She was born in a past so distant that even the mory of it had long since faded.
At that ti, she had undoubtedly been born blessed.
Praised as the most beautiful being in the world, as the supre treasure of the earth, as the guardian deity of the islands, countless people celebrated her birth and her very existence.
She herself had been happy.
If her power could shield people from calamity and grant them happiness… then that, too, would bring her happiness. For that purpose, she had been ready to face any hardship.
But one day, her fate changed.
In that era, three brave and mighty warriors and one beautiful girl lived upon the island.
The four of them had been very close… yet at so point, the three n began to fight over the girl.
It started as re argunts… and then beca a struggle to the death.
The conflict did not remain confined to the three of them. It spread to their allies, and eventually even to the surrounding islands, escalating into a war so horrific one could scarcely bear to look at it.
To win that war, the three warriors sought her.
She was said to be a supre treasure whose power would leave no enemy standing in this world. If they could only obtain her, they believed they could destroy their two rivals and claim the beloved girl for themselves.
The battle over the girl beca, in turn, a battle over her.
There was nothing she could do.
She remained nothing but power. She wielded that power to ensure the victory of whoever held her.
Much blood was spilled.
Many lives were lost.
The people mourned, suffered, despaired… and then raged in hatred.
They hated their enemies. They hated the war. They hated the three warriors. And… they hated her.
But sorrow and suffering were hers as well.
She could do nothing but unleash power. Because of that, so many people suffered—the very people she had sworn to protect, the ones she had wanted to save.
Before she realized it, she had closed her heart. She ca to seek only victory and power, to give only what was demanded of her.
It no longer mattered who wielded her strength or for what purpose. She simply beca their might, strengthened their will, fed their hunger for power, and ensured their triumph in battle. She did nothing else.
If the fighting continued, it would engulf countless islands and bring everything to ruin—all because of the war that had begun over her.
Realizing this, the girl relinquished her own life.
The war ended.
The three warriors deeply repented their foolishness and swore never to wage war again.
But she… was left behind in the new era that followed.
Having sealed her heart amid the chaos of battle, having beco a being that granted power and craving to whoever held her—she, who had once grieved and suffered, was now branded fallen, cursed. The people recoiled from her in disgust… and at last, they sealed her away.
So that no one would ever again lay hands upon that forbidden, malevolent power, they locked her within a dark, cold stone coffin, where no one else would ever be.
Years passed. Decades. Centuries… perhaps far longer still.
Her heart, abandoned amid that brutal war, wandered alone through that long, grinding stretch of ti, worn thin by solitude.
…By the ti she no longer knew how much ti had passed.
Then, one day, her sealed consciousness stirred faintly.
Soone had taken her into their hands.
That alone was nothing remarkable.
Over the long years, such things had happened several tis. And each ti, without thought or hesitation, her power had been wielded—bringing yet more tragedy into the world.
But this ti, the one who touched her… rejected her power, pushing it away.
And then, that person carried her off.
Not back to the dark coffin where she had once lain. Not to a battlefield where blood and death filled the air.
They took her sowhere she had long forgotten… a place of hope, happiness, and smiles.
From ti to ti, that person would pick her up and gently tend to her, adjusting her form with care.
More than that… that person seed, sohow—though perhaps no more than imagination—to sense her past and the feelings hidden within her heart.
And yet, at the sa ti… they never once wielded her power, nor even sought it.
They did nothing with her. Used her for nothing. They simply kept her by their side and carried her with them.
For soone who had endured endless ages in darkness, it might have been only a brief span of ti.
Even so… within that quiet, uneventful peace, she was gradually saved.
Just having soone by your side—could it truly be this warm?
Was it really this comforting to watch peaceful lives and the happy faces of others?
She opened the eyes she had once kept closed. She unblocked the ears she had sealed. Within the soft haze of half-dreaming awareness, she began to gaze upon the world that person showed her… and to enjoy it alongside them.
Unfortunately, life was not made of peace and joy alone.
There were tis when that person—or soone dear to them—had to step onto the battlefield.
They were hurt. They shed tears.
And in those monts, she hated that she could do nothing but watch.
Use my power. Let help you.
You may not even intend it. You may not even be aware.
But you restored my heart. This ti, I want to be your strength.
Her voice never reached them… and that was what tornted her most.
Still, she did not give up.
That mont would co. It would, surely. Sohow, she knew.
…Of course, the best outco would be if that mont never arrived.
If that person ever sought her power, it would an they had been driven into a desperate, unbearable crisis.
She did not wish for such a day to co. She wanted her benefactor—and all those around them—to remain happy forever.
Watching them sleep peacefully, surrounded by their three daughters, she thought so.
But if that day should ever co.
If they were cornered beyond all hope, and at last turned to her for help—
Then she would offer every ounce of power dwelling within her.
They said she possessed strength capable of conquering the world… the divine power of the Gods of the Asuka Seven Stars shining within her. She would wield it with all her might to obliterate their enemies.
With that quiet resolve, she drifted back into sleep.
☆☆☆
"…What was that just now?"
When I opened my eyes, the usual sight greeted . I was in bed, with Alice and Suzu curled up on either side.
Leona… had fallen off the bed again today. Lately it's about half and half. Sotis she manages to stay put, but… yeah, her sleeping habits are terrible.
Still… why did I wake up so early? It's still dark outside.
The reason is—
'Man, that was a weird dream…'
…I experienced the whole "soone appearing at your pillow in a dream" thing.
It's not the first ti sothing like that has happened.
When my holand village was burned down and I lost my adoptive parents… aboard the Kuja ship, I dread of them again and again.
The next morning, my pillow would be soaked with tears.
When my second holand was destroyed and I was abducted, I kept dreaming in my prison cell of the islanders I had grown close to.
But this ti…
"…I don't recognize her."
The one who appeared in my dream was a small girl.
She had long, bright green hair… a gentle, quiet-looking, adorable girl. She wore what seed like traditional folk clothing and carried a fragile air about her.
But no matter how hard I tried to rember, I couldn't recall ever eting her.
There was sothing strange about her… almost mystical. The impression she left was surprisingly strong. Even though it was only a dream, the mory remained vivid.
…If I'd actually t soone like that, I should rember, right? No—what does it even an to dream about soone I can't rember? That's kind of creepy.
…Still, I didn't sense any ill will from her. If anything, it felt like she held so kind of goodwill toward .
She probably isn't anything bad. Probably. Definitely.
…Whatever. I'll rember eventually.
Ti to sleep.
To be continued...
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