My arms felt empty when I woke up. With a yawn, I stretched before lifting myself up from the blanket.

I turned to my right.

Eun-chan, who should be sleeping with me, wasn’t there… I rubbed my eyes and scanned my room.

It was probably mid-morning. The interior space was illuminated in a soft warm glow. Light poured in from the curtains, which fluttered from the opened balcony…

…Opened window?

“Eun-chan!”

“Mn?”

Seated by the edge between the door and the veranda, Eun-chan turned her head and looked at me.

“Morning.”

Ah…

“G-Good morning Eun-chan!”

S-she just said good morning! Good girl, I shall reward you with a head pat! But you seriously gave me the scare of my life!

“What are we going to do today?”

She asked while I was still stroking her hair.

“How long have you been awake? Are you sure you don’t want to sleep anymore?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Meanwhile, here I was as your mother, sleeping like a freaking log.

“Then at least rest in bed for a while. I’ll make breakfast. What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t feel like sleeping. Anything is fine for breakfast.”

“Then I’ll make kimchi stew.”

I was about to go to the kitchen when I felt a tug against my clothes. I turned around.

“…This feels wrong.”

She was crying.

“I feel… so happy. Why?”

Why?

Was there anything wrong with feeling happy?

“Oh, you…”

I hugged her.

She cried, her arms tightly wrapped around me.

◃⊰⊱ϑ⊹ ⨞⋅⫝⫘⌖ ⊹⊹⊰⊱▹

From creating fire to generating wind; from enchanting materials with unique properties to storing objects in my shadow—they say anything sufficiently explained is no longer magic.

Based on that logic, could one use the word ‘magic’ to term these miracles? After all, I’m sure these phenomena can be explained in the future once humanity reaches a certain depth of understanding in quantum mechanics and its relation to particle physics.

By that justification, my magic isn’t ‘magic’.

Right?

In my first life, I lived as a noble in a mediaeval fantasy. I practised magic, as would a girl of such a culture then.

And during that first life, I specialised in two main types of magic:

Shadow magic and charm magic.

Both self-explanatory, I hope?

Shadow magic allows me to manipulate my shadow. Besides mobility, it opens up a weird new dimension that also allows me to store and take out stuff from the inside. Of course, I could barely use 5% of its original potential in this world.

As for charm magic, nowadays I only use it for therapeutic purposes, or light hypnosis. I used to turn people into my servants, but with the magic suppression in this world, I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to.

The reason why Eun-chan feels happy… it’s because she was able to completely let go of ‘EunHa’s’ trauma in that short moment in time.

The incongruity of bliss she experienced because of the extreme shift is by no means a bad thing. It’s a sign that she’s taking a step towards recovery.

Since the day I took responsibility for her life, I’ve been hypnotising her bit by bit. My intention was to make it easier for her to accept her current circumstances.

I’m afraid of what crazy actions she’d take to end her life.

Though somehow, I feel like the change in her came too fast. I think I should reduce the frequency and intensity of the hypnotherapy sessions.

◤◢

Now, onto some brief world history.

It had been about 138 years since the calamity of the Second Revelation.

This disaster was the first and last of its kind. The fracturing of an unstable fourth-dimensional track created a fissure on Earth, and caused the Solar System to split.

No technology or science had advanced to such a level that people could observe the happenings between dimensional planes. And for the scale of the disaster this was, humanity just wasn’t prepared for it.

With the shock that came with the calamity, Judgement Day was the closest possible explanation to this abomination. The name Second Revelation was given based on historical context.

By some luck of the Gods, the spatial fissure created threw fragments of China, Japan and Korea into this new world we called Second Eden. Perhaps some parts of other countries were sent to otherworlds, it’s a speculation by this point. As for the rest of humanity that remained, nobody knew what happened to them on Earth (as in, they probably died).

The Second Revelation was said to have happened during the year 2024.

But I witnessed humanity integrate with technology and lovingly passed away in 2088.

So I don’t think the Earth in this world is the same as the one I lived on in my second life. This had to be a different world, even though the same, or a similar Earth existed in both.

Another dimension of multiple dimensions.

Either that or I’ve been downloaded into some kind of ultra-realistic life simulation.

◤◢

138 years later, while things had developed much of its technology, many industries still hadn’t recovered.

As mentioned earlier, many fragments of Earth’s cities, suburbs, industrial plants and farmlands were thrown into this paradise-like world. While civilization didn’t have to start from absolute scratch, going through the process of rebuilding society created massive problems in the early years. The lack of social systems and firm governing organisations became the biggest reason for the loss of knowledge.

Things like the smartphone currently don’t exist. Computers were still in their early stages of development, and radio waves were used for the transmission of data. Generations of knowledge gone without being properly passed down.

“Hello, may I help you?”

“Yes, good afternoon sir.”

After brunch, Eun-chan and I went to the glasses shop recommended by KeLing-senpai.

The uncle with the round spectacles was attending to another customer, so his assistant greeted us at the door.

“Can I ask if I can buy fake glasses?”

“Fake glasses?”

“Yes, for this girl.”

I pulled back the hood hiding Eun-chan.

He looked stunned, probably taken aback by my daughter’s amazing beauty.

“Do you want me to check if she needs any adjustments? She could have mild vision correction.”

Eun-chan looked at me. Just as a kid would when they were awaiting their parent’s decision.

“Yes please.”

“Alright, this way please.”

Do you know those small ophthalmic machines where you peep through a dark hole and it scans for myopia, astigmatism and such? This shop has an ophthalmic machine. But it’s an artefact retrieved from the fallen Zeroth Stratum. Surprising how it still works after 138 years.

The current industry hasn’t reached a point where a complex machine like this can be manufactured at scale. Even if some tech-savy engineers knew how to create it, the heavy industry required to manufacture each tiny component to build such a specialised device was absent.

“It seems she has a slight degree on her right eye.”

The optometrist said.

“So what do you recommend?”

“I don’t think there is anything to recommend. There’s no need for glasses. So why does she need a pair of powerless glasses?”

“Because she looks good in them.”

“Come again?”

“She looks pretty in glasses.”

“…?”

For your business and my Eun-chan, just let me buy what I need. Don’t question so much.

“Eun-chan, which do you think you want?”

“Um…”

She picked up the small glasses with a thin titanium frame.

The male receptionist placed a mirror before her.

Surprised by her own beauty, she studied her reflection. Turning her head left and right to check the angles, and even assuming a temporary ponytail using her hands, she reached out to try other pairs.

Until she found the one that fit.

“Um… is this look okay?”

She asked bashfully. Her delicate gesture was so cute I almost wanted to gobble her up.

“Sir, I want this one wrapped.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

I was convinced that this daughter of mine is the kind of person who pays almost too much attention to her own appearance.

“Alright. Hold on a moment while I prepare the lens.”

The receptionist nodded with a confused expression.

With this, Eun-chan’s new identity was complete.

◃⊰⊱⊹. ⊹⌖Ω ⩏⊹ϑ ⊰⊱▹

“Rize-tan is here!”

“Rize-chan?!”

“Where, where!?”

“Rize-sama!”

“How is everybody! I’m back.”

Children of all ages swarmed me from all sides. For the smaller kids, I stroked their heads. For the older ones, I gave them a hug.

“Ah, did I disturb anything?”

Eli-san came out of the orphanage wearing a white frilly kitchen apron. I couldn’t help but stare a little.

“No. We were just about to start cooking, it’s fine. So how did the last mission go?”

“Work is good.”

“You sure? Fortress 13 was left completely ruined when it docked yesterday. The news is all over the papers.”

I ran a nonprofit in my second life. An organization that supported children that suffered from human trafficking and sexual abuse. In this third life, I’m doing something similar.

This is the orphanage I built as the founder of my own children’s welfare movement.

It wasn’t as if orphanages didn’t exist in this city. Simply, the way the kids were being raised here was like livestock.

First Sergeant Hai had once tried to leave me at an orphanage. I managed to screw the staff over and return to his side.

Most families have their homes in the second or third strata. The First Stratum is always under siege, so it isn’t safe to raise children here. Only children that have been abandoned would end up in such a place.

So the orphanage here, owing to military influence, was a rigid system designed to turn them into soldiers. Almost all of them become enlisted in military work when they come of age. And things seldom turn out well for these children.

Was trying to survive enough of an excuse to live? How about their psychological development? Their identity?

Dissatisfied with how young kids were being treated, I built my own foundation to change the way orphans grow up.

I can’t help everyone, I understand that. But I’m sure my actions would inspire bigger changes moving into the future.

All it takes is a start.

Eli-san is one of the male members here. He was an orphan from the first orphanage I went to before I asked him to move here. He, who was once under the care of my welfare organisation, now works in the logistics field as an admin.

He handed me the newspaper for today.

Sure enough, the decimation of Fortress 13 was hot news. I wonder how the journalists got these in-person interviews so fast. Didn’t the beast just land yesterday evening?

“Pst. Who did you bring today?”

Eli-san whispered.

“Oh. Right, guys, please meet my new daughter. EiYun-chan.”

I almost forgot to introduce her.

“A new family member!”

“She’s so cute.”

“U-Uh…? Daughter?”

“Nice to meet you. EiYun-san! I’m…”

Overwhelmed by the children’s reception, Eun-chan stood there completely frozen.

“Rize-sama!”

Suddenly, a girl with freckles and lilac-red hair rushed out from the front entrance.

It was…

“YuNa-tan!”

“Oh my god! You’re actually back! How was everything? You didn’t get hurt anywhere, did you?”

The deputy director of the orphanage, YuNa. She is the one in charge of the organisation whenever I’m away and that being—most of the time. She and I met at that first orphanage we fled, just like Eli-san.

“I broke my forearm.”

“WHAT?! Let me see!”

She grabbed my arm and examined it as if sniffing it.

“Where?”

“Wrong arm.”

“Ugh! Your other arm!”

“It’s fine YuNa-tan, it’s already healed. Thank you.”

“Fracturing your arm at such a young age could be a big problem, you know?!”

She’s around Eun-chan’s age, and likes overreacting to every little thing.

“Slow down puffer fish. Rize-chan is fine.”

“Who are you calling pufferfish?!”

YuNa-tan glared at Eli-san.

“Pufferfish YuNa!”

“Bluup, bluup.”

“Pfft.”

“She simping over Rize-chan again.”

“Mind your words!”

The kids all laughed, YuNa-tan’s face reddened. And her signature pout, the one that gave her the nickname pufferfish surfaced for everyone to see.

“Right, right. Enough with the jokes. YuNa-tan, I’ll see you at the office later, I want a brief report about the current finances, sponsors, and the progress of all projects ongoing.”

“I’ve already prepared those. Are you staying the night?”

“I have some business to do at night, so I might not. Instead, could you guys help watch over her for me?”

I grabbed Eun-chan by the shoulder and pushed her in front.

“Is she another victim?”

YuNa-tan scanned Eun-chan head to toe, a suspicious expression on her face.

“She’s a victim of something a little more dangerous. So I’m thinking of adopting her.”

“Oh, I see. So she’s going to join the welfare.”

“No. What I mean to say is, she’s going to be my daughter.”

“Oh, so she’s your… huh?”

“Chop, chop. I’ll give her a tour of the place, so you guys can get back to preparing dinner. I trust that everyone will treat her with love and kindness alright?”

“No, what do you mean by your daughter—”

“““Yes Rize-sama!”””

◃⊰⊱ϑ⊹ ⨞⋅⫝⫘⌖ ⊹⊹⊰⊱▹

She dug through the cabinet and placed the reports on the table.

“To summarise…”

Money is the lifeblood of any organisation, even in the case of philanthropy.

The two main sources of income for the foundation comes from external donations by generous sponsors, and an income cut of members from the organisation themselves. Of course, it’s a voluntary thing to donate a portion of one’s own income to support the children.

For example, half my monthly salary goes into supporting the organisation. First Sergeant Hai and Mr. Chen also contribute a chunk of their personal earnings to the cause.

As for external sponsors, the mayor of Fuji City was the biggest one.

The children that grow up under the support of welfare will hopefully in the future contribute some of their earnings to this cause to help children like themselves.

So in a sense, it was a charity-driven nonprofit.

There were obvious limitations to that.

So we were looking into how to better stabilise the income moving forward into the future. This is crucial if we want to extend help to the disabled, or even sick children.

Things like partnering with companies that require people with specialised skills, to provide internships for children in fields that could help broaden their knowledge. Or for the more entrepreneurial upstarts, assess and invest in ideas that may have growth potential.

The children and their success means the success of the welfare.

“You’re doing a good job YuNa-tan.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, at this rate, I think I could pass this organisation over to you. You’re doing so much more than I ever could.”

“Isn’t that already happening?”

“In name, I’m still the director. Which doesn’t sound appropriate.”

“Titles are unnecessary. As long as I can continue to help the children, I’m satisfied.”

“That’s what makes you the perfect director.”

“Ugh. Don’t say that, there’s no such thing as perfect.”

“Well, then you’re the best director!”

“Uh. Enough. That EiYun-san, who is she?”

Switching topics on purpose I see, I see.

Does she still deny my decision?

“She’s someone that needs a lot of attention.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I have to pass over the baton.”

“You’re being indirect again.”

“I’ll be leaving to start a family.”

“And…?”

“So I’ll be leaving the kids here in your care.”

“What do you mean by leaving the kids in my care? You’re starting to scare me!”

“I’ll be leaving the ownership of this organisation in your hands.”

“Leaving? What?! No! Where are you going?!”

She screamed… I gently grabbed her hands.

“That girl can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous. That’s why I’m going to leave for a while.”

“Can’t you just let her stay here like all the other kids you bring here? Why do you need to take care of her personally?”

“Because I want to.”

YuNa-tan’s eyes lost their light for a second.

“Are you serious? Who even is that girl? Do you even know your position?”

“YuNa-tan, relax. I know what I’m doing.”

“But… but why? Are you going to leave all of us just for that girl you barely know?”

“I’ll still stop by to visit. Just because I’m passing the ownership of the foundation to you, doesn’t mean I’m abandoning anyone. Think of it as part of my work in the military. I sometimes go months at a time without returning, right?”

“Work is work, I understand that. But taking care of a single person…”

“Eun-chan is my daughter.”

“You’re insane.”

I moved to stroked her head with a wry smile. I know she’s disappointed.

“You already know how my mind works, so you’re not wrong for calling me insane.”

“I didn’t mean it literally. Okay, fine. If that’s what’s necessary for your happiness, then I won’t say no. Just promise me that you’ll come back and not just disappear.”

“Most definitely my lovely deputy.”

“Can I hug you?”

“Oh! That’s right, we haven’t hugged yet!”

Due to the height difference, my face ended up around her shoulders. In each other’s embrace, we twirled around the spot for a moment.

“How long will you be staying before you leave again?”

“I’ll be staying for a week.”

“How short.”

She sighed.

“Well, it’s not like you can help it can you?”

“That’s just how it is.”

“I miss you already.”

“Then I’ll hug you until you don’t.”

“Ugh…”

YuNa-tan is strict yet delicate. She has always been a weird one.

◃⊰⊱ϑ⊹ ⨞⋅⫝⫘⌖ ⊹⊹⊰⊱▹

All the kids joined hands to recite a prayer of gratitude.

Not dedicated towards God, but one towards the world and themselves.

EunHa opened her eyes after the prayer and stared at the plate of kimchi stew rice in silence. It looked different to the one Rize made.

She then looked around the communal hall that was very much like a repurposed chapel.

The kids were already digging into their meals. How many of them were here? A hundred at least?

And Rize was the person who runs an orphanage this size?

Regardless of Rize’s experience in her past life, suddenly running an orphanage at the age of 12… no, even younger than that… was absurd.

Yet the impossible was set before her eyes.

Just… who is Rize?

She said she would be wrapping up leftover business she had before leaving for their ‘great escapade’, but EunHa didn’t expect her to mean it literally.

With her influence and power, there were much more productive things she could do to help the world so… why would she be doing all of this for her? Why is she leaving behind people that love her for her sake?

More importantly, why was EunHa always getting involved with these special people?

Like XiaoLe…

Like Kenji…

Was it because she was a magnet?

A magnet attracted to these great future leaders to tear them down?

Snap. Snap.

Cinnamon took refuge on her head.

Snap. Snap.

He declared his throne.

EunHa lifted her arm and reached for the turtle. One futile struggle and a mess of her hair later, she put Cinnamon on the table belly side up.

Snap. Snap.

Cinnamon flipped himself over and glared at EunHa.

She stared at him in wonder.

The small creature looked cute.

“Wow, what happened to your hair?”

Eli asked.

“This guy did it.”

“Cinnamon, don’t be a bully.”

Snap. Snap.

Eli remarked. The turtle seemed to disprove.

Cinnamon flew to another table to play with the other kids.

“You okay? Not eating? Don’t worry about the food. We have plenty more where this came from so you can eat to your heart’s content. By the way, do you want some more eel meat?”

“It’s plenty. Sorry, I’ll start eating right away.”

EunHa took small bits of the rice and stew.

Many of the other senior members helping in the distribution were also curious about EunHa. Not because she was someone Rize brought here on a whim, but also because she was a ravishing belle to admire.

It was good.

Rize’s kimchi stew was still better, but the imperfect flavour added to the taste.

She wanted to cry.

Such a thing had already become a habit.

But she held in her tears. It was embarrassing to cry in front of so many people. She would only worry everyone.

“Wow! What is this smell?!”

And then the director made her grand entrance.

“Rize-chan!”

“It’s kimchi lol.”

“Rize-sama, Rize-sama! I got something for you!”

“Your seat is here Rize-chan.”

Rize walked into the hall with YuNa. The children cheered at their arrival.

“Looks like we have some new faces. Bring them here!”

One by one Rize gave the new orphans a warm hug. They were reluctant at first but soon relaxed into her embrace.

“Alright. I’m hungry now, I want a bowl of kimchi. It looks delicious.”

“Here you go.”

“Who cooked this?”

“No single person is cooking in the kitchen nowadays, you know that right Rize-sama?”

“Oh. So it’s the fusion of everyone’s cooking style eh?”

Rize took her seat rightfully by EunHa’s side.

“Heyo. So how is it?”

She asked EunHa.

“It’s really good.”

EunHa replied, her eyes cast downwards.

Everyone had their attention on the two. Like… more than a hundred pairs of eyes fixed upon them.

Rize, a little fed up with the situation, stood up.

“What’s with this attention huh?! Since you guys are all curious, I might as well announce it. This is Eun-chan, and I’ve decided to adopt her as my daughter!”

She decided to put the pin in once and for all.

“““WHHHATTTT!??”””

The whole room fell into chaos.

Snap. Snap.

◃⊰⊱. ϕ⊹ ⋈⊶⌖⊹⊰⊱▹

“I’ll come back tomorrow morning. So take care of yourselves alright?”

Rize said as she wore her shoe at the entrance. She pulled the back with her finger and checked for a snug fit with a light kick.

“Will do.”

YuNa-tan said, bowing respectfully.

“Eun-chan, if you have anything, just ask YuNa-tan, she’ll be there to help.”

“Okay. But, where are you going?”

“To do illegal stuff.”

She made a peace sign before hurrying off. EunHa couldn’t help but think that this had something to do with her.

“You don’t have a change of clothes right?”

YuNa’s question brought EunHa out of a daze.

“No.”

“Then you can borrow mine. It’s almost curfew time, so you better take a bath.”

“Alright…”

Somehow.

Just somehow.

Now that Rize was gone, there was a gnawing feeling that she had lost something important.

A world without light was bleak and dour.

Rize had been the light keeping EunHa alive.

An existence whose new purpose was decided by the one she was being cared for.

Throw away everything about your past. EunHa is dead.

A door had shut behind her. The path before her was a clean slate.

But the scars received from previous battles still remained.

The orphanage was built right on top of a natural cloud reservoir. And because of this, they had running water that allowed the children to take large warm baths without worrying so much about the water supply.

It was long past bath time for the kids. So the only people here were EunHa and YuNa.

EunHa soaked her entire body in the water. She found the temperature slightly too warm, but she thought she’d get used to it soon enough.

“You’re pretty quiet.”

YuNa said.

“…Do you want to talk about something?”

EunHa asked, hesitantly.

“Rize-chan told me not to ask anything, but I’m curious. If you’re comfortable then tell me how you met Rize, otherwise just assume I never said anything.”

“I met Rize-chan at Fortress 13.”

“I can tell that much at least. I’m not that stupid.”

“…Sorry.”

“Rize-chan going to such lengths for you, I really wonder why she’d decide to leave the orphanage behind.”

“…”

Her words prickled EunHa’s heart.

“I’m deputy, she’s the director. We’ve been operating this orphanage for at least four years now. And all of a sudden she told me that she would be leaving because of you. So far, I’m the only one she’s told. I don’t know when she’ll tell the others.”

Rize was an existence with influence on par with Kenji, and XiaoLe.

An anomaly that brought miracles wherever they went.

It was weird.

If Rize was so amazing, why had XiaoLe not mentioned anything about her? She should’ve met Rize in her previous life right?

“Hello?”

YuNa waved her hands in front of her face.

“Um. Yes?”

“I asked a question. Why is Rize going so far just for you? What did you do to incur her sympathy?”

“…”

What exactly did EunHa do?

How did she win her attention?

Because she tried to die?

That she let Staff Sergeant Chu die?

Why exactly was Rize going so far for a single person like her?

“I don’t know…”

Right.

That was the most appropriate answer.

Fate wanted to torment her.

There was no greater explanation than this.

“Come again?”

“It just happened. Just like everything else… huh?!”

YuNa suddenly grabbed EunHa strongly.

“What the hell? Is this what I think it is?”

YuNa scowled. EunHa quickly pulled her arm away and turned away.

“Hey!”

“…”

“I… I didn’t mean that, sorry. Hey…”

YuNa bit her lips. Feelings of guilt bubbled up inside as she recalled fragments of her own past.

She saw it, the scars EunHa inflicted on herself. It covered her arm from the inner side.

“Rize-chan probably saw that too… didn’t she?”

“…”

“Well, you’re not the only one.”

Not the only one?

“Want to see mine?”

YuNa’s lilac-red hair scattered over the water as she leaned her body against EunHa.

The sensation of her bare skin on her own felt uncomfortable.

Does YuNa not feel anything about this sort of close contact?

Unlike EunHa whose wounds were small but numerous, YuNa had one long scar coming down her left upper arm.

“She absolutely hates this.”

True. Rize was really mad when she found out about EunHa’s self-harm tendencies.

“But those who have these scars receive preferential treatment from her.”

“…What?”

“So while I won’t do anything that Rize hates, I don’t regret it.”

“…”

It sounded as if the scar was made with the sole purpose of gaining Rize’s affection.

“…What kind of person is Rize?”

EunHa had been meaning to ask this for a while now.

People were readily influenced by those closest to them.

Knowing that she was going to be spending the rest of her life under Rize’s care, EunHa wanted to learn more about her mother.

“What kind of question is that?”

“I… just want to know.”

Rize was able to grasp her heart. But she was unable to grasp hers. To EunHa, Rize was akin to a deity. One with the bizarre workings of a person too far ‘out there’ to be understood.

YuNa wrapped her arms around EunHa’s shoulders, sticking close to her wet back, the warmth of their raw bodies felt by each other.

“I also wish to know what kind of person she is.”

YuNa confessed.

“The more I learn about her, the more I realise I don’t know.”

“She’s only 12. But she’s much wiser than everyone I’ve met.”

“She knows all sorts of things we don’t know.”

“She’s skilled in business, persuasion, fighting and can even use the magic you read in fantasies.”

“She doesn’t care about humanity’s survival. She only cares about seeing people smile.”

“She’s not scared of death. She doesn’t care if people die. She can take it all with a light heart.”

“She knows how to negotiate, manipulate, control, and mould people to her needs.”

“She’s kind, emphatic, patient, loving, selfless, selfish, cruel, scary, vile and sadistic.”

“If she wanted, she could very easily break us. She could turn us all into her puppets.”

“But she doesn’t.”

“But that makes me want to serve her even more.”

“It’s insane, the things she does to me.”

“I keep falling deeper and deeper.”

EunHa’s body trembled as YuNa tightened her arms around her.

“That’s why I’m jealous.”

“Why did she choose you? Why I’m I going to get left behind? Why does it have to be you? Why didn’t she choose me?”

People are readily influenced by those closest to them.

The shadow of Rize’s insanity.

YuNa had inherited a piece of it.

She reached her arms over and stroked EunHa’s hair.

“Promise me you’ll be a good girl to Rize.”

EunHa felt her throat clog up.

What did it mean to be a good girl? EunHa didn’t know.

She truly didn’t know…