The wind hummed softly through the open window.
Birds chirped somewhere nearby, their calls light and unbothered by the world below. For a brief moment, the world felt peaceful—ordinary enough to forget danger existed at all.
A yawn broke through the calm.
"Good morning, Jake."
Half-asleep, Jake groaned and turned onto his side. "Good morning, Kale," he muttered.
"That is incorrect."
Jake frowned.
"…Good morning, Flo."
"I am not Flo either."
That snapped him awake.
Jake's eyes flew open.
A woman stood beside his bed.
She was dressed in white from head to toe, her clothes light and flowing as though stirred by a breeze that didn't exist. Her presence didn't feel hostile—but it felt wrong, like something placed where it did not belong.
Jake jolted upright.
Instinct took over.
Mana erupted from his body in a violent surge.
Pain followed instantly—sharp, overwhelming, ripping through his chest like something inside him had torn. His vision swam as a message burned into existence before his eyes.
"Mana suppressed."
"Hostility: Not detected."
Jake gasped, clutching his chest.
Not… detected?
He stared at the woman, breath ragged, heart pounding.
The voice that followed was calm. Almost gentle.
"There is no need for alarm," she said. "I am not here to harm you."
Jake forced himself to sit upright, muscles screaming in protest. "Then what exactly are you here to do to me?"
"Nothing," she replied simply.
The door exploded inward.
Kale and Flo burst into the room, weapons drawn, mana flaring violently. Kale's spear was already aimed at the woman's throat. Flo's stance was tense, eyes wide with fury and fear.
"Step away from him!" Kale snapped.
The woman didn't move.
She didn't flinch.
Kale froze.
Her grip on the spear loosened just slightly.
"…Sister?" Kale whispered. "Why—"
The woman smiled.
A slow, deliberate curve of her lips.
"Why am I here?" she interrupted. "Oh, Kale… I'm here to mock you."
The smile sharpened.
Kale's face drained of color.
"You were banished from your post," the woman continued, tilting her head. "Did you truly think I would come to save you?"
She laughed.
Not loud at first—but growing, twisting into something sharp and hysterical.
"You really believed that?"
Kale stiffened. "You said you cared for me."
The woman laughed harder.
"Care?" she echoed. "No. I wanted your position. Your favor. Your place at Father's side."
Her gaze turned cruel.
"You were always there," she continued. "Always praised. Always loved. The golden child who stole all of his attention."
A single tear slid down Kale's cheek.
"I've been naive," Kale said quietly.
The woman scoffed. "Yes. You have."
She stepped closer.
"You strutted around us because Father adored you," she said. "Because you were competent. Because you were useful."
Her eyes glinted.
"But you grew arrogant. And arrogance gets punished."
Kale's hands tightened around her spear.
"Leave them out of this," Kale said through clenched teeth.
The woman smiled.
"Alright," she said sweetly.
Then they vanished.
They reappeared in the sky.
Light exploded outward as both figures ascended, angelic essence igniting around them. The air itself seemed to tremble beneath the pressure of their presence.
The clash was immediate.
Brutal.
Kale fought with everything she had—precision, experience, fury—but it wasn't enough. The woman toyed with her, tossing her through the air like a broken doll.
"Divine Strike!" Kale shouted.
Light condensed in her hands, bolts of radiance screaming toward her opponent.
One struck.
And ricocheted harmlessly away.
"Weak," the woman said coldly.
"Divine Punishment."
A cage of light slammed shut around Kale. Chains formed instantly, wrapping around her body, burning into her flesh. Kale screamed, the sound tearing through the sky.
"Rika!" Kale cried.
"Do not speak my name," the woman snarled.
Jake moved.
He didn't think.
He didn't plan.
He stepped between them.
"Move, human," Rika said.
"No," Jake replied.
The attacks came instantly.
Light. Force. Pressure.
They slammed into Jake again and again, tearing at his body, shattering the ground beneath him—but he kept moving forward.
Rika stepped back, shock flickering across her face.
A bolt of light pierced Jake's side.
He dropped to one knee.
Then stood.
He gathered everything.
Every fragment of data.
Every strand of endless success.
He punched.
The distance didn't matter.
The blow landed.
Rika was thrown backward, skidding through the sky.
She laughed, breathless. "Interesting."
She rose higher.
"I'll be back," she said lightly. "Enjoy your borrowed peace."
Then she was gone.
Jake exhaled.
The breath tore his throat raw.
Pain flooded him all at once.
His vision narrowed.
The world tilted.
He hit the ground with a soft, hollow thud.