A few days passed in uneasy quiet.
The church bells rang every morning as they always had, their sound spreading across the capital like a gentle reminder of faith and order. To most people, life continued as normal. Merchants opened their stalls, children ran through the streets, and nobles debated politics behind closed doors.
But Lulu felt it.
Something was wrong.
She was in the church library when the heavy wooden doors opened with a slow creak. Footsteps echoed across the marble floor—calm, deliberate, familiar. Lulu looked up from her book and immediately recognized the figure approaching her.
Pudding.
The woman's expression was composed as always, her posture straight, her presence commanding. Yet there was a subtle tension in her eyes that made Lulu's heart tighten.
"Pudding?" Lulu closed the book. "Did something happen?"
Pudding stopped in front of her. "The Priestess wishes to see you," she said. "At the palace. Immediately."
Lulu froze.
"…The Priestess?" she repeated. "Did she say why?"
Pudding shook her head. "Only that it is urgent."
That was all it took.
Lulu rose at once, her unease growing with every step as she followed Pudding out of the church and toward the palace. The sky above was clear, but the air felt heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath.
The palace halls were silent when Lulu arrived—far too silent.
Servants stood still against the walls, their heads lowered. Guards lined the corridors in full armor, hands gripping their weapons. Lulu had never seen the palace like this before.
Pudding led her through several corridors before stopping in front of a massive set of doors engraved with ancient runes.
"The ritual chamber," Pudding said quietly.
Lulu's eyes widened. "The summoning chamber?"
Before she could ask anything else, the doors opened.
Golden light poured out.
Lulu stepped inside—and stopped dead.
At the center of the chamber stood The Priestess.
She hovered slightly above the ground, her long robes flowing as if caught in an unseen wind. Ancient magic circles glowed beneath her feet, layered upon one another in complex patterns that pulsed with divine power. Runes shimmered in the air, rotating slowly, bending reality itself.
And at the very center of the ritual—
A summoning was already underway.
Lulu's breath caught. "She's… summoning the hero?"
Confusion rushed through her mind.
But it's too early.
The Demon King had not appeared yet. The prophecy clearly stated that the hero would be summoned only when the Demon King's presence was confirmed. The timing was wrong—completely wrong.
The light intensified.
With a final surge of magic, the summoning circle erupted in brilliance—and then, suddenly, went still.
A figure lay unconscious at the center.
A young woman.
She had black hair, tied loosely, and wore unfamiliar clothing—fabric and designs unlike anything from Althra. Her skin bore no marks of battle, no scars, no signs of magic. She looked… human. Completely ordinary.
Lulu turned toward The Priestess, her voice trembling. "Why…? Why summon the hero now?"
The Priestess descended slowly, the light fading around her.
"The Demon King has revived," she said.
Lulu felt the world tilt beneath her feet.
"…What?"
"Not fully," The Priestess continued. "But enough. His consciousness has returned, and with it, his will. He is already gathering his forces."
"That's impossible," Lulu whispered. "The seal—"
"Is weakening," The Priestess said calmly. "And time is no longer on our side."
The summoned girl stirred, groaning softly.
The Priestess turned toward her. "Wake up, hero."
The girl's eyes fluttered open.
She gasped, sitting upright instantly, her eyes wide as she took in the glowing chamber, the towering pillars, and the figures surrounding her.
"Where… where am I?" she asked in accented but clear language.
The Priestess knelt before her.
"You are in the Kingdom of Althra," she said. "And you have been summoned as its hero."
The girl stared at her in disbelief.
"…Hero?"
"Yes," The Priestess said. "Your name?"
"Myung-Hee," she replied hesitantly. "I'm from Korea."
The word meant nothing to most in the room—but Lulu felt the weight of another world behind it.
The Priestess nodded. "You have little time. The Demon King is moving, and he will strike within days. You must learn to wield the power given to you—and to fight."
Myung-Hee swallowed hard.
"…If I don't?"
The Priestess's expression softened. "Then this world will fall."
The next morning, Lulu waited at the training grounds.
She had barely slept. The revelation of the Demon King's early revival haunted her thoughts, and the image of the summoning ritual refused to leave her mind.
Footsteps approached.
She turned to see Myung-Hee walking toward her, dressed in simple training clothes provided by the palace. Her posture was stiff, her expression serious—but there was determination in her eyes.
"My name is Myung-Hee," she said, bowing slightly. "I'll be in your care, Lady Lulu."
Lulu smiled faintly. "Just Lulu is fine."
Training began immediately.
At first, Myung-Hee struggled. The power inside her responded unpredictably, surging at random, nearly knocking her off her feet more than once. But she listened—carefully. She observed. She adapted.
By the end of the first day, she could summon her strength without losing control.
By the second, she could channel it through her body.
By the third—
She stood firm, sword raised, shield steady, her movements sharp and precise.
"She's a fast learner," Lulu muttered under her breath, watching Myung-Hee block and counter flawlessly.
Too fast.
After three days, Lulu took her to the blacksmith.
The old man examined Myung-Hee carefully before nodding. "She needs a weapon worthy of her."
Hours later, Myung-Hee emerged with a sword balanced perfectly to her strength and a shield etched with protective runes.
She held them like they belonged to her.
That was when the alarm bells rang.
A messenger burst into the courtyard, bloodied and breathless.
"The Demon King!" he shouted. "He's attacking the border—now!"
Silence fell.
The Priestess appeared moments later. "Lulu," she said, her voice firm. "Take the hero to the border. Now."
Lulu turned to Myung-Hee. "Stay close to me."
Myung-Hee nodded. "I will."
The border was already burning when they arrived.
Smoke choked the air. The ground was soaked with blood. Soldiers lay wounded—or worse—scattered across the battlefield.
Myung-Hee froze.
"…So many…"
"No time," Lulu said sharply. "Move!"
They joined what remained of the army, pushing back the demon forces inch by inch.
The war lasted four days.
Four days of screams, steel, and fire.
On the fourth night, the Demon King appeared.
His presence crushed the air itself.
As Myung-Hee stepped forward, a dark blur moved behind her—
"Behind you!" Lulu shouted.
The Demon King's strike came down—but Lulu intercepted it, her body thrown back by the sheer force.
"Lulu!" Myung-Hee cried.
"Focus!" Lulu yelled. "Finish this!"
The battle between hero and Demon King lasted nine hours.
When dawn broke, Myung-Hee stood victorious.
But before she could strike the final blow, the Demon King laughed—and vanished, escaping with what remained of his army.
The war was over.
For now.
That night, Lulu sat alone in her room.
Her body ached, her mind exhausted.
As she prepared to sleep, her eyes fell upon a book resting on her desk.
She didn't remember placing it there.
Curious, she opened it.
It belonged to a previous hero.
The pages spoke of the last king… of ancient wars… and of The Priestess.
But when it came to her greatest achievement—
The pages were strangely vague.
Only one line stood out:
After her achievement, The Priestess ascended the throne and became the Eternal Queen of Althra.
Lulu closed the book slowly.
Her heart pounded.
"What… did you do?" she whispered.
And for the first time, Lulu realized—
The truth about The Priestess might be far more terrifying than the Demon King himself.