The lake water was freezing cold.
I shivered as I scrubbed my arms, trying to wash away whatever that rabbit had covered me in. My skin still itched, and my nose was begging for mercy.
As I dunked my head underwater one last time, something caught my eye.
Huh...?
Not far from the shore, the girl was standing with her legs together, her thumbs and fingers joined, forming a triangle shape. Her lips moved slowly—murmuring something I couldn't hear.
A wave of invisible energy covered the forest.
Wait... Have I seen her before?
Before I could think more, I took a deep breath and submerged myself beneath the water. When I surfaced again, strange glowing bugs were flying around the rabbit.
After I returned to the shore, the girl walked over.
"Come. Sit by the fire," she said gently.
I nodded and followed her to the small campfire she had set up. I sat down across from her, letting the flames dry my wet hair and clothes. The rabbit hopped over and curled up in her lap, yawning before falling asleep.
She stroked it softly, then looked at me.
"My name is Aelira Moonveil. And this little rabbit here is Noah," she said. "Oh, and by the way, I'm a ghost. Well… not exactly a proper one."
"…What?" I stared at her, eyes wide. "A ghost?"
She smiled sadly. "Not exactly. I'm a clone… of myself. The original me died over 3,000 years ago. and I created my his memory"
Three... thousand years ago?!
"For the last three millennia, I've been slowly developing my power… waiting for this time to come," she continued. "And then… I found Noah. Such a beautiful rabbit."
Beautiful, that thing is a monster.
So… she's not a soul, not a ghost, but a clone of someone who died thousands of years ago?
My head was spinning.
"I don't remember everything," she said, glancing into the fire. "Most of my memories were erased. But I do know this much: I have a mission to take you to someone named Master Kael."
"Master Kael?" I asked. "Who is he?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. All I know is that I have to protect you and guide you to him. Once we reach him… we'll get our answers."
I looked down at Noah. His fluffy white ears twitched in his sleep.
"…And those two men who were in my house? Who are they?" I asked.
"They want you," she said calmly. "I don't know why. I only know they're part of a group that wants to catch you."
What is happening to my life...? This is literally becoming an anime story.
"There are five of them," she continued. "Each one powers are far beyond human limits. We call them… the Astryx." The first one is Jake, their captain. He can fly and wields powerful thunder-based abilities. Second is Kai, co-captain. Immensely strong with multiple abilities. You already met him. Third is Joe, who possesses an eye that sees through everything… and a mysterious unknown power. He's incredibly fast. Fourth has tremendous physical energy. His ultimate form… is terrifying. Fifth is Oliver, a sword master. But I suspect… he may even be stronger than Kol.
A cold wind blew across the forest.
So I was now the target of a group whose members have superpowers, guided by a clone-ghost girl and a monster rabbit…
Yeah. My life has definitely become an anime.
Then we both talked about its past; she kept an eye on them. They have been here for 20 years, but where they come from and who they are is a mystery. She also knows about these powers. She fought with Oliver ten years ago, but she ran away because she couldn't defeat all of them. Many years went by, but I don't know why they waited 20 years for me; they could have also kidnapped me when I was a child.
"But who are you?" I said.
"I am a magician from my time. Humans can do magic, but it is too difficult to achieve. Year by year, the magician population became low, and at one point, their people forgot about it entirely," she said.
"Then they are magicians," I said.
"No," she said, "magicians can do many magic tricks, and there is no specific skill for any particular one. In Astryx, members have different abilities."
In those years, there were magicians, and now humans have lost their powers.
"Who is Noah?" I said.
"I was the last of my kind, and I think he was the last monster."
There was a world of monsters and magicians; this is so interesting. When I was doing research on King Korel, he was also from the 3000-year-old period, but in my research, I didn't find any evidence of magicians.
"Have you heard the name of King Korel?" I asked.
"Yes, there was a king named Korel, but my memory is lost, so I cannot know about him," she said.
I knew it; my discovery is true. I wrote a whole paper on it, and now I have many things to discover with proof. If I can learn magic, then it will be easy to finish all these things.
"Can you teach me magic?" I asked.
"Yes, but it will take you many years to learn magic because it is so difficult," she said, "and today's humans are so bad they can use it for war, so I haven't taught any human."
"Hey, uh… Who's the strongest person on the Astryx team?"
Aelira tilted her head thoughtfully. Then, raising her fingers one by one, she began ranking them:
"In my opinion: 1st Kai—I don't know much about him, but I feel he is so powerful in the team. 2nd Jake, he is the captain; his IQ level is so high. 3rd Joe, 4th Oliver, 5th Kol."
I raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Where would you rank yourself?"
She gave a modest shrug. "I'm not that strong... to defeat all of them, but I can defeat Oliver."
Her expression suddenly changed. Her pupils narrowed. She tensed.
"What is it?" I asked, already fearing the answer.
"…As expected," she whispered coldly. "Joe is near."
Joe? The third strongest member?
"I created a barrier around the forest. It alerts me when someone enters… and now it's glowing."
I stood up immediately. "Then we have to run!"
"No," she said flatly. "We can't."
I stared at her.
"Joe's eyes can track movement. No matter where we go, he'll see us. And he's fast. Faster than anyone."
"Then what do we do!?"
"I'll fight him," she said without hesitation. "Noah will take you away."
"No! I can't leave you here—!"
But I didn't get to finish.
In an instant, Noah jumped forward—and swallowed me whole once again.
Everything went black.
And then… we were sprinting through the forest at blinding speed.
Aelira… She stayed behind.
She chose to fight—for me.
Why?
After many years, she was the first person to talk to me for a long time. I had never felt like this before; it's different, I think. This is a feeling of friendship.
I always think about my life. I never had friends. Not real ones. Not in school.
But now, for the first time, someone was fighting for me.
I won't let Aelira die for me.
I have to go back.
I have to go back.
I HAVE TO GO BACK—!
"Stop it. Just keep quiet."
A voice echoed calmly in my mind.
I blinked.
"…Are you Noah?" I asked aloud, or maybe just in my thoughts.
"Yes," the voice replied.
"This is my mind. I can hear your thoughts. I see everything you've remembered."
That… was unsettling.
So this was Noah's power?
By touching someone, he could enter their mind, read their memories, understand their language—everything.
"…That's kind of creepy," I muttered. "Also… why do you sound like a kid?"
"My voice depends on how you imagine me," Noah said calmly.
"Your perception shapes my sound."
"…"
Noah's voice now sounded like a 7-year-old know-it-all.
"Okay, that's even creepier."
"Then stop imagining me as a kid."
"Stop," I said.
Immediately, Noah skidded to a halt in the middle of the forest, dirt kicking up from beneath his paws.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Aelira can't defeat him," I said, breathless. "Joe is too strong. I have to surrender."
"No," Noah replied firmly. "If you surrender, they'll kill Aelira anyway."
I clenched my fists. "But… I can't just leave her there. Alone."
There was a pause. Then I asked quietly, "How did you and Aelira meet?"
Noah's voice softened.
"Two hundred years ago. I was just a kid. Hunters were chasing me—trying to capture me for my blood. I was hurt and bleeding badly, cornered with nowhere to run…"
He took a breath, his voice trembling slightly.
"And then she appeared. She stepped in front of me, scooped me up, and escaped in a cloud of smoke. From that day on… she raised me. She trained me. Those were… the best days of my life."
I looked at the forest floor. The silence between us was heavy.
"So… what do you think?" I asked.
"I want to save Aelira too," Noah said. "But your life… it's more important to her."
"Just… give me a few minutes. Stay quiet."
Noah nodded.
I closed my eyes, thinking hard.
I'd read so many books—thousands of pages on strategy, battle, and even ancient techniques. One book, in particular, stood out: 'How to Kill a Man Stronger Than You.'
It described dozens of rules, psychological tactics, and survival techniques for facing overwhelming power.
Joe is the third strongest in the Astryx… but he can be beaten.
I dug deep. Analyzed what I knew about Joe—his eyes, his speed, his unknown ability.
Then, the answer came to me.
My eyes shot open.
"I have a plan," I said.
"Are you sure?" Noah asked. "Will it work?"
"Yes. We don't have time to waste. Let's hurry. Go back."
Noah didn't hesitate.
With a grin that almost looked excited, he turned and bolted back through the trees—like he was running straight into battle with a secret weapon.
we finally had a master plan.