I was swallowed by total darkness, sightless, weightless, until a voice cut through like a blade.
"Master Isolde… Master Isolde, wake up. Master Isolde, it's just a dream, wake up."
The words blurred, as though spoken from the other side of water, yet the sound was unmistakably clear. I'd heard that voice for days, echoing in loops through sleep and silence, but never once had I managed to wake to its call.
Somewhere beyond the blackness, a faint light trembled as the room around me began to take shape: stone walls jagged and cold, their surfaces cracked like scars. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, flickering weakly, throwing restless shadows that crawled across the rock.
Amid the dimness sat a figure beside my unmoving body its form aglow, breathing light in shifting hues of green and yellow that painted the room in chartreuse tones.
"Wake up, Master… you've got to wake up." The voice quivered now, threaded with urgency and fear.
It glanced around the room, its crimson hair spilling down its back in wild strands. Then its eyes—two burning coals—flared to life, red and sharp enough to pierce through the dark.
The figure leaned closer, pressing a glowing hand against my forehead. "It is about time you woke up, Master Isolde."
My body jerked violently, breath tearing from my lungs as I jolted upright, gasping into the dim air. The cold stone beneath me felt foreign. My limbs were heavier, slower, they didn't feel like mine.
And when I looked around, the glowing figure was gone. Only the trembling bulb remained, swinging gently as though something unseen had just left.
What is this? Where am I?
Silence pressed in from all sides thick, heavy, absolute until my mind finally began to claw its way through the haze.
Where is this place?
My voice echoed only in thought as I pushed myself up from the cold ground, legs trembling beneath unfamiliar weight. Each breath felt wrong, shallow, as though the air itself resisted entering my lungs.
I reached out, hands grazing the rough surface of the wall; cold stone, uneven, damp, and began to move along it, searching for an exit. My fingers slipped over cracks and moss, the faint chill biting my skin. The dark made every step uncertain; my feet slid, caught, and stumbled forward.
Then, beneath my sole, something shifted—the incline of stone.
Stairs?
I braced myself and began to climb, slow, deliberate steps that sent dull echoes spiraling upward. I feel too dizzy… too nauseous. The air grew stale, and heavier the higher I went, pressing against my temples like a silent weight.
After what felt like half an hour of crawling through gloom, I reached another chamber dark again, identical to the one below.
Huh… am I moving in circles?
It was the same stone, the same cold air, though this time a faint glow spilled across the walls not from a bulb, but something unseen, distant. Another staircase waited at the far end, curling upward.
I took a steadying breath and began to climb once more. My throat tightened as I called out the only name that surfaced through the fog of my mind.
"Mother! Are you up there?"
My voice cracked in the silence, only my echo answering.
As I ascended, the dim light above grew sharper, white and burning until it stung my eyes. I squinted, pushing through, until my hand met air instead of stone.
When I emerged, the world above was nothing like I remembered.
The upper floor lay in ruin; walls fractured and half-collapsed, the roof buried beneath layers of soil and vine. The scent of rot lingered in the air. Shards of broken cups jutted from the dirt, and before I could react, one sliced clean into my leg. Pain flared hot and quick, and every step I took left a faint trail of blood behind.
I limped forward. Wood from shattered furniture stood like ribs of a long-dead beast, and tattered clothes lay scattered, half-consumed by grass and rain.
Then my foot sank into something soft, wet, and cold, unyielding. I froze, my breath hitching.
Ahead stretched an endless expanse of tall grass, swaying under a ghostly breeze. The stalks rose nearly to my shoulders, whispering against one another. Beyond them, the silhouettes of trees loomed tall and watchful, their canopies veiling the sky.
All around, the remnants of homes lay buried, ghosts of what once was, swallowed by the green.
What on earth… happened here?
The air was strangely warm, tinted in hues of orange and gold that shimmered across the ruins like firelight. It felt both alive and dead, refreshing and unsettling all at once.
I stood there, dazed, the world tilting around me. Only then did I realize there was nothing on my body. No fabric, no warmth, nothing but the sting of wind brushing my bare skin. The shock, the light, the smell of rot, it all came crashing down at once. My stomach twisted violently, leading me to drop to my knees and vomited water—only water.
The ground spun. The world blurred, as my vision dimmed.
Before I could collapse completely, a hand caught me mid-fall.
"Master!" a voice called softly, breathless with relief. "You still need some rest. But… welcome back."
The voice came from that same glowing figure, its tone filled with a strange joy, like someone who had been waiting for far too long. It lifted me with careful strength, carrying me back into the underground chamber. The dim bulb flickered again as the figure laid me down gently, sitting beside me as before. The smile never leaving its lips.
When I next opened my eyes, night had fallen.
A distant clash of metal rang through the air; sharp, rhythmic, drawing closer. My eyes darted to the doorway just as a streak of violet-black light ripped through the room.
Pain exploded through my right arm, the world slowing as I watched it sever; clean, effortless just above the shoulder. The wound hissed with dark energy, burning where flesh should have bled.
Yet instead of screaming, my lips curved into a grin, slow, crooked, almost amused. Something within me stirred, a deep, hollow thrill.
Outside, a woman stood beneath the moonlight. Her white hair was bound in a high ponytail that shimmered silver beneath her helmet. Full armor wrapped her body, every plate reflecting the purple energy that bled from her aura. In her hand, she held a massive blade, its edge humming with power.
Her blue eyes burned with fury as she faced the glowing figure that had been guarding me.
The figure's white attire fluttered softly in the breeze, lined with green along the sleeves and sides, cinched at the waist by a slender golden belt. Thin sandal cords laced up its legs, glowing faintly as if alive.
"He is alive," the armored woman hissed, voice trembling with rage. "I sensed it."
Her grip on the sword tightened, knuckles whitening.
"Why are you protecting him? You were ordered to get rid of him, not cradle him like a child. How long have you been deceiving us?"
The glowing figure lowered its gaze slightly. "My apologies, Lady Aya."
It brought one hand behind the other, bowing with measured calm. "But everyone knows Master Isolde cannot die. Many have tried. And I am sorry that you truly believed I would succeed where all have failed."
"You were given all the power you needed to kill him, Light," Aya's voice cut through the night, sharp as her blade. "Why did you fail?"
Light's glowing form flickered faintly, as if ashamed. "I didn't fail, Lady Aya," he admitted, his tone calm but heavy. "I just couldn't bring myself to even try to kill my master. After all… I am born from him."
Aya's eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face. Then realization dawned, followed by bitter amusement. "I see. We were foolish to think you ever would."
Her lips curled into a grim smile. "You and he are one and the same and your loyalty is as absolute as the word itself."
Her sword whistled through the air before her words had even faded. Aya lunged forward, swinging for Light's head.
But Light didn't flinch. His stance shifted barely an inch, just enough. With an effortless pivot, he spun aside, his movement smooth as wind over glass. His palm extended, glowing faintly.
The air rippled as a shockwave burst outward, shimmering like heat over sand. Aya's body was thrown back violently, crashing into the tall grass before slamming into the remains of a collapsed, barred building. Dust and debris exploded into the air as Light stepped forward.
"Lady Aya," he said softly, lowering his hand. "This battle is pointless. Please return home. No one can kill my master. No one ever will."
A silence followed broken only by the faint crackle of Light's aura.
Then came laughter.
"Ha… ha ha ha ha…" Aya rose slowly, using her blade as support. Blood traced a crimson line down her lip, yet her eyes burned brighter than ever. "It's only been thirteen years since you left the Young Sky Kingdom, and already you've grown arrogant, Kaski Light."
Her voice was both mocking and proud. She wiped the blood from her chin and straightened, her blade humming with violet fury. "Have you forgotten who I am?"
She stepped forward, every movement deliberate, each footfall pulsing with raw energy.
"Well, let me remind you."
She paused, the night wind whipping through her white hair, her armor glinting beneath the moon.
"I am Aya Reenpi, eldest daughter of Commander Reenpi Clow, Aegis Commander of the Kaski Army… and Master of the Four Great Luminous Yoda."
The ground seemed to tremble as her aura flared.
Aya stopped just short of him, her blue eyes locked on his faintly glowing form. "So, Kaski Light…" her voice dropped to a cold whisper, "do you still think I am not a worthy opponent for you?"