, silent place.
A citadel.
Towering black structures stretched endlessly into the void. The ground beneath her reflected a faint, ghostly glow, as if it wasn't entirely real.
And around her—
Souls.
Countless souls wandered aimlessly, their eyes empty, their movements slow and lifeless.
Tomu's breathing became uneven. "…Where am I?
She looked down.
Her body was transparent.
Fading.
Her eyes widened.
"No…"
Her voice trembled.
"I… died?"
Panic surged instantly.
"No! I can't be dead!"
She began to run, pushing through the drifting souls.
"I have to go back!"
Her voice cracked.
"I'm not done yet!"
Memories flooded her mind—her parents, her home, everything she had lost.
"I'm not ending here…"
Her legs gave out.
She dropped to her knees.
Silence surrounded her.
Then—
She felt it.
A pulse.
Different from everything else.
Tomu slowly lifted her head.
In the distance, something floated.
A strange light.
It wasn't like the other souls.
It shifted constantly.
One moment—warm, golden, alive.
The next—cold, dim, almost lifeless.
Tomu stared at it.
"…What is that?"
Something inside her responded instantly.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Instinct.
"That's mine."
She stood up, her expression hardening.
"That's my way back."
Tomu ran toward it.
Faster.
Without hesitation.
The closer she got, the stronger the energy became. Her body trembled, but she didn't stop.
When she reached it—
She grabbed it.
The moment her hands touched the light—
Everything changed.
Energy surged through her instantly.
Warmth flooded one side of her body.
Coldness consumed the other.
Pain.
Power.
Balance.
Chaos.
The light resisted her.
Pushed back.
Tomu gritted her teeth.
"Move!" she shouted.
It didn't respond.
"I said MOVE!"
She pushed harder.
"I'm not staying here!"
Her voice echoed across the citadel.
"I'm not done living!"
Something inside her snapped.
A burning will erupted from deep within her soul.
She forced everything into that moment—every ounce of strength, every bit of anger, every fragment of her existence.
The light trembled.
Then—
It broke.
A blinding radiance exploded outward.
…
Tomu gasped.
Air rushed into her lungs.
Pain returned.
She was back.
Back in the trial.
The creatures turned toward her again.
But this time—
Something had changed.
Tomu stood slowly.
Inside her, something pulsed.
Warm.
And cold.
She looked at her hands.
Faint light flickered across her skin—golden on one side, dim and heavy on the other.
Her eyes sharpened.
"…So I came back."
The creatures charged again.
Tomu raised her head calmly.
There was no fear anymore.
Only resolve.
"…Come on."
Her voice was quiet.
But steady.
"Let's see which one of us dies this time."