"All right, calm down, me!"
Kyouno's voice rang out, along with the sharp slapping sounds of her own hands striking her soft cheeks.
She kept patting both sides of her face, as though trying to shake herself awake.
Then, once her cheeks were tinged with a light blush, the girl closed her eyes once more.
She drew in a deep breath, and then—
"Fuuuuuuuh..."- A deep, powerful exhale escaped her lips.
Not just to empty the air from her lungs, but to expel the lingering turmoil clouding her mind.
"This isn't the time to be wallowing in sorrow, me!"- Kyouno murmured to herself.
Yes, that's right! She couldn't afford to waste any more time brooding!
If she kept on like this, wouldn't it make the one who saved her life seem in vain?
At that thought, Kyouno silently offered her gratitude to the mysterious mage who had treated and cared for her.
If it was a few days ago, she likely wouldn't have cared whether she lived or died. She might have even resented being saved.
After all, what was left in this shitty world for her to cling to?
But now it was different, now... she desired to live!
Because, if she died, who would be there to kill the bastard who took her family's life, as well as taken down the emperor behind him?
Still, that wasn't Kyouno's only goal, nor was it her top priority right now.
At the moment, what truly gave her the reason to live was—
Yumiyo.
That little girl was real, which meant—
The promise Kyouno had made to her, and to herself
The vow to ascend to the Heavenly Realm, to see her loved ones once again.
It was real!
Even if the story of the Heavenly Realm, no matter who told it, sounded like nothing more than fantasy.
But if, even a world called the "modern world," filled with cars, TVs, phones, lightning-speed trains,.....
If something that absurd could truly exist, then why couldn't the Realm exist too!
Then, setting foot upon that damn Realm, would be her top priority from now on.
Because right now, no matter how much hatred she held in her heart, Kyouno had to accept a cruel truth: before that knight, she was nothing.
And worse yet, from what he said, there were twelve of them!
And even more dangerous, was the emperor behind it all.
If she were to recklessly charge in for revenge now, it would be no different than throwing herself into the jaws of death.
A bitter reality, but one she had to accept.
That's why, her number one priority at the moment, was to reach Heavenly Realm!
Because, in order to arrive there, she would first have to ascend her magics to Divine-Tier, right?
And once she became a Divine-tier mage, those cursed knights, even that damned Emperor, would be nothing to her.
Even if reaching Divine Tier—as her mom once said, was something no mage had ever achieved before— sounded pretty absurd.
To her, to this Kyouno Heather—
What could possibly stop her?!
"Yosh!"
At last, Kyouno had pulled herself together.
Now, in her eyes, there was no longer the sorrowful, broken look she wore just moments ago.In its place, now is a spark, small, but blazing—The flame of resolve.
She stretched her hands upward, fingers reaching as though to grasp the heavens themselves, her sparkling eyes looked up, locked onto the starlit sky above.
"Definitely...."
Her voice rang out, firm and unwavering.
"Definitely, I, Kyouno Heather—
will become a Divine-tier mage, the god-defying rank no one has ever reached! And when that day comes, I will set foot in that damn Realm!"
And when that time comes...
She would see them again—the loved ones she still yearned for.
"Wait for me, Heavenly Realm, I'm coming for you!"
A voice full of conviction, like a defiant oath hurled at the sky.
That outrageous vow, was now once again reaffirmed by this girl who dared defy fate.
Burning with determination, she was ready to walk that arduous path.
But...hold on a little bit—
Just as her spirit surged to its peak, Kyouno suddenly froze.
"Wait a sec…how the heck do I even reach Divine-Tier?"
.....