Maybe Asha really did just hit the jackpot… great. Now I almost wish they'd checked me first, Adem thought to himself.
Marek glanced toward Adam. "And him?"
Lira frowned slightly. "We were probably just overwhelmed. The omen must've been for Asha, not him. They used the mirror on Adam—if anything was unusual, they would've seen it."
Marek nodded. "Exactly. No reaction at all. That's proof enough."
Knock.
Knock.
Both parents suddenly froze.
A voice called from outside, "Old Marek? You home?"
They exchanged a surprised glance.
Marek hurried to the door and cracked it open. "Old Joren? It's late—what brings you here?"
The village elder stepped inside, brushing dust from his sleeves. "I saw the Temple elders leaving your house. Thought I should check in."
Lira mustered a tired smile. "We're fine. Just… a lot happened."
Joren's eyes softened. "So it's true, then? They tested the children."
Marek nodded. "Asha reacted to the mirror."
Joren let out a long, low breath. "That girl… I always knew she had a spark." He lowered his voice. "And? What did the Temple decide?"
"They want to take her for nomination," Marek said. "Two days from now."
Joren looked between them, easily seeing the strain on their faces. "That's fast. But… it's the sort of chance many pray for."
Lira rubbed her temples. "I know. But it still feels sudden. She's so young."
"She'll be safe with them," Joren said gently. "The Pearlroot branch isn't harsh like the others. They take care of their own."
From his small corner, Adam watched in confusion. Everyone was calmer around this elder than they'd been around the three from the Temple. It was almost ridiculous.
Marek sighed. "We'll think on it tonight."
Joren nodded. "Good. And Lira—Marek—if you need anything, come to me. The village will stand with you."
"Thank you," Lira said softly.
Joren left as quietly as he came.
Once the door closed, Marek slumped into his chair with a long exhale. "Tomorrow, we'll talk to Asha once she's rested."
Lira sat beside him. "She'll be scared."
"Of course. But we'll guide her," Marek replied. "That's what we're here for."
Adam blinked up from his basket, trying to piece things together.
Lira noticed and walked over. "Don't worry. Everything's alright now."
He didn't understand it all, but he knew one thing: the house finally felt calm again.
Marek stood, stretching his stiff shoulders. "Let's sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
Lira nodded and blew out the lantern, and for the first time since the elders arrived—
Silence settled fully over the house as Adam lay in his basket, staring at the ceiling, wondering what cosmic miscalculation had dropped him here.
Eventually, sleep crept up on him, dragging him under faster than he meant to, and soon everything faded to black.
When he opened his eyes, he realized his surroundings had completely changed.
He was standing on two legs, in his original body, breathing normally for the first time since this entire reincarnation fiasco began.
The ground beneath him wasn't wood or cloth but cracked, barren earth. He turned slowly, taking in the surroundings: an endless wasteland of grey sand, jagged stretches of dried land, nothing living in sight. The sky above was a washed-out sheet of unmoving clouds.
"What the hell…?" he muttered.
Before he could make sense of anything, a deep rumble rolled across the sky. The ground vibrated beneath his feet like thunder crawling across the earth.
Instinctively, Adam looked upward—
and almost couldn't believe his eyes.
Two enormous figures were fighting in the sky.
Not merely tall—colossal. Their bodies stretched across the heavens in a way that made Adam feel like an ant watching ancient gods. Every motion tore the clouds apart, leaving streaks of impossible light behind them.
The figure on the left was blurry—constantly shifting, refusing to settle into a solid form.
The one on the right, however, was clear as day. He looked like a young man sculpted out of pure radiance—tall, impossibly handsome, with long golden hair flowing behind him like silk caught in a divine breeze. But what froze Adam's attention wasn't the man's beauty.
It was the eye on his forehead.
A third eye—closed, yet faintly luminous. It didn't resemble a normal eye at all. It looked carved, like a flawless jewel embedded into the skin, radiating quiet, overwhelming power.
Strangely, it didn't make him look monstrous. It made him look… transcendent. Something beyond human.
Adam stared up in disbelief.
"This looks like a superhero movie," he thought. "Or something way beyond that."
The two giants clashed again. Their blows sent ripples across the sky, arcs of blinding light ripping through the clouds. Adam instinctively shielded his face as the shockwave hit, making the barren ground tremble beneath him.
Suddenly, the blurry figure lifted its arm.
The motion was casual—almost lazy. But the result was devastating. A massive column of light descended from the heavens, bright enough that Adam had to squint. The blurry figure reached into the glowing pillar as though dipping a hand into water… and drew out a long, gleaming sword.
Before he could blink, the blurry giant swung his hand and the sword strike carved through the sky, splitting clouds and atmosphere alike.
The golden-haired figure tried to resist as the third eye on his forehead snapped open for a single instant, unleashing a bizarre surge of energy—
—but it wasn't enough.
The sword cut through him in one arc, leaving him helpless to resist.
Adam staggered, nearly falling as cracks split open beneath his feet. Dust exploded upward as the golden-haired figure shattered into glowing ash, drifting away like dying stars.
When the tremors finally faded, Adam realized something glowed on the ground nearby.
He didn't even walk toward it on purpose—he was just trying to avoid stumbling.
He looked down.
It was an eye—the third eye from the golden man's forehead. It had not turned to ash.
Adam stared at the eye in disbelief.
"…You have got to be kidding me."