Somewhere — early in the morning, summer.
The gardener stood in his flower fields, watering the plants.
Yet, there was no warmth in the air.
Gardener:
"There's no sunlight today… How are there so many clouds this early?"
The sky had turned unnaturally dim, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
It felt as though a storm and rain could descend at any moment.
Then he heard it.
Soft footsteps.
They came slowly, faint yet deliberate, approaching from a short distance away.
The gardener turned.
A woman stood there.
She was barefoot.
A white regal gown hung loosely over her body, stained by dust at the hem. A child was bound to her chest with black cloth, supported by a single hand.
Her steps were slow. Empty.
The gardener rushed toward her, but the moment his eyes met her face, his words caught in his throat.
There was no fear.
No grief.
No life.
Only emptiness.
Gardener:
"My lady… who are you? What happened to you?"
He stepped forward, intending to help.
But she did not react.
She did not hear him.
Her gaze passed through him, fixed on something far beyond his sight.
The woman continued walking.
Forward.
As if the world behind her no longer existed.
The gardener let the woman pass.
In his heart, unease slowly crept in.
He had never, not once in his entire life, seen a blossom-shaped mark on anyone's forehead before today.
Gardener (thinking):
"She is far too beautiful. She must belong to a noble household.
If that is the case, then she is surely heading toward the King's palace.
Whatever help she needs, she will find it there."
From a distance, the gardener watched her lifeless body move forward, as if being forced toward the royal palace by something unseen.
The wind began to rise.
The darkness deepened.
Clouds gathered densely overhead.
The weather was no longer changing naturally.
It was turning cruel.
The woman reached the vicinity of the palace.
She was still expressionless.
The gatekeepers noticed her approaching.
Gatekeeper 1:
"Something feels off about this woman…"
Gatekeeper 2:
"She's carrying a child."
As the gatekeepers spoke among themselves, the woman arrived at the main gate of the palace.
Gatekeeper 1:
"Please forgive us, but entry is forbidden. We cannot allow you to go inside."
The woman stood silently, her gaze lowered.
She held the child close, sensing his presence against her chest.
Her face remained empty.
Gatekeeper 2:
"Because of the war, no one is allowed to enter.
Please, you must go back."
The situation began to grow tense.
The gatekeepers questioned her again and again, telling her to leave.
But she did not move.
She stood there quietly.
For a moment, it seemed as if even the gatekeepers were beginning to lose their patience.
Gatekeeper 1:
"Look, the weather is getting worse.
If you refuse to leave, we will be forced to remove you."
Anger rising, he reached out and tried to grab her hand.
But before he could touch her—
The blossom mark on the woman's forehead began to shine.
A single petal emerged from the mark.
And then—
A massive explosion erupted.
BAANGGGG....