???’s POV
I jolted awake, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. The sight of it, made of rough, bundled hay, made me roll my eyes at the sheer cliché of the situation. But there was no denying it—this was happening to me. The ceiling wasn’t much more than a patchwork of straw and twine.
“Um…”
A faint sound drifted in from the side, and my instincts as a soldier and protector kicked in. I sprang upright, blade in hand, and aimed it sharply at the source of the noise.
“Aaaah! N-No…! I’m not bad!” she cried out, her voice quivering with panic.
“Who are you? Where is this place? What am I doing here?”
The noise came from a plain-looking woman in a simple, worn tunic. Her eyes were wide with terror as she scrambled back from me, clutching her chest.
“Y-You fell from the sky all of a sudden and landed here! You’ve been out cold for three days!” she stuttered, her voice shaking. “I’ve been taking care of you!”
“What…?” I asked, utterly baffled. I couldn’t wrap my head around what was going on. “Wait, what happened to Satania? Where is she?”
“Satania?” The woman’s face clouded with confusion.
“Come to think of it, where the hell am I? This isn’t Hope Island, is it? Are you from some rival faction?”
“R-Rival faction? What?” Her bewilderment only grew.
I jumped out of bed and dashed outside. What I saw was a stark contrast to what I’d known. The surroundings were lush grasslands, stretching out into the distance, with mountains and forests dotting the horizon. I’d never seen anything like it. Given how dilapidated the world was due to the Ruination, this place must have been untouched by it.
“Um, Miss…!” the woman who claimed she’d been taking care of me stammered. Her voice was filled with concern. “Y-You’re not fully recovered yet. There are a lot of injuries on your body from the fall. I need you to rest for a bit.”
I fixed my gaze on her, struggling to piece things together. “Where exactly am I?”
“Uh… You’re in a rural part of the Empire, in a small village called Velase,” she said, her tone hesitant.
The name of the village felt bizarre, and the concept of an Empire being established was completely foreign to me. Where the fuck am I?
And where the hell is Shredica?
***
Shredica’s POV
I dreamt of the past—the first time I was yanked into this strange world, the first time I laid eyes on the Leader and Miss Arianne. And weirdly enough, Mr. Leon showed up in my dream too. Was this some kind of sign that my time here was coming to an end? That I’d finally be dragged back to my own world? God, I hoped not. I’d been trying to keep my distance, not letting myself feel anything for the people in this place since I’d be leaving it all behind eventually. But maybe, deep down, I was just fooling myself.
Now that I was officially a magic knight, I found myself stationed in the so-called Barracks—a place meant for those of my rank. But this wasn’t your run-of-the-mill barracks. Oh no, this was something else entirely. Each magic knight had their own room, and these weren’t just any rooms—they were decked out, the kind of luxury that screamed power and status. Everything about this place was sophisticated, dripping with opulence, like it was designed to remind you just how high up the ladder you’d climbed.
I climbed out of bed and stretched, groaning as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I was a mess. My purple hair was a tangled, chaotic mess, as if a full-blown war had been waged in it. I’d never bothered to fix my bedhead before—Jess had always handled that. Even after I’d arrived in this world, Miss Arianne had been gracious enough to tame it for me.
I gave my hair a quick, half-hearted attempt at taming, but it remained unruly and wild. With a resigned sigh, I left my room and stepped outside into the crisp air for my daily training. It had become my routine since I’d been initiated as a magic knight. Two months had passed, and each day of training was now a part of my life.
After working up a solid sweat, I noticed Miss Laurel walking toward me.
“You’re up early,” Miss Laurel said.
“I figured, since I don’t have anything else to do, I might as well put my time into training,” I replied, sweat glistening on my skin from the exertion.
“Your form is impressive, and your aim with a firearm is spot on,” she remarked, her gaze sweeping over my technique. “You’ve been trained your whole life, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding. “From the moment I became aware, training has been my constant companion.”
“You must have had a rough childhood,” she said. “But you can ease off on the training now. The Vice Commander says you’re ready for the mission to retrieve the spell.”
I stopped my training and turned to her, eyebrows raised. “Really?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, her voice steady and authoritative. “The preparations on her end are complete. It’s time for you to go and retrieve the summoning spell.”
***
Meanwhile…
Robyn’s POV
“Uuuuu…”
I stirred awake, my vision initially foggy and indistinct. Gradually, the haze lifted, revealing my surroundings. I was in an immaculate white room, the walls and floor devoid of any blemish or mark. The room’s stark whiteness was almost blinding, with nothing breaking the endless expanse of sterile, unblemished surfaces.
“Oh, you’re awake.”
A voice drew my attention to the side, and I saw a man standing there. He had black hair and piercing red eyes.
“You’ve been out for months,” he said, his tone matter-of-fact. “You were in a coma due to the severe injuries you sustained. Your skin was burned badly. Fortunately, the doctors here are exceptionally skilled—they managed to patch you up, and the burns have healed into closed wounds. But that didn’t wake you from your coma. Thankfully, you’re conscious now. Do you remember who you are?”
I nodded, though confusion clouded my thoughts. What… happened to me?
The events happening in this chapter is happening in the present time.
