The ruins were silent.
Only the sound of shifting pebbles echoed through the hollow halls as a faint morning light seeped through cracks above.
Amidst the collapsed stone and dust—Milly lay motionless. Her silver hair was tangled, her clothes torn, and her skin streaked with dried dirt.
When her eyes finally opened, the world spun around her. For a long, dazed moment, she didn't recognize where she was or even why she was there.
Milly (weakly): "...What… happened…?"
She sat up slowly, pain rippling across her body.
Her gaze wandered through the vast, ruined chamber craters in the walls, the ground split apart like something massive had struck it.
The air still vibrated faintly with residual energy.
Then the memory hit her.
The trance. The voice. The digging.
And finally the light.
Milly (horrified whisper): "No… I didn't do this… did I?"
Her steps were unsteady as she stumbled through the rubble, trying to make sense of the destruction.
But then, something caught her eye.
A faint purple glow, half-buried under broken marble.
Drawn to it, Milly knelt down, brushing the dirt away until a small, smooth crystal fragment revealed itself.
It pulsed lightly like it was breathing.
The moment her eyes met its light, a shock ran through her body.
Her breath caught, her heartbeat stuttered, and her vision blurred.
Unknown Voice (echoing faintly): "My queen… you have found it again…"
Milly gasped, stumbling backward. "Who… who's there!?"
No answer came only that soft, echoing hum from the fragment.
And then her body began to move on its own.
Her hand trembled violently as it stretched forward.
Milly (panicking): "N-no… stop! I don't want stop!!"
Her fingers brushed the crystal
And a burst of light erupted through the ruins.
In that instant, she saw flashes visions of fire, wings, and a great dragon's roar splitting the skies.
A fortress in the clouds.
A dark shadow standing before her, whispering something she couldn't yet understand.
Then it all went dark.
When she opened her eyes again, the ruins were quiet.
The glow from the fragment had faded but now it rested gently in her palm, warm against her skin.
Milly (trembling): "This place… it's not just a ruin… is it?"
Her mind screamed to drop it but her legs refused to obey.
Without another thought, her body turned and she ran, barefoot, through the broken halls and out into the dawn light.
Dust trailed behind her as she fled toward the city the only place she still called "home."
(Scene - The Forgottten Fortress)
In the dim control room of the ancient fortress, Basei stood before a glowing rune array. His mask reflected the scarlet light as he reviewed energy readings flickering in the air.
Simni's holographic form appeared beside him, data streams cascading through her blue optics.
Simni: "Commander, we've located the source of last night's pulse. It came from the ruins near Berbeign City."
Basei's gaze hardened. "And the resonance?"
Simni: "It matches Milly's forgotten signature almost... perfectly."
There was a pause, long and heavy.
Basei: "So it's finally reawakening…"
Fogotto, standing near the doorway with a calm canine posture, tilted his head slightly. His crimson eyes gleamed faintly under the dim light.
Fogotto: "You want me to go, don't you?"
Basei nodded slowly. "Investigate the area. If she's involved, do not interfere directly. Just watch and report."
Fogotto's tail flicked once. "Understood."
And in the next second, his form shimmered with dark energy before vanishing into the shadows.
(Scene - Berbeign City)
The streets were quiet when Milly stumbled through them, dirt still clinging to her clothes. Her breathing was uneven, her golden eyes flickering faintly beneath her silver bangs.
In her hand, the purple fragment pulsed gently.
Milly (to herself): "Why… does this feel so familiar…? Like I've seen it before…"
When she finally reached her small apartment, she closed the door, leaning against it.
Her heart was pounding.
She looked down at the fragment it had stopped glowing, but its warmth lingered.
Milly (whispering): "What are you…?"
Her voice trembled.
Outside, in the distance, a faint flash of purple light pulsed once from the ruins then faded into silence.