The battlefield groaned beneath them.
Lira's fist pressed against Yuwen's.
For the first time—
It didn't go through.
The ground split endlessly beneath her feet.
But she didn't push harder.
She stopped.
"…Oh," she murmured.
Yuwen frowned.
"…What?"
Her eyes drifted.
Not focusing on him.
Not focusing on the battle.
Somewhere else.
"…Lira?" Kael called out.
She didn't respond.
And then—
She remembered.
She was sixteen.
Old enough to understand the world.
But not enough to understand it… correctly.
The village was small.
Quiet.
The kind of place where nothing ever happened.
"…Lira, don't forget this time," her mother said, handing her a basket.
"Go to the market and come straight back."
"…Okay."
She nodded seriously.
Then walked the wrong direction.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
She stopped in the middle of the road.
"…Where…?"
She forgot.
Again.
Other villagers sighed when they saw her.
"…That girl…"
"…Sixteen already and still like that…"
"…Poor thing…"
Lira didn't understand the tone.
So she smiled.
"…Hi."
They didn't smile back.
Her father tried to teach her simple things.
"Count to ten."
"…One… two… five…"
"No, no—start again."
"…One… two…"
She forgot what came next.
Again.
She wasn't broken.
Just…
Slow.
Too slow for the world.
That day—
The sky changed.
It cracked.
Like something behind it was forcing its way through.
People screamed.
Ran.
Lira looked up.
"…Pretty."
A light fell.
Not like sunlight.
Not like fire.
Something heavier.
Something that didn't belong.
It came down—
And chose her.
Everything turned white.
No sound.
No time.
No thought.
Then—
Something poured in.
Not knowledge.
Not memories.
Power.
Endless.
Boundless.
Unimaginable.
Too much.
Her mind—
Small.
Simple.
Couldn't hold it.
So it didn't.
It broke around it.
Pieces of thought scattered.
Connections lost.
Understanding… faded.
But the power stayed.
All of it.
When the light vanished—
Lira stood alone.
The village—
Gone.
Flattened.
Erased.
Not destroyed.
Pressed out of existence.
"…Huh?"
She looked around.
No panic.
No fear.
Because she couldn't fully grasp what was missing.
She took a step.
CRACK.
The ground broke.
She blinked.
"…Oops."
Days later—
She found a rock.
Small.
Round.
Nice.
"…Good rock."
She smiled.
She didn't aim.
Didn't think.
Didn't know distance.
Didn't know consequence.
She just—
Threw.
Miles away—
An Emperor died.
Present
Lira blinked.
"…Oh."
The memory slipped away.
Like it wasn't important.
Because to her—
It wasn't.
Yuwen stared at her.
"…What was that?"
"…Don't know."
She shrugged.
Then smiled.
"…Fight?"
Yuwen's expression slowly shifted.
Not mocking.
Not amused.
Serious.
"…Yeah," he said.
Kael stood in the distance.
Silent.
"…Sixteen…" he muttered.
Not a child.
Not an accident of birth.
But not a choice either.
A normal girl—
Who was given something her mind could never hold.
And survived anyway.
At a cost.
Back on the battlefield—
Lira raised her fist again.
Her smile returned.
Simple.
Carefree.
"…Okay."
She stepped forward—
And the world prepared to break once more.
To Be Continued…