The night after the global event, long after the cheers had faded and the world grew quiet, Ayla drifted out of Cryssa’s sleeping body.

  Soft moonlight spilled into the room, casting silver streaks across the floor. Cryssa lay curled in bed, her breath slow and peaceful, untouched by the weight of the questions that pressed on Ayla’s soul.

  She hovered for a moment, silent, then turned her gaze to the window.

  Beyond the glass, the night sky of Oneiria stretched endlessly.

  Ayla floated toward it and gently perched on the window frame, her ghostly form outlined by the soft glow of starlight. The breeze brushed past her like a whisper, carrying with it the faint scents of pine and stone from the slumbering town below.

  She looked up.

  The sky was not like the one she had known on Earth. Oneiria’s moon glowed brighter, larger, surrounded by a field of stars that shimmered like living fireflies. No pollution. No city lights to dim them. Just pure, breathtaking clarity.

  She reached out slowly, fingers stretching toward the stars.

  As if grasping them might give her answers.

  It was beautiful.

  And yet… her chest felt hollow.

  The question slipped from her lips like a sigh.

  She had pieced together enough clues to suspect it had something to do with the item she obtained in her past life, the Essence of Dream Land. A seemingly mythic in-game relic, now somehow the catalyst for all of this.

  But could it really be that simple?

  She remembered the words the Administrator spoke to her for the first time:

  【I don’t yet know why the Goddess reversed time, or why you, of all people, were transported into Oneiria.】

  A Goddess.

  A reversal of time.

  She hadn’t just returned to the past… she had been pulled into a different world entirely.

  And yet…

  Her brow furrowed. A cold unease stirred beneath her ribs.

  The system itself, along with the Administrator, had confirmed something deeply troubling: monsters were unnaturally drawn to her presence.

  She thought back to the first sign. The incident before the original game launch.

  In her past life, Selini, as the first town after the starting town Stellar, had never been attacked by high-level monsters. There were no D-rank threats, let alone B-rank ones. That area was designed for early players, a safe zone to ease into the game’s systems.

  But here?

  Here, she had faced a catastrophe of B-ranks before other players had even logged in.

  And then the second sign… the wyverns.

  They weren’t part of the first global event in her past life.

  Which meant their appearance now was not natural.

  Something had changed. Something had followed her here.

  Her thoughts trailed into silence.

  Then why?

  Why would a Goddess go through the trouble of reversing time and pulling her into this world, only to endanger it?

  Was She… a malevolent deity?

  An Evil Goddess?

  The thought sent a chill through her. But it also didn’t quite fit.

  The Administrator had always acted not only protectively, but proactively. Like someone trying to stabilize the world, not sabotage it.

  (“…But can I even trust him?”)

  Her voice trembled at the edge of that question.

  The Administrator had proven capable of manipulating monster placement. He had summoned B-rank monsters disguised as special bosses for the event.

  So why hadn’t he removed the threat from her proximity?

  Why hadn’t he pulled the monsters away, instead of sending more toward each town?

  In the novels she used to read, the protagonist’s return to the past often caused time to move faster, events unfolding more rapidly than before.

  But this wasn’t like that.

  Here, even when she did nothing…

  The entire story was already unraveling around her.

  And it was already different from the original.

  Ayla turned her gaze down toward the sleeping town of Stellar.

  There were no streetlights lining the cobbled paths, no neon signs, no flickering bulbs. And yet, it wasn’t dark. Moonlight bathed the rooftops in soft silver, while the stars above shimmered like a thousand tiny guardians watching over the town.

  On Earth, even past midnight, the world never truly slept, people bustling, cars humming, sirens wailing in the distance.

  But here… it was different.

  So quiet, yet so comfortable.

  No crime, no beggars or thugs in dark alleys, no children left freezing in the streets. Every orphan had a bed in a warm orphanage, supported directly by the Stelluna family. The people of Stellar lived without fear, because they trusted those who protected them. The Stelluna had done their duty well.

  But… How long could it last?

  Before she met Glacia in her past life, Ayla had seen this world the same way most players did, just a game. A vivid fantasy to escape into, not something real.

  But everything changed the day she found Glacia’s body. Lying cold and lifeless, slain by some unknown monster.

  Her teacher.

  Her role model.

  A figure so powerful, so untouchable, brought down without warning. Ayla never even knew what had killed her.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  She only remembered how she collapsed when she visited her.

  And how she spent the next seven days logged in to slaughter every monster in the region in blind, heartbroken fury.

  She’d cried over an NPC.

  It sounded absurd.

  But in that moment, her view shattered. It wasn’t just a game anymore.

  From then on, she treated the people of this world not as programs, not quest givers, but living people.

  She had protected them, helped them, even if it meant clashing with major guilds or sacrificing her own progress.

  And now… in this life… now that she knew this world was real…

  She closed her eyes.

  But that was the problem.

  She couldn’t do it alone.

  The last incident, the wyvern attack, had been resolved only because of the Starlace Order’s strength.

  But what if stronger monsters appeared?

  What about the people still out there, beyond the borders of Stelluna’s protection? Survivors hiding in distant villages, deep forests, ruined cities? What about the lives outside the Arkavia Kingdom?

  In her past life, Ayla had played for two years.

  Two years.

  And even then, she had only managed to explore a handful of human nations. Her limited playtime, mere hours each day, had barely scratched the surface of what this world had to offer.

  This world was massive.

  And she was just… one person.

  Ayla shook her head.

  She wasn’t fully herself.

  Her body wasn’t hers alone. It was Cryssa’s too. They shared it. Lived within it.

  And that meant everything she did came with a risk not just to herself, but to Cryssa.

  She couldn’t recklessly chase after danger or disappear into the wilds for days at a time. She couldn’t join the frontlines without thinking of the cost.

  What if she was tired amidst the battlefield, and reverted to Cryssa’s body automatically when strong monsters surrounded her?

  Her movement was limited.

  she thought bitterly.

  And yet… her heart still ached to help.

  To protect.

  To stop others from experiencing the pain she once knew too well.

  “What are you doing?”

  The voice was soft, barely more than a whisper. Yet it stirred the silence like a ripple on still water.

  Ayla turned. Cryssa sat upright on the edge of the bed, silver hair falling gently over her shoulders, sleep still clinging faintly to her eyes.

  Ayla, still poised on the window frame like a silent sentinel, glanced back out at the night. She gave a faint shake of her head.

  (“It’s nothing. I’m just… bored.”) She murmured.

  Cryssa smiled, a gentle, knowing curve of her lips.

  “You want to save as many people as you can, don’t you?”

  The words landed with the weight of truth. Ayla was momentarily speechless. Her mouth opened, then closed again, unable to summon a reply.

  Cryssa let out a small chuckle, light and almost teasing.

  “Seems I guessed right.”

  (“How did you…?”)

  Cryssa tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes.

  “Hmm? Did you forget I’ve seen your memories? Not just seen, but I felt them. I know how much this world means to you. I felt it. Your fear, your heartbreak, your desperate drive to protect. I saw you during the event too… how frantic you were, trying to shield the town from what was coming.”

  Ayla’s eyes widened.

  Cryssa’s expression softened.

  “You’re kind, Ayla. Kinder than most people born here. You believed in this world even more than we natives did. If you didn’t share this body with me… I think you’d already be out there, roaming across continents, helping whoever you could, without sleep or hesitation.”

  (“Cryssa… I…”)

  “It’s alright.”

  Cryssa bowed her head, voice lowering to a whisper.

  “I’m sorry… for being your burden.”

  The words struck like a blade. Ayla’s form shimmered, then darted forward, gliding quickly to hover just in front of her.

  (“C-Cryssa! What are you saying?! Don’t say that! I’ve never ever thought of you as a burden! Aren’t we friends?!”)

  Cryssa lifted her head. But instead of answering, she shook it slowly.

  “I’m not speaking as your friend right now,” she said quietly. “I’m speaking as Stelluna.”

  She straightened her back, standing tall. A proud smile graced her lips, though it was tinged with something bittersweet.

  “Thank you, Ayla. Not just for protecting me. But for protecting all of Stelluna, and this world.”

  Ayla’s gaze faltered. She turned her face away, cheeks warming under the starlight.

  (“S-Stop it. I haven’t really done anything…”)

  Cryssa stepped past her toward the window. She pushed it open gently. The cool air spilled in, brushing against their skin like a breath of the heavens. She leaned her arms on the frame, eyes wandering across the moonlit rooftops below.

  A soft voice escaped her lips.

  “I felt ashamed,” she said softly.

  Ayla tilted her head, brows knitting.

  (“Cryssa?”)

  But Cryssa didn’t look back.

  “I was born in this world. Born into the Stelluna family. I should have been someone strong. Someone noble. But I never once dreamed of becoming a knight. I never thought about protecting anyone, not our people, and certainly not the world.”

  Her voice wavered slightly.

  “I was just… a spoiled girl. One who broke the moment she lost her father.”

  Ayla remained quiet, watching her.

  Cryssa closed her eyes.

  “But then I met you.”

  “And through your memories, I saw a different way of living.”

  “I saw how your life didn’t stop after your parents died.”

  “I saw how this game… was once just an escape for you. But the more you played, the more it became the reality you love the most.”

  “And when you lost Glacia… when your teacher died… you didn’t shut down.”

  “You used the very skills she taught you to protect others.”

  Cryssa turned her face upward, moonlight catching in her eyes.

  “To be honest… I envy you.”

  “You’re braver than I am.”

  “You weren’t born into nobility. But you acted with the heart of a knight… more than I ever did.”

  Ayla swallowed hard.

  (“C-Cryssa… I’m not that brave. I—”)

  She didn’t finish her words.

  Because at that moment, Cryssa spun around. Her hair caught the moonlight like threads of silver silk, cascading around her shoulders. Her eyes were cold, not with contempt, but with resolve. She pressed a hand against her chest.

  “That’s why I took up the sword.”

  Her voice rang with quiet conviction.

  “Because of you.”

  “Because your path lit the will of the knight in me I thought long dead.”

  “I don’t want to be the girl sheltered behind your shadow.”

  “I want to fight beside you.”

  “Not as someone to be saved.”

  “But as someone who saves with you.”

  She stepped closer, closing the distance between them until only breath separated them.

  “So please…”

  Her blue-sky gaze locked with Ayla’s, calm and unwavering.

  “Please don’t carry this burden alone.”

  “Let me help you.”

  “If the weight threatens to break you… Then let me be the one who helps you bear it.”

  “Because I am your sword… and you are my magic.”

  For a heartbeat, the world fell still. The moon seemed to pause in the sky. The stars leaned in to listen.

  And in that silence, Ayla let out a heavy, reluctant sigh.

  (“…Alright. Let’s make a plan tonight.”)

  Cryssa’s face lit up.

  “Mhm!”

  Ayla floated back toward the open window, her gaze lifting once more to the vast sky of Oneiria. The stars hadn’t changed. The burden was still there, heavy as ever…

  But for the first time in a long time, it felt bearable.

  Not because the world was less cruel.

  But because someone had chosen to carry it with her.

  ……

  Beyond the door, Lyra stood in silence, her back pressed lightly against the wall. She listened without a word. Then, after a breath, she straightened her posture, the faintest tension coiled in her shoulders, and began to walk down the dim corridor. Behind her, Chika followed in quiet steps, her maid uniform rustling softly in the hush.

  “Chika,” Lyra said, her voice low, almost uncertain. “Is it wrong… for me to hold back my only sister?”

  Chika didn’t answer immediately. Her tone, when it came, was gentle but unflinching.

  “That depends, my lady… on whether you value her life more, or her will.”

  Lyra stopped mid-stride. She turned slightly, a frown gathering on her brow.

  “What a sly answer.”

  Chika remained composed, her expression unreadable.

  “Because I believe you already know what you’ve chosen, even without me.”

  A quiet sigh escaped Lyra’s lips. She turned her gaze toward a nearby window, where the moon hung heavy in the sky, casting pale light across the polished floor. Her reflection shimmered faintly in the glass, overlaid by the stars beyond.

  Years ago, she had set aside her sword, not out of weakness, but to protect Cryssa from being bound to the life of a political bride. Cryssa had never wanted to become a knight, and so Lyra had borne that weight alone, giving up the path of the knight to enter diplomacy, concealing her strength behind soft smiles and calculated compromise. After all, men rarely sought wives stronger than themselves.

  And yet now… when the world teetered on the edge of collapse, when monsters clawed at the edges of every sanctuary…

  Cryssa had chosen the path of the knight.

  To accept her will meant allowing her to step into peril. To shield her from it meant silencing the will of the knight within her.

  So Lyra had stalled, setting absurd conditions, like demanding Cryssa become as strong as Iori before she’d even considered granting permission to leave Stelluna. Not out of malice… but because, until recently, she hadn’t seen that unshakable will in Cryssa’s eyes.

  But tonight had changed that.

  Another sigh left her. Heavier, this time.

  “I suppose… It’s time I picked up my sword again.”

  “So the bird can fly without worries.”

  She glanced sideways at Chika, a faint wryness returning to her voice.

  “Would you mind helping me?”

  Chika tilted her head slightly, lips curving with quiet amusement.

  “It would be a lie to say I don’t want to be at Lady Cryssa’s side. But for her sake, guarding her overprotective sister has its value too.”

  Lyra gave a short dry, yet genuine laugh.

  “Spoken like the blunt S-rank mercenary you once were. Or should I say… my former teacher?”

  Chika’s expression didn’t change. Her voice remained calm.

  “You jest, my lady. I'm just a former sex slave who was fortunate enough to be saved by Lady Cryssa.”

  “Yes, yes,” Lyra said, shaking her head with a smile. “Please teach this student once more, teacher.”

  Chika let out a heavy sigh.

  “An executive in the knight order, a bodyguard, a maid, an assistant, and now a teacher too. What a merciless employer.”

  “Please endure it a little longer until we can find more hands to help.”

  Lyra chuckled and continued the walk.

  The Stelluna sisters.

  One stepped into the wild with a blade in hand, chasing the horizon, daring to reclaim the world from the monsters that shattered it.

  The other unsheathed her sword not for glory, but for the quiet promise of home, to guard its walls, to steady its heart, so that the bird who dared to fly would always have a place to return.

  And though they walked different paths, their heart sang the same song.

  The will… of the knights.