“W-What happened…?”

  My voice was hoarse as I bliaking in my surroundings. The sterile st of the room filled my nose, and the dim light from the sun casted from the window. As I tried to sit up, I felt warmth on both my sides—Lilli and Elnora were there, their hands gripping miheir foreheads resting against the mattress.

  Before I could say anything, Elnora stirred.

  “R..Ryn..?”

  Then, her eyes snapped opened.

  “RYN!” she screamed, throwing herself onto me.

  “RYN!” Lilli echoed, jumping onto the bed as well.

  I let out a breathless chuckle “H-Hey… girls.”

  They held onto my hands tightly, their eyes shined with relief.

  “You missed so much!” Lilli blurted; her voice bright—far different then how she was in the dungeon.

  “Yeah, yeah! We have so much to fill you in on!” Elnora added excitedly.

  As they spoke, I gnced down at my hand where my sigil once was.

  The old mark was gone.

  In its pce was a new sigil—the shape of a dragon, ed in regal glory. My heart pounded.

  A/N: ^^New Sigil^^

  Lilli tinued... “We’re going to be rewarded in front of the entire try for the first defeat of a Dungeon Master and saving the princess.” “B-b-but we were told by the King and Princess directly to keep the churches involvement of the tour quiet for now.”

  I ched my fist.

  “Oh! And we refused to take the reward or be reized until you woke up!” Lilli added.

  Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them. I reached forward and pulled the girls into my arms.

  Something I wouldn’t have done months prior.

  “I’m so grateful... you guys are okay.”

  Lilli hesitated, searg my face. “Are you sure you’re, okay? Still…?”

  I smirked. “Yeah! Perfect! I’m just….relieved.”

  I wiped the stray tears from my face.

  Both girls blushed slightly before ging the subject.

  “Yeah! You should’ve seen Elnora! She was all over you when you were unscious—”

  “HEY! NO, I WASN’T!” Elnora yelled, face red.

  Suddenly, a knock at the door.

  The door swung open, revealing Alex, he leaned against the frame with his usual smirk.

  “I heard someone finally woke up?” He chuckled. “I could hear the girls scream your name down the hall.”

  I let out a ugh. “Hey… How are you holding up?”

  “Me? You’re the one who nearly died.”

  I hesitated before asking “Di-did you save me Alex?”

  His smirk winded. “Perhaps, I did. You should probably y off the carb’s leader.”

  My breath caught. As I shook my head in disbelief.

  “Oh yeah—you definitely missed it these girls were here all the time g over you and everything” Alex taunted chug.

  “Ah! It was so cute I couldn’t help but te-“

  “SHUT UP!” Elnora and Lilli yelled before kig him into the nightstand.

  Lilli cleared her throat. “Anyways! A lot happened. Even Duke Ashford traveled all the way from his domain to e visit the endless dungeon you cleared.”

  Alex groaned as he sat up. “Yeah, buddy the whole kingdom has its eyes on all of us now. Pretty much the opposite of what you wanted, huh?”

  I exhaled, taking in Alex’s words. Normally, this would be bad news. But—now?

  I could use this.

  A slow smirk crept onto my lips. “Perhaps. But I have idea how y this out.”

  “And for that I need my friends—no my party.”

  The room went silent.

  Alex raised his eyebrow. “You sure your head is alright?”

  Lilli punched his shoulder.

  I let out a breath.

  “Yeah, almost dying… brought me to the present.”

  Alex chuckled mischievously. “Well, get this—rumors suggest yoing to be the in lio marry the princess.”

  “WHHHH-AT?! NO! NEVER!”

  I turo Elnora and Lilli, whritting their teeth. They very thought of it infuriated them.

  “What time of the year is it?” I asked desperately trying to ge the subject.

  “It’s summer! School just ended.” Lilli grinned.

  “Don’t worry. The Headmaster ehat you past this year without the exit exam,” Elnora added.

  Alex smirked. “To be fair, you’re basically being called the prodigy child of the Ashford’s now.”

  “Some people think you’ll be the hero.” Lilli added.

  Elnora beamed. “Yeah, Ryn! You’re sidered a potential hero-ranked adventurer!”

  She said gleefully.

  A lot had happened since I was out. The world moved on shifting, ging—but for me, it felt like I had only just opened my eyes.

  I cleared my throat, f out words that felt fn on my tongue. “Y….your schooling…. how has it been, Elnora?”

  She bli me, surprised by the suddeion. “Oh! Yes! I’ve beeling in well.”

  I hesitated, studying her face of any sign of distress. “Has… ahered you?”

  A pause. Not hesitation—sideration.

  “Well… ly,” she said, exging a g Lilli. “I’m not saying he’s entirely b me. Well, us…. But your brother Aric—he keeps looking at us. And tely, it seems like each time, he gets braver.

  A twisted sensatio inside of me, something sharp. My fiwitched before I put my hand on Elnora’s shoulder.

  “If he does anything—ever—let me know,” I said, my voice lower than intended.

  The very thought oing after them… I would make him grovel.

  A heavy sileretched between us before I forced a breath, shaking off the dark thoughts clouding my mind. “I’m gd yetting used to living in the kingdom.”

  “Yeah! She is!” Lilli cut iail wagging behind her. “She picked up etiquette really fast! “Holy, I was a little jealous.” She rubbed the back of her head, huffing.

  “But hey, she did well on the exams as well. I ’t believe we are headed into our third year. Lilli lightly sighed.

  Yeah? And you spend most of this one in and out of this infirmary. Alex teased.

  “AHH AGAIN!?” Lilli yelled out ughing.

  Laughter filled the air.

  I watched them.

  The way they ied, the way their voices iwined naturally.

  Had they always been like this? Or had I simply failed to notice?

  So ed by my past, so fixated in what was. I ruly lived in my new present.

  ruly saw them.

  A quiet smile pulled at my lips, and I joined in their ughter, it only seemed to fuel theirs.

  “I think it’s about time I leave this pce.” I smiled as I began to rise from my bed.

  But the room went silent.

  “You should probably, check your eyes, though Ryn.”

  Alex’s voice was serious—too serious. He handed me a small mirror, his expression unreadable like it was in the park.

  I hesitated.

  The girls watched me, their gazes heavy with unspoken . My fingers curled around the mirror frame my pulse rising.

  My breath hitched.

  The refle staring back at me wasn’t my own—or at least, not what I remembered. My eyes, once deep crimson red, had ged.

  They were purple.

  A color unfamiliar but natural.

  A.

  “When?... When did this happen?” My voice was barely above a whisper as I reached up, fingers lightly toug the skih my eyes,

  Alex crossed his arms. “You were deemed worthy.”

  “Worthy, for what?”

  I fred my mana on instinct—expeg the same red and bergy that surged through me since I was born.

  But what erupted from within… was different.

  My mana urple and bck.

  Alex exhaled. “When I found you in the dungeon, you were dying. A… it was if your entire magical capacity was rewritten, reanimated to matother.” His gaze sharpened.

  “To be blunt, the power you possess now, has chosen you.” “Your body has potential.”

  “And the sigil?”

  Alex nodded. “That sigil on your hand… its most likely a true sigil, uhe one you borrowed.”

  “H-how did you know about that sigil?”

  “Because I have one as well.”

  With a calm, deliberate motion, Alex rolled up his sleeve, revealing a sigil—etched onto his shoulder.

  A Sakura sigil.

  “If you don’t recall, I sense all mana trace,” he tinued “and that includes sigils.”

  I stared at his sigil, then at my own, my mind rag.

  Something new has decided to y dormant in me… but what?

  “I-I think it’s time for me to leave. D-do you guys’ mind?”

  Lilli and Elnora exged gnces before nodding. “Yeah!” they said in unison, stepping out.

  Alex followed behind them, pausing only to g me before shutting the door.

  The siletled in.

  I let out a slow breath moving toward the closet.

  But just as my fingers grazed the handle—

  Beep.

  I froze.

  A translut interface flickered ience before me, h in the air like a pop-up window from my old world.

  The text wasn’t in any nguage. A… I could read it perfectly.

  Login Accepted...

  Administrator prompt accepted...

  Temples Cleared: 1/10

  Magisters have taken notice...

  Proceed?

  Yes? / No?

  My breath caught in my throat.

  This… wasn’t normal.

  I stared at the s….

  What exactly had I bee?