"███████, to you, who chases such an undesirable dream, I bestow this upon you. Should you ever return to your prior self, you will return to me."
"How juvenile my dreams were..." whispered the dreamer, her voice distant. "...and yet, here I am," she added softly, clutching the glowing green grimoire to her chest.
"With this, you will forget everything you have known."

"....." With that, she entered an ethereal state, vanishing into nothing.













"State your name."
"....." Glancing down at the open grimoire, she said the word she noticed at the bottom of the page: "Risuku." Nothing more, nothing less.

Risuku stood alone, the soft glow of the grimoire lighting up the dim room. Its edges shimmered with the weight of untold knowledge, the power within it calling to her, resonating deep in her bones. She reached out with trembling fingers, her breath shallow. Her thoughts were fractured.

It leads one to wonder... What led to this girl living in such a dilapidated home? It seems it’s been up for hundreds of years.
Before, Risuku was nothing. Nothing to live for, no direction, no hope, no purpose. She had lost herself in the weight of it all and made the fateful decision to end it. But death did not claim her. When Risuku awoke, she found herself unscathed, her body whole, but she was no longer in the world she had known.

Instead, she faced a woman, whoms appearance she couldn't put into words, but this someone she would later call her mother. It was this woman who would guide her into a new existence, and from that moment, Risuku would never again be the person she once was.

She followed her mother for years, always keeping her distance, always feeling something alien in the air. Her appearance, her very essence, no longer human, was a constant reminder of what she had lost. She didn’t adjust easily to her new form. She had no idea how to.

However, she was often comforted by her new mother, who spoke of dreams and telling stories of the past. Her words, woven with a mix of hope and sorrow, began to lull Risuku into a fragile acceptance. But it wasn’t the dreams of peace or harmony that held her attention, rather it was the tales of war.

“There was a time when we were many,” her mother had said one night, her voice distant, as though she were recounting a memory that no longer felt real. “We thrived in a world where humanity and our kind existed side by side. But it didn’t last. Fear is a powerful weapon, and when wielded, it turns even the kindest hearts into monsters.”

Her mother spoke of a great battle, one that spanned for years. Humanity, driven by fear of the unknown, turned against their kind. What began as isolated hunts soon escalated into an all-out purge once they learned more about this species.

She described the atrocities, the betrayals, the endless loss. Families torn apart, homes burned to the ground, entire bloodlines wiped from existence. Her kind became stories told to scare children, then myths, then legends. By the time it all ended, they were all but extinct.

“Why tell me this?” Risuku asked one day, unable to mask the bitterness in her tone. “Why make me carry this weight? It’s not as if it changes anything. They’re gone. We’re gone. And you say that we shouldn't enact any sort of revenge on them, why?”She asked full of curiousity

She paused for a moment, her gaze distant as if lost in thought. "Originally, I felt like you. Enraptured by the idea of enacting revenge when I was one of the few of my kind left. How else could I feel? A deep simmering hatred was all I knew. The world had taken everything from me. What was left but to burn it all down...?"

She stops, her eyes darkening as memories seem to swirl in her mind, but then she shakes her head, her voice softening. "But it changed when I met someone... Someone who shattered everything I believed. Someone who saw me... and didn’t turn away."

She looks at Risuku, her tone steady, almost like she’s imparting something crucial. "Because you need to understand, Risuku. This world you’re in now, the one I've brought you into, it wasn’t always this way. The scars you see, the ruins… it wasn’t meant to end like this. And while I may dream of what once was, you must decide what it will become. For I cannot carry it."

She looks into the distance, the weight of her words sinking in. "Our history is a tragedy, but you... You are not bound by it."

Risuku very softly spoke, nearly to herself "So, what changed? What made you see things differently? it’s hard to let go. But I began to see that the anger I carried wasn’t giving me strength—it was draining me. I wanted to destroy the world, but all I was doing was destroying myself. And when I met him... He needed me to be something more. He saw what I could be, not just what I had been." Risuku (intrigued but guarded): "Who was he? This person who changed everything?" Her (her expression softens, almost protective): "He was... someone who didn’t belong in my world. But that’s the thing, Risuku. People like us—people who’ve lived through tragedy—we have a choice. We can let the past consume us, or we can let it teach us how to build something different. And he taught me that. Not with words, but with how he lived... how he fought." Risuku (challenging, a hint of doubt in her voice): "And you think I can do the same? Build something new from all the destruction around us?" Her (stepping closer, voice firm, yet filled with empathy): "I know you can. I see it in you. You have more power than you realize, Risuku. But power alone won't guide you. You need to decide what to do with it. The choices you make now will define your future, just as mine did." Her (stepping closer, voice firm, yet filled with empathy): "I know you can. I see it in you. You have more power than you realize, Risuku. But power alone won't guide you. You need to decide what to do with it. The choices you make now will define your future, just as mine did." Risuku (a pause, wrestling with her emotions, then softly): "But what if I don’t know what I want? What if I’m not strong enough?" Her (placing a hand on her shoulder, her touch surprisingly gentle): "Strength isn’t about never doubting yourself. It’s about learning to stand tall even when the world is pulling you down. You don’t need all the answers right now. All you need is the courage to choose a different path when the time comes." Risuku (quietly, a spark of resolve in her voice):"And what if that path leads to more pain... more loss?" Her (her eyes softening, her voice a whisper of understanding): "Then you face it, just as I did. But you don’t face it alone, Risuku. Not if you choose to build something better. That’s what makes the difference. And that’s why I’m telling you this—because you don’t have to carry the weight of the past alone. Her (gently holding out the ring, her eyes steady yet filled with unspoken weight): "Which is why I bestow this ring upon you, it will allow you to pursue the dream that I could not." (She pauses, her fingers brushing over the intricate design of the ring, a flicker of sadness crossing her face.) "This ring, Risuku, isn’t just an artifact. It is a piece of my soul, my very essence, woven into its core. With it, you will be able to blend in among humanity. You will walk among them as one of them... without the weight of your cosmic form overwhelming you." Risuku (frowning, her fingers instinctively reaching for the ring, though she hesitates): "But... why? Why not just let me be who I am?" Her (a deep breath, as if releasing a burden): "Because you’re more than that. You have a choice. When I created you, I saw the potential for something greater than the destruction we’ve always known. You have the power to shape your own path, as someone who can choose what the world will become. This ring will give you that chance." (She pauses again, as if she’s speaking to herself, her voice soft, a faint sorrow hiding in her tone.) "I could have destroyed everything. I could have reshaped the world into something more fitting for my dreams, my ideals... but the cost was too great. I never wanted to sacrifice humanity for that. And so, I made this choice... for you." Risuku (with a quiet understanding, her gaze dropping to the ring): "So, you want me to do what you couldn't... to become something different." Her (gently, her voice almost a whisper): "Not just become something different, Risuku. Become someone who shapes the world, rather than destroys it. You don’t have to carry the burden of my past... but this ring—it will make you see the world the way I could never. The way I dreamed it could be." (She looks at her daughter with a mixture of hope and regret, as if she knows the path forward won’t be easy, but she believes in Risuku’s strength.) Risuku (quietly, accepting the ring but unsure of what it truly means for her future): "I don’t know if I can live up to this... your dream... my dream..." Her (with a soft but resolute smile): "Just remember, my daughter, it’s not about living up to anyone’s dream but your own. And if that dream takes you down a different path, then so be it. You must choose your own future. This ring is just the beginning." Yet the dream her mother clung to, a world where her kind could once again live in peace was futile. It had been shattered eons ago. Even so, she was determined. She would rebuild, she would dream again, even if it meant she could never see her dream realized.

The fate of her mother remained unclear, lost in the haze of time. Risuku never saw her again, though she often wondered. Had she survived the encounter? Had she been killed, forgotten, cast aside like the rest of her kind? The ambiguity of it all left Risuku with more questions than answers, but one thing was certain: the path ahead was hers to walk alone.