Wind howled through the dead forest outside the cave, brushing against skeletal branches like cold fingers drumming on coffins.
Something had awakened.
Something forbidden.
And every beast in the forest felt it.
Crows exploded into the sky.Wolves padded backward, tails tucked.Even the insects scurried away as if fleeing a wildfire.
But deep in the cave, unaware of the shifting world, Yueri tightened her shaking grip around my hilt.
We stood together at the entrance of the ruin, moonlight spilling pale silver across her face.Her clothes were rags.Her limbs still thin.But she stood.
She actually stood.
Her breathing was uneven, but she didn't fall.
"…I'm… still alive," she whispered in disbelief.
"…you really don't know how to comfort people, do you?"
She giggled weakly.
That small sound, echoed in the ruined cave, made something inside my core vibrate.
She had no right to still smile.No right to still laugh.Everything had been taken from her… yet she still clung to life.
Humans were strange.
THE WORLD SYSTEM — AWAKENING
A faint holographic-like window flickered in front of her eyes.
Yueri gasped.
"S–Sword-san! I can see… glowing words!"
She blinked rapidly.
"…is that bad…?"
"Okay… fair."
The interface stabilized.
[WIELDER: Yueri][AGE: 11][CLASS: Undefined][STATUS: Malnourished | Soul Link Active | Curse Exposure: 0.4%]
Yueri tilted her head.
"…am I… dying again?"
Her face went pale.
"…something worse… like…?"
"…okay I won't ask…"
Then another line appeared.
[NEW SKILL AWAKENED: RUIN SYNCHRONY - LV 1]
Yueri jumped.
"I–I got a skill! My first skill! What does it do?!"
Her eyes widened.
"…tear… as in like… fwooosh…?"
She froze.
"Th–That's kinda scary…"
THE FIRST LESSON
We walked slowly out of the cave.
Well—she walked.
I floated slightly, guiding her, but letting her feel the weight.
Yueri was barely 35 kilos.I was nearly half that in metal.Her arms trembled every few steps.
"…heavier… than I thought…"
She shook her head fiercely.
"No."
"I won't."
Her grip tightened.Her teeth gritted.Her eyes firmed.
"You saved my life.I won't let go of you."
The resonance flared softly.
…This child…
She didn't even realize how contradictory she was—fragile yet stubborn, weak yet fierce.
She perked up.
"My chest…?"
Yueri awkwardly bent her knees.
"…like this?"
She pouted.
"Well it's your fault you're so heavy!"
Yueri snorted.
Then she inhaled—
Mana moved.
A small gust of cold wind spiraled around us.
She tightened her fingers.
"Okay… here goes…"
She swung.
Not well.Not gracefully.Not smoothly.
But—
Shraaaaaa—
A faint line of air tore in front of her, slicing a fallen branch clean in half.
Yueri's eyes went huge.
"…D–Did I do that?!"
"…THAT WAS SO COOL!!"
She bounced in place excitedly—
Then immediately wheezed from exhaustion.
"…okay… maybe not bouncing…"
THE HUNTERS MOVE
Far away, the scene was nothing like this.
A massive cathedral towered under storm clouds.Its bells rang again.
Inside—
Armored knights knelt before a towering statue of the Goddess Seraphyne.
The High Priest's voice echoed:
"A cursed resonance has awakened."
A hunter stepped forward.
A woman with white hair, eyes hard as ice.
"Location?"
"The Blackroot Forest."
Her lips curved slightly.
"Send the Purifiers. If a child touched the sword…""…they must be cleansed."
The priest nodded.
"They will find the wielder and end the heresy."
A dozen knights in white armor marched out in unison, banners cracking in the wind.
Their order was simple.
Find the sword.Kill its wielder.Burn the remains.
And they were already on the way.
RETURN TO THE FOREST
Back in the forest, Yueri stumbled through thick undergrowth, breathing hard but determined.
"…Sword-san… why is everything… so far away…"
"…are… monsters real…?"
"…nearby…?"
"…right behind me…?"
<…yes.>
She froze.
"W–WHAT?!"
A low growl rumbled behind her.
A wolf—bones visible through its fur, eyes glowing sickly green—stepped out of the darkness.
A Feral Shade Wolf.
Not the type an 11-year-old should ever face.
Yueri trembled violently.
"S–Sword-san… I can't… I can't fight that…!"
"B–But I'm scared—!"
The wolf lunged.
Yueri screamed—and swung.
Mana surged.
A shockwave split the air.
The wolf's body sliced open cleanly—halved before it even hit the ground.
Its carcass fell in two wet thuds.
Silence.
Yueri stared, hands shaking uncontrollably.
"I… I did that…?"
Her breath hitched.
"I… I killed something…"
She swallowed.
Her hands loosened—then tightened again.
This world…wasn't one where she could be soft.
Her feet wobbled.
Her stomach growled loudly.
"…Sword-san… I'm hungry…"
She puffed her cheeks.
"You don't have to say it like that…"
THE SECRET OF HER BLOOD
As we continued deeper into the forest, her mana flickered again.
Something inside her awakened.
A warmth.
A glow.
A faint feather-shaped mark pulsed on her collarbone—one she didn't even notice.
A divine remnant.
A fragment of Seraphyne's essence.
The Goddess had cursed me.And now her shard lay sleeping inside this child.
A cruel joke.
Or fate's twisted design.
She tilted her head.
"…yes?"
She blinked innocently.
"Like… a parasite?"
<…in a way.>
"…can I… take it out?"
She bit her lip nervously.
"Is it… going to hurt me?"
She stared at me in horror.
"…Sword-san… I'm eleven…"
She groaned dramatically.
"I hate this world…"
A strange comfort grew between us.Two cursed beings walking together.
THE FIRST FIRE
We found a clearing sheltered from the wind.
Yueri gathered sticks with trembling hands.
"…do you know how to make fire?"
"…fantastic…"
But she tried anyway.
Rubbing sticks together.Blowing on embers.Failing repeatedly.
Finally—
A small spark flickered to life.
Yueri smiled brightly, almost triumphant.
"I did it…!"
She warmed her hands near the tiny flame.
Her hair glowed softly, silver strands catching the firelight.
Her small frame curled slightly, like a kitten trying to survive the cold.
She whispered quietly:
"…Sword-san?"
"Will you stay with me…?"
She looked into my blade's faint reflection.
"Even if… even if the people hunting me come?Even if I'm weak?Even if I'm cursed?"
The night went silent.
The wind hushed.
Her silver eyes trembled with fear.
She expected abandonment.
She expected rejection.
Just like everyone had given her before.
I answered without hesitation.
She gasped.
Her lip quivered.
"…thank you…"
She curled beside me, hugging her knees, whispering:
"…please don't leave…"
She giggled weakly.
"…good…"
Her eyelids drooped.
Exhaustion finally claimed her.
As she slept under the dim firelight, I sensed movement.
Many footsteps.
Armored.Coordinated.Approaching fast.
The Church's Purifiers were close.
This peaceful night would not last.