Next month's living expenses… are almost gone.
The thought struck Lyra like a dry knock against her skull.
She sat motionless at her desk. Afternoon light slipped through the window, stretching her shadow across the cold wooden floor.
What… am I supposed to do now?
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt.
Every coin she had left had been sent back to the orphanage. The rest had gone toward travel expenses when she accepted the job.
Now—
Empty.
Completely empty.
"Aaaa…"
A faint groan escaped her dry throat.
---
Her memories dragged her backward.
Late-night part-time shifts.
Hands burning red from hauling cargo.
Sleepless nights studying for certification exams.
Coins saved one by one.
Then that dreamlike day—
The armor resting inside a velvet-lined box.
The crystal shimmering as if it held an entire sky of stars.
The light reflected in her eyes when she was accepted.
She had thought… her life had finally turned a corner.
But—
It was only her first day.
And she lost everything.
---
Hic.
Not just the proof of her identity.
But the very tool she needed to survive.
"My crystal… my armor…"
She dropped her forehead onto the desk. The wood was cold against her skin.
What am I supposed to do?
---
Right.
I have to write a report.
She shot up as if she'd grabbed onto a lifeline.
Submit a supplementary explanation about the situation.
Yes. Yes, it was that crazy professor's— no…
She inhaled deeply.
Air filled her lungs, slow and steady.
Calm down, Lyra Granger.
She repeated it to herself like a spell.
---
The chair screeched as she pulled it closer to the desk.
"Okay… I'll write the additional report now."
She muttered while reaching for paper.
Reason: the professor tampered with the crystal and the armor, causing them to explode.
If she wrote it like that…
Would they show leniency and issue replacements?
Or… should I ask the professor to testify for me?
The thought barely surfaced—
"No. No. Absolutely not."
She immediately crossed her arms in front of her chest in an X.
A tiny ant like me… how could I possibly invite the professor to vouch for me?
Besides—
She froze.
He saved my life.
---
Lyra slumped back into her chair.
The wood creaked under the weight of her despair.
Is this the end?
Do I have to pack up and leave this place?
Her fingers brushed the edge of the desk, tracing it lightly as if memorizing the texture.
Not attached… and yet painfully attached.
---
No.
She straightened abruptly.
There has to be a place for me.
Don't give up, Lyra.
I'll ask the other departments if they need additional staff.
It'll work.
Let's go.
You can do this.
"Fightinggg."
She tried to pump herself up, though her voice came out weak.
---
But the moment her hand touched the doorknob—
A heavy pressure settled across her back.
The kids at the orphanage… how are they right now?
If I fail…
She let out a long sigh.
"Haizz… I'll rest for a bit first."
The resolve she had just built deflated like a punctured balloon.
She turned back to the bed.
Collapsed face-first onto it.
Her body went limp, like a doll with dead batteries.
---
Lyra Granger was currently staying in a staff room provided by the research center.
It wasn't large. White walls. Low ceiling. A single window. The faint scent of new wood still lingered.
Inside her chest, her worries tangled like threads.
Passing the certification exam and being accepted into the research center—
That was the dream of countless people.
She had been luckier than most children.
Lucky enough to be recruited into a brand-new research institute.
High salary.
A wide future ahead.
But now?
There was nothing left.
A tear slipped silently down her cheek.
---
She once had so many dreams.
If she had money, she would build a massive mansion.
Become a rich lady.
Keep a house full of six-pack abs—
"Ah— no, stop!"
She smacked her own cheeks.
Smack. Smack.
Rolling back and forth on the bed as if trying to shake the delusion out of her head.
---
Face reality.
She raised a hand, as if sketching a diagram in the air.
Current situation—
Her crystal armor had been completely destroyed.
Each research employee was issued only one set.
To receive a replacement required approval from superiors.
It had to pass through multiple administrative departments.
And…
The professor.
She whispered softly.
"If the professor helped me… it would solve a lot of problems for me."
The room stayed silent.
No one answered.
---
Haizz.
I'm so tired.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
Her body felt drained after the chaotic day.
I just want to sleep.
Sleep and forget everything.
Her eyes slowly closed.
Consciousness blurred.
And at that exact moment—
BOOM.
The ceiling collapsed.
The sound exploded like thunder right beside her ear.
White lime dust poured down in a blinding wave.
Wood snapped. Stone shattered.
Lyra jolted upright on instinct.
"What the hell?!"
Her heart went wild.
Above her—through the gaping hole in the ceiling—
A little girl with short brown hair stood there.
Her eyes were white.
No pupils.
No irises.
Just a cold, empty white.
The girl stared down.
Unblinking.
Then a soft voice drifted through the dust-filled air.
"The professor's scent is here."
Lyra froze.
But—
The girl tilted her head.
"Not it."
Silence stretched.
"Not it."
---
Lyra slowly lifted her head.
Her gaze met the girl's.
For a brief second—
Their eyes locked.
The air solidified.
Her heart skipped.
The girl's gaze slid past her, as if she had just inspected an object with no value. Those blank white eyes did not linger. No emotion. No recognition.
Then she turned away.
Her lips moved slightly.
A murmur floated down clearly enough for Lyra to hear.
"Not the professor… not the professor… not…"
Each word dropped like cold needles.
Not?
Is she looking for someone?
Lyra stood rooted in place.
Her brain couldn't keep up.
What am I supposed to say?
Sorry, little girl, wrong room?
Could you please compensate me for the ceiling?
I won't ask for too much—
No. Not now.
Why am I trying to demand damages from a child?
I should contact her parents—
No, that's not right. Not right, not right—
While she was still struggling to decide what to say—
The girl suddenly grabbed her head.
Both hands clenched into her hair.
Then—
A scream ripped through the air.
The sound was piercing. Like metal scraping directly against her eardrums.
Lyra was thrown backward into the wall.
Her back slammed hard.
A dry crack echoed along her spine.
All the air was crushed out of her lungs.
She slid down to the floor.
Her ears rang violently.
The girl rose higher.
Her body floated in midair.
Her short brown hair lifted, twisting wildly, thrashing like it had a life of its own.
Like a monster finally unleashing rage that had been sealed for too long.
Then she screamed again.
This time—
Stronger.
The soundwave detonated outward.
Windows in the surrounding buildings shattered at once.
Glass exploded in rapid succession, a relentless cascade of breaking crystal.
Walls cracked.
Fractures spread in jagged lines like spiderwebs.
The ground trembled.
Several people nearby who were operating sonic equipment suddenly clutched their heads.
Resonance.
Blood seeped from their ears.
They collapsed.
Unconscious.
Lyra pushed herself up from the dust.
Both hands clamped tightly over her ears.
She forced herself to look up.
The girl was still there.
High above.
Small.
And horrifying.
What do I do?
She had no idea how to make the girl stop.
Her mind was blank.
Only instinct screamed inside her—
Don't get involved.
Run.
Run now.
But her legs wouldn't move.
The tremors spread far.
In another area—
Dane was moving when the ground beneath his feet shook violently.
He halted.
"What the hell?"
He looked up.
In the sky—
More than a dozen mechanized knights were streaking toward a rising column of smoke.
From nearby buildings, red warning lights flashed in sharp pulses.
Emergency alarms wailed across the residential district.
Staff members in the area panicked.
They supported each other, scrambling away from the epicenter.
Some ran while slamming their communication watches.
"What's happening?!"
Voices overlapped.
Chaos piled on chaos.
Dane switched to the security channel.
"Did you hear that explosion? What happened? I need information. Now."
Static.
The reply came in broken fragments.
"Report, sir… staff housing detected an… unidentified object… no… not confirmed… it's emitting… sonic waves… causing tremors… and structural damage… command has deployed a team to investigate…"
Bzzzt—
The transmission crackled and cut out.
But it was enough.
Unidentified object.
Emitting sonic waves.
Staff housing.
Dane's eyes darkened.
He broke into a sprint toward the source.
---
Above—
The girl's hair began to change.
Strands lengthened.
Split apart.
Then shot downward like tendrils.
They swept through the air and stabbed into the ground.
Anyone attempting to approach was struck.
The mechanized knights were no exception.
One had just entered close range—
A tendril pierced straight through his armor.
He was flung more than ten meters away.
He hit the ground and didn't move.
Another was smashed aside, his armor caving inward.
Chaos erupted.
Gunfire roared upward.
Lances of light tore through the sky.
All aimed at the girl.
But before they could reach her—
A dense wall of sonic force manifested.
Invisible.
Only the distortion in the air gave it away.
Bullets were crushed midair.
Several energy beams ricocheted back.
Backlash.
Explosions detonated in rapid succession.
No one could get close.
---
Below—
Lyra lay buried in the rubble.
Bricks and shattered beams pinned her arms and legs.
Her chest tightened.
Breathing became harder.
The air thinned.
Darkness crept inward.
Only a narrow slit remained in her vision.
Through that gap—
She saw an image.
A little girl with short brown hair.
Smiling.
Running through a garden.
Golden sunlight spilled over her hair.
A voice echoed softly.
"Big sister, someone adopted me. Starting tomorrow, I'll have a family, right? I'll have a father and a mother… but I won't forget you."
Lumi…
Lumia…
Her heart clenched.
Her trembling arm lifted from beneath the rubble.
Was she trying to reach the figure in the sky—
Or the one inside her memory?
She didn't know.
The last of her strength drained away.
Her arm fell.
Her consciousness sank.
She blacked out.
---
Dusk descended over the staff housing district.
Red light stretched across the ground like a layer of blood-soaked mist.
The earth lay fractured.
Broken glass glittered like scattered bone.
Smoke continued to rise.
As if marking the birth of a battlefield.
Night fell.
The sky turned pitch black.
Smoke from the ruins still hadn't fully dispersed. It lingered in the air like toxic fog.
Red warning lights swept across the shattered ground.
"Reporting to command. All units have assembled. Vice-Captain Hestia Valentine is the only one still en route back to base."
Kai Mercer glanced at the glowing notification panel on his wristwatch while delivering his report in a steady voice.
Blue interface light reflected off his tense face.
---
Dane stood at the center of a circle of soldiers.
The night wind brushed across his weathered features.
"We split into two teams."
His voice was low. Decisive.
"Bravo Team will contain and isolate the monster. Distract it."
His gaze swept across every face.
"Alpha Team is responsible for rescuing any victims still trapped beneath the rubble."
In the distance, the sound of collapsing metal echoed.
There might still be survivors.
Or there might not.
---
"I've obtained authorization from higher command to temporarily unlock the armor limiters."
Several soldiers subtly clenched their fists.
"You are permitted to operate at maximum output during this mission."
Dane narrowed his eyes as he looked over the mechanized knights.
"But don't abuse it."
"You understand?"
"YES, SIR."
The unified response cut through the night air.
---
Dane glanced around.
"Vice-Captain Hestia Valentine hasn't returned."
An invisible gap lingered within the formation.
"You'll temporarily take command of her squad. Await further orders, Kai Mercer."
"Huh? But—"
Dane shot him a look.
His gaze was sharp as a blade.
Kai swallowed the rest of his words.
"Understood, sir."
---
"We don't have time."
Dane turned his back to them.
"Teams, move into position."
"Move. Move."
The formation dispersed.
Metal clinked softly as armored bodies shifted into motion.
Dane Volkov led his team into the ruins.
Rubble crunched under their boots.
Dust. Smoke. The sharp tang of scorched metal clung to the back of his throat.
He raised a hand.
Signaled.
Squads advanced slowly, spreading out.
Every soldier carried a weapon frame mounted on their backs.
War knives.
Spears.
Swords.
Some had already placed a hand on their sword hilts.
Others tightened their grip around their spear shafts.
One command—
And the mechanized knight armor would deploy.
Weapons would synchronize and materialize instantly.
No one spoke.
Only the steady rhythm of breathing through filtration systems.
---
"Bravo has visual on the target. Bearing two o'clock. Thirty meters."
The voice transmitted through internal comms.
"Alpha-1, target confirmed. Bearing two o'clock. Forty meters. Awaiting orders."
Dane activated long-range vision.
The world shifted into thermal and sonic spectrum overlays.
Data streamed across his retina.
He observed.
The target was still hovering.
A field of oscillating waves distorted the air around it like water being violently stirred.
---
Then—
"Report. Radar has detected an individual moving toward the target."
Dane halted.
"Confirmed. Flycam identifies one person approaching from six o'clock. Closing in."
What?
Wasn't the entire area evacuated?
Which lunatic wants to die?
Dane cursed under his breath.
---
He pulled up the flycam's visual feed.
The screen trembled slightly from signal interference.
Through flashing warning lights.
Through drifting smoke.
A silhouette.
White coat.
Two-toned hair.
Walking straight ahead.
Without hesitation.
Dane's heart stuttered.
No way.
He narrowed his eyes.
Zoomed in.
No mistake.
Professor X.
In the middle of a battlefield.
Inside a lockdown zone.
Facing a monster emitting sonic waves powerful enough to crush mechanized armor.
Dane clenched his jaw.
"Professor X…"
What the hell is he doing out there?