Under the scorching sun, we felt no heat.
Why?
Because the shade of this enormous tree protected us from the blazing sky.
Beside it, a pond shimmered. The water drifted gently, stirred by the soft breeze. I glanced at the surface, where her reflection danced.
Damn.
The beauty of peace.
The beauty of destruction.
The balance of this world might rest on this woman.
The wind kissed my tied hair.
This testing center… it was something else. Maybe they created this little paradise to calm the nerves of Coal-bloods, fresh from learning their fate.
This hospital tries so hard to please us.
Then she said it.
"Because I can see the future."
What?
"Ph—ha!" I burst out laughing.
"Of course you can," I replied, not even trying to hide my sarcasm.
There went my admiration.
It's not like I didn't believe in prophecies.
It's just… how could she be one of them?
The woman I respected all my life, now sounding like a lunatic. A fraud.
"I'm being serious. Believe me or not, the truth won't change," she said, her voice low but sure. "I saw your future. You'll become the person you hate the most."
Her gaze softened. "You'll suffer, child."
Child? We're the same age.
"Then tell me," I said, mocking. "Tell me all about my miserable fate."
"If I tell you, the prophecy will seal. Once it's spoken, it cannot be undone. You won't be able to escape it."
She really seemed worried. Genuinely.
Still… I didn't buy it.
How could anyone see the future?
Maybe she'd been brainwashed by this culture too.
I thought she was different.
And what happened to her attitude from ten minutes ago?
She'd gone from a proud icon to a worried mother. It didn't make sense.
Then she continued.
"Come with me to the Central Temple. It's the only way I can protect you. If you become a Guardian's maid, no one can harm you."
Becoming a Guardian's maid was the highest honor.
But I couldn't accept.
Because I had a dream—a dream of absolute freedom.
And the temple? That would become my cage.
"No."
That one word slipped from my lips.
"Why?" she asked quickly. "Is there a reason you're rejecting me? Do you hope to become a Noble Knight? If so, give up. I saw your blood type... it was Coal."
Her eyes widened as soon as she realized what she'd said.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean it."
My world cracked open at that moment.
But I smiled through it.
"I do not dare accept an apology from a Guardian."
Silence fell between us, heavy and sharp.
"I…"
BOOM.
A blinding flash. A deafening roar.
"Ahh!"
My ears rang. I couldn't hear anything.
What just happened?
I turned to look.
The tree.
The massive tree we stood beneath…
It was gone.
Erased by a single bolt of lightning.