The moonlight always shines through the giant, tangled leaves in the sky.
Old roots spread like the earth's veins.
And in the middle of that forest—
Stands a tree.
Bigger than a fortress.
Older than a kingdom.
Its trunk is hollow on the inside.
And deep inside that hollow—
A red light pulses.
Slowly.
Like a dreaming heart.
It has been beating for five hundred years.
Never fading.
Never growing.
Only waiting.
A small crack is heard.
Very soft.
Almost like a dry leaf being stepped on.
The red light inside the tree shakes.
Once.
Then again.
Cracks spread across the red crystal buried in the heart of the old wood.
The roots around it vibrate.
Leaves fall without any wind.
And that crystal—
Breaks.
Not with an explosion.
Not with a loud noise.
It cracks... then shatters into pieces of light.
A little girl falls gently to the mossy ground.
Her white dress touches the wet grass.
Her long red hair spreads out like a dying thread of fire.
She does not move right away.
Her small chest rises and falls.
Once.
Twice.
As if her body is remembering how to breathe.
Her fingers move.
Touching the ground.
Damp.
Cold.
Real.
Her eyes open.
Blue sky.
No smoke.
No screams.
No dragons.
Quiet.
She blinks.
"...Lonely."
A light breeze sweeps through the forest.
On her back—
The geometric circle that used to glow coldly has now changed.
Those hard lines now form soft curves.
A peach symbol, finely carved under her skin, pulses slowly.
Warm.
Like a second heart.
She lifts her hand slowly.
Looking at her fingers.
No blood.
No ashes.
No orders.
Just herself.
Her lips move quietly.
"...Momo."
And the peach seal on her back glows faintly.
Once.
As if confirming.
Subject active.
Core stable.
In the distance, the birds that were hiding start to sing again.
The forest breathes once more.
Momo tries to stand.
Her legs are shaky.
She falls back to her knees.
Not because she is weak.
But because her body is not used to a world without war.
She turns her head slowly.
The giant tree behind her is cracked on the inside.
As if it has let go of something it kept for too long.
Momo looks at the sky one more time.
No red color.
No system orders.
Only blue.
"...Is the war over?"
No one answers.
In a place very far away from that forest—
Someone opens their eyes.
An ancient resonance graph vibrates slightly.
And a small smile appears in the dark.
"Ah..."
"So you are still here."
Momo is Lost and Almost Destroys Something Small
Momo stands up slowly.
Her legs are still shaky.
She looks around.
Forest.
Many trees.
Too many trees.
"...This is not a battlefield."
She takes a step.
The first step is too heavy.
The ground cracks a little.
She stops.
Looks down.
"...Oops."
She tries again. Slower.
This time, the ground is safe.
A few minutes later—
She realizes one thing.
She doesn't know which way to go.
No fortress.
No command.
No enemies.
No system voice.
Just... birds.
She turns sharply when she hears a snapping branch.
Her eyes glow slightly.
War instinct active.
"Enemy?"
The bushes move.
Something small jumps out.
A creature with brown fur.
Round eyes.
Big ears.
A wild rabbit.
Momo freezes.
The rabbit also freezes.
They stare at each other.
The wind blows by.
The rabbit chews on a leaf.
Momo slowly lowers her hand.
"...No."
Her stomach growls loudly.
Krrrrrrrk.
She looks down.
"What is that?"
She presses her stomach.
It growls again.
Louder.
She looks at the rabbit.
The rabbit looks back.
Two seconds of silence.
"...Meat?"
The rabbit runs for its life.
Momo reflexively jumps—
The ground behind her cracks slightly from the force.
She stops suddenly.
Looking at the cracked footprint.
She looks at her hand.
A little red light appears at her fingertips.
The peach seal on her back pulses warmly.
"...Too strong."
She takes a slow breath.
Calming herself down.
The birds start singing again.
She looks up.
Blue sky.
Quiet.
And for the first time in 500 years—
There is nothing she has to destroy.
She stands there for a long time.
Then whispers softly.
"...Where do I go?"
Far away, thin smoke can be seen between the trees.
A sign of life.
A sign of humans.
And without realizing it—
Momo steps toward a world that has forgotten her.
First Meeting with Rey
The forest is still quiet.
Momo walks without a destination.
Her steps are much more careful now.
She is learning.
Reducing the pressure of her feet.
Controlling her breath.
Suppressing her war instincts.
Suddenly—
The ground shakes a little.
Not because of her.
Because of something else.
From a distance, the sound of a crash is heard.
Breaking rocks.
Falling trees.
Momo stops.
Her eyes glow slightly.
"Enemy?"
She moves toward the sound.
Fast.
No longer shaky.
Jumping lightly from branch to branch.
And in a clearing in the forest—
She sees it.
A large monster.
Shaped like a giant black wolf with dark fur.
Its eyes are wild and red.
And in front of it stands a tall man with messy white hair.
Black horns stick out from his head.
His hands have dark scales like steel.
He looks... bored.
The monster charges.
The man sighs.
"Tired."
He raises his hand.
A black wave explodes from his scales.
Obsidian Pulse.
The monster is thrown back, snapping a tree in half.
Momo narrows her eyes.
"Dragon."
The man turns slowly.
His eyes look sleepy.
He sees a little girl in a white dress standing on a tree root.
A moment of silence.
"...Are you lost?"
Momo is instantly offended.
"I am not lost."
She jumps down.
The ground cracks slightly when she lands.
The man glances at the small crack.
Then glances at the faint symbol on her back.
His lazy eyes... change a little.
"...Oh."
The monster gets back up, growling.
Momo snorts.
"Annoying."
She raises her hand.
A little red light appears at her fingertips.
The peach seal pulses warmly.
The horned man instantly moves fast.
His hand grabs Momo's wrist.
"Don't."
His voice is flat. But firm.
Momo turns sharply.
"Why?"
The man points at the dizzy monster.
"It's just hungry."
Silence.
The monster runs away into the forest in a panic.
Quiet returns.
Momo stares at the man.
"...You got in my way."
The man lets go of her hand.
"You almost erased half the forest."
He looks at her again.
More seriously.
"Who are you?"
Momo is silent for a few seconds.
The wind blows by.
"...Momo."
The man blinks slowly.
"...Rey."
And for the first time in 500 years—
Momo stands in front of a living creature who isn't afraid of her.
Not shaking.
Not kneeling.
Just... talking.
Rey looks at her for a few more seconds.
Then casually says:
"You're short."
The forest falls silent again.
And a thin red aura begins to appear around Momo.
___