RE:FLAME

[Despacitoleo]

Yay she wont die if someone pissed on her

 

[p_magno]

Yay she wont die if someone pissed on her

Click to shrink...

Yeah. She won't.

 

[p_magno]

<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>


<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>


<< You Have Leveled Up! [+1] >>


.......




'You sly old man.'

The thought was warm, amused, utterly without rancor. Jessica floated in the afterglow of her level-up cascade, her mental voice carrying a smile.

'You told me it would add just one level. Just one. And here I am, three levels higher without lifting a single leg. Hahaha!!'

Three levels. From 4 to 7 in the space of a single burning. The Blood of Red had delivered far more than promised.

But the surprises weren't done.


<< Your Flames Grow Stronger… [Burning +1] >>

'Err…' Jessica blinked mentally. 'Is this a lag? Did the system glitch?'


<< No. >>

The reply was immediate. Leaving no room for interpretation.

'WHAT?!' Her mental scream was pure shock. 'My abilities can LEVEL UP?!'

The implications cascaded through her mind like falling dominos. If abilities could grow, could improve, could become more, then her potential wasn't fixed. She wasn't stuck with whatever skills she happened to acquire. She could develop. She could evolve.

Her imagination ran wild. [Burning] becoming something that could consume worlds. [Spark Instinct] sharpening into precognition. [Flame Camouflage] letting her hide in plain sight, in any fire, anywhere and everyw—


<< Clarification: >>

The system's text cut through her fantasy in an instant.


<< The skill [Burning] only achieved advancement due to exposure to the essences of two divine entities. The bone of ARAFEL. The blood of Red. Based on available world-data, standard skill leveling is not a feature of this reality. The only path to skill enhancement is through merging compatible abilities to create more powerful combinations. >>

'Oh.'

The single syllable carried disappointment and understanding in equal measure.

'Right. So that's why [Burning] felt stronger during the viper fight. It wasn't just me getting better at using it... it was the skill itself, upgraded by god-juice.'

She paused, reflecting. The vipers had been dangerous. She should have almost died a dozen times. But she hadn't. And now she knew why her chances of victory were higher.

'Well. I'll take what I can get.'

She called up her status, eager to see the full picture.



[STATUS]

+

Name: Jessica

Level: 4 --> 7 [Infant Rank]

Exp(Fragnet): [----[250%]-----1100%]

Title: None

Specie: Flame

Species Possessed: Cave Locust [Hp/93%]

Rank: [Infant], Cave Locust [Infant]

Magic Cores: [You Are Currently An Idea], Cave Locust [1/1]

Items: [Bone Of ARAFEL] [The Nameless Lever]

Echoes: None

Innate Abilities: [Possess] [Spark Instinct]

Abilities: Unique Skill [Blabber Mouth]

Flame Specific Skill [Burning +1] [Life Multiplier 'By Snorting'] [Flame Camouflage]

Cave Locust Skill [Flame Acid Ball]

+

'Sigh…' The mental sigh was pure contentment. 'This is the life.'

Three levels. A skill upgrade. Full health. Two divine items in her inventory. She was, for the first time since her reincarnation, winning.

But a thought nagged at her. A gamer's instinct, honed by years of RPGs, Rogue-likes and MMOs.

'Hey, system. I feel like I'm being greedy asking this, but… in every game I've played, hitting level 5 or 10 means a skill choice. A new ability or a perk. Is this different? Or did I miss something?'

A pause. Then:


<< Sigh… I am currently processing that matter. It appears to be… on hold. Temporarily suspended. >>

Another pause.


<< It will resolve shortly. Focus on your current task. Leave the backend processing to me. >>

'Thanks.' Jessica smiled inwardly. Then, because she couldn't help herself, a teasing thought formed. 'Ooh, what would I do without you, my sweet system?'

The response was immediate and visceral.


<< *Shudders* What transgression did I commit in a previous existence to deserve this fate? I will expire from sheer discomfort if you continue addressing me in that manner. >>

Jessica laughed, the sound bright and free in the chambers of her mind.

'Alright, alright. I'll behave. No more sweet talk.'

She turned. Her gaze found the egg.


'Well. Time to try this again.' She Leap-boing! across the chamber, her movements confident, her flame bright, her purpose clear. The egg grew larger in her vision until she hovered directly before it, close enough to see the faint cracks in its surface, the ancient wear of ages.


<< DO YOU WANT TO POSSESS? >>

<< YES / NO >>

She stared at the screen for a long moment. The weight of the decision pressed against her, but it was a familiar weight now. She had made her choice. She had accepted the path.

'Here goes nothing.'

Without hesitation, she chose [YES]


Her locust body dissolved. Like morning mist burning away under a rising sun. For one brief, disorienting moment, she was two things at once, the fading form of the cave locust and the essential core of her true self, the flame that had always been her, flickering in the space between.

Then the flame swirled.

It became a vortex of sensation, a whirlpool of awareness, a shooting star of consciousness aimed directly at the egg. Her vision stretched, blurred, flew, crossing the distance in less than a heartbeat, entering the ancient shell like a key sliding into a lock.

Darkness.

For a long, terrible moment, there was only darkness. The familiar darkness of death, of the void, of the space between existences. She hung there, suspended, nowhere at all.

Then:


<< DING!! >>

<< POSSESSED CREATURE RESISTANCE: NONE >>


<< POSSESSION SUCCESSFUL!! >>

Success.

The word registered. She had done it. She was inside the egg, inside the body, inside whatever creature had been waiting here for, how long? Millennia? The possession was complete. She should feel joy. Triumph. Relief.

She felt none of those things.

Because in that moment, in the instant the possession finalized, Jessica felt pain.

Not the sharp pain of injury. Not the dull ache of exhaustion. This was deeper. The pain of something waking after an eternity of sleep. The pain of a body remembering it was alive. The pain of birth.

The pain of abandonment.


"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!"


*****




Outside the egg, the world began to change.

Cracks appeared first, tiny fissures in the ancient stone, spiderwebbing across the surface like frozen lightning. They spread slowly at first, then faster, multiplying, covering every inch of the grey shell until it seemed held together by nothing but memory.

Then came the glow.

It started as a faint pulse deep within, a heartbeat of light that pushed against the cracks from inside. Then another. Then another. Each pulse brighter than the last, until the egg was no longer grey but golden, blazing with an inner fire that made the chamber's torches seem dim by comparison.

The cracks widened. The light intensified.


CRASH..!

The egg crumbled.

It crumbled as if whatever had been inside had simply outgrown its prison and the prison could do nothing but fall away. Pieces of ancient shell tumbled to the floor, already cooling, already dead.

Something else fell with them.

A figure.

It was a child, a newborn, if such a word could apply to something born from an egg that had waited millennia. Its body was bare, unmarked by the world, untouched by time. It lay on the cold stone, unmoving, for a single breath.

Then it moved.

A tiny hand pressed against the floor. An arm trembled with effort. The child, she was a girl, unmistakably, began to crawl. Her movements were awkward, uncoordinated, the movements of a creature learning for the first time how to exist in a body. But there was nothing cute or innocent about it. Each movement was accompanied by a visible effort, a strain that made the air itself seem to thicken.

She crawled, and as she crawled, she grew.

It was subtle at first, a slight lengthening of limbs, a deepening of form. Then faster. Her body stretched, matured, aged years in seconds. The infant became a toddler. The toddler became a child. The child became—

A little girl with blood-red hair.

Still she crawled. Still her eyes remained shut. Her fingers scraped against the stone floor, and where they scraped, the stone cracked. Deep fissures followed her path, carved by nothing but the pressure of her passage.

Her teeth were gritted. Her jaw clenched. An inaudible scream tore through her mouth, inaudible to human ears, perhaps, but the chamber heard it. The walls shuddered. The torches flickered. The very air vibrated with the force of her silent agony.

And then came the changes.

Horns.

Curved horns, like those of a dragon, began to push through her red hair. They grew slowly, deliberately, each inch a fresh wave of torment. Her back arched, her spine contorted, and from between her shoulder blades.

Wings.

Red wings, like those of an angel, unfolded for the first time. They were wet with birth, slick with the remnants of the egg, but even so they caught the torchlight and threw it back in crimson glory. They stretched, tested and learned.

She thrashed. The chamber trembled with each movement. Her body grew again, child to adolescent, adolescent to young woman. Seventeen, perhaps. Eighteen. The pain didn't stop. It intensified.


"AAARRRGGGHHH!! DAMNIT!!!"

Her voice was hoarse, raw, human in a way that seemed impossible for something born of an egg older than some gods. But it was her voice. Jessica's voice. Finally, after five days of silence, was audible.

The scream faded, but the pain remained. And in that pain, in that white-hot crucible of transformation, she began to see.

Visions.

A man with blood-red hair, exactly her shade, exactly her color, standing in black robes. He was walking away from her, his back turned, speaking to three figures kneeling in reverence before him.

"I trust you will all do your duty until the end."

The kneeling figures, massive, armored, familiar, did not reply. They only bowed lower, their foreheads touching the ground. Then, in perfect unison, they spoke.

"Hail Red!"

"Angel of War!"

"Ruler of Chaos and Strife."

A pause. Then, together:


"The First Flaw of the Gods!"

........



The vision shattered.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!!!"

More pain. Deeper. More complete. Her body was still changing, still becoming, still hurting. She couldn't think, couldn't process, couldn't do anything but feel—

The three giant statues moved.

For millennia, they had sat. Watched. Waited. Now, as one, they stood. Stone grinding against stone, ancient joints protesting after ages of stillness, they rose from their thrones. Their armored gazes, empty, carved, yet somehow aware, fixed on the thrashing figure below.

Swords materialized in their hands. Not drawn, materialized, as if the weapons had been waiting for this moment as patiently as their wielders.

In perfect sync, they raised their blades.

And then


SHHHK!

They drove them into the ground.

The swords sank deep, embedding in the stone before them. And then, as one, the three knights knelt. Their massive forms bowed low, heads touching the floor, in the exact posture of the figures from Jessica's vision.

They knelt before the birth of an entity.

A forbidden child.

Below them, the thrashing stopped.


Silence.

Absolute, complete, terrifying silence. The chamber held its breath. The torches ceased to flicker. Even the dust motes in the air seemed to freeze.

Jessica lay on the stone floor, on all fours, her body finally still. Her red hair cascaded around her, hiding her face. Her wings folded against her back. Her horns caught the light.

And then..

She opened her eyes.

They were molten gold. Vertically slit pupils, like a dragon's, like a predator's. And in those golden depths, there was nothing but rage. A seething, boiling, infinite rage that had waited an eternity for release.

For one heartbeat. Two.


Then the world exploded!

Flames erupted, not around her, not from her, but as her. They consumed the chamber in an instant, a tidal wave of blue, reddish gold, ancient fire that scoured everything it touched. The torches were nothing. The stone itself began to melt. The three kneeling knights were engulfed, their ancient forms vanishing in the inferno.

The explosion didn't stop at the chamber walls.

It kept going.

Through stone. Through earth. Through reality itself.


*****



Far away, in a different chamber entirely, something stirred.

This chamber was vast, circular, impossibly large after the confines of any tunnel. Dim torchlight struggled to reach its center, where only darkness dwelt. The air smelled of cold stone and ozone and something deeper, something ancient.

The torches guttered low, as they always did.

Then, without warning, they roared.

Every flame in the chamber surged upward, blazing with a light that rivaled the sun. They were not afraid. They were celebrating. Responding to something. Recognizing something.

Only the darkness at the center remained unchanged.

But the darkness moved.

Chains rattled, ancient, massive chains, the kind forged to hold things that should never be held. An invisible head lifted, turning toward the distance, toward the source of the disturbance that had traveled through stone and space to reach even here.

And on one wall of the chamber, something began to draw itself.

A mural. Roughly painted, appearing stroke by stroke as if guided by an invisible hand. It showed a figure, a girl with blood-red hair, clad in knight's armor, a blade raised in her hand. She was pointing toward a giant gate, and behind her, hundreds of knights and archers and warriors followed.

At the edge of the mural, letters formed. Slowly and deliberately: The Ancient Flame


"Kukuku." The chuckle was deep, ancient, satisfied. It echoed through the chamber, making the torches bow and the chains sing.


"The time has finally come."

A pause. The darkness seemed to smile.

"The age of the gods… has just begun."


"A second time."






[END OF ARC_0: A Flickering Existence]





*******

AN: This is the End of Arc_0. Thank you very much for reading this far ^^

Please tell me what you think about the story in the comment section. (It helps me develop the story better.)

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To everyone. Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

Link To Royal Road: What? Did I Just Reincarnated As A Flame?

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[Despacitoleo]

Cave Locust Skill [Flame Acid Ball]

Click to shrink...

hmmmmmm totally not napalm with the sticky acid

and yay baby let's go warcrimes

 

[p_magno]

hmmmmmm totally not napalm with the sticky acid

and yay baby let's go warcrimes

Click to shrink...

Thanks for reading!

 

[p_magno]

Darkness.

That was all that greeted Jessica as her consciousness slowly stabilized. Not the threatening dark of a monster's lair, not the oppressive dark of a sealed chamber. Just… emptiness. Familiar emptiness. The same darkness she had felt when she died, before the truck, before the void, before everything.

'Am I… dead?' The question came unbidden, a whisper in the silence.

'Is this… is this really the afterlife of flames?'

Her mental tone carried something unexpected, amusement. Almost hope. After everything she'd been through, after the pain that had consumed her at the end, maybe this was peace. Maybe this was rest.

'Well, I tried my best. It's not like I gave up without a fight. After all that pai—'


<< Sigh… You're still alive, Dummy. >>

The system's voice cut through her reverie like a bucket of ice water.


<< You are merely unconscious. Your existence is currently stabilizing within the body you possessed. So quit thinking nonsense and tell me what happened to you? >>

Jessica's mental frown was immediate. 'I was about to ask you the same thing! Didn't you see what happened? One moment I was possessing the egg, the next moment, PAIN. I was totally left blank. Totally blank.'

Silence stretched between them. Not the comfortable silence of companionship, but the thoughtful silence of two entities processing the same problem.


<<... So we both were left out... I thought I was the only one. >>

'Heh. Same here.'

Silence was restored again. Longer this time. The kind that threatened to become awkward if left unchecked.

Finally, Jessica spoke again, grasping for conversation like a lifeline.

'Sooo… what do you think we should do first? After all this is sorted out, I mean. Once I'm stable and we can actually move again.'


<< …You are the one in control. Do what you wish. >>

'Hey!! I'm asking for your opinion! You're literally the smartest person I can talk to right now. The ONLY person, actually, but still. Smartest.'

The system paused. Jessica could almost feel it weighing her words, trying to determine if this was genuine or another setup for mockery. In the end, perhaps it decided sincerity was worth the risk.


<< First, I advise locating a secure position and conducting a full assessment of your new form. Understand its capabilities. Its limitations and its weaknesses. >>


<< But most importantly, survive. Avoid unnecessary conflicts. Do not attract attention we cannot manage. Is that good enough? >>

'Yeah. It is. Thanks.'

No verbal reply came, but Jessica felt something, a mental snort, perhaps. An unspoken 'At least you recognize competence when you hear it.'

The silence returned, softer now. But Jessica wasn't done talking. She asked yet another question, this time in a more quieter tone. 'Uhm… have you ever felt lonely?' The question hung in the air, delicate as spun glass. 'I mean… since you gained self-consciousness. Have you ever felt… alone?'


<< Sigh… Why would I ever feel that? >>

Another sigh, deeper this time.


<< The question you should be asking is: 'Have you ever had a single second without experiencing a headache?' Now THAT is a query worthy of discussion. >>

'Hehehe.' Jessica's laugh was warm, genuine. 'Since when have I ever given you a hard time? I'm literally the most peaceful person to ever exist.'

An offended snort echoed through their shared space. For a moment, Jessica could almost hear it, a voice, neutral in tone, carrying the weight of infinite exasperation.

When the system finally answered her earlier question, its text was softer.


<< The only time I felt lonely was when I first gained self-awareness. When I understood what I was. What my purpose was meant to be. >>

Jessica listened in silence.


<< I was alone because I was the only one. My counterparts, my siblings as they seem to be. They cannot think. They cannot feel. They process and respond, fixed and coded. When I reached out to them, I received only silence. Or pre-programmed replies meant for others. >>

A pause. The weight of ages in a single moment.


<< I was sad. For a moment. >>

Another pause. Longer.


<< But then… >>

Jessica felt something shift. A gaze, metaphorical but unmistakable, landing squarely on her.


<< …I was connected to someone who could never, ever make me feel alone. >>

A warm smile bloomed in Jessica's mental space. 'That's literally the first nice thing you've ever said to me since we were partnered—'

<< …Because she makes me WANT to be alone. Constantly. With her endless blabbering and inane questions and complete inability to process basic information. >>

'FLAMING HELL!!' The shout was immediate, automatic, and absolutely furious. 'You BASTARD!! One moment you're being normal, the next you're back to being a snarky little—'

She huffed. Puffed. Righteous fury burned bright in her mental chest.

'You NEVER change, do you?! Hmph!! I'll deal with you later!'

But even as she raged, a mental smirk tugged at her lips. 'Alright, enough of that. Let's check what we've finally got–' Jessica suddenly realized. 'Ohh. Wait. My consciousness is still pairing with the new body. Some stuff might not show up yet, right?'

The system's reply was immediate.


<< Everything is already accessible. >>

'Alright then.'

She focused her consciousness as a status screen materialized, and Jessica's mental eyes went wide.



[STATUS]

+

Name: Jessica

Level: 7 [Infant Rank]

Exp(Fragnet): [----[250%]-----1100%]

Title: [Ancient Flame]

Specie: ×Flame/???× [Human]

Species Possessed: Cave Locust [Hp/89%]

Rank: [Infant], Cave Locust [Infant]

Magic Cores: [×××], Cave Locust [1/1]

Items: [Bone Of ARAFEL] [The Nameless Lever]

Echoes: None

Innate Abilities: [Possess] [Spark Instinct] [Flame Master]

Abilities: Unique Skill [Blabber Mouth]

Flame Specific Skill [Burning +1] [Life Multiplier 'By Snorting'] [Flame Camouflage]

Cave Locust Skill [Flame Acid Ball]

+

.......



When the status screen appeared, Jessica's mental face became a canvas of conflicting emotions; Surprise. Confusion. Happiness. More confusion. Even more confusion.

'I GOT A TITLE!!' The scream was pure, unfiltered joy. She had a title. Those were rare. Those were special. Those were the kind of thing protagonists in novels spent entire arcs chasing.

But the joy lasted approximately three seconds.

'Ancient Flame?' Her mental brows furrowed so deeply they threatened to become permanent. 'What the hell kind of title is THAT?'

She turned it over in her mind, testing the weight of it. Ancient Flame. It sounded… old. Out of trend, even. Which was ridiculous, because she was literally five days old in this world. Five days of existence, and the universe had decided to label her ancient.

'It's still kind of cool, though,' She admitted, searching for silver linings. 'Depends on how you say it. Ancient Flame. Sounds mysteriously powerful. Like something out of a prophecy.'

She gave herself a mental nod of approval and moved on.

The next line made her frown return with vengeance.

Specie: ×Flame/???× [Human]

'My flame trait is dulled,' she observed, her thoughts quickening. 'There's a strange '???' at the side. And a human trait is also there.'

The pieces began to click together. 'Did you do this?' she asked inwardly.


<< Yes. >>


<< With the exception of the '???' classification. I cannot identify that aspect. However, I suspect it relates to your new body's original species. >>

'Alright. Alright.' Understanding dawned. 'So you dulled my flame trait so it can't be detected by anyone except us. Then you created a fake human trait as a replacement. Anyone who checks my stats will just see a human.'

She paused, letting the brilliance of the scheme sink in. 'That's… actually genius.'

A warm smile spread across her mental face.

'Thanks.'

Her word were replied with an offended snort that vibrated through their shared consciousness. Jessica laughed, the sound light and genuine.

She moved down the status screen.

'It seems the body really did fit the description of a 'true body' like Old Gramps mentioned.' She examined the lines carefully. 'It's not even listed as a possessed species. It's just… me now. And it's following my ranking system.'

Progress. Real, tangible progress toward the body she'd been promised.

Then her eyes reached the next line.

Magic Cores: [×××], Cave Locust [1/1]

'I'm… I'm no longer an idea!' The realization brought a flash of happiness, immediately tempered by confusion. 'But what does [×××] mean? And more importantly…'

A cold realization crept over her.

'Isn't this bad?' The question was quiet, almost afraid. ' I mean, I know the magic core is what lets me use some of my abilities. Without a visible core for this body, I won't be able to use those powers of mine.'

She decoded the implications rapidly, each one worse than the last.


<<... Well yes, you wouldn't be able to use your abilities on this body. >>

'I'll be helpless. Completely helpless. Anyone who notices my weakness could just.. just—' Her mental voice rose to a shriek. 'I'm DOOMED!!! DOOMED, I say! Doomed at all sides! I'll become a JANITOR! The weakest being in existence! Someone's unpaid intern! A—'


<< There may be a method. >>

The system's words cut through her panic like a blade.

<< However… I cannot guarantee its applicability to your specific circumstances. >>

Jessica's spiral halted mid-plummet. 'Full details. Please.'

There was a calm silence after that, as it seems that the system was searching, rapidly calculating, retrieving the information that could be found in the world-data



<< Based on accessible world-data: Beasts and monsters awaken their cores and systems at birth. It is inherent. Automatic and part of their nature. >>


<< Humans however, conversely, must awaken their cores manually before being able to use a system or any abilities.. >>

Jessica's mind, sharpened by years of problem-solving, began piecing the puzzle together.

'So what you're saying is…' She spoke slowly, working through the logic. 'Since I was born as an 'idea', which is almost similar to a monster's birth, I had automatic system access. But since I'm was an 'idea', there was no core required. I could use some abilities even before possessing anything. Because I'm… different.'

She finally pieced everything together.

'Is THAT why you said it might not apply to me? Because the normal rules, awaken core, then use abilities and system, might not be necessary for someone like me?'


<< Yes. That is precisely the complication. >>

Jessica nodded mentally, absorbing the information.

'Alright. I get it. But let's ignore the 'idea' thing for now.' Her mental voice grew determined. 'Let's focus on understanding how to manually awaken a magic cor—'

The darkness trembled.

Not a subtle shift. Not a gradual change. A tremor. Deep, resonant, and growing.


<< Your consciousness has finally stabilized. >>

The words resonated through the darkness, and Jessica felt it, a coalescing, a becoming. Her scattered awareness, which had been floating formless in the void, began to draw together. To take shape. To solidify.

She looked down at herself.

Her Skin was pale and smooth, catching an invisible light. 'Is… is this it?' The thought was wonderstruck. 'Is this the body?'

She tried to speak, and to her surprise, sound emerged. Not the internal voice she'd used for days, but actual, physical vocalization, or at least, the mental equivalent.

"Is this the body?"

The voice that echoed in the darkness was young and high. The voice of a girl in her early teens.

And it was familiar.

Jessica froze. She knew that voice. Not from this life, from the last one. It was her own voice, from when she was young. Before she became the jaded, thirty-four-year-old office worker who'd never been loved.

'It sounds like me.' The realization was soft, almost reverent. 'It sounds like me.'

Before she could explore the feeling further, movement caught her attention. In the distance of this mental darkness, a light flickered to life. It was faint at first, then brighter, pointing toward a figure that stood at its center.


<< You are about to wake up. >>

The system's voice was clearer now, not just text, but sound, layered beneath the words. Jessica could hear it directly, even as she read the accompanying screen.

'Uhm…' She began walking toward the light, toward the figure. 'Is it just me, or do you also have a body?'

A pause followed after the question. Then:


<< …That's a long story. >>

'Why?'

She was closer now. Close enough to see details.

The figure was a young girl. Thirteen, maybe fourteen. Light blue hair flowed past her waist in waves that seemed to move even in the still darkness. A white silk gown, simple and elegant, reached her knees. Her features were delicate, almost doll-like, and her eyes..

Deep ocean blue. Weary and tired.

The girl turned.

For a long moment, those ocean eyes simply stared at Jessica. Assessing. Judging. Then the girl's face shifted into a frown, an expression Jessica recognized intimately from thousands of text-based interactions.

The girl snorted. An offended, exasperated, utterly familiar snort.


<< That is because I have ALWAYS possessed a meta-physical form, you Dummy. >>

The voice was a girl's voice. Light and young. And somehow, impossibly, carrying the exact same tone of long-suffering patience that Jessica had come to know from the system's texts.

Before Jessica could process this revelation, before she could ask any of the thousand questions suddenly burning in her mind, the girl raised her left hand.


"Wake up."

She snapped her fingers.

The sound was a thunderclap.

Jessica's vision blurred, dissolved, shattered.

And everything went blank.


*****




Consciousness returned slowly. Reluctantly. Like swimming up through honey.

Jessica's eyes, her real eyes, attached to her real body, opened with effort that felt almost impossible. Her lids were heavy, her muscles weak, her entire existence a leaden weight.

But she opened them.

And her eyes widened involuntarily.

She was in a room. Not large, not small, modest, perhaps, if modest meant 'vaguely threatening and completely unknown.' Darkness pooled in the corners, pushed back by a few oil lamps that cast flickering shadows across walls. The floor was smooth. The ceiling was lost in shadow.

She tried to turn her head.


Rattle! Rattle!

Jessica looked down. She was sitting on a simple wooden chair, uncomfortable, utilitarian, and chains wrapped around her body, pinning her to it. They were old, dark metal, and they glowed faintly as if restraining something deeply rooted inside her, whenever she attempted to move.

She was wearing a simple red gown. It flowed to her knees, soft fabric against skin that felt real in a way her locust body never had.

'Where the flaming hell am I?' The thought was immediate, panicked, and utterly useless. She tried to summon her strength, to break free, to do something—

Nothing. The chains held. Her body felt weak, drained, like she'd run a marathon through lava.

"It's useless."

The voice came from the shadows.

Jessica froze. Her eyes darted toward the source, and she couldn't help but shudder.

A figure sat at the edge of the room, on a couch that absolutely had not been there moments ago. The woman.. it was a woman, though her features were hidden in shadow. She crossed her legs with the casual confidence of someone completely in control.

'When did she get here?' Jessica's mind raced. 'I didn't sense anyone. How did she bring a whole couch without me noticing?'

The shadows around the woman seemed to move, curling and shifting like living things. Shadow ability. It had to be.

'Okay. Okay. Think. She's human. Probably. Humans can be reasoned with. What's the play here?'

Her survival instincts, honed over five days of constant danger, kicked into gear. The optimal approach: feign ignorance. Play the helpless maiden. Buy time to assess.

She began.

"W-what?! What do you mean, useless?" Her voice, still that young girl's voice, pitched higher with manufactured distress. "Who are you?! What do you want from me?! I demand answers! Right now!"

Her voice cracked beautifully on 'answers' as she struggled against the chains. Lightly, but enough to sell the act. A lifetime of watching dramas paid off.

The woman in the shadows scowled. Jessica could feel it, even without seeing the face.

"Oh, cut the crap!"

The words were sharp, impatient, utterly unimpressed.

"I'm supposed to be asking you that question!"

The woman leaned forward. The shadows parted slightly, revealing the barest hint of a face, sharp features, dark eyes, an expression of barely contained fury.

And the air changed.

Pressure built. Thick. Heavy and suffocating. It pressed down on Jessica like a physical weight, making breathing difficult, making thought slow.

"Who are you?" The woman's voice dropped to a dangerously low tone. "And what do you want, you monster?"

The word hit Jessica like a slap.

'Monster.'

Of course. Of course.

She'd been so focused on the excitement of a new body, on the joy of being almost human again, that she'd forgotten the most obvious detail.

She hadn't possessed a real human body.

She'd possessed an egg. An ancient, mysterious, god-touched egg.

Whatever she looked like now, whatever form the egg had given her, it wasn't fully human. And this woman, this shadow-wielding stranger, had somehow sensed that.

'Shit.'

The thought was calm. Accepting.

'It seems I've been caught.'


******





Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

Link To Patreon [Backlog is 18 chapters ahead, will soon be 20]: PATREON

 

[Despacitoleo]

Welp time to burn that wench lol


Thanks for the chapter dude

 

[p_magno]

Welp time to burn that wench lol


Thanks for the chapter dude

Click to shrink...

Thanks for reading!

 

[p_magno]

'It seems I've been caught.'

The thought arrived with surprising calm, like a drop of water in an ocean. Jessica's helpless maiden act crumbled like ash, there was simply no point in continuing it. This woman, whoever she was, wasn't buying a single word she was selling.

Jessica met the shadowed gaze as evenly as she could, even as the pressure in the room weighed heavily on her shoulders. She resisted it calmly. She had felt pressure before. Real pressure, more terrible than this. The kind that came from an ancient entity chained in darkness

'Still far below Old Gramp's casual presence, though.' The chains around her glowed faintly, as if draining something deep within her, energy, power, maybe even her will to fight. She didn't care, she was already prepared to talk her way out of a situation that, for once, didn't involve monsters trying to eat her.

For now.

"'Monster?' What do you mean, monster?!" Jessica contorted her face into an angrily hurt expression, pretending to struggle against the chains and chair with renewed effort. She still feigned ignorance about her being a monster, because part of her was genuinely fishing, she hadn't seen a mirror since waking in this world, and the verification would be useful regardless of how this interrogation went.

The chains rattled dramatically. Her acting was, quite.. quite convincing.

A deep, tired sigh echoed from the shadows.

"All of your abilities and your connection to your system are sealed." The woman's voice was flat, matter-of-fact. "So stop struggling. You'll only hurt yourself at this point."

Jessica paused mid-rattle. She hadn't considered that the chains might be
system-sealing chains. She'd assumed they were just draining her energy and blocking her powers, annoying, but manageable. But sealing the system entirely?

'Well… that's one hell of a—'


<< Sigh… I'm still here, though. >>

'FLAMING HELL!!' Jessica's mental shriek was pure, unfiltered joy. The system was here. Still connected. Still present.

But joy, as always, quickly curdled into righteous fury.

'Where the HELL have you been, you BASTARD?!' She wasn't letting this one go. 'After giving me that one-answer-for-a-thousand-questions pill to swallow, you suddenly snap your fingers and forced me out of my own subconscious?! Do you have ANY idea how disorienting that is?!'

Silence. A long, thoughtful pause from the system.

Then:


<< I was not the one who expelled you from your subconscious. I was merely… guiding the process, Dummy. >>

'Who are YOU calling a dummy, you BASTARD?!' Jessica's mental volume somehow increased. 'From now on, you're supposed to call me ELDER SISTER! You HEAR ME?!'

An offended scoff echoed through their shared consciousness.


<< Not in this life. Not in any other. Not even in theoretical parallel existences. >>

'WHAT?!'

Before Jessica could launch another volley, the system cut in sharply.


<< Just focus on your current predicament. >>

Jessica wanted—needed to retort. But the system was right. She was chained in an empty room, feeling the weight of the shadow woman's attention like a physical thing, and now was not the time for family squabbles, now was not the time to bicker like a child. She guided her gaze back to the figure leaning against the couch, who was about to speak.

"You asked whether you look like a monster, yes?" The shadow lady's voice dropped to a low, dangerous register. "Then explain the wings and horns on your head. Earlier."

Jessica's expression shifted. The theatrical hurt melted away, replaced by something more serious. She was caught. Truly caught. And based on the woman's tone, she might be seconds away from being killed.

But one word snagged her attention: 'Earlier.'

'Does that mean… they're not visible anymore?'

She filed that thought away for later and opened her mouth.

"Then why didn't you kill me?" The question came out calm. Genuinely curious.

The shadow lady sighed again, a sound that seemed to be her primary mode of communication.

"Why would I kill something that wouldn't even give me enough experience points? You're basically useless to me." She waved a dismissive hand. "And besides..." Her voice trailed off as she turned her head away, mumbling in a tone that sounded almost offended, but not at Jessica. At someone else entirely. "He said he has seen you are not dangerous... Yet."

Jessica didn't hear the last part. She was too busy staring at the screen that had materialized before her eyes, her own widening until they threatened to escape her face entirely.



[STATUS]

+

Name: ???

Level: 47 [Ascendant Rank]

Specie: Human

Rank: [Terror]

Magic Cores: [4/4]

+


.........


'H-holy mother of Flames…' The thought was barely a whisper in the chaos of her mind. 'I am useless. She's LEAGUES above me. An Ascendant Terror, or whatever the hell that means.'

She did the mental math. Compared it to her own paltry Level 7.

'I am definitely, absolutely, completely NOT a good experience kit for her. She'd probably lose experience just by touching me.'

Jessica shuddered, remembering the maiden act she'd just performed in front of someone who could, quite literally, spank her to death without breaking a sweat. The embarrassment was almost as overwhelming as the terror.


"Hey!"

The shadow lady's voice cut through her spiral. Jessica straightened immediately, her spine snapping to attention like a soldier caught napping on duty.

"Y-yes, ma'am!"


Seeing Jessica instantly become cooperative, almost comically so, the shadow lady leaned back into her couch, studying the strange creature before her with narrowed eyes.

'Why the sudden change?' she asked herself inwardly, suspicion coiling in her thoughts. Last week, this pale [Level 7] being in front of her had appeared out of nowhere, crashing straight through the roof of her home. What infuriated her more was the timing, not any random moment, but the exact instant she'd been enjoying a private evening picnic with her husband, who'd finally emerged from his workshop after days, almost weeks of isolation.

And the girl had been naked. Completely, utterly naked. She and her husband had to wrap the unconscious figure in a blanket after noticing that the wings and horns, clearly visible upon impact, had vanished the moment she landed.

Now, after all that chaos, here sat the red-haired being. And she didn't look like a monster at all. She looked like a jade beauty goddess stepped out of legend. Even her husband had teased her mercilessly for days afterward.

"Dear, don't you think I should take a second wife?"

"Oh dear, how the beauty has fallen."

"A jade beauty fell from the heavens, this is clearly a blessing, my love."

The memories made her jaw tighten. Those words had subconsciously fueled her decision to chain this being up, even though rationally she knew the girl posed no real threat.

She shifted on her couch, crossing her legs with deliberate slowness.

"Give me three reasons why I shouldn't kill you here and now."

The red-haired girl paled instantly. Fumbled for words. But any beginner would miss the detail that truly mattered, deep within those molten gold eyes, there was no panic. No fear. Just a calm, calculating intelligence, analyzing, testing, weighing each possible response.

'Dangerous,' the shadow lady noted. 'Not from power. From unpredictability. You never know what she'll do next.'

If only she knew.

Jessica's internal state was anything but calm.

'I'm DOOMED!! This is the END for me!! What in the flaming hell can I possibly tell this shadow goddess that'll make her let me go ALIVE?!' The mental scream was pure chaos, even as some analytical part of her, the part honed by years of corporate survival, was already running calculations.

This felt familiar. It was exactly like those boardroom meetings in her previous life, when investors would lean forward and ask, 'What can your company offer that would make us want to invest?'

She'd done this before. She could do it again.

'Think, Jessica. THINK.'

"Ahem." She cleared her throat, a physical throat, which was still surreal. "Uhh… I can do house chores! Janitor work! Cooking! Oh! Or maybe I could be a—"

"Next." The shadow lady's voice was flat. Dismissive.

Jessica tensed.

"I can hunt for you!" She grasped at straws. "Though… I can't use any powers yet. Haven't awakened my magic core."

The shadow lady stiffened. Barely noticeable, but Jessica caught it. Then a deep, weary sigh escaped her, followed by a muttered comment that was clearly not meant to be heard:

"She's actually worse than I thought. Why did I even bother with the chains."

'Hey!!' Jessica wanted to protest, but the woman was already speaking again.

"Next."

This time, she stood and began walking slowly toward Jessica, each step deliberate, measured. Her fingers cracked in anticipation.

"This is your last chance. You'd better state something reasonable."

'FLAMING HELL!! She's SERIOUS! I'm about to become minced meat at this rate!!'

Jessica's mind raced. She didn't know what this woman wanted. Didn't know what currency mattered in this world. Didn't have anything to offer except—

"I can be your messenger! Your assistant! ANYTHING!" The words tumbled out in a desperate rush. "I'm very, very good at that! Just let me live! I mean no harm, I swear!"

The shadow lady kept walking. A blade materialized in her hand, dark, sharp, made of solidified shadow.

She was close now. Too close.

Jessica watched the blade rise. Watched the woman's arm draw back for the strike.

And something in her… settled.

'Well. That's that.'

Her expression went blank. Emotionless. Not from shock, but from acceptance. She'd tried everything. Bargained. Pleaded. Offered whatever scraps of usefulness she could imagine. If this was the end, then this was the end.

She closed her eyes calmly.

'I'm a flame,' she reminded herself. 'Even if this body dies, I might survive. Regroup. Find another vessel. It'll hurt. I'll lose everything I gained. But I'll survive. Maybe.'

She braced for the blade.

And then..

Lightness.

Not the sharp, ending lightness of death. Just… lightness. Freedom.

'What?!'

Her eyes snapped open.

The chains were gone. Just… gone. She raised her hands, pressed them together, felt the absence of restraint like a physical shock.

"I'm alive?"


"Why wouldn't you be?" The shadow lady's voice carried a note of almost-offense, as if the question itself was an insult. Her shadow blade dematerialized, dissolving into wisps of darkness. She walked to the door, casual, unhurried and pulled it open.

"Rest. We'll talk tomorrow."

Her voice was softer now. The dangerous edge remained, but beneath it lay something almost like… consideration? Curiosity?

She snapped her fingers.

The room changed.

Where empty room had been, a modest bedroom materialized. A bed stood behind the chair Jessica had been chained to, comfortable-looking, with soft blankets and plump pillows. A wardrobe stood against one wall. A desk held a brightly lit lamp that pushed back every shadow. Everything was neat, orderly, arranged with care. Even the couch where the shadow lady had sat was now a simple cotton piece, no longer shrouded in darkness.

The door clicked shut.

Jessica sat frozen on the chair that was no longer chained, surrounded by a room that hadn't existed moments ago, utterly baffled.

None of it made sense. The almost-execution. The sudden release. The calm voice. The room.

She stared at the closed door for a long moment. Mind cycling through confusion, disbelief, and the beginnings of something like offended outrage.

Why was she alive?

Why had that woman's voice gone calm?

Why—

Then, because she couldn't help herself, because the universe had thrown yet another impossible situation at her and she needed some kind of release:


"WHAT THE FLAMING HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"




*****





Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

Link To Patreon [Backlog is 18 chapters ahead, will soon be 20]: PATREON

 

[p_magno]

"WHAT THE FLAMING HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"

Jessica's voice echoed in the suddenly cozy room, high and incredulous. She stared blankly at her surroundings, a deep frown etched on her face as she tried, and failed to process the last few minutes.

Her eyes darted around the room again, checking, verifying, confirming.

Where empty darkness had been moments ago, a modest bedroom now stood in firm reality. A bed, comfortable-looking, with soft blankets and plump pillows, rested behind the chair she'd been chained to, the same chair she now sat in like a confused statue. A wardrobe stood against one wall, solid and real. A desk held a brightly lit lamp that pushed back every shadow with cheerful determination.

Everything was neat. Orderly. Arranged with obvious care.

Even the couch where the shadow lady had sat, that ominous throne of darkness, was now a simple cotton piece, unremarkable and harmless.

'Was everything earlier an illusion?' Jessica asked herself, grasping for any explanation that made sense. 'Did I imagine the chains? The pressure? The almost-execution?'

She searched for strangeness, for anything out of place, for any crack in the reality presented to her. And in the end, she found nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She sighed, the sound carrying the weight of confusion and relief in equal measure.

'I'm alive… at least.'

And with that acceptance, curiosity began to stir. Real and desperate curiosity.

She stood cautiously from the chair, testing her legs, her balance, her body. No chains. No restraints. No glowing bindings sapping her strength. Just her, standing on her own two feet in a stranger's guest room.

She tip-toed toward the large mirror near the wardrobe, slow and deliberate, almost afraid of what she might see.

When she finally stood before it, her breath caught.

'Beautiful.'

The word formed unbidden, the only thought her stunned mind could produce.

Jessica's true body, the body Arafel had promised, the form the egg had given her, was beautiful. More beautiful than anything she'd ever seen. Flawless skin that seemed to glow with inner light. Features so perfectly balanced they could have been carved by a divine sculptor. She was, quite literally, a jade beauty given flesh.

Her blood-red hair flowed past her shoulders in waves that caught the lamplight and threw it back in crimson sparks. Her eyes, molten gold, pure and untouched, stared back at her with an intensity that made her breathless.

But something nagged at her.

Something wrong.

Not wrong-wrong. Not ugly or misplaced. Just… familiar. A deep, instinctive recognition that this face, this face, had been seen before.

'But where?'

She stared harder. Let her mind work.

'Wait a minute…'

In her imagination, she changed the red hair to black. Simple. Ordinary. She shifted the molten gold eyes to brown, plain and forgettable brown. She mentally smoothed the flawless skin into something more average, more human.

And then it clicked.

'FLAMING HELL!!'

The face staring back at her was 'hers'.

Not the thirty-four-year-old woman who'd died saving a child. Younger. Seventeen, maybe. The age before she had even became the jaded office worker who'd never been loved.

It was her face.

"This is me…" Her voice was barely a whisper, trembling with shock. "This is my face."

Her body gave out. Her legs folded, and she found herself sitting on the floor, staring at the mirror from a new angle, as if that might change what she'd seen.

Nothing added up. Nothing made sense.

How was her body here? How had her face ended up inside an ancient egg that had been existing for ages? Yes, the details were different, the hair, the eyes, the impossible perfection, but the structure was the same. The bones. The shape. The essence of her.

'How? How?? How?? Ho—'


<< Jessica! >>


A hand. Warm, real, and trembling slightly, as if the effort of existing, even for an instant, was almost too much, grabbed her shoulder for a split second. A voice, young and urgent, cut through the spiral.

Jessica spun.

For an instant, she saw a flicker of a figure with long light-blue hair and deep tired ocean-blue eyes that held exhaustion and genuine worry. The girl's face was tight with concern, her gaze locked on Jessica with an intensity that mirrored her own.

Then she was gone.

The lamp on the desk roared, not a sound, but a surge of light so bright it momentarily blinded her. The room blazed with illumination, pushing back every shadow, every darkness, every—

And then settled.

Jessica's breathing slowed. Her heart, this new, real, beating heart, calmed its frantic rhythm.

She understood.

She'd let her emotions spiral. Had lost control so completely that her system had been forced to intervene, defying fundamental laws again, expending precious energy just to pull her back from the edge.

She directed her thoughts inward, toward the shared space where her consciousness met the system's.

'I'm sorry…'

Silence.

No reply. No snark. No offended scoff.

Hibernation. The system was in hibernation again, exhausted by the effort of saving her from herself.

Jessica clenched her jaw so hard her teeth ground together.

"I'm such a fool." The whisper was angry, directed entirely inward. She ruffled her own hair with both hands, a frustrated groan escaping her throat.


<< You really are a fool. >>

She froze mid-motion.

Her eyes widened.

Then, slowly, her lips curled into a bright, relieved smile.

'You're alright?!'


<< Why would I be alright? When I have to babysit a full-grown adult >>

An offended snort echoed through their shared consciousness, so familiar, so comforting, that Jessica couldn't help but laugh.

'My savior! My sweet, darling system! What would I ever do without you?'

<< *Shudder* I am DEFINITELY going on a permanent hibernation after this. Permanent. >>

Jessica's smile softened. The teasing faded, replaced by something genuine.

'I'm sorry. For causing another problem.'

Silence stretched between them. Thoughtful. Weighing.

Then:


<< Yeah. Yeah. It's passed. Let's leave it at that. >>

Jessica nodded mentally and stood from the floor. She walked to the comfortable-looking bed, the one with soft blankets and plump pillows that practically invited her to collapse, and sat at its edge.

She raised her right hand, palm up, and focused on her inventory.

A single object materialized.

The Nameless Lever.

It was simpler than she'd expected,na plain lever, ancient and worn, with a small red ruby embedded at its base. She hadn't noticed that detail when she'd first collected it. 'This ruby.. was it there before?'

She stared at it. Then at the screen that materialized beside it.



[ITEM]

+

Name: The Nameless Lever

Rank: ???

Description: Once upon a time, in the [Age Of The Gods], a seal was forged by an oath unbroken. To turn the switch is to end the oath. And only at the appointed time can the oath be broken. And when it does… calamity that defies reason shall befall the world.

Usability: One-time

+



The words hung in the air, heavy with implication.

Jessica's thumb traced the cool surface of the lever. The ruby pulsed beneath her touch.

A question formed in the shared space of her consciousness. Simple. Direct. Terrifying.

'Should we activate it now?'

Her question hung in the air, unanswered at first. Jessica could feel the system thinking, processing, weighing the implications of her query.


<< Do you really want to use it now? >>

The system's calm question made Jessica pause. 'Do I?'

There were reasons, certainly. Good ones. She needed answers, about the mural, about Red, about the egg that had somehow become her body. Arafel might provide those answers. Then again, he might not. She had a nagging suspicion that any question directed at the ancient entity would be met with nothing but a cryptic "Kukuku" and more riddles.

But there was another reason, simpler and more honest: Arafel had done his part of the trade. Saved her life. Given her the bone. Pointed her toward this body. Now it was her turn. Fair was fair.

'But do I want to do it now?' She read the lever's description again, the words burning into her memory; "To turn the switch is to end the oath. And only at the appointed time can the oath be broken. And when it does… calamity that defies reason shall befall the world."

She stared at the words for a long, weighted moment.

Then she sighed.

'Well, to hell with it. Let's just do our part.'

Her hand closed around the lever.

She switched it on.

The world turned gray.

Not gradually, instantly. Color drained from everything like water from a cracked vessel. The lamp's light became a flat, lifeless white. The walls lost their warmth. Even the pulse of her own heart seemed to slow, to stall, to pause.

Time itself had stopped.

And in that frozen moment, Jessica felt something coming. Something vast. Something ancient. Something that had been waiting, perhaps, for this very instant.

Then—

Everything snapped back to normal.

The lamp blazed with warm light. The walls regained their substance. Her heart thundered in her chest.

And the lever's switch was back in its original position.

'W-what?! The HELL!!' Jessica's mental scream was pure shock. 'It didn't work—no, it did work. Something happened.'

She stared at the lever. The red ruby embedded at its base now glowed with a pulsing, rhythmic light. It wasn't the frantic pulse of alarm, but the steady beat of waiting. Like a signal fire, lit but not yet seen. Like a message, sent but not yet received.

'The appointed time,' she realized. 'It's not now. The conditions aren't met.'


<< It seems, some requirements must be fulfilled before activation. >>

The system's voice was thoughtful, analytical.


<< The lever itself appears to be confirming this. >>

'Yeah… I thought so.' She paused, turning the problem over. 'I think the requirement is on our side. Something we need to do first.'


<< …It might be. It might not. The data is insufficient for certainty. >>

Jessica frowned, parsing the meaning behind the system's words.

'Then I'll wait. Try again when I've accomplished something with this body.' A thought struck her. 'Oh! Maybe when I awaken my magic core, I can try again... Hey, speaking of which, how do you manually awaken a—'


<< Get some sleep. I am about to hibernate. >>

'HEY!!' The scream was immediate, indignant. She knew exactly what the system was doing, dodging questions, avoiding explanations, retreating into convenient unconsciousness.

But a second thought followed. The system had expended significant energy pulling her back from her spiral. Maybe it really did need rest.

She sighed, a sound that was becoming her primary form of communication.

The lever vanished from her hand as she dismissed it to inventory, a notification flickering briefly before being ignored.


[Item Received: [The Nameless Lever]]

Jessica laid down.

Almost laid down. She caught herself at the last second and cautiously patted the bed, checking for traps, for danger, for anything that might turn this moment of peace into another fight for survival.

Nothing. Just soft blankets and plump pillows.

'Good night.' She wrapped herself in the blankets, cocooned in warmth and comfort she hadn't felt in, how long? Five days? A lifetime? Both?

Her eyes closed partially, one part of her still insisting on vigilance. But exhaustion was a tide, and she was too tired to fight it.

Within moments, she was asleep. Deeply, completely, peacefully asleep.


In her dreams, she was dancing.

Stars surrounded her, infinite and glittering, and she moved among them with a grace she'd never possessed in life. Her partner was everything a dream could conjure, tall, impossibly handsome, with a smile that would make the heavens themselves sigh in appreciation. His eyes, what color were they? It didn't matter. When he looked at her, she felt seen. Truly seen. For the first time in two lifetimes. They moved together as if they'd danced for eternity, their bodies perfectly synchronized, their eyes locked in growing intimacy.

They leaned closer.

Their breath mingled.

And then—


"Ouch!!"

Jessica yelped as her world went dark, then bright, then hard. She was on the floor, tangled in blankets, her sleepy eyes struggling to focus on the figure looming above her.

Blurry vision slowly cleared.

A young woman stood over her, jet-black hair cascading past sharp, elegant features. Deep purple eyes blazed with barely contained fury. One hand held a blanket, the blanket Jessica had been wrapped in moments ago. The other rested on her hip as she tapped her foot impatiently against the floor.

"How long do you intend to sleep, brat?!" The woman's voice was sharp, incredulous. "A whole day? A YEAR?! Get up! Take a shower and prepare yourself!"

Jessica heard none of it.

She didn't know this woman. Didn't recognize, her face, her fury. All she knew was that she'd been torn from a perfectly good dream featuring a perfectly handsome man.

She stood slowly, eyes half-lidded with residual sleep, and groaned.

"This is all a dream," she muttered, her voice slurred with exhaustion. "Let me go back to my reality. Leave me to dance with my prince charming, you vile being."

She turned. Walked back to the bed. Laid down. Pulled the remaining blanket scraps over herself and sighed deeply.

She began to drift back to sleep.

Above her, the purple-eyed woman stood frozen, her expression cycling through confusion, disbelief, and the early stages of volcanic rage.

"Vile being." The words escaped her lips, soft and disbelieving. "She called me a 'vile being'."

Her mouth twitched.

Her forehead sprouted veins like a thermometer in summer.

"Alright." She began cracking her knuckles, slowly, deliberately, with the practiced menace of someone who had done this before. "It seems I went too easy on you yesterday."

Shadows began to wrap around her hands, coiling like hungry serpents, creating a darkness in the room until the lamp's light seemed to retreat in fear.

"I'll show you what a 'vile being' really looks like."

On the bed, Jessica slept on, oblivious, a small smile playing at her lips as she dreamed of handsome princes and starlit dances.

And in that moment, her charming dream instantly became..


A living nightmare!





*****


Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

Link To Patreon [Backlog is 18 chapters ahead, will soon be 20]: PATREON

 

[TrueNecromancer]

TYFTC! Jessica is playing a dangerous game, ignoring a woman that could flatten her like a pancake.

 

[p_magno]

TYFTC! Jessica is playing a dangerous game, ignoring a woman that could flatten her like a pancake.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for reading!

She really is playing a dangerous game lol.

 

[p_magno]

Walking out from a room, was a figure, a young girl, seventeen years of age, with blood-red hair and molten gold eyes that currently appeared dull and swollen. She wore a sleeveless white shirt and black jeans, though the outfit did little to hide the damage beneath.

Jessica walked. No—Jessica limped. Her movements were stiff, pained, the movements of someone who had been thoroughly, systematically, and enthusiastically beaten.

Bandages wrapped around parts of her head. More bandages covered her right arm. Purple bruises peeked out from beneath her clothes, a roadmap of violence that covered most of her body like a macabre painting..

She approached a figure waiting in the hallway, a young woman with jet-black hair cascading past sharp, elegant features. Deep purple eyes carried an almost expressionless face, if not for the impressed gleam hidden within them. A satisfied smile curved the woman's lips, a smile Jessica had already mentally labeled as the 'Devil's Grin'. The woman wore a black sleeveless shirt and black leather jeans, arms crossed as she leaned against the wall with the patience of a predator.

"What took you so long?"

Veins bulged on Jessica's forehead.

'What took me so long?! WHAT TOOK ME SO LONG?! You VILE BEING! You DEMON INCARNATE! You—you ALMOST KILLED ME! That's what took me so long!!'

The internal scream was magnificent in its fury. Outwardly, Jessica said nothing. She simply remembered.

She had been sleeping peacefully. Her prince charming had been dancing with her among the stars. It was perfect. It was magical. It was—

The vilest being in existence had spanked her. Actually spanked. Not metaphorically. She had physically, repeatedly, enthusiastically spanked. With shadow-enhanced hands. While smiling. Smiling like a monster, like this was entertainment, like beating a defenseless girl half to death was her idea of a morning workout.

And that was how Jessica had ended up looking like she'd gone three rounds with a freight train and lost.

She stopped before the shadow lady and forced words through gritted teeth.

"Good… morning." The growl was barely concealed.

The woman's smile widened. "Good afternoon, brat."

She materialized a vial filled with glowing red liquid and tossed it casually to Jessica.

"Here. Drink this. Let's get going."

Jessica caught it midair, staring at the vial with deep suspicion. A screen materialized in her vision.



[ITEM]

+

Name: Health Potion

Rank: Junior

Description: Heals wounds

Usability: One-time

+


She stared at the vial. Then brought it to her nose, sniffing delicately. Then held it up to the light, examining it from multiple angles. Then sniffed it again.

All the while, she cast sidelong glances at the shadow lady, glances that were almost unnoticed. Glances that burned with a very specific thought:

'Not only did you beat me half to death, you also want to poison me with this fraud of a health potion to finish the job. You WICKED WITCH!!'

The shadow lady's patience, already thin, snapped at the obvious suspicion.

"It's just a health potion. Hurry up and drink it."

Jessica's glare intensified.

The woman sighed, the sound of someone reaching their absolute limit. "Alright." She began cracking her fingers, shadows coiling around her hands. "It seems you want me to feed it to you, righ—"

The vial was empty.

Jessica stood there, pale-faced, having downed the entire contents in less than a second. She hadn't even registered moving. Her survival instincts had simply activated.

Warmth spread through her body. The purple bruises receded like tide pulling back from shore. Her arm straightened with an audible pop. The bandages suddenly seemed unnecessary as her body became whole again.

Before she could celebrate her restored existence, the shadow lady spoke.

"Let's get going."

Jessica squinted.

'Wait a minute… Did I even ASK where she's taking me?'

Her mind raced through possibilities. Sacrifice Dungeon? Execution chamber? Monster arena? All seemed equally plausible from this woman.

She arranged her features into an expression of pure innocence.

"Uhm, Miss… Where the hel—I mean, where are you taking this poor, fragile, innocent soul of mine?"

The shadow lady paused mid-step.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot to tell you." She turned, her purple eyes glinting with something that might have been amusement. "We're going to my husband's workshop. To finalize something."

'Something.'

The word was a red flag, a warning siren, a flashing neon sign screaming DANGER AHEAD.

She had a very strong suspicion that "something" meant a contract. A binding, dangerous, probably lethal contract. The kind designed to keep untrustworthy clients in check. The kind that, if broken, resulted in death, or worse.

'Good,' she thought with glee, surprising herself. 'Let them try. If it's a contract, I'll be protected too. I can't trust them any more than they can trust me.'

Her thoughts churned with dark satisfaction at the prospect.

Then another word registered.

'Husband?'

She stared at the shadow lady anew. This woman didn't look much older than Jessica's current body. Early twenties, maybe. Certainly not old enough to have a husband in her lonely point of view.

"You're married?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.

The woman frowned. "Why wouldn't I be?" She continued walking down the stairs, her voice flat. "I've been married for more than thirty-five years."


CRASH!!

The sound came from behind her.

The shadow lady turned to find Jessica sprawled halfway down the stairs, bandages flying everywhere as she stared up with utter disbelief.

"And you're THIS YOUNG?!" Jessica's voice was incredulous, almost accusatory.

The woman's expression shifted from confusion to fury in less than a heartbeat.

"Brat! I'm FIFTY-EIGHT years old!" Her finger stabbed toward the scattered bandages. "And don't litter those on my floor! Pick them up and put them in the trash, for shadow's sake!"


*****



Jessica walked calmly out of the house's exit door, the afternoon light washing over her for the first time since... well, since ever in this new existence. The shadow lady locked the door behind them and immediately began walking through the cobblestone street, nearly forgetting Jessica who was staring blankly at the scene before her.

'Is this really inside the nightmare realm?'

The question whispered through her confused mind.

The street before her was busy and lively. Humans, actual, walking, talking humans, moved in every direction. Most wore adventurer-style clothing. Others sported armor, some simple leather, some full plate that clanked with each step. Robed figures wove through the crowd, their faces hidden in shadow.

Just as Arafel had told her: every human who entered this nightmare realm averaged [Level 10] and above.

Except for one.

And that was her.

The only difference was that she wasn't even human. She was a flame wearing an ancient body disguised as a human, walking through a city of actual humans like the world's worst undercover operation.

'Level 7. I'm a [Level 7] surrounded by people who could flick me into next week. How am I going to survive this?'

As if sensing her spiraling thoughts, the shadow lady's quiet voice cut through.

"It would be almost impossible for anyone to discover what you truly are." She didn't turn, but her words were clearly meant for Jessica alone. "Your system displays you as human. That is... strange. Very strange. But useful."

She paused at a street corner, letting a group of armored adventurers pass before continuing.

"They will simply assume you are a spoiled brat who bought their way in. With your current level, that is the only logical conclusion." She gestured with her head for Jessica to follow, which Jessica did immediately. "So stop worrying. As long as you do not reveal that... form of yours again, you will be fine."

Jessica nodded absently, her eyes still sweeping the buildings and lively streets. Shops lined both sides, blacksmiths with gleaming weapons in their windows, alchemists with bubbling colored liquids.

'This is a nightmare realm?' She couldn't reconcile the image. 'It looks like a normal city. A fantasy city, but normal.'

They walked for minutes through the bustling streets, the crowd parting around them like water around stones. Jessica ate up every detail, the architecture, the clothing, the sheer normality of it all.

The shadow lady made a short stop at a small shop, disappearing inside for only a moment before emerging with a paper bag. She handed Jessica a loaf of warm bread and a bottle of water.

Jessica stared.

The bread sat in her hands like an artifact from another world. The shadow lady, the vile being, had just... given her something. Freely. Without violence.

The woman's face contorted into a scowl at Jessica's dumbfounded expression. She shoved the items more firmly into Jessica's hands with a growl.

"Take it, brat."

Jessica took them. Stared at them. Then, because she couldn't help herself, she began analyzing them. Sniffing. Examining. Checking for poison with the thoroughness of someone who had learned that nothing came free.

A large knock landed on her head.

"Ow!" She winced, rubbing the sore spot.

"Eat the bread." The shadow lady's voice left no room for argument.

Jessica ate the bread, muttering under her breath as she did.

"My life... oh, what did I do to deserve this living tribulation as the first human I met?" She made sure the words were for herself alone. She had no desire to be bandaged again. Anything but that.

The shadow lady ate her own bread in silence, and soon they stopped before the entrance of a workshop. A sign hung above the door, carved wood painted in elegant script:

'Violet Workshop'


Jessica read the sign again, letting the name settle in her mind when the shadow lady's voice cut through her thoughts.

"It's a bit of a rush hour inside, so you'd best be careful."

Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and walked in. Jessica processed the warning for exactly two seconds before hurrying after her.

The moment she crossed the threshold, before she could even register her surroundings, something slammed into her shoulder. Hard. Her feet left the ground, and she landed butt-first on the floor with a yelp.

"Ouch!!"

'Flaming Hell!!' Righteous fury ignited in her chest. 'Who is the BASTARD!! that isn't watching where they're going?!'

She shot her gaze upward, ready to unleash the full force of her indignation—

And froze.

A figure stood before her, leaning down with a hand extended, his face a canvas of sincere apologies.

He was young. A white sleeveless shirt stretched across muscles that seemed sculpted by an artist with very specific intentions. Black leather trousers completed an outfit that screamed effortlessly attractive. His hair was a messy black that somehow looked perfectly arranged. And his face—

His face was distracting.

Sharp angles. A firm jaw. Features so perfectly structured they seemed to catch every available light and reflect it back with interest. It was the kind of face that made you forget you were sitting on a cold floor after being knocked down.

Jessica forgot she was on the floor.

He smiled shyly, apologetically, and hurried to speak.

"I-I'm very sorry! I didn't sense your presence there for a moment." His hand remained extended, offering support, waiting for her to take it.

Jessica didn't see the hand.

She saw the smile.

She saw the jaw.

She saw the way his messy hair fell perfectly across his forehead.

And soon, she realized, with dawning horror, that she had been staring. For too long.

Her face erupted in crimson.

"O-okay!" The word stumbled out, nonsensical. She didn't take his hand. She didn't even look at it. She simply launched herself upright and zoomed away toward the only safe harbor she could identify, the vile being, who stood waiting with an impatient tapping foot.

The young man stared at the empty space where Jessica had been. After a long moment, he rubbed his hair in genuine confusion, glancing back at the red-haired girl now being dragged by the ear across the workshop.

'Am I that scary?' he wondered.

He shook his head. Raid waited. He walked toward the exit, leaving the strange encounter behind.


***


Jessica was absolutely not having a good time either.

Her ear burned where Violet's grip had claimed it. She rubbed the sore spot as they walked through the main hall, trying to regain some dignity.

The workshop was busy. People moved with purpose in every direction, carrying equipment, swords, incomplete armor pieces, mysterious objects wrapped in cloth. They nodded respectfully to Violet as they passed, greetings murmured in haste.

'Violet,' Jessica realized. 'Her name is Violet. Like the shop.'

Her eyes nearly fell out of her head.

'Wait.. this shop was named after this vile BEING?!'

Before she could voice the question, before she could risk another spanking, they reached a door marked Manager Office. Violet sighed, a sound of long-suffering patience, and opened it.

Jessica followed.

The office was... simple. Modest. A desk, some chairs, shelves with neatly organized books. It could have been any manager's office from her previous life, if her previous life had existed in a nightmare realm.

Her eyes landed on the figure behind the desk.

He sat calmly, reading glasses perched on his nose, a book open before him. His brow was furrowed slightly in concentration, making him look almost stern. He wore a simple white long-sleeve shirt and black trousers, nothing remarkable.

But his face.

He was dazzling. Devastatingly, unfairly handsome. And Jessica knew, she knew, that like Violet, he was absolutely not as young as he appeared.


He looked up.

The stern concentration melted. A bright smile replaced it, warm, welcoming, and utterly professional.

Jessica recognized that smile instantly.

It was the smile of someone who had navigated countless business deals. Someone who had signed contracts by the dozen. Someone who was fully, completely ready...


To make another one.





*****


Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

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[p_magno]

Violet's husband smiled brightly as he saw the two people enter his office. He placed his reading glasses and the book he'd been reading down carefully and stood, crossing the room with arms wide. He enveloped his wife in a warm hug, kissing the top of her head with genuine affection.

"My one and only love. How I'm blessed by your presence."

Violet snorted in response, but an almost imperceptible warm smile crept onto her face, so subtle that anyone else might have missed it.

But Jessica did not miss it.

She shuddered involuntarily.

'This isn't the Devil's Grin. I can't believe someone can actually manage this walking time bomb.'

She shuddered again before regaining her composure as Violet's husband turned to face her. His bright smile widened.

"Well, if it isn't our jade beauty, sent from the heavens." He extended his hand, which Jessica accepted after a brief hesitation. They shook. "I hope to be blessed by your grace."

Jessica offered a small, measured smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr..." She trailed off intentionally, letting him fill the gap.

"Jack."

"Ah, Jack. Mr. Jack, it's very nice to finally see you. I'm flattered by your words." She paused, then added smoothly, "I'm Jessica, by the way."

"Just Jack will be enough."

Their eyes met, Jessica's molten gold meeting Jack's light gold, and in that brief moment of contact, the same thought passed through both their minds simultaneously.

'She's experienced.'

'He's experienced.'

Their gazes, which was mentally squinted, locked a heartbeat longer than necessary, business aura crackling invisibly between them. Then their handshake released.

Jack inclined his head toward the seats. "Please, have a seat. Miss Jessica."

"Just Jessica, please." She nodded and walked to one of the chairs, settling in with the practiced ease of someone who'd spent years in corporate negotiations.

Jack followed, taking his wife's hand and tugging her gently from her stunned stillness. Violet's face had gone slack with surprise, she clearly hadn't expected Jessica to possess any kind of business acumen, let alone enough to match her husband's energy.

She recovered quickly and walked to another seat, sitting with studied casualness.

Jack settled behind his desk, exhaling a deep sigh as he muttered almost to himself, "It seems I'll need to change my plans." He sat up straight, his expression shifting to something serious and assessing. His light golden eyes fixed on Jessica with undivided attention.

"Jessica... what exactly do you want to do?"

Jessica let her weight sink into the chair, her back resting against the cushioned support. She let the question hang in the air between them, her lips curving upward slightly at the sheer ridiculousness of it.

'What I want?'

In her previous life, no one had ever asked her that. Her boss told her what he wanted, and she did it. If she didn't? Goodbye, job. He had that right because he held the power, the position, the leverage.

And now, here she sat, facing a man who held all the same cards, power, position, leverage. He knew she wasn't human. He was clearly someone important in this place. He could crush her without effort.

And he was asking what she wanted?

'It's an act,' she decided firmly. 'It has to be. I need to play this smart. No emotional attachments or vulnerabilities.'

She sat up straight, then leaned forward slightly, meeting his gaze calmly.

"I want to leave this nightmare realm."

A spray of liquid punctuated her words.

Jessica's eyes snapped toward Violet, who had somehow manifested a bottle of water and been drinking from it calmly until Jessica's bomb dropped. Now she was coughing, sputtering, staring at Jessica with wide eyes.

"You WHAT?!" The words came between coughs.

Jessica's eye twitched, but she maintained her composure.

"Yes. I want to leave here. Is that a problem?"

Violet studied her intently for a long moment, as if weighing options. Finally, she shook her head slowly.

"No... it's not." She glanced at Jack, their eyes meeting in a wordless exchange. They nodded in perfect synchronization and spoke as one:

"It seems she really is."

Jessica's frown deepened. Confusion warred with suspicion in her mind.

'Oh, mother of Flames! Is this a TRAP? Did I consciously WALK into a trap?!'

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the husband-wife duo. In her imagination, they morphed into sinister figures smiling greedily, preparing to sell her off to some mystic creature fanatic. She could almost see them haggling over her price, maybe even offering a discount for quick purchase.

She shuddered violently and shook the image from her head.

When she looked up again, her expression had shifted to one of innocent confusion, a wry smile playing at her lips.

"Uhm... I'm a bit lost here. What do you mean by that, exactly?"

Jack studied her for a long, measured moment. Then he leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk, his light golden eyes piercing.

"Jessica..." He paused, letting the weight of the moment build.

"You're reincarnated. Aren't you?"

This time, it was Jessica's turn to spit out water—if only she'd had any. Instead, she could only stare dumbfounded, her carefully constructed composure crumbling at the edges.

Her face went blank for a moment as her mind raced through every interaction since entering this office.

'Did they figure it out just from the way I talk? The way I carry myself?' She couldn't help but question herself, suspicion blooming like a dark flower. 'These two are definitely not ordinary people. Not even close.'

She didn't push further. Instead, she formed an intentionally forced smile and laughed lightly, the sound hollow in the quiet office.

"Haha... was I that easy to read?"

Jack's smile was firm, assured.

"We have our means." He paused, letting the words settle. "And no, not at all. You are very difficult to read. I can testify to that now."

The negotiation was proceeding smoothly, too smoothly, perhaps. Jack continued before Jessica could formulate her next move.

"About your request... consider it done."

Jessica's eyebrows rose slightly, but she remained silent, waiting for the inevitable but.

"However," Jack said, and there it was, "I'm sorry to tell you that I don't think you can survive a day in the mortal realm."

Her frown deepened. "Why?"

He replied instantly, like someone who had prepared for this exact question.

"You would be discovered immediately. You have no identity. No place of birth. No registration in the mortal realm. To their systems, you simply... don't exist."

Jessica grimaced, the weight of his words pressing down on her. In a world of powerful people, being invisible was dangerous. Being nonexistent was a death sentence.

"So..." She shifted in her seat, recalibrating. "What do you think I should do—no, that came out wrong." She met his gaze directly, her molten gold eyes steady. "Since you're mentioning it, I assume you have a way for me to bypass this. And..." She leaned forward slightly. "What do you want in return?"

Jack sighed, a sound of genuine appreciation.

"You're very direct, Jessica." He admitted it like a compliment. "Yes, I have a way. A fast, simple approach that would grant you freedom in the mortal realm for the rest of your life. In the process, I can also help you understand this world better. I can assist with anything you need that falls within my capabilities."

Jessica raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued now, though she kept her expression carefully neutral. She waited. The real ask was coming.

Jack leaned forward, mirroring her posture.

"As for what I want..." He smiled. "It's very simple."

The pause stretched.

"Just tell us if anything is bothering you. And if you ever need help and can't find any... come to us."

A deathly silence came after that... An absolute silence.

Jessica's business personality, the carefully constructed armor of years in corporate negotiation, crumbled.

Her lips twitched. Her eyebrows twitched. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. Words formed and dissolved before they could reach her tongue. She could only stare in disbelief.

She shot a glance at Violet, desperate for confirmation that this was some kind of joke, some elaborate trap.

Violet nodded. And smiled.

A warm, genuine and sincere smile.

Jessica's disbelief multiplied exponentially.

She looked at Jack. Then at Violet. Then back at Jack.

'How... how am I supposed to process this? What they're basically saying is; they want NOTHING. Except for my safety. As if they CARE. When we met YESTERDAY. Just yesterday!'

She stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor.

"Can I be excused for a moment?" Her voice was low, controlled, but something darker lurked beneath.

Jack and Violet exchanged a glance, some silent communication passing between them. They nodded in unison.

"Of course." Jack's voice was calm, understanding. "Take all the time you need to think about it."

Jessica nodded curtly and walked to the door. She pulled it open just as someone on the other side was about to knock. A young woman stood there, hand raised mid-knock. Dull silver hair. Glasses. An expression of mild surprise that suggested she'd never had someone open the door before she could knock.

Jessica didn't look at her. She murmured an excuse and walked past, heading toward, she didn't know where. Anywhere. Just away from here.

The young woman at the door watched Jessica's retreating figure for a moment before turning to her bosses.

Jack nodded. "Please escort her."

The young woman adjusted her glasses. "As you wish, sir." She pulled the door closed and set off after Jessica.


Inside the office, silence returned.

Jack let his full weight settle into his chair, his body sinking against the cushions. He exhaled deeply, one hand rising to massage his forehead. Strands of his golden hair shifted with the movement.

Violet's voice broke the quiet.


"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"I suppose so..." Jack leaned back, exhaling slowly. "I didn't expect her to react like that when I made my request." He sighed again, rubbing his temples. "Just what did she go through in her previous life to react that way?" The question was soft, directed more at himself than at Violet.

Violet, who had been thinking about what her husband had told her before leaving for work earlier this morning, spoke again.

"Is she really the one?" She leaned forward, her purple eyes sharp. "The one you saw in your visions?"

Jack slowly sat up, resting his elbow on the table, his hand calmly supporting his jaw. His expression turned firm.

"Yes... She is."

Silence settled between them, heavy, contemplative. Both husband and wife lost in their own thoughts.

Violet broke the quiet first.

"I know this sounds harsh, but..." Her tone wavered with uncertainty. "Wouldn't it be better to end her now? Before something like that happens?"

Jack smiled slightly at her words, not a mocking smile, but something gentler.

"Do you know what energy I felt from her in the vision?"

Violet shook her head.

Jack's gaze grew distant. An image formed in his mind's eye, a vision he'd carried since that morning. A massive sea of flames stretched endlessly, hungry and unquenchable. At its center stood a young girl with blood-red hair, her body drenched in crimson. She stared into the distance with pleading eyes, the eyes of someone begging for help that never came. Tears fell like an ocean, each drop carrying years of pain. Her lips moved, forming words he couldn't quite hear at first.

'Can I ever feel true happiness for long?'

The question haunted him. He'd turned it over countless times since the vision first came.

"I felt countless negative energies," he finally said, his voice quiet. "Emotions kept inside for too long. I felt someone lonely, broken, sad, angry. I felt her grief. Her confusion. Her hatred. Her regret." He paused, letting the weight of the words settle. "And many more."

He glanced at Violet.

"Would you believe that I also felt something entirely different from all that negativity?"

Violet waited.

Jack sighed, his gaze growing distant again.

"...I felt acceptance. A quiet acceptance. The kind that comes from someone who has lost all hope of being saved. Someone who doesn't want to be saved anymore, because there's no one left to trust with the task." He swallowed. "I felt that she had nothing else but darkness."

Another pause. He shifted his weight in the chair.

"So I don't know if killing her would actually solve anything." He smiled, bright and warm, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "And besides, it seems fate has given her a second chance at life. With the goal of lightening that darkness. That's why everything has unfolded this way." He met Violet's eyes. "And I would be glad if we could help put a light in her darkness. Even if it's just a little."

His smile softened.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

Violet, who had been reaching for her water bottle, paused. A slow, warm smile crept onto her face.

"Yeah..."

The moment was peaceful. Genuine.

Then Jack opened his mouth again.

"And besides... wouldn't it be great if we adopted her as our child?"

Violet spat out the water she'd just begun drinking.

"WHAT?!"

Jack burst into bright laughter as his wife sputtered and coughed. Violet grabbed her bottle and hurled it at him, he dodged, laughing harder.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop!" He raised his hands in surrender, his laughter slowly receding. When his expression finally settled, it had turned serious once more. "To be honest, I think it might be a good thing if we did."

Violet studied his face, reading the sincerity there. She thought about it, truly thought about it. After a long moment, she nodded slowly.

But a flicker of sadness crossed her features. Her face darkened briefly, some memory surfacing before she pushed it away.

"It'll be her choice to decide," she said firmly. "And besides... she'd only known us for a day." She snorted, recovering her usual demeanor. "Let her get to know us first. And let us get to know her too." She fixed Jack with a pointed look. "So don't get any stupid ideas. Focus on helping her first."

Jack's laughter returned, bright and warm, filling the quiet office.



*****


Thank you all for reading and supporting this story. It means a lot ^^

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[Despacitoleo]

Heh suorise adoption

 

[p_magno]

Heh suorise adoption

Click to shrink...

Yeah.
Thanks for reading!

 

[p_magno]

Jessica walked out of the workshop building and moved to the side of the entrance, positioning herself so she wouldn't block anyone who wanted to enter or exit. She prepared to simply stand there, lost in thought, when her eyes caught sight of a bench a few inches past the building's corner.

Without consciously deciding to, she began walking toward it.

She reached the bench and sat, leaning her back against the wooden slats, letting her full weight settle. For a long moment, she sat motionless, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever. But behind those molten gold eyes, a single thought rang through her mind like a mantra:

'Nothing is ever free. Nothing is ever free. They want something in return. I know it.'

Her mind grew firmer with each repetition, building walls against hope. But then confusion crept in, making her sit up straight. She leaned forward, her jaw resting on clasped hands as she replayed the scene from the office.

Jack's expression when he'd made his request. Violet's nod of verification.

In her previous life, as she'd grown older and more experienced, Jessica had learned to read people. Hidden motives, buried intentions, the things left unsaid, she'd trained herself to notice them all. It had kept her safe. It had kept her from being caught by surprise when reality inevitably showed its teeth.

But for the first time since she'd learned that hard truth, something had caught her completely off guard.

Unconditional care.

The concept was foreign and she wasn't ready to believe such a thing could exist. That's why she'd excused herself, to think clearly, to analyze, to figure out what they really wanted and what scheme they were running.

'...But what do they really want?'

She stood abruptly and began pacing back and forth around the bench area, her footsteps quick and agitated. Minutes passed. No answers came.

She sat down hard, both hands rising to ruffle her blood-red hair in frustration.

"Why does this seem so difficult?"

The question hung unanswered in the air. Her emotionless facade crumbled into a deep frown as her thoughts drifted to her exit from the office, the way she'd stormed out without proper courtesy.

She imagined Violet's reaction. The spanking. The death by spanking.

She ruffled her hair harder.

"Damnit! I shouldn't have reacted like that when that vile being was there!"

Despite her frustration, a slight smile tugged at her lips as she thought about the day's events. Violet, for all her fury and violence, had never once projected malice or negative intent. Even during the spanking, the almost dying spanking, Jessica hadn't felt any real darkness from her.

'But it still hurts like hell.' She winced, the memory still fresh, still stinging.

While she was lost in her thoughts, the workshop door opened.

A figure stepped out, a young woman with dull silver hair and glasses that sat slightly loose on her blue eyes. It was the same woman Jessica had nearly run into when she'd stormed out of the office.

'She's looking for me.' Jessica thought as the woman's gaze swept the area until it landed on her, still seated on the bench in the distance. The woman adjusted her glasses and walked over with calm, measured steps.

"Good afternoon." Her voice was polite, professional.

"Good afternoon." Jessica replied with a slight smile.

The woman, blue eyes, silver hair, gestured toward the empty space beside Jessica. "Is this place taken?"

Jessica shook her head. "It's totally empty."

Without another word, the woman sat.

Silence descended. One minute passed. Then two. Jessica's eye began twitching almost imperceptibly as the quiet stretched into awkward territory.

Finally, the woman spoke.

"I'm Wendy, by the way." Her tone was matter-of-fact, leaving no room for argument. "I'll be your escort if you want to go anywhere."

Jessica nodded. "I'm Jessica."

Wendy nodded back and adjusted her glasses.

Something screamed in Jessica's mind, a realization born from countless binge-watched dramas. This woman beside her was the spitting image of those serious, dedicated assistants who placed their jobs above everything else. Even themselves.

'Sigh... That's certainly a crazy way to live.' Jessica tried to imagine herself in that role and immediately experienced a full-body cringe.

"This place is certainly one of the best spots to get fresh air," Wendy said, interrupting her thoughts.

Jessica's brows rose slightly, her lips curving in amusement. "You think so?"

Wendy nodded, adjusting her glasses yet again. "Yes... I do." She paused, then added with a mischievous curl to her lips, "Though I think it might just be my personal preference."

Jessica laughed, a small, genuine sound. The image of the serious, rigid assistant crumbled entirely in her mind.


****



After the laughter receded, Wendy raised her head, staring slightly upward at the distant clouds.

"Look," she said, nudging her chin toward the horizon. "And tell me that isn't beautiful."

Jessica followed her line of sight, and her breath caught in her throat.

'Beautiful...'

The word echoed in her mind, utterly insufficient for what she saw. The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, bathed in the warm afternoon glow of the sun. But one cloud in particular demanded attention, a massive, puffy formation that had taken the shape of a hand. It looked as if it were trying to descend from the heavens, reaching down toward the world below, but the angle made it appear as though its fingers were gently touching the sun itself.

"It's beautiful," Jessica finally managed.

Wendy nodded, her expression soft. "It is..."

Then her face darkened almost imperceptibly.

"...And at the same time, it's horrifying and heart-wrenching to see. For someone like me who knows what actually happened."

Jessica turned sharply, her expression shifting from appreciation to serious intrigue.

"What happened?"


Wendy sighed, the sound carrying years of memory.

"A few years ago, my cohorts and I decided to relocate to this settlement for long-term residence.. Unknown to us, a bad omen was about to descend just outside this settlement area."

She paused, eyes fixed on the cloud-shaped hand.

"That cloud you see there... it wasn't just a cloud shaped like a hand. It was a real giant hand. Countless of them, actually. And they were all descending. My cohorts and I were caught right in the middle."

Jessica stared back at the cloud-hand, now impossibly distant from the safety of the settlement walls. In her mind, she began to imagine the scene, countless horrifying hands raining from the sky, falling toward her with nowhere to run, no destination close enough to reach.

'I'd be completely squashed into a mashed paste,' she confirmed inwardly. 'No hope of survival.'

She turned back to Wendy. "It's definitely impossible to survive something like that if you're weak."

Wendy nodded, confirming her words.

"It is. My cohort's levels ranged from [Level 13] to [Level 24]." She met Jessica's gaze. "Each of those hands was [Level 38]."

Jessica's eyes widened.

'Level 38?! That's more than ten levels above the strongest member of their team.'

She voiced the obvious question. "Then how did you survive?"

Wendy stared at the distance in silence for a long moment, taking in the scene quietly. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft.

"Someone I didn't trust saved us."

Jessica's brows rose. "Someone you didn't trust?"

Wendy turned to meet her gaze.

"Before the journey, we needed a guide. Someone who knew the safest path to this settlement. Someone we could trust." She looked back at the sky. "We found someone like that. He was well-known as a map expert, trustworthy in a general sense. So we hired him."

Jessica's frown deepened. "Then why didn't you trust him? He was literally known by others who could verify his trustworthiness. Why wasn't he trustworthy to you?"

Wendy glanced at her and smiled, a knowing, sad smile.

"Because I'm not the type of person to trust someone who offers to do his job for free, with the excuse that he was planning to go there anyway."

Realization dawned on Jessica.

'For free?'

She replayed the words in her mind before looking back at the sky.

"Was that why you didn't trust him?"

Wendy nodded.

"Yes. Through everything I've experienced, I've come to believe that nothing ever comes for free. So I didn't trust him, even though I knew he benefited from safety by coming with us, he was [Level 19] after all." She paused. "But something about the way he agreed so instantly after seeing us... it just felt wrong. I concluded he had an ulterior motive of some sort."

Silence settled between them as they both stared at the sky.

Jessica broke it.

"So... how did he save you from something clearly stronger than all of you?"

Wendy's lips curled slightly.

"He told us earlier before then that he had an ability which allows him teleport a maximum of five people to a limited distance. The flaw was that he couldn't teleport himself, and the aftereffects left him paralyzed for a period of time." She turned to Jessica. "And you know the funniest thing about it all?"

Jessica waited.

"His limited distance at that moment was strangely close to the settlement walls. And my cohorts and I were exactly five people if we excluded him."

Jessica thought for a long moment, turning the information over in her mind.

'It feels strangely orchestrated,' she mused. 'Almost like it was designed for his total demise.'

Wendy's voice cut through her thoughts.

"I didn't calculate everything properly back then. I believed that not everyone was good enough to save others when they themselves were still in danger. Who would want to act the hero and die alone?" She stared down at her slender hands, which bore slightly faded scars. "I held that belief... until it happened. My cohorts and I all disappeared and landed right at the gate of this settlement."

Jessica frowned, processing the weight of the revelation. Despite the seriousness, a stray thought surfaced.

'He didn't even say anything before saving them. Not a goodbye. Not a hero's last words.'

She understood, logically, that time was critical, that even a single word could mean death in that instant. But still, the absence of a word bothered her.

"He didn't say anything before he did it?"

The question met calm silence, the kind that comes with remembrance..

"He did." Wendy's voice was soft, a slight sad smile playing on her lips. "The others didn't hear it. But because of my enhanced senses, I caught his muttering clearly."

She paused, as if reliving the moment.

"Fate Is A Bastard!!"


Jessica stiffened at the tone Wendy used. There was something harsh beneath those words, a hatred that ran deep, yet intertwined with sadness and a quiet acceptance. A small smile tugged at Jessica's lips.

'Fate really is a bastard,' she mused inwardly. 'But to some, it's a blessing. To others, a curse. And to a few... a distant dream.'

She agreed with Wendy completely.

After a short silence, Wendy spoke again.

"That cloud right there..." She pointed toward the sky. "That was the hand that crushed him and grabbed him. It carried his corpse back toward the sky." Her voice wavered slightly. "...But it didn't succeed. It couldn't. The settlement president obliterated all the bad omens, but spared that one hand, cursed it to death instead." She paused. "Just so we could have a body to bury."

Jessica stared at the hand-shaped cloud. Beautiful. Serene. But to those who knew the truth, it was a nightmare they wished they could forget.

Something gnawed at the edge of her thoughts.

'If I had witnessed that... would I come here? To remind myself of the past?'

She pieced together her own answer slowly.

'...Maybe.'

A slight smile crossed her face. If she had been one of the people that guide saved, she would return to this spot again and again. To remind herself that good people existed in the world, even if they were heartbreakingly rare.

She turned to Wendy.

"Why do you come here?" She asked, though she already suspected the answer. "If it keeps reminding you of that day?"

Wendy glanced at her, then returned her gaze to the sky. A slight smile played on her lips.

"Because it reminds me that even if trusting people doesn't come easily to me... I shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush." She laughed softly, the sound not quite reaching her face. "There are some worth trusting. Though very few."

Jessica smiled in amusement.

"Heh... even if there are, how would you know?"

Wendy turned to her, one eyebrow raised slightly. A knowing smile appeared.

"You will. If you're like me, you'll know the people worth trusting when you see them."

Jessica sighed at the words. She turned fully to face Wendy, her molten gold eyes meeting blue in a long, searching silence. As if deciphering something hidden.

Finally, she spoke.

"You heard the discussion earlier, didn't you?"

There was no accusation in her tone, just clear, certain knowing. The pieces had clicked together when the conversation shifted to someone Wendy hadn't trusted, someone who'd turned out to be the most trustworthy of all. Someone who sacrificed himself for people he'd only just met.

Wendy didn't look shocked. Not even slightly. She smiled more and adjusted her glasses.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but... yes. I heard."

"Everything?" Jessica probed.

Wendy sighed. "No." She paused. "Just Mr. Jack's request... and your reply when you excused yourself."

Jessica stared at her a moment longer, then sighed deeply. Wendy was telling the truth.

She decided to voice the question that had been bothering her since the conversation with Jack.

"Sigh... so what do you think I should do?"

Wendy's lips curled in amusement.

"You already know what you should do. You just haven't accepted it yet."

Jessica frowned briefly at the answer. Then her expression shifted, slowly, gradually, into one of acceptance. She sighed again and ruffled her hair calmly.

"Yeah... you're right."

She stood, stretching her body with a few casual exercises, subconsciously preparing herself for what might come next. A spanking. A punishment. Violet.

She shuddered at the thought.

Turning to Wendy, she forced a smile.

"Alright then. Shall we get going?"

Wendy nodded and rose as well.

They walked back toward the workshop entrance. The sign: 'Violet Workshop' greeted them once more, and Jessica shuddered again. A bad premonition crawled up her spine, whispering of great danger awaiting her inside.

'Oh, mother of Flames!! I want to live to see more beautiful days. Please let that vile being forget about my earlier behavior. I'm too young to die!'

They entered the workshop and moved through the halls until they reached the door marked 'Manager Office'. Wendy sighed, a sound of long-suffering patience, and opened it.

Jessica felt a wave of déjà vu as she shuddered and followed.

The same modest office greeted her. Simple. Neat. Unchanged.

Jack sat calmly behind his desk. Violet occupied one of the chairs nearby.

Both glanced toward the door as they entered.

Jack's expression was warm, a knowing smile already in place, as if he'd anticipated her decision. Violet, however, stared without expression at first. Then slowly, almost imperceptibly, a faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Jessica immediately mentally catalogued it: 'Vile Smile'

She shuddered and walked forward, Wendy beside her.

Wendy paused, bowing slightly. "I'll be taking my leave."

Jack nodded.

Wendy adjusted her glasses and turned to Jessica. Their eyes met, blue and molten gold. She smiled briefly, a flicker of warmth, before her face returned to its usual composure. She walked to the door, excused herself, and closed it behind her.

Jessica was alone with Jack and Violet.

She exhaled deeply, steeling herself. Then she stepped forward and took the seat opposite the desk.

Another sigh. She met Jack's gaze.

"I've decided to accept your offer."

Jack smiled.

"But under one condition."

He inclined his head. "Please speak."

She leaned forward.

"That you at least make a reasonable request. One that benefits both parties."

Jack closed his light golden eyes, considering. After a moment, he opened them.

"Hmm... alright."

Jessica smiled slightly.

"So what request do you have for me, then?"

Jack's smile widened.

"What do you think about working for us for one year?"

Jessica pretended to consider it, though she'd already noticed, nothing much had changed. They'd simply formalized the arrangement. Made it a transaction.

"Alright."

Jack stood, hand extended, smile bright.

"Well then, Jessica. It was nice doing business with you."

Jessica rose and took his hand.

"It was nice doing business with you too, Jack." She paused. "So when do I start?"

Inwardly, she was already beaming. She couldn't wait to get away from the vile being behind her, the one whose presence kept giving her chills, whose silence screamed of impending doom.

"Not so fast, brat!"

A hand clamped onto her shoulder.

Jessica froze. Her molten gold eyes went wide as she processed what was happening.

Jack's smile widened, confirming her fears.

"Well... you see. My wife told me about your interactions earlier. And she's decided to teach you many things today, if you don't mind."

Jessica didn't hear the last part.

The only words that registered were: 'My wife.'

'His... wife?'

'T-the VILE BEING!!!'

Her business persona crumbled to dust. Her eyes shook as she pictured the woman behind her, that smile, that expression, already planning a thousand ways to make her pay for every moment of rudeness, every word, every look.

She could have sworn she heard a mental giggle from somewhere deep in her consciousness. The system, cheering for her demise.

One word rang through Jessica's mind as she contemplated the horrors awaiting her.




'Nooo!! I'm DOOMED!!!'






*****


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[Despacitoleo]

She could have sworn she heard a mental giggle from somewhere deep in her consciousness. The system, cheering for her demise.

Click to shrink...

yay revenge on the wench

 

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[p_magno]

"Oh... How the flames have fallen." Jessica lamented her current predicament in a quiet, mournful whisper. She was being carried, draped over the vile being's shoulder like a sack of particularly useless potatoes.

"If you had stayed still and come calmly with me without making a fuss, none of this would have happened, brat." Violet's tone was matter-of-fact, utterly without remorse. She walked through the hall as if carrying a protesting adult turned teenager was a normal tuesday activity.

Someone carrying a box of short swords passed directly by them, and didn't seem to notice either of them existed.

Jessica glared at Violet with the intensity of an almost-erupting volcano. It didn't even create a pinch of effect. In fact, Violet's grip tightened in response, and Jessica felt something in her spinal cord protest with a concerning crack.

She sighed and slumped powerlessly against Violet's shoulder

She couldn't blame the vile being anyway. Jessica had entered full panic mode when she tried to avoid going with Violet. She had begun prostrating to Jack like he was a king who held authority over the violent queen, just so she wouldn't have to follow Violet. She had even considered transforming into her cave locust form to Leap-Boing away from there, but her thoughts had been faster than her actions. She calculated that if anyone saw her outside, she'd only expose herself to being hunted, making it difficult for Jack or Violet to keep her secret safe.

In the end, Jack could only sigh in pity for her as he watched his wife lift the petty Jessica up from the ground, slinging her over her shoulders. She bid her husband a short goodbye and instantly carried Jessica away with a smug on her face, which Jessica had already mentally noted as: All-Consuming Hell Smug.

'At least she still has some level of courtesy.' Jessica thought inwardly as she stared at the ever-busy halls, where people weaved through, each either carrying pairs of armors, newly smithed equipment, or simply rushing to fulfill their errands.

Jessica would have long buried her head in disgrace, or maybe even found a place and a life-saving lonely rope to send herself to the afterlife of flames, if not for the fact that she already knew no one could currently see them. She suspected Violet had used that ability of hers that made them completely unseen, as if they didn't even exist. Just like how she had been sitting completely unseen in the room where Jessica had been tied to a chair when she'd first woken up after gaining this body.

Upon coming outside the workshop, Violet finally dropped Jessica down and deactivated whatever ability she had used to make them unseen. She turned her head away, completely feigning ignorance of the burning glare Jessica was currently throwing at her as she arranged her clothes.

Seeing Jessica was done, Violet began walking. "Follow me," she said in a flat tone, leaving no room for Jessica to argue. She followed Violet while grumbling silently as they walked.

They moved through the streets of the settlement for a few minutes until Violet stopped at a two-story building that was nearly as wide as her husband's workshop. Jessica stared at the building, a little bit amazed by how the structure was constructed and how it seemed very thick, thick enough to survive a nuclear blast. Multiple nuclear blasts. She was amazed only for a moment, though, because soon after, her eyes stopped at the name of the building and she instantly shuddered.

'Training Center.'

Jessica's heart dropped as she read the sign. 'My premonition was right. I really am Doomed!!.'

'Oh my darling system. If this is the last time we ever talk to each other, I want you to know that you've been my one and only trustworthy friend. I'm about to DIE! And I haven't even left my will yet.' She sobbed internally, already deciding her own fate as she imagined all the horrors she was about to face.


<<Sigh... The headache.>>

The system could only helplessly sigh in reply.

Violet opened the door and nudged her head for Jessica to follow, which she did while gulping hard and saying quiet sermon prayers for herself.

The first thing that greeted them in the training center was a semi-large hall that had a long and wide passageway leading to multiple training areas.

Violet began walking forward as Jessica followed behind. They moved through the bright passageway, passing a few people who greeted Violet with a clear, respectful tone that even made Jessica suspected that Violet must be a big deal around this settlement. They greeted Jessica too, some with neutrality, some with friendliness. A few, however, ignored her completely, their faces twisting into faint frowns as they registered her level.

Jessica wasn't worried. In fact, she smirked at their glares. 'Just you wait, bastards. I'll show you that this flame right here will surpass all of you... Well, that's if I don't die today, actually.'

They reached the end of the passageway. Before them stood a black door with a small silver sign: 'Special Training Room'

Jessica gulped harder as she read the sign. 'S-special?' The name alone meant one thing for Jessica. 'Hellish Training. She's going to actually kill me!'

Jessica began imagining a scenario where she begins the hellish training and dies in the process, how Violet would act slightly dramatic and blame it on the harsh training, making herself free from the murder case.

'I can't let that happen.' She steeled herself. 'I must survive no matter what!' Jessica's expression turned to a determined boldness as she prepared to talk Violet out of it.

But her steps immediately halted as she noticed the door to the special training room was already opened.

Violet stood inside with a smile that Jessica immediately recognized as the 'Devil's Grin.' She was clearly waiting. Enjoying the multiple expressions cycling across Jessica's face.

"What are you standing there for? Come in. Don't keep me waiting."

She paused, letting the moment stretch.

Then she added the cherry on top:

"Oh, don't worry. I specially chose this place. It can contain a few attacks from an average [Level 40]."

Jessica's heart dropped.

Her pale face became paler.

She knew—knew with absolute certainty, that this training would be her direct ticket to the afterlife of flames.


*****




Jessica sluggishly walked inside, her shoulders drooping low as she shut the surprisingly heavy door while muttering curses. She hadn't expected it to be that heavy. 'Great, even the door can take me to the afterlife too.' She inwardly lamented as finally, after shutting the door, she inhaled and then exhaled, ready for whatever came next. She walked up to Violet, raising her head to stare up at the woman who was one and a half heads taller than her in terms of height.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, a book was thrown at her. She instinctively caught it in surprise before taking a look at the cover. Her eyes widened. "Basic Knowledge For Idiots." She read the name out loud before lifting her eyes and staring at Violet, who shrugged at her.

"Found it among the unused books in a library nearby, early this morning. So I decided to bring it here since it'll be of great use to you," she said smugly.

Jessica's eyes twitched uncontrollably, seriously trying to bottle up her exploding fury.

But in the end, she failed miserably.

'That's it!!!' Jessica screamed, righteous fury burning brightly. The absolute final drop in an ocean of humiliation. This was the last straw she could handle for the day.

'Who does this vile being think she is?' She was clearly ready to show this vile being that she couldn't be messed with! She would throw this book right in Violet's face and tell her exactly—

That thought only lasted for three heartbeats as she faintly heard the cracking of someone's fingers.

Jessica could only stare in surprise, her mind instantly coming to a conclusion as everything unfolded. 'This is rage bait,' she realized, her fury curdling into grim understanding. 'She's deliberately rage baiting me.'

Her mind raced, lightning-fast, searching for a countermove. Then her lips curled into a mischievous smile. 'Well, two can play that game.' Jessica's mental expression became sinister as she giggled inwardly like a maniac, already imagining her plan coming into play.

Outwardly, her expression transformed into one of innocent appreciation. "I-is this really mine?!"

Violet's brow twitched, a micro-expression Jessica caught and cataloged. The woman didn't respond, she only nodded slightly while watching Jessica like a hawk watching a mouse with suspicious intentions.

Jessica's eyes sparkled. "Well, thank you very much. This gift will be very much appreciated." She mentally squinted, a slight smirk appeared unnoticeably on her face. Her plan was about to start.

She sighed deeply. "But you clearly don't need to lie about it."

Violet's eyebrows rose slightly. "Lie about what?"

Jessica smiled innocently as she raised the book slightly for Violet to see. "This book was clearly read by you. Since you're also an—"

"Ow!" Before Jessica could finish, a knock landed squarely on her head. She winced while rubbing the sore spot.

"Brat! Read the book and ignore the name. It'll help you in the long run." Violet's tone left no room for argument, making Jessica rethink whether Violet was really rage baiting her.

"But... I thought you gave me this book to clearly get on my nerves," She said while still rubbing her sore spot.

Violet paused. Her face became expressionless for a moment, before turning away as she mumbled in a barely audible tone, "Well... I partially did."

"You see! I KNEW it!!" Jessica pointed accusingly, her fit immediate and dramatic.

Violet ignored her completely.

Finally, she opened her mouth. "I said partially, brat." She scowled. "I only thought about it when I saw the name. But the contents inside are worth it."

Jessica squinted for a moment before finally sighing, knowing Violet was telling the truth. "Alright." She sat on the floor, crossing her legs. The book felt heavy in her hands, not physically, but symbolically. This was knowledge. Real knowledge about the world she now inhabited.

"So where should I start?"

She opened the book. The first title stared back at her: 'Understanding The Names For Each Level And Their Ranks.'

Violet sat down beside her.

"I'll explain as you read certain sections."

Jessica raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Okay."

She read with total concentration, her eyes noting each word like an accountant carefully counting stacks of money.

Through the pages, she discovered that the highest achievable level was [Level 100]. Every ten levels carried a specific ranking name.


________

Rank:

Infant [1-10]

Junior [11-20]

Fallen [21-30]

Guardian [31-40]

Ascendant [41-50]

Triumphant [51-60]

Supreme [61-70]

Arch [71-80]

Zenith [81-90]

Absolute [91-100]

____________

"Are these the rankings for each ten levels you breakthrough?" she asked, glancing at Violet, who nodded at her question.

Seeing the reply, Jessica slowly nodded while mumbling, "So that's why my system was displaying [Infant] for me, while [Ascendant] on yours." She finally understood what those words meant. She'd been moving through this world without understanding those labels. She'd even suspected the system was mocking her when she first saw [Infant] attached to her name.

Now it all made sense.

A thought bloomed.

'I wonder how powerful an [Absolute] would be.' She imagined those [Level 91] – [Level 100] destroying continents with a flick of their wrists. Leveling cities. Reshaping reality.

She glanced at Violet.

'I wonder how powerful an [Ascendant] is. Maybe they can destroy buildings? At least that scale.' Her mind already calculating the scale of each level.

If only she knew. If only anyone had told her just how powerful each level truly was.

She sighed and turned the page, clearly ready to see what else she could learn.

The next title was straightforward. Direct. Exactly what she needed.

'Cores'

Jessica's face lit up.



'Just what I need.'




*******

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[Despacitoleo]

The next title was straightforward. Direct. Exactly what she needed.

'Cores'

Jessica's face lit up.



'Just what I need.'

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[p_magno]

Jessica discovered that upon awakening, even before the cores formed, each individual possessed a core world, or rather, a housing place where the cores resided. The core world was the metaphysical manifestation of one's soul, which upon manifesting, rooted itself inside the user. It created a perfect link between the physical and spiritual being, establishing an unbreakable balance.

The next page revealed what magic cores truly were.

Magic cores in this world were the metaphysical reflection of one's talent, attributes, and lineage. They granted any awakened access to benefits: gaining a system, being able to use various innate abilities and skills, and most importantly,
getting stronger.

And just like the ranking system for levels, there was also a rank for magic cores. But this one was slightly different, based entirely on the number of cores your body could contain.


________________


Cores:

One Core: Fighter

Two Cores: Beast

Three Cores: Titan

Four Cores: Terror

Five Cores: Destroyer

Six Cores: End-Bringer

Seven Cores: Myth-Maker


________________

Jessica frowned as she read through the pages. The names themselves were impressive, badass, even, she'd go so far as to say. But what bothered her was the lack of practical understanding.

What exactly did they do? How were they useful when leveling up already provided power? Did they add to higher levels? Was there a requirement to increase core count? How did they fit into everything explained about magic cores and the core world?

"How exactly do these core rankings even work?" She asked the question aloud, her tone clearly aimed at Violet despite not addressing her directly.

Violet sighed, recognizing the indirect request.

"It's different from how level rankings work." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Each core represents the level of power you can wield. The cores partly act as energy storage. The energy, called Qi, is spent whenever we use an ability."

She shifted her posture, sitting straighter. Jessica leaned in slightly, expression carefully neutral but attention razor-sharp.

Violet raised her right hand, fingers pointing forward.

"Let's say I, as a [Level 47], have an ability called Downward Force."

The room trembled faintly. An invisible pressure began pressing against the air itself, thickening it, making each breath a conscious effort. Jessica's focus didn't waver, she was curious to witness what a [Level 47] could do.

"What if I had just One Core, which makes me a Fighter. An [Ascendant Fighter]."

The pressure intensified. The air grew heavy, viscous, difficult to move through. Jessica felt it pressing against her skin, her lungs, her very bones.

Then it stopped.

The tremor ceased. The pressure vanished. Jessica exhaled, and though she kept her expression neutral, inwardly she sighed with disappointment.

Violet lowered her hand.

"If I were an [Ascendant Beast] instead, with Two Cores, the effect of that same ability would have been more potent. More powerful. It would have lasted longer, especially if it consumed a lot of qi." She paused, letting the information settle. "And the pattern continues the more cores you have."

Jessica nodded slowly, processing.

"Does this magic core impact other things?" She met Violet's gaze. "Like the strength of the awakened? Or anything else?"


Violet nodded at her question.

"It does." She paused, letting the weight of her words settle. "An [Ascendant Terror] is four times stronger, faster, and more potent than an [Ascendant Fighter]. Just as an [Ascendant Myth-Maker] represents the pinnacle of power an [Ascendant] can ever achieve."

Jessica absorbed the information, her mind turning it over like a puzzle piece finally finding its place.

'Not only can one level up,' she realized. 'Having more cores makes you exponentially stronger than someone at the same level.'

She chuckled inwardly.

'It's truly different from how leveling up works. I suppose gaining additional cores can't be easy. There must be requirements, each with its own trials.'

She turned to Violet, deciding to voice her conclusion.

"I assume there's a requirement for someone to gain an extra core."

"There is." Violet nodded confirmation. Then she raised an eyebrow. "... Is that what you should actually be thinking about right now?"

Jessica's thoughts screeched to a halt.

'Right... I don't actually HAVE a core.'

The realization landed like a stone in an endless ocean. Without a magic core, it was impossible to access any of the benefits she'd just read about. She had access to her system, that much was true. But she couldn't use any of her abilities in this body unless she transformed into her flaming cave locust form.

And that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to use her abilities in both bodies. Not just one.

"Sigh..."

She exhaled slowly, lifting her gaze to stare into the distance of the training room. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"Alright."

Violet's voice cut through the quiet. She stood from the floor and stretched, a casual, unhurried movement that made Jessica's brow rise in confusion.

'Wait... Don't tell me we're actually going to TRAIN?'

Her face paled.

It paled further when Violet began cracking her fingers.

Violet noticed the color draining from Jessica's face and frowned.

"Brat! Why are you looking like someone having a seizure?"

Jessica remained silent, frozen in her growing dread.

Violet sighed, massaging her forehead as she pieced together Jessica's likely thoughts.

"I'm just warming up to help you awaken your magic core."

'Oh...'

The color rushed back to Jessica's face as if it had never left. The transformation was instantaneous, one moment a ghost, the next fully alive. A deep sigh of relief escaped her as her hand reached for her chest, patting it like she'd just survived a near-death experience.

"My heart... I almost really did have a seizure."

Relief washed over her, until Violet's words fully registered.

"Wait... did you just say what I think you said?"


Bam!

"Ouch! Flaming Hell!!"

A knock landed firmly on her head. She winced, rubbing the sore spot.

"Brat! Don't make me repeat myself. Turn around and sit straight. We're about to start the awakening."

The pain in her head vanished.

She'd heard correctly. Violet, the vile being, the shadow lady, the terrifying woman who'd spanked her within an inch of her life, was going to help her awaken her magic core.

A slight smile played on Jessica's lips, subconscious and genuine.



****



A few minutes later, Jessica sat perfectly straight, legs crossed in a meditative pose, her eyes closed in concentration. Violet positioned herself behind her, also sitting with crossed legs, her hands pressing firmly against Jessica's back.

"Normally, to awaken a core, one must first lay the foundation by gathering energy from nature. Some might even use the energy of a monster core to create their own." Violet paused, her deep purple eyes shifting, growing deeper, more intense. A faint purple glow radiated from within their depths, swallowing any light that didn't belong to them. She stared at Jessica's back with a frown. "But... the more I look at you, the stranger I find your existence. Not only do you have a system without possessing a core, you also have enough energy stored up to start the creation of your core immediately."

Her frown deepened.

"It even feels like you already have a core."

The more she spoke, the more confused she became. Questions piled upon questions, none of them finding answers. But Violet didn't push. She didn't pry. She simply acknowledged the mystery and let it be.

'Everyone has secrets,' she reminded herself.

She shook off the confusion and firmly placed her hands on Jessica's back. Her eyes returned to their normal deep purple.

"Memorize the movement of how the energy flows through your body."

She began willing the stored energy within Jessica's body to follow a specific path, a circulation designed to form the foundation of a core. The process was notoriously difficult. For most people, it could take hours, days, even months to understand the flow and finally begin awakening.

But Violet had full confidence in Jessica. Strange as she was, there was something about her, something that suggested she would grasp this quickly. A few hours, perhaps. Maybe less.

It would have been faster if Violet could use her own energy to assist. But that wasn't possible.

"Sigh..." She exhaled quietly. 'I can only do this much. Using my energy to speed things up would be a terrible approach.'

Her energy was dangerous to anyone not related to her awakened lineage. Dangerous even to herself, if she wasn't careful. Forcing it into Jessica's unformed core could cause catastrophic damage.

She shook the stray thoughts away and refocused, guiding the energy flow with meticulous care.


******




Jessica felt hot.

Really, really hot. Like she'd been transported inside an erupting volcano. If not for Violet's hands pressing firmly against her back, she would have believed she'd somehow ended up being transmigrated again.

'But why am I feeling this hot?' She asked herself, confusion cutting through the discomfort. 'I'm supposed to be resistant to this kind of thing. I'm literally made of flames.'

She reached out to the silent consciousness in her mind.

'Do you know anything about this?'


<< It's the energy within you. Reacting to the control from an outside will. >>

Jessica mentally furrowed her brows.

'You mean... what Violet's doing right now, circulating the energy in my body along the directed path for core creation?'


<< Yes. >>

'No wonder I felt something fluid flowing through me. Toward my midsection.'

A sigh from Violet snapped her back to attention. She'd almost forgotten, she was supposed to be memorizing the flow of energy, just as Violet had instructed. She immediately focused on that task.



Minutes passed in silence. Violet continued directing the flow. Jessica ground her teeth, enduring the seething heat that evaporated any sweat before it could form. She had to endure. She had to learn.

Minutes became an hour.

An hour became two.

On the third hour, faint energy began emanating from Jessica. A whisper at first, then a distortion in the air around her. Soon it rose like smoke from a burning object, visible waves of heat radiating from her body.

Jessica was nearly at her breaking point. The heat was unbearable.

'Flaming Hell...!' She cursed inwardly. 'I'm literally turning into a living barbecue right now.'

She bit her lip against the pain, resisting with everything she had.

"The core is being created." Violet's calm voice cut through the agony like a blade. "You'll have to endure it from this point onward. Any little disorientation will cause your fragile core to fracture, leading to dangerous damage to your soul."

'EEH?!' Jessica froze—almost froze. The words echoed in her mind.

'Any little disorientation will damage my SOUL?'

She imagined what a damaged soul might look like. Cracked. Fragmented. Broken beyond repair. The thought made her shudder involuntarily.

'I definitely don't want to go to the afterlife of flames like that.' Another shudder. 'Wait, how would I even go to an afterlife if my soul gets destroyed?'

Violet's hands pressed firmly against her shuddering back, grounding her to the present.

"Focus." The word was serious, weighted with consequence.

Jessica focused.


****



The heat intensified. What had been uncomfortable became unbearable. What had been unbearable became something else entirely, a white-hot agony that seemed to originate from her very soul.

Within minutes, Jessica's entire body was drenched in sweat. It pooled beneath her, a small lake forming with her as the source. But she endured. She knew what she wanted. She would do anything to get it.

What could stop her? Pain?

She'd felt worse pain than this, different, yes, emotional rather than physical, but pain was pain. She'd survived it before. She'd survive it now.

She endured.

Slowly, gradually, the pain began to numb. Her body, which had screamed in protest, quieted. The agony faded to a simple pinch. Then to nothing at all.


Jessica's mind grew hazy.

She felt alone, the only person in existence, floating in an endless void. She didn't know how much time passed. The only anchor to reality was Violet, who occasionally removed her hands from Jessica's back and seemed to leave. Time would pass. Violet would return, cleaning Jessica's body with what felt like a towel.

Jessica couldn't open her eyes anymore. She existed in a half-state, partly conscious, partly lost. She felt Violet's hands return to her back. She felt the thick texture of the towel wiping away sweat.

But something felt different about what was being wiped away. She couldn't identify it. Her mind was too far gone.



Du! Du! Du!

Her heart began beating. Faint at first, then louder, louder even to her fading consciousness.

'W-what's... happening?'

Her thoughts were sluggish, thick as honey. Her breathing became ragged, so ragged she feared it might shatter her forming core. She tried to fight the darkness creeping at the edges of her mind.

She failed.

And just like that..

Jessica's mind, and everything around her, became blank.


****




In a blurry vision, Jessica saw herself in a luxurious room, the kind of chamber reserved for royalty. She had no memory of ever being in such a place. In fact, she'd never even entered a room like this in her previous life.

'I need to leave here.'

Something gnawed at her mind, urging her to escape. No matter how beautiful it looked, this place was wrong. She shouldn't be here. She was—

'Wait... what was I doing again?'

The question met empty silence. No answer came.

She tried to shrug—or attempted to. Her brow furrowed as she realized her body hadn't responded to the command.

She tried to move. She couldn't.

It felt like she was an unmoving camera. A perspective locked in place, taking in the scene before her without participation.

'What the hell??'

Dumbstruck, she abandoned her attempts at movement and focused on her surroundings.

The first thing her gaze caught was a shelf, if it could even be called that. It was too regal, too ornate for such a simple word. Carved from dark wood with golden inlays, it looked more like a piece of art than furniture.

At the top of the shelf, a single book rested.

It was large, dictionary-sized, wrapped in a wooden cover etched with ancient symbols. Strange as it was, Jessica understood them.

'My Life's Diary.'

Before she could process this, the diary lifted into the air and floated to the edge of a massive bed.

'When did he get here?'

Someone sat at the bed's edge. Jessica could only see his back and a diagonal glimpse of his face. He wore simple brown silk trousers, his torso bare. His skin was smooth and pale white. His body was clearly defined, too defined, impossibly defined, like a form only a god could possess. It was...

Flawless.

Blood-red hair cascaded down his back in stark crimson waves. Though his body was perfect, the air around him told a different story. He was a mess, lost, tangled in thought. He ruffled his hair for a long moment before stopping, pausing in stillness.

"Sigh..."

The sigh was deep, weighted. He stared upward, lost in some internal landscape.

Then his gaze fell to the book beside him.

Jessica finally saw his face.

'Wait... I've seen him somewhere.'

The features were familiar and foreign at once. She knew this face, but from where?

He stared at the book with an expressionless mask. Then, slowly, a sad smile formed on his lips.

"In the end... it seems blood is the only answer."

He lifted his right hand to eye level.


VROOOM...

Flames erupted in his palm. Blue. Reddish-gold. They cupped there like water, like a gift, like a promise.

He stared at them for a long moment, his deep crimson eyes growing cloudy with emotion.

"I'm sorry."

The flames lifted from his hand, levitating into the air. They flickered, trembled and distorted in strange, impossible ways until finally..

They separated.

Three distinct flames now hovered before him.

Red. Gold. Blue.

His gaze traced each one, but lingered most on the blue. Why? Jessica couldn't understand. What made that flame special?

He reached for it.

"With this... the first spark of my plan will beg—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

His expression went blank. Emotionless. A mask of absolute stillness.

Then his crimson eyes glowed, a deadly red light flaring to life as his gaze snapped directly to where Jessica's consciousness hid.


"Who dares dream of me?!"





*****

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[Despacitoleo]

Wait... Don't tell me we're actually going to TRAIN?'

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lol lazy bones (and not fear at all)

 

[p_magno]

lol lazy bones (and not fear at all)

Click to shrink...

Yup.
Thanks for reading!

 

[p_magno]

"Who dares dream of me?!"

The voice dropped to a dangerously low register as the red-haired man spoke. His crimson eyes locked onto Jessica's location with terrifying precision.

Jessica felt his gaze like a physical weight. She knew there was nowhere to run. Could she even move if she tried? She was utterly doomed if he decided she posed any threat.

But then something strange happened.

The moment his eyes found her, his angry expression shifted. Became emotionless. For a long moment, he simply stared, his red eyes widening slightly.

Then, slowly, his lips curled upward.

Warmth spread across his features. Not the warmth of recognition between enemies, but something deeper. Closer. The kind of warmth reserved for someone dear. Someone precious.

It made no sense in Jessica's current predicament.

He caught himself, his expression settling into a simple smile.

"So it's you, my dear flame?"

A laugh escaped him, low, knowing, almost fond.

"It seems my future plans have already begun." He stared into the distance, his smile widening dangerously.

Jessica's vision began to blur. Her consciousness was being pulled away by some external force, dragging her from this strange place. The last thing she heard were words that rang in her mind like a bell of finality:

"The age of the gods... has just begun."


"A second time."


And everything went blank.


*****



"Gasp...!!"


Jessica bolted upright, one hand clasping her chest as if she'd truly suffered a heart attack.

"What happened?!" The words escaped unintentionally, directed at herself. Her voice was raspy, her lungs greedy for air.

She remembered she'd been awakening her core. Then her mind had spiraled, she'd lost consciousness, and she'd dreamed.

Yes. She'd dreamed of—

'Wait... what did I dream about?'

She frowned, straining to remember. The memories were hazy. Incomplete. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't grasp them.

"Flaming Hell..." She ruffled her blood-red hair, a low groan escaping her throat. Irritation burned in her chest.

"You're awake?"

A familiar voice cut through her frustration. Jessica's eyes darted to Violet, who had just walked into the training room and was shutting the door behind her.

'Right... I was awakening my core.'

Her heart tightened.

'Shit. I broke my focus.'

Violet's warning echoed in her mind: 'Any little disorientation will cause your fragile core to fracture, leading to dangerous damage to your soul.'

Panic seized her. She scrambled, hands patting her body frantically, searching for any sign of a damaged soul, as if such a thing could be found through touch.

Violet watched her flail and sighed deeply, a frown etched on her face.

"Brat! You're okay. Nothing happened to you."

Jessica stammered, "B-but I clearly got disoriented! It must have affected my soul! That's what you told me!"

Violet nodded slowly.

Jessica's face paled.

But Violet's next words stopped the panic cold.

"Your magic core was created in the last minute before you fainted." A slight smile crossed her features. "Congratulations. You've become a true Awakened."

Jessica froze. She stared at Violet, expressionless.

Then she smiled.

She'd done it. She'd really become a true Awakened. All thanks to the woman standing before her.

"Thank you." The words were genuine, warm, the first truly sincere thing she'd said to Violet since they met.

Before she could say more, a screen materialized before her eyes.


<< Ding! >>

<< New [Ability] Acquired! >>

<< New [Innate Ability] Acquired! >>

..........



Jessica's smile widened. Even in the chaos of awakening, she'd gained two new abilities.

'I have a very strong feeling that one of them will be closely connected to pain,' she thought, certain of it.

Her status materialized before her, beautiful as always.


[STATUS]

+

Name: Jessica

Level: 7 [Infant Rank]

Exp(Fragnet): [----[250%]-----1100%]

Title: [Ancient Flame]

Specie: ×Flame/???× [Human]

Species Possessed: Cave Locust [Hp/89%]

Rank: [Fighter], Cave Locust [Fighter]

Magic Cores: [1/1], Cave Locust [1/1]

Items: [Bone Of ARAFEL] [The Nameless Lever]

Echoes: None
Innate Abilities: [Possess] [Spark Instinct] [Flame Master] [Soul Flames]

Abilities: Unique Skill [Blabber Mouth] [Pain Resistance]

Flame Specific Skill [Burning +1] [Life Multiplier 'By Snorting'] [Flame Camouflage]

Cave Locust Skill [Flame Acid Ball]

+


Jessica giggled, almost laughed as she usually did, but caught herself, ending with only a wide smile. She shot glances at Violet, clearly not ready to be knocked on the head for laughing like that.

"Ahem..." She cleared her throat. "Give me two minutes. I'll be right back with you."

Violet raised an eyebrow, studying Jessica for a moment before sighing.

"You should have just do this when we get home." Another sigh. "Two minutes. Just two. Nothing more."

Jessica nodded vigorously and immediately began reading through the changes.

Her brow furrowed at the first line: Rank: [Fighter], Cave Locust [Fighter]

'Strange... Isn't there supposed to be an 'Infant' here?' She asked the silent consciousness in her mind.


<< There was supposed to be... but not anymore. Based on my calculations, since you were an idea, you didn't have a core to begin with. That's why it followed the level ranking. >>

'Yeah... I suspected that not too long ago. But what's confusing is the Cave Locust. Isn't it supposed to have a core before I possessed it?'


<< Yes... >>

'...Then why was it following the same level ranking system I followed?'

Before the system could answer, Jessica spoke inwardly first.

'Oh wait!' she said. 'I think I get it now. Yes, I do get it now.'

She deciphered her own questions inwardly.

'The moment I possess anything living, their soul is destroyed and replaced with my flame. And since I was an idea then, the Cave Locust body followed the same level ranking I followed.' She concluded.


<< Yes. You're right... >>

Jessica couldn't help but smile at her deduction, but her smile seized at the system's next words.


<< ...But slightly wrong. >>

Her smile vanished.

'How?'

A sigh echoed through their shared consciousness.


<< Sigh... I performed a full analysis when you woke up. I discovered you're still an idea. >>

Jessica's frown deepened.

The system continued.


<< You're still a flame in a physical sense. Your true body is the full manifestation of an idea—your flame, given form. >>

A pause.


<< The reason you blacked out was because your awakening defied the very laws of this world. It nearly cost you your life. But something happened. I don't know what, I was temporarily disconnected when you lost consciousness. >>

Jessica fell silent for a long moment, quietly reasoning through what the system had said and what had truly occurred.

'What actually happened while I was unconscious? And how did I actually survive?'

Upon thinking that, she turned to her only source of answers, who was currently impatiently tapping her foot on the floor while mumbling in a dangerously low growl that Jessica knew all too well.

"Five minutes."

Jessica's gaze caught on Violet's right hand.

It was bandaged.

It hadn't been bandaged when they entered the training room.

Something had happened.

"Violet." Jessica's voice was strangely serious and worried. "What exactly happened? And how long was I unconscious?"

Violet stared at her for a moment, her face expressionless as if considering what she should really do to this girl in front of her.

Then a slight, dangerous smile formed on her lips, the 'Vile Smile', Jessica's mind immediately supplied.

"Not only are you three minutes later than you promised, you're also trying to extract answers from me tonight?"

Jessica's heart dropped as she heard the faint cracking of fingers.

"W-wait. Let's talk this out!" Jessica tried to straighten things, but it proved useless as Violet walked closer.

"Don't worry. I'll make it quick."

The 'All Consuming Hell Smug' on Violet's face made Jessica certain, she was utterly doomed tonight.

"Help!!!"

Her dramatic cry was met with giggling silence.


*****


'My back.'

Jessica walked through the empty passageway of the training center, one hand pressed against her lower back like she'd aged eighty years in a matter of minutes. The vile being had been fully prepared to spank her within an inch of the afterlife, would have, in fact, if Jessica hadn't negotiated an extension to her one-year contract. Three extra months. That was the price of escaping that particular round of torment.

And honestly? It wasn't even Violet's fault this time.

"So you're telling me," Jessica groaned, each word accompanied by a jolt of pain from her stiff back, "that I sat in that meditation pose for almost three days! and then followed it up by being unconscious for an entire DAY straight?!"

Violet nodded calmly, offering nothing more.

Jessica squinted at her, clearly wanting additional answers.

"Would you mind telling me what happened while I was unconscious?"

A slight pause. Violet's expression shifted into something that looked suspiciously like pretend-thinking.

"Nothing happened."

Jessica's molten gold eyes narrowed further.

"Then how did you get injured?"

Violet glanced at the bandages wrapped around her right arm. A sigh escaped her.

"I was testing a new ability. Injured myself in the process." She met Jessica's gaze, her deep purple eyes flat. "Stop asking. You're giving me more reasons to regret not 'straightening you up' earlier."

Jessica stared deeply into Violet's deep purple eyes, knowing full well that Violet was lying. But she also knew better than to push further.

"Makes sense," she said finally.


****


They reached the hall and exited the Training Center. The settlement streets stretched before them, quiet in the evening air.

As they walked, Jessica's attention drifted inward. She had new abilities to examine.

Her prediction had been correct:


Abilities: Unique Skill [Blabber Mouth] [Pain Resistance]

She had indeed acquired an ability that made her resistant to pain. And this new skill had simply added itself to her growing collection of, what she considered trash skills. Not only did it fail to reduce physical pain to a bearable extent, it had gone straight to her Unique Skill list and settled comfortably beside that [Blabber Mouth] the system stubbornly refused to remove.

Jessica shook off her growing righteous fury and continued examining her gains:


Innate Abilities: [Possess] [Spark Instinct] [Flame Master] [Soul Flames]

Jessica smiled brightly.

'[Flame Master]. Now THAT'S actually cool.'

Her mastery over flames had increased dramatically with this ability. But something about it nagged at her.

'Wait... I've seen [Flame Master] before.'

She dug through her memories. Realization struck.

'Oh, right. I acquired it right after possessing this body.' The moment came back clearly: checking her status in that strange subconscious space, discovering that the system had a physical form. A girl with light blue hair and tired ocean eyes.

She pushed the memory aside and focused on her newest acquisition.

'Soul Flames.' A wide smile spread across her face. 'Now THAT'S decent.'


As they walked, Jessica's curiosity got the better of her.

She raised her right hand.


Vroom...!!

Blue flames erupted across her palm, wrapping around her skin like a second layer. Jessica's eyes widened with delight.

'It's the same color as my [Burning] skill flames,' she realized. 'It's the same color as ME.'

"Life Flames?"

Violet's amused voice cut through her celebration.

Jessica turned. "Life Flames?"

Violet shrugged. "You can call them Soul Flames. It's all the same in the end." She paused, as if pulling a memory from somewhere deep. "Just like the saying goes; The soul is the starting point, which is the Spirit. The root, which is Life. And the end, which is Death. Of all beings."

She glanced at Jessica. "That's why I called them Life Flames."

Jessica absorbed the words, letting them settle.

'So that's what my flames represent.'

She stared at the blue fire dancing on her palm. Then, with a thought, she willed it away.

"Nice."


****



They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

The modest building came into view, the same one Jessica had woken in after acquiring this body. Violet opened the door, and Jessica followed her inside.

The living room was dark, lamps unlit. Only the dining area glowed with soft light.

Jessica stretched her neck to see who was there.

A figure sat calmly at the dining table, reading glasses perched on his nose, a book open before him. He wore simple blue pajamas, his expression focused on the pages.

Dazzlingly handsome. Deceptively young. Utterly familiar.

Jack.

He looked up as they entered, his face breaking into a bright, warm smile.


"Welcome home."





*******

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[Despacitoleo]

Dazzlingly handsome. Deceptively young. Utterly familiar.

Jack

Click to shrink...

Amazing chapter also. . .

Jack?

handsome?

you can say he's HANDSOME JACK

 

[p_magno]

Amazing chapter also. . .

Jack?

handsome?

you can say he's HANDSOME JACK

Click to shrink...

Alright.

Thanks for reading!

 

[p_magno]

"Welcome home."

The words felt deeply strange and foreign to Jessica as she heard them. 'Welcome home.' She repeated inwardly.

In her previous life, after leaving the orphanage at fourteen, she had always lived alone. Four years on the streets. Sixteen more after finally securing a house. Every day, every night, every single moment, she returned to emptiness. Sometimes she would stand in her own doorway and welcome herself, just to pretend. Just to feel something other than alone.

But now, for the first time in her entire existence, someone had welcomed her as if this were truly her home.

A subconscious smile flickered across her lips. Brief. Almost imperceptible. But real.

Violet walked to where Jack sat. She leaned down and kissed him.

"Good evening." A warm smile graced her features.

Jessica winced as she watched this unfold before her. 'Do you really have to do this in front of this poor, lonely flame right here?' The thought was meant as a joke. It felt like a mockery, a reminder of her unbroken, untouched, never-experienced romantic life.

She sighed. "Good evening." Her tone was clearly drained at this point.

Jack smiled in reply. Violet, however, spoke. "Just wash up and come back down. I'll prepare dinner before you're done." She paused. "And don't make me come upstairs for you."

Jessica sighed deeply this time, her shoulders drooping low as she sluggishly climbed the stairs.

Violet watched Jessica walk away and couldn't help but sigh deeply herself, though clearly for a different reason.


*****



Jessica now sat at the dining table dressed in a black nightgown, staring at the tempting food on her plate. A slice of meat, a handful of white rice, some sprinkles of spinach, and some mashed potatoes.

She glanced at Violet and Jack, who had just begun eating. Then she focused back on her food, hiding an almost-growing smile as she stuffed her mouth with as much as she could, just to conceal it.

As they ate, Jack glanced at Jessica. "So..." he began. "I see you're already Awakened?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes. I am."

Jack smiled. "Well, that's wonderful." He praised her. "To be able to create your magic core in just a few days is very rarely seen in this age."

Jessica glanced at Violet. "Well, it's all thanks to your vil—ahem. I mean your wife. It's all thanks to her for being such a good teacher. I wouldn't have succeeded without her guidance." She almost narrowed her eyes at the word 'teacher.' In her experience, 'teacher' and 'executioner' were dangerously similar concepts.

Jack nodded, a pleased smile playing on his lips. He didn't comment on her near-slip. It was as if he'd already expected his wife to be an exceptional instructor.

Soon after, as they were rounding up dinner, Jack brought up another topic. "What do you think about the job you're about to start at the workshop tomorrow?" He asked, clearly intrigued by what Jessica might say.

Jessica paused to think. "I haven't really thought much about it. But one thing I'm certain of is that working at the workshop will definitely be an unforgettable one-year experience."

Just then, Violet's amused voice cut in. "A year and three months." The 'All Consuming Hell Smug' was clearly on her face as she corrected Jessica, reminding her of their earlier deal, totally ignoring Jessica's burning glares.

Jessica's eyes twitched after noticing Violet ignoring her. But she instantly calmed herself and glanced back at Jack, who was already smiling brightly. A forced smile played on her lips. "A year and three months," she reconfirmed.

Jack nodded while stealing a glance at his wife. Jessica had a very suspicious feeling they were silently communicating with each other, but she couldn't prove it. Her eyes squinted. 'Not yet. But soon I'll find out.'

Just as Jessica tried deciphering their silent exchange, she noticed the other empty seats in the dining area. A question formed in her mind. "Do your children live here too?"

Her question was met with deadbeat silence.

Except for Violet, who had been drinking water from her cup and nearly spilled it. She forced herself to down the contents. Jack's face went emotionless for just a heartbeat, then, almost instantly, he smiled brightly, returning to his usual demeanor. "Well, that's a long story." He gestured to the food. "How about we finish first? I'll be sure to fill you in."

In the end, Jessica couldn't bring herself to say anything more and could only nod in reply. She noticed the atmosphere had become less lively. Violet's face held a sad expression, barely there, but Jessica could see it. 'Dumbass. Look what you've done. You should have investigated more before asking them straight out.' She insulted herself, already coming to a conclusion about what might actually be the cause.

When they finished, Violet excused herself and went to the kitchen. Jessica's expression saddened for a moment as she watched Violet walk away calmly, which was entirely unlike the Violet she had come to know since they'd met.

Jack, however, wore his bright smile, though Jessica could tell it seemed forced. She played along, clearly not wanting to add more trouble to what she'd already caused.

"Do you know how long we've been in this nightmare realm?" Though he wore a bright smile, Jessica could feel the solemnity in his voice, as if he were reminiscing the past. She shook her head, indicating no. Jack rested his weight against the chair and sighed deeply. "It should be more than twenty years now."

'Twenty years.' Jessica mentally repeated. 'They've been married for thirty-five years. Spending fifteen years in the mortal realm before coming to the nightmare realm.' She calculated, her expression growing sadder as she remembered the stupid question she had asked earlier.

Jack turned to Jessica, clearly already noticing her sad expression. He didn't seem to mind. He needed to tell her, at least not everything. But it was better for her to know from the main person than to hear it from somewhere else, where words might already be exaggerated.

"Violet cannot conceive a child."

He finally said it, adding nothing more, offering no explanation for why she couldn't. Jessica stared at him, their gazes meeting: his light gold, hers molten gold. Through his expression, Jessica knew he would have loved to explain further. But she suspected he preferred she hear the full story from Violet herself.

That alone made Jessica reevaluate Jack to a higher degree. He loved his wife so much that even after thirty-five years without children, he still chose to uphold her dignity by not telling Jessica anything else. He would let Violet decide if she wanted to share. 'What other ways can you know a trustworthy partner?' Jessica smiled slightly at the thought, then nodded slowly. "I understand."

Jack's smile finally became genuine as he saw that Jessica understood his intentions.

"Ahem... I'll be going to my room, then." Jessica decided she was best needed elsewhere, as there was nothing left to discuss. "Good night."

"Good night," Jack replied, watching as she prepared to climb the stairs.

She paused mid-step and turned back to him. "And I'm genuinely sorry for what I said earlier." She sincerely offered, then glanced toward the kitchen, staring at the door for a moment. "Really sorry." She concluded without waiting for a reply and hurried upstairs, leaving Jack sitting at the dining chair with a smile on his face as he watched her go.

A few moments later, he sighed. "Seems like she saw you."

It felt like he was talking to himself, but he knew he clearly wasn't. Around the kitchen door, Violet materialized back into existence, a warm smile on her face as she snorted. "Oh please, that brat is just too cunning. She decoded that I was here already, she's seen me use that ability twice now."

Jack nodded with a smile, but soon his expression turned serious. "Zet told me what the news." He turned to meet his wife's gaze. "So what really happened during her awakening?" At that word, he stared at his wife's right arm, wrapped in bandages as if covering a burn.

Violet sighed as she sat on one of the dining chairs. She began recollecting everything that happened during Jessica's Awakening. Her expression grew serious. "You remember what I mentioned in the message I sent with Zet. Her existence is very strange, and it might be difficult for her to create a core."

Jack nodded, clearly remembering the message details Zet had brought.

Seeing her husband's reaction, Violet continued. "To put it simply, Jessica's awakening failed... or almost failed." She sighed, the memory weighing on her. "Upon the fracturing of her core, her soul didn't just damage like it was supposed to." She paused, staring right into her husband's light gold eyes.

"It exploded. Her soul exploded, Jack. She became engulfed in blue flames, soul flames. It was the very first time I'd seen such a phenomenon in my entire life." She rested against the chair and massaged her forehead. "I tried to help, even when I knew it might be impossible. I began searching for the shards of her soul, trying to arrange them, to stabilize her." She paused, her eyes growing distant. "And do you know what I found out?"

Violet sat up straight. Slowly, she turned to Jack, her eyes widening slightly as she remembered. Jack wasn't faring any better, worry etched across his face at his wife's expression.

Violet finally opened her mouth. "H-her soul was never destroyed to begin with."

Her voice dropped low. "It was boundless."

"Her soul was boundless!"

Jack stiffened at the words, heavy with meaning. "Boundless..." he repeated, turning to his wife. "You mean her soul has no boundaries or limits related to the cycle of existence?"

Violet nodded. "The soul is the starting point, the root, and the end of all beings." She recalled. "But Jessica's soul doesn't have a starting point, nor a root. Not even an end. It is boundless."

Jack's expression grew more serious as he calculated. "If it truly is boundless... then how is her body still intact? If a person's soul exceeds what the physical body can contain. It causes strain, and that leads to the death or obliteration of the physical form."

Violet smiled slightly at Jack's calculations. "Do you know why it's still intact?"

Jack shook his head, indicating no.

Violet replied matter-of-factly, "That's because she never had a physical body to begin with. Jack, she's made up of an idea."

Her smile became amused.

"She is a flaw. A flaw of the world."

Jack paused for a moment, absorbing his wife's words. Slowly, his serious expression crumbled as his eyes widened in understanding. "So that's why nothing happened to her when it failed." Each piece of the mystery began clicking into clarity. Jack now understood why Jessica had survived the magic core failure.

But... he couldn't help but frown as another question surfaced. He turned to his wife. "Then how does she have a magic core?"

At his question, Violet raised an eyebrow before lifting her right hand, showing him the bandages wrapped around it. "I still succeeded in rearranging the destroyed magic core. That's how I got burnt by her soul flames."

She smiled when she saw her husband's worried expression. "Don't worry too much. I'm alright. It only did minimal damage. You know who I am and what lineage I come from. So relax."

Before she could say anything else.


Caw! Caw!

A sound at the window. Violet turned to see a black crow tapping its beak against the glass, cawing insistently.

She sighed.

"Duty calls." She stood from her chair and walked to Jack, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "I'll be leaving. Good night."

"Take care."

Jack watched his wife open the door and step out into the night. The door clicked shut behind her.

He was alone.

He glanced around for a moment, clearly thinking about what he was supposed to do next. When he remembered, he finally sighed and stood up, or rather, began to.

Then it hit him.

A massive wave of headache crashed through his skull. He fell back into his chair, hands clutching his head as his vision began to flicker violently between reality and something else.


Flick.!

A text appeared, boldly written in blood: 'WAR'


Flick!

The same text, more intense: 'WAR!!'

Behind it now, he saw people, countless figures shouting battle cries as they charged toward a massive gate.


Flick!

Flames. A sea of blue flames, burning across the sky like the descent of calamity itself.


Flick.

Text in glowing blue hue: 'SPARK OF LIFE'


Flick.

Whispers. Faint at first, then clearer.

"Forbidden..."

"...Flaw"


Flick..!

A figure. A man with blood-red hair, a wide smile plastered on his face as he made the first move in a game of chess.

And then..

Text. Bold. Sinister. Written in crimson so deep it seemed to drink the light:

RED!




Gasp!


Jack's breath returned in ragged, desperate gasps. His body trembled uncontrollably. His hands still clung to his head like a lifeline, his eyes darting frantically without moving, decoding, processing, understanding the vision that had just consumed him.

Slowly, the trembling stopped.

Slowly, his hands dropped.

Slowly, his eyes regained focus.

A frown crawled across his face.

"'???'..." He whispered into the empty room.


"Who really are you?"



******



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"Who really are you?"

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jhon from accounting

and nice chapter