Night
Erina lay in a deep, restless sleep. Shadows danced behind her eyelids as a strange dream took hold.
In the dream, she stood in the center of a silent, fog-covered village. A girl appeared a few yards away. Her face was obscured by long, dark hair, but her presence felt terrifyingly familiar.
"Silvia..." the girl whispered. "Come. Take this body. You have to come back."
"Who are you?" Erina asked, her voice echoing in the void. "Where am I supposed to go?"
"You must come," the girl said, pointing to a wooden sign at the edge of the village. "Save my father!"
Erina looked at the sign, but the letters seemed to shift and bleed. The girl began to fade into the mist.
"Stop!" Erina shouted. "Who are you really?"
The girl turned one last time. "I am you... only with a different soul."
Morning
Erina bolted upright, her heart hammering against her ribs. What was that? Am I finally going crazy?
A soft knock at the door broke her trance. "Erina, are you awake?" her mother's voice called out.
"Yes, Mom. I'm up."
"Come and have some breakfast, dear."
When Erina reached the living room, she found her mother sitting at the table, her plate untouched. General Kail was standing by the window, looking out at the estate.
"Good morning," Kail said, turning to her. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better," Erina replied shortly.
"Mr. Kail," her mother interrupted, her voice trembling. "Have you found anything about Phillip? Where did they take him?"
"Nothing yet, Ma'am," Kail said, his tone softening with professional empathy. "But rest assured, they need him alive. He is too valuable to harm. We are doing everything in our power."
Mom looked away, unconvinced. Kail turned back to Erina. "I'm here to take Miss Erina for... interrogation. Since she was a primary witness at the scene, we need her statement at the base."
"I'll go too," Mom said, standing up.
"It's better if you stay here," Kail countered firmly. "For your own safety."
"He's right, Mom," Erina added, giving her mother's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'll be fine by myself."
In the Car
"Where are we really going?" Erina asked as the estate faded in the rearview mirror.
"I told you. Interrogation."
Erina let out a dry laugh. "Do you think I'm stupid? You're taking me to see if I was bluffing yesterday."
Kail smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. "I'm just wondering if you're as 'cool' as you talk, or if it was just beginner's luck."
"You promised that if I pass your trials, I'm going on the mission to save my father."
"I keep my promises," Kail said. "But civilians don't just walk into black-ops missions. You need academy training, or at least military service."
"I know the rules," Erina said, her voice dropping. "Better than you might think."
"You seem to know a lot about us," Kail noted, his gaze sharpening. "Have you served before?"
"Who knows?" she replied cryptically.
They pulled into a massive, heavily fortified compound. Erina's eyes scanned the guard towers, the perimeter sensors, and the barracks. Standard high-security layout, she noted instinctively.
"Is this your military base?"
"Not to your liking?"
"It's... sufficient. Very large."
"Have you been in a place like this before?" Kail asked, watching her reaction closely.
Erina's mind flashed to her life as Silvia Johnson—the drills, the smell of gunpowder, the General's office that smelled like her father's cigars. "Of course," she blurted out. "My dad is also a General, I even trained ther—"
She cut herself off, her eyes widening.
"What did you say?" Kail stepped closer, his voice low and dangerous.
"I... I said nothing!" she recovered quickly, forcing a nervous laugh. "How could I have been in a place like this? It's not like just anyone can walk in. I was just... imagining it."
Kail stared at her for a long beat. Is she really just a professor's daughter? he wondered. She isn't surprised by anything here. She walks like she owns the place. Who is she?
The Training Room
"We're here," Kail said, gesturing to the sparring mats and the shooting range. "Show me what you're capable of. And remember, Erina—this isn't a gym."
"Ha! We'll see about that. Let's start with the basics: combat and marksman trials."
Kail led her to a squad of soldiers. "Captain! Give me one of your regulars for a sparring match."
The Captain looked at Erina and scoffed. "General, she's a girl."
"Follow the order, Captain!" Kail snapped.
"Choose someone stronger," Erina added, stepping onto the mat.
"Are you trying to leave here in a wheelchair?" Kail asked.
"Do I look like a weakling to you? Watch closely, General."
Kail nodded to a burly soldier. "Sam! Front and center. Fight her, but go easy."
"Don't listen to him, Sam," Erina said, settling into a perfect professional stance. "If you hold back, you'll regret it."
They began. Sam lunged, expecting an easy win. Erina moved like a shadow. Within ten seconds, she had used his own momentum against him, swept his leg, and pinned him to the floor with an arm-lock.
"Is that all?" she asked, her breathing barely elevated.
Kail was silent, his shock hidden behind a mask of stone. "Captain, your gun."
The Captain handed over his sidearm. Kail checked the chamber and then, in a sudden move, aimed it directly at Erina.
The soldiers gasped. Erina didn't blink. "This isn't a toy, General. You shouldn't play with things that can bite back."
"I'm not playing," Kail said. "Here is the final test. Take this gun from me and hit that target at the end of the range. If you succeed, I'll take you on the mission."
"She has no chance against the General," one soldier whispered.
"I don't know," another replied. "Did you see how she moved?"
"You're tall, General," Erina said, circling him. "But height just makes for a bigger target."
"Start already!"
Erina lunged. She tried for the wrist, the elbow, the throat—but Kail was a professional. He blocked every move with ease, his strength far superior to Erina's current body.
"Already tired?" Kail taunted as she backed away, gasping for air. "Give up."
"Never," Erina hissed. "The word 'surrender' isn't in my dictionary. Either I win, or the fight isn't over."
He's too fast, and this body is too small, she thought. I need to use Silvia's dirtiest tricks.
She lunged again, making it look like another desperate strike. As they locked arms, she pulled herself close to his head. In a split second, she leaned in and blew sharply into his ear.
The sensation was so unexpected that Kail flinched, his focus breaking for a fraction of a second. It was all she needed. She twisted his wrist, snatched the gun, rolled toward the range, and fired.
— BANG —
A perfect bullseye.
"Huf... huf... I won," she panted, leaning on her knees. "Keep... your promise."
The room was deathly silent. The soldiers looked at her as if she were a ghost.
"FOLLOW ME!" Kail barked, his face unreadable.
He led her out of the barracks and into a secluded hallway. Suddenly, he spun around and slammed his hand against the wall next to her head, pinning her.
"Who are you?!" he growled, his face inches from hers. "An ordinary professor's daughter cannot do what you just did. You know our protocols, you know how to disarm a General, and you shoot like a professional assassin. Who are you, Erina Onil?!"
"I..."
~ to be continued