"Haaaa…"
I let out a long breath, staring at Maya curled up in front of me.
She wasn't just scared — she was terrified. Every muscle in her body trembled, like she expected every word out of my mouth to hurt her.
This girl… in 30 days…
In the novel, Maya went through hell.
She survived worse things than most people could imagine.
And in the end, she fell for Lucas… only to accept she wasn't the heroine.
She was always my favorite character.
Strong.
Lonely.
Broken.
And still trying.
Looking at her now, it hurt to see how far she'd fallen from the noble, terrifying powerhouse she would one day become.
"What's your name?" I asked again, gently this time.
She flinched — then slowly lifted her head to meet my eyes.
"…M-Maya. My name is Maya."
She hesitated at the end, thinking carefully about each word.
Still hiding your last name, huh…
She had good reason.
The destruction of the Serenity family wasn't long ago.
The only way to survive was to bury who she really was.
"That's fine," I said softly. "Before we do anything else… I want you to tell me what you want."
"Huh…?"
She frowned, confused.
"Think about it," I said. "Whatever you want… I'm willing to help."
In the novel, Lucas helped her by accident — dropping his magic control manual where she found it. She studied it, admired him, fell in love, and followed his path.
Even then, her life didn't get better immediately.
She still got beaten.
Still got ignored.
Still suffered.
Maya lowered her eyes and whispered, "Why…? Why do you want to help me?"
When she looked up again, her eyes were full of fear.
And hope.
I was quiet for a moment.
I could lie.
Say it was just kindness.
Say it was righteousness.
But that wasn't the full truth.
"I like you," I said.
Her breath caught.
She froze.
Her cheeks trembled and her lips parted slightly.
"Y-you… like me?" she whispered. "A-are you serious…?"
"Yes."
I met her eyes directly.
"You're beautiful. You're strong. And one day… you'll be even stronger. I can see it."
It wasn't a lie.
I didn't hide my intentions because one day, she would figure them out anyway.
My goals were simple:
Survive
Get stronger
Avoid the final villain
Keep allies
Protect the ones worth protecting
And Maya?
She wasn't just worth protecting.
She was someone who could change everything.
But she didn't believe any of that.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched the bedsheet with shaking hands.
"This… isn't a dream, right…?"
She hated herself.
Her looks.
Her weakness.
Her existence.
And after everything she'd been through… she doubted even her own reality.
"It's not a dream," I said gently.
I reached out and wiped her tears with my thumb — slowly, so I wouldn't scare her.
She froze, eyes wide.
"I know you're confused," I said softly. "But asking for help isn't wrong. You did nothing wrong. You were more human than most people here."
Her emotions shattered.
She lowered her face and sobbed — loudly, painfully, releasing everything she'd kept locked inside for far too long.
No one had ever heard her cry like this.
But I let her.
It was the first step toward healing.
She wasn't the strong, stoic girl from the novel yet.
She was the broken girl before the glow-up.
The one no one saved.
Except now…
Someone did.
"I… I can't believe I'm getting help…" she whispered between sobs.
She wasn't like Dreyden.
She didn't have a stolen ability.
She didn't have family.
She didn't have allies.
She had nothing.
And yet she still tried.
For the first time in her life… someone reached out to her.
Not to use her.
Not to beat her.
Not to manipulate her.
But to help.
"Dreyden…" she choked. "I want help. I want to get stronger. Please… help me. Help me get stronger…"
A tight ache hit my chest.
But it wasn't my emotion.
It was Dreyden's.
The character I created —
with his past,
his loneliness,
his grief,
—was crying for her too.
"I will," I said quietly.
I pulled her into a hug.
She stiffened in shock… then slowly melted into it, crying into my shoulder.
"I'll protect you," I whispered.
"I'll help you grow. You don't have to go through any of this alone anymore."
She nodded weakly.
For the first time in years…
she wasn't alone.
And for the first time since arriving…
Neither was I.
When Maya finally calmed down, we spent a long time talking.
She told me her situation — carefully hiding some details, but enough to understand her struggle.
"Maya," I said softly. "Can you show me your status?"
She froze.
"P-please… just listen calmly first, okay?" she whispered.
"I will."
She took a shaky breath.
"Visible Status."
She kept her eyes closed, terrified of my reaction.
I read the screen.
STATUS — Maya Serenity
[Strength: 10]
[Toughness: 13]
[Agility: 11]
[Intelligence: 20]
[Perception: 13]
[Magic Energy: 20]
Reality Manipulation — Identity (Lv. 10)
An offshoot of Original Reality. Allows assimilation of another's identity across universes, gaining their memories and skills.
Side Effects:
— High activation cost
— Personality bleedthrough
— Magic cost increases per new identity
— Deactivates automatically
I exhaled slowly.
"Damn," I muttered. "Your skill is crazy."
Maya opened her eyes, confused.
"You're… you're not mad that I lied?"
"Honestly? I'd think you were an idiot if you didn't." I shrugged.
She blinked — then smiled softly, embarrassed.
"It costs 730 magic energy just to activate," she confessed. "I need magic control… urgently."
She paused, then stared at me.
"Wait… aren't you surprised my skill is level 10?"
"I'll show you mine."
I activated my status.
Her eyes widened immediately.
"Y-you… have an unregistered skill…? You copy skills…?"
"Only you know that. To everyone else, I only have Fire Fists."
"Understood…" she whispered.
Her fear faded — replaced by curiosity and trust.
I walked to a drawer and took out a thin manual.
I tossed it gently to her.
"Read this. We're going to start your core creation."
She opened it with trembling fingers.
"While you're creating your energy core," I continued, "I'll inject magic energy into you. Use it to stabilize your circulation."
She nodded slowly.
Determination growing in her eyes.
"The monthly test is coming," I said. "You need to use your ability before then. We'll train daily. Physically and magically. It will be hard."
Maya looked up.
Her eyes shined with absolute certainty.
"I'm ready."
Her voice trembled — but her will did not.
I smiled.
"Good. Finish reading. We begin now."