I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. But this time, something was strange. I was staring at a white stone ceiling with a fancy chandelier hanging overhead. I looked down and rubbed my hands, then gasped in surprise. These weren't the white, smooth hands I had grown used to. They were rough, calloused. The same hands I had had before being reincarnated into the body of a girl.

  "Where the hell am I...?" My voice came out deeper. Thicker. My old man's voice was back.

  But a voice behind me drew my attention.

  "A dream."

  Sitting on a throne was a girl who looked ten at most, with short silver hair hanging to her shoulders and orange eyes that sparkled like gems. She wore some kind of familiar uniform as she idly played with a sword in her hand.

  "Aria...?" I barely managed to speak, not understanding what was happening.

  "Yes and no." The girl, Aria?, answered, staring at me evenly. "Aria is the name Instructor Demo gave to you, not me. But you can call me Nine."

  The girl, Nine, stood up slowly and began walking toward me. She had the same appearance I did now. I got the feeling she seemed to know a lot about me. And she had mentioned this was a dream…

  "You don't need to think so deeply," Nine said, smiling. "Just think of me as the soul of the original body you've taken."

  "Oh..." My voice wavered slightly. "I'm sorry...?"

  Really, I had no idea what to say. If someone had taken my body while I was still conscious, I would have been furious. Beyond furious. I would probably want to kill them at first sight.

  "Apology accepted." Nine just laughed. "Again, you don't need to worry. Even if I am alive, I don't want to face the horrors of war. I actually like it here."

  "Um..." I said, completely at a loss for words. What was I even supposed to say to that?

  "So... you look mature for your age," I blurted out.

  Inside, I was slapping myself in the face. Seriously? This is what you came up with?

  "Of course," Nine said, thankfully not seeming to think much of it. "After all, I have plenty of memories to look through."

  Suddenly the scene around us changed. We were standing on a bustling New York street; cars passing by, people chattering, planes flying overhead. Most importantly, there were no soldiers dressed up in armors or officers shouting orders.

  "These are your memories, really." Nine flickered her hand once more, and we were back in the throne room. "I'm just borrowing them, but it's enough for me to spend years here."

  "Cool..." I managed to answer. Silence fell between us as Nine continued staring at me, making me really uncomfortable.

  "So... um, do you have a reason why you called me here?"

  I had had plenty of sleep and dreams before, but none of them had Nine suddenly popping up in the middle. What made this different? Maybe I'd overslept? Or maybe there was high mana density around? Or was I close to dying?

  "To discuss how to beat that hot-blooded Caelen, of course," Nine shrugged as if it were obvious. "What else?"

  "Um, to talk?" I tried to be helpful but only earned a sigh from her.

  "No. I need you to think of a way to beat Caelen without going into Frenzy Mode."

  "Frenzy Mode?"

  As if answering my question, the massive double doors to the throne room rumbled. Something inside was trying to break free, something that sounded like a monster. Dust fell from the ceiling as the chains holding the doors groaned under the strain.

  "Yes, that." Nine pointed. "Actually, let's just start from the beginning since you clearly have no idea what Frenzy Mode is, or anything, really."

  "Hey," I protested weakly. That was hurtful.

  But Nine ignored me. Suddenly, a table with two chairs materialized, laden with snacks from the modern world. My mouth watered as I stared at the sight. I had missed Earth's food so much. Especially the cookies.

  "Do you know what we are?" Nine asked, helping herself to a cup of coffee.

  "Yes. An artificial human called a homunculus," I answered, my hand already reaching for a cookie. When I took a bite, I thought I had gone to heaven. I hadn't tasted anything this sweet in so long.

  "Correct." Nine pointed to herself, then to the entity beyond the doors that kept trying to escape. "Originally, this artificial body was designed to contain two souls. But it now has three."

  "Wait. That thing is another soul?"

  "Sort of," Nine sighed. "It's an artificial soul, or more accurately, a mass of condensed dark energy created from people's negative emotions. It was designed to strengthen your body in emergencies by channeling that dark energy. But it will attack anyone on sight."

  I thought back to the times I had gone unconscious during battle. I had never really cared about what happened during those episodes because everything had been too chaotic. I barely remembered it at all, just flashes, like a dream, of myself killing countless people.

  "However," Nine leaned forward and jabbed her finger at me. "We have three souls now. That means space had to be made for you. Can you guess what got sacrificed?"

  "Um..." I just stared at her.

  She sighed again.

  "The chains that hold back Frenzy Mode." Nine stood and knocked on the doors. They banged violently in response. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out what this means. The more you enter Frenzy Mode, the more it absorbs negative energy and grows stronger. Eventually, it will consume us both for good."

  "Oh..." I said.

  Yes, this was the best I could manage in this situation. What was I even supposed to say?

  "Anyway," Nine said. "Do you have a plan to beat Caelen?"

  "No," I murmured, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I mean, I was planning to wait until he got tired, then attack him after he used that massive force attack."

  "Which will only repeat what happened yesterday." Nine smiled and leaned back on her throne. "However, I'll help you, since I have no intention of getting swallowed by that thing."

  "Really? How?"

  From what I could see, she was just a soul. I had no idea what a soul was defined as in this world, but from what I could tell, she was stuck inside my body. Or hers? Anyway, she couldn't be much help at all, could she?

  "I can help you plenty," Nine said with a mysterious smile. "Just try not to die, and wait for me to get ready. You'll know what I mean when the time comes."

  "What do you mea—"

  Before I could finish, darkness washed over me. An overwhelming sleepiness dragged me down. I could only watch helplessly as I fell to the ground, seeing Nine's smile as I slipped into unconsciousness.

  [(0)]

  "What do you mean by that!" I shouted, breathing heavily.

  Then I realized this wasn't the dream anymore. I was back in the medic tent where I had talked with Deryk before. I breathed a sigh of relief and looked around. White canvas walls. The faces of injured soldiers. Nurses and doctors rushing about. And the cold face of Colonel Devon staring at me like he could—

  Wait. Devon?

  I slowly turned my head to see the usually cold-faced Devon staring murderously at me. Cold sweat formed on my back as I opened and closed my mouth several times.

  "I see you've woken up," Devon said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Lord Cedric personally asked me to check on you when you wouldn't wake. But seeing you wide awake now, I suppose you just wanted to call it a day."

  "C-C-C-Colonel Devon... sir..." I stammered, swallowing hard. "I apologize for my actions, and I—"

  "There's no need," Devon sighed, wait, he sighed?, as he looked at me. "We all know you need rest after facing Major General Caelen. But I'm afraid that rest will have to come later."

  "Okay... sir," I said, finding this whole conversation strange. I had been expecting him to chew me out.

  Then, Devon’s expression turned serious as he delivered the news. "Major General Caelen and his forces are advancing as we speak. You're needed on the battlefield. Right now."

  [(0)]

  I was still groggy from the dream I had had last night. But I didn't have time to dwell on it, since I would be facing Major General Caelen again soon.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  What I didn't understand, though, was why Caelen was standing at the front of the Imperial ranks again, as if he were waiting for someone to come face him. Which I guessed was me. Still, I couldn't figure out why he looked so proud when he was the one who had turned tail and ran yesterday.

  "Didn't we attack their supplies yesterday?" I asked my second temporary

  aide, Nora, who stood beside me wearing the same MPA armor.

  I wasn't wearing mine because it wouldn't be much use against Caelen anyway. On top of that, I had personally asked Colonel Devon to commission something custom for me, something that focused more on agility. He had agreed and sent letters to the Research Division while I was hurrying to get ready.

  "Yes, we did, ma’am." Nora confirmed, her stony expression unchanged. "While we couldn't destroy all their supplies, Major General Claudius and Brigadier General Lily had to rush in to support us. But even so, they should only have limited supplies left. Maybe one day's worth."

  Then I had no idea why they were attacking us. Maybe their commander was just stupid? Then again, Caelen was the kind of guy who would do something reckless.

  My thoughts came to a halt as the war horns blew, signaling our advance. I gripped my new sword and broke into a run toward the only target in my sights: Caelen.

  He was running toward me too, looking furious, his fist flying forward to meet my blade. I swung, expecting the sword to shatter so I had have to switch to a new one, but—

  "What?!" Both Caelen and I shouted in surprise as the sword, which glowed faintly gold, held firm. Grinning, I pushed harder, forcing Caelen to take several steps back.

  "You can use mana?!" Caelen looked shocked. After all, I hadn't used any yesterday.

  I realized what had happened. Nine had done something that let me use mana. In fact, I could feel warmth traveling through my body and into my hand, where it flowed into the sword.

  "Yes." I smiled, thanking Nine silently. "I can."

  I slashed at Caelen with renewed ferocity, the golden glow trailing behind my blade. He grit his teeth, raising his knuckles to block. Steel met iron in a shower of sparks. I pressed the attack, a horizontal slash, then a downward cut. Each strike forced him back a step.

  On the third blow, I saw it. Tiny cracks beginning to spiderweb across his knuckles.

  He grunted and shifted his stance, suddenly retreating. In one fluid motion, he swapped out his damaged knuckles for a fresh pair from his belt.

  "I'm showing my hidden card," I said, stepping forward with another slash. He blocked it, but I could feel the impact reverberating up my arms. "Why don't you tell me yours?"

  Caelen's face was still red with fury, but he grinned. "Stack."

  "Stack?"

  "That's the name of my Wild Magic."

  [(0)]

  The first memory Caelen had of himself was the orphanage.

  He didn't remember his parents, and didn't even know if he had had any. All he knew was what the orphanage owner had told him: that he had been found on their doorstep one winter morning, wrapped in a thin blanket, with no one in sight.

  Growing up, Caelen had always had a problem. He was hot-blooded, quick to anger, quicker to fight.

  "What is wrong with you?!" the orphanage owner shouted one afternoon after discovering Caelen had punched another boy so hard the kid's cheek had swollen purple.

  "He hit me first!" Caelen shot back, fists still clenched.

  "That's no excuse! You're confined to your room. No dinner tonight!"

  It became a pattern. Caelen spent more time locked in his room than any other child in the orphanage. Alone. Hungry. Angry at the world. But there was one girl who refused to leave him alone.

  The first time she came to his door, he had been lying on his bed, stomach growling, staring at the ceiling.

  Knock, knock.

  "Hey, Caelen! I brought you some bread. Do you want it?"

  "Go away," he would snapped.

  But she didn't. She kept coming back, day after day, no matter how many times he yelled at her or ignored her.

  "Caelen! It's such nice weather today, isn't it?"

  "So what."

  "Caelen! It's snowing! Let's build a snowman together!"

  "I don't want to."

  "Cal!"

  "My name is Caelen!"

  It went on like that for a whole year. At some point, she had managed to worm her way into his room entirely. He would hide under his blanket while she sat on the floor, chattering away about anything and everything, the clouds, the other kids, stories she had heard. She never cared whether he responded. She just... stayed.

  Slowly, without realizing it, Caelen started listening. Then responding. Then, eventually, he even sometimes smiled as he felt warm inside.

  She was the only person who would never give up on him.

  Then one day, when she was talking to him like usual, she suddenly went quiet. When he peeked out from under his blanket, he saw her staring at her hands, her expression uncharacteristically somber.

  "Hey, Cal... I'm getting adopted soon."

  Caelen's chest tightened, but he forced his voice to stay flat. "Congrats."

  "So... yeah. We won't be able to see each other anymore."

  "Yeah."

  She looked up at him then, her eyes glistening. "Can you at least say goodbye? Or that you'll miss me?"

  He turned away, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. "No."

  Her face crumpled, but she forced a smile anyway, that same stubborn, bright smile she always wore. "Okay. Bye, Cal."

  That was the last thing he ever said to her.

  A week later, Caelen overheard the orphanage owner talking to a visitor. The words made his blood run cold. She hadn't been adopted. She had been sold to a brothel on the edge of the city.

  Caelen ran. He ran until his lungs burned, until his legs gave out, until he finally found the place. But when he arrived, he was too late.

  She was already dead. Strangled by a customer who had gotten too rough. They had left her body in the back room like discarded trash.

  Caelen stood there, staring at her lifeless face, still holding traces of that same stubborn smile, even in death, and something inside him broke.

  He didn't remember what happened next. Just the screaming. The blood. The bodies.

  When he came to, the entire brothel was in ruins, and his hands were glowing with a strange, pulsing energy. His knuckles were covered in blood, not all of it his own.

  That was the day he awakened his Wild Magic, Stack. Because he refused to lose anyone ever again. And become stronger so he won't lose what mattered to him.

  [(0)]

  He swung his fist. I brought my sword up to deflect, the blade caught his knuckles at an angle, redirecting the force. But when I pulled back, I saw hairline fractures forming along my own weapon's edge.

  Stack. That was the name.

  From what I could guess, it let him accumulate all the attacks he received and convert them into raw power. But there had to be a limit, a threshold where he couldn't hold anymore and had to release it all at once. Like yesterday.

  "I see." I swung my sword in a wide arc, and it shattered mid-swing, the blade snapping in two. Without hesitation, I dropped the broken weapon and pulled out two iron knuckles, sliding them onto my hands. "Then I've got the perfect plan to bring you down."

  "I'd like to see you try!"

  We crashed together, fist against fist. Clang. Clang. Clang. Each impact sent shockwaves through my arms. I ducked under a wild haymaker and countered with an uppercut to his ribs. He barely flinched, countering with a straight jab that I sidestepped by inches.

  I spun low and swept at his legs. He jumped over it and brought his fist down like a hammer. I rolled aside, the ground where I had been standing cracked and cratered from the impact.

  "Colonel Cameron!" I shouted, springing back to my feet and dodging another jab aimed at my head. "Fire Snipe Spells at him!"

  Around me, the forces were fighting each other, but thank god Cameron was a mage because he had heard it thanks to strengthening his ear with magic.

  "What?!" Cameron shouted back, his voice deep, reminding me of a bear. I always thought of bears when I saw him. "But he gets stronger when—"

  "Just do it!" I yelled, ducking under Caelen's guard and driving my fist into his jaw.

  His head snapped back. But he laughed and grabbed my arm before I could pull away. He yanked me forward and headbutted me square in the forehead. Stars exploded across my vision. I stumbled backward, tasting blood.

  "You think tricks will save you?!" Caelen roared charging forward while swinging his arms. Left hook. Right cross. An uppercut that I barely blocked with both forearms.

  The force lifted me off my feet and sent me skidding back several meters. But I was grinning. Because behind me, magical circles were forming in the air. Cameron had listened.

  "Fire!"

  Various spells, mostly mana missiles, launched toward where Caelen stood. He grunted, forced onto the defensive, punching each spell out of the air. I watched each strike become faster, stronger. Soon, the spells were vanishing before they even reached him.

  But at the same time, his skin was turning red, just like yesterday. I knew it was only a matter of time before he unleashed Stack against me.

  I prepared to dodge and shouted at nearby soldiers to fall back. But then something inside my body shifted. A cold feeling, nothing like mana, began creeping up my left arm and into my hand. Then the warm feeling returned, wrapping around the cold like a shell.

  Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming confidence. Like I could punch through anything.

  "I have no idea what you're planning, Nine..." I smiled, thinking of the girl from my dream. "But I'll trust you this time."

  Caelen's Wild Magic released. Stack discharged in a concentrated blast, tearing through the air straight toward me. I waited, dropping into a stance. Watching. Waiting.

  "DIE!" Caelen's voice echoed across the battlefield.

  I narrowed my eyes as I punched forward with everything I had. The two forces collided. The air itself screamed. The ground beneath us cracked and trembled. Caelen's attack pushed against mine, neither of us backing down.

  "What is happening?!" Caelen shrieked, disbelief twisting his face. "Why is it getting blocked?! You don't have Wild Magic!"

  "I may not have Wild Magic," I said through gritted teeth. "But I have someone helping me!"

  I punched again, releasing the energy coiled in my left arm. The cold feeling surged out, dark energy amplifying my strike. Like a spear, it pierced straight through Caelen's attack and shot toward him.

  "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Caelen screamed, trying to dodge. But he was weakened, spent. The Imperial soldiers around him had already begun retreating. "I’M GOING TO LOSE TO HER? OF ALL PEOP—"

  The dark energy slammed into him.

  His body didn't just fall. It tore apart, shredded by the force. Unlike his own attack that had carved through our lines, this one stopped the moment it hit him. But it was enough.

  For a long moment, the battlefield went silent.

  The remaining members of the Iron Fist stared in horror at where their master had stood. The other Imperial soldiers looked equally shaken. But our side saw something else entirely. They saw opportunity.

  "ALL FORCES!" General Cedric's voice boomed across the field as he appeared on his Saky, spear raised high. "ADVANCE!"

  "FOR THE KINGDOM!" The soldiers roared, surging forward with renewed fury.

  As for me, my strength vanished all at once. My legs buckled and I collapsed to my knees. The warmth was gone, so was the cold. I felt empty, drained. But Nine had done her job. A good job even.

  "Ma'am!" Nora appeared at my side, cutting down two Imperial soldiers who had tried to take advantage of my collapse. She dropped to one knee beside me, though her face was cold as always. "Are you hurt?"

  "No... just exhausted," I managed, forcing a weak smile. "Help me up?"

  Nora hauled me to my feet, slinging my arm over her shoulders. "Can you walk?"

  "Barely," I admitted. My vision shaking left and right. Everything felt distant, muffled. "Need to get out of here before I pass out."

  "Yes, ma'am." Nora started moving us back through the battle. Imperial soldiers scattered before us, some retreating, others too focused on the advancing Royal forces to notice two figures limping away.

  Around us, the tide of battle had completely shifted. What had been a brutal stalemate was now a onesided massacre. The Imperials were breaking, fleeing toward the direction of Fort Estonal in complete disarray.

  We had won.

  "Ma'am," Nora said quietly as we reached the medical tents. For the first time I met her(which was yesterday), her cold face turned to something close to respect. "What you did back there... that was incredible."

  I wanted to tell her it wasn't just me. That Nine had given me something. Borrowed power, maybe, or access to something I shouldn't have been able to touch. But the words wouldn't come. My eyelids were too heavy.

  "Just... make sure someone writes it down," I mumbled. "So I can... remember what happened..."

  "Ma'am?"

  But I was already slipping away, the sounds of victory fading into distant echoes.