I woke up again.
The ceiling was the same. The room was the same. But I wasn't the same anymore. Something inside me felt heavier, like my mind had started carrying things my body couldn't explain.
The pain from before still lingered faintly, like a shadow that refused to leave. I sat up slowly, breathing in deeply, trying to steady myself.
"…Lia."
Her name came out without thinking.
And suddenly, everything else followed.
The old tree at the edge of the clan stood just like I remembered. Its branches stretched out wide, as if it had been waiting for me. I stood beneath it, silent, my thoughts tangled in ways I couldn't fully understand.
Then I heard footsteps.
Soft. Familiar.
She appeared from behind the tree, walking toward me like she always did. Lia.
"You're early today," she said with a small smile.
I looked at her for a moment without speaking. Just seeing her made something inside me settle… and at the same time, hurt.
"…Yeah," I finally said.
For a while, there was silence. Not the uncomfortable kind, but the kind that felt like it belonged between us. Like words weren't always necessary here.
But even then, I couldn't ignore the feeling in my chest. Something was wrong. Something I couldn't name.
"You've been training a lot lately," Lia said softly, tilting her head slightly. "People are talking about it."
I didn't answer right away. My hands tightened slightly at my sides.
"…I have to."
"Why?" she asked gently.
I hesitated. The answer was simple, but it felt too heavy to say out loud.
Because I'm weak. Because I keep losing. Because I can't stay like this.
But instead, I just said, "…Because I don't want to stay the same."
Lia looked at me for a moment longer, her expression softer now. Almost sad.
"You always say things like that," she said quietly.
I turned my gaze away.
"…Is that bad?"
"No," she replied after a pause. "Just… painful to hear sometimes."
The wind moved through the branches above us, making the leaves shift gently. For a moment, everything felt normal again. Like nothing had changed. Like I wasn't carrying something broken inside me.
But then I saw it.
A shadow moving between the trees behind her.
My body tensed instantly.
"…Lia," I said quietly.
She looked at me. "What is it?"
I didn't answer right away. My eyes stayed fixed behind her.
Because I recognized that presence.
Mal.
He stepped out slowly, his expression calm… too calm.
"I thought I'd find you here," he said.
Lia turned, surprised. "Mal?"
He didn't look at her. His eyes were on me.
"I told you before," he said coldly. "You don't belong in places like this."
My fists tightened. My breathing slowed. Something inside me shifted again. Not fear. Not hesitation. Something sharper.
"…Leave," I said.
Mal smirked slightly.
"You still don't understand your place."
The air between us changed. It wasn't loud. It wasn't obvious. But I could feel it. Something building. Something that was about to break.
And deep inside me, that strange pressure returned again… faint, but real.
Like the world itself was listening.