Emotions are both her strength and her curse. Reborn into a world filled with hunters, killers, and secrets, where everything she knows could change, a young woman with the power to summon beings from pure emotion must navigate her new life, confro...
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The hum of the airship surrounded me as we soared over the endless stretches of forest. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm orange glow across the horizon, but I couldn't take in the view. My mind was too preoccupied, my thoughts swirling with worry for the Kurta clan and the people we'd left behind.
I had made sure everyone who evacuated was settled in the manor—assigned rooms, reassured the children, and made sure everyone knew to stay indoors for safety until we returned. But even as the airship rose into the sky, I felt the gnawing unease of unfinished business.
It had been hours. Seven long, agonizing hours since we'd departed.
I stared out the window, tapping my foot against the floor as my mind raced. Were Carla and the others okay? Had anything gone wrong? The Kurta clan had trusted me, and the weight of that trust felt suffocating now that I wasn't there to protect them.
She leaned forward in her seat, tapping her foot against the metal floor of the airship.
"How much longer?" she asked the pilot, her voice tight with impatience.
"Ten minutes, give or take," the pilot replied, glancing nervously at her.
"Make it five," YN snapped, her tone sharper than she intended. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
As the airship descended toward the outskirts of the village, YN's sharp eyes caught a figure running frantically along the dirt path below.
Then she saw her.
The figure running frantically in the distance, small against the expanse of trees. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but as we drew closer, she recognized her.
"Kumori?"
She was staggering, her movements wild and erratic as if she was fleeing from something unseen. Her long, yellow hair flew behind her, and even from a distance, I could see the fear etched on her face.
"Lower the airship," I barked, turning to the pilot. My voice was sharp, urgent, leaving no room for argument.
"What? We're not close to the landing site—"
"I said stop!" YN's voice cracked with urgency.
The pilot hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding and adjusting the controls. The airship began its descent, and as soon as we were low enough, I jumped out before it fully landed, my feet hitting the ground hard.
"Kumori-san!" YN called out, her voice shaking.
Her head snapped up, her face pale and tear-streaked as she spotted me. "YN!" she cried, her voice breaking.
I closed the distance between us, grabbing her shoulders gently but firmly.
