NoveLight ™
The hallway, dimly lit by a broken fluorescent light and filled with the unpleasant smell of burning food.
The sight resembled the dreamscape, and the silver-haired girl quickly shut the door.
Hah. Hah.
She placed her hand over her chest, breathing deeply to calm herself.
“It’s fine. It’ll be okay. A dream is just a dream.”
“In the dream, I walked out immediately, but I shut the door. This isn’t a premonition.”
Clutching the navy-blue berry tightly in her hand, the girl closed her eyes, waiting for the chaos, fear, and her own breaths to settle.
Human…
The Mini Sprout Reaper looked up at her, a worried expression on its face.
Until she ate the berry, it couldn’t help her, couldn’t touch her, no matter how much it wanted to.
All it could do was hope that, before it was too late, she would eat the berry and accept its aid.
Once-a-Month History Class at the Facility
The children gathered in the auditorium, where a video played, as it did once a month, and no one took it lightly.
“Human civilization faced an unexpected crisis.”
“It began with an attack from objects thought to be under control.”
“Humanity couldn’t respond effectively to the sudden assault and had to acknowledge defeat.”
“The survivors, holding onto a sliver of hope, retreated into the last stronghold underground.”
“Scientists tirelessly research new technology to combat the objects, and children are trained, preparing for the day of retribution.”
But the silver-haired girl struggled to focus on the video’s message.
“It’s the same… exactly like the dream.”
Of all days, why did today, with its broken hallway light, have to be the once-a-month history class?
Was the dream really a premonition?
Her mind was so clouded that she couldn’t absorb the video, despite normally taking meticulous notes on the content.
She had written over ten identical notebooks’ worth of summaries over time…
And as she thought about it, a brief question slipped through with the berry’s sweet scent.
“Why do they keep showing us the same video every time?”
But that thought faded quickly, replaced by concern for her friend.
Still, a seed of suspicion had taken root in her mind.
Something seemed off about the “facility.”
At the Last Class of the Day
The silver-haired girl felt eerily calm.
“Everything is just like the dream.”
The events of the day, aside from her reactions, had mirrored the dream.
Hah.
Inhaling the berry’s sweet scent from within her clenched fist, she sorted through her thoughts.
At this point, she couldn’t dismiss the dream as just a dream.
“Maybe… maybe my second ability has awakened.”
Now, with suspicion toward the facility growing, she began to think through the idea that it could have been a prophetic dream.
“If the ‘facility’ truly is like that… could I escape using my weak acceleration ability?”
The more she thought, the more impossible it seemed.
Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed the end of class.
Then, the brown-haired girl approached her, a serious look on her face.
"I’ll be going first. Don’t worry too much. You’ll join me soon!”
With a bright smile, the brown-haired girl tugged at the corners of her friend’s mouth, lifting them.
"Send me off with a smile."
"Um, well…"
She wanted to tell her friend about the premonition dream but couldn’t bring herself to say it.
"Right… see you soon."
The silver-haired girl shook her head and forced a smile.
Late at Night, Personal Suite in the Upper Levels of James Tower, Songpa District
Even though it was late, James’s sharp gaze swept over multiple reports.
Sitting comfortably on a leather sofa, a Golden Reaper perched beside him, casting a warm light like a lamp.
“Human, when are you going to rest?”
The Golden Reaper looked up at James with a sulky expression, disappointed that he hadn’t stopped to play despite being home.
Noticing this, James gave the Golden Reaper’s head a gentle pat.
"Almost done. Just a little longer."
“You’d better hurry!”
Happily taking his words as reassurance, the Golden Reaper crawled onto the rim of his cup.
James smiled slightly at the sight, took a sip of his hot chocolate, and returned to the report.
"This result is… unexpected. Fascinating."
He tapped his finger on an interesting section of the document.
The report he was reviewing was anything but ordinary:
Report on Metabolic Syndrome in Mini Reaper’s Cherished Humans
Previous Statistics
Recent Trends
Hypothesis
Future Research Directions
It didn’t take James long to draw a conclusion:
[The Golden Reaper somehow ‘perceived’ metabolic syndrome and found a way to heal it.]
He turned to the Golden Reaper, who was happily sipping cocoa through a straw.
"How did you manage to cure a disease caused by eating too much sugar?"
“?”
At first, the Golden Reaper tilted its head in confusion, not understanding his question. But as James explained with examples, the Golden Reaper finally understood.
“It’s a secret!”
Covering its mouth with both hands, it giggled, refusing to reveal more.
The Spiral, Deep in the Jelly Jungle
I arrived at the spot where the spiral once lay deep in the jungle.
“It doesn’t seem to have changed much since last time.”
The area was still collapsed, as if the space had been tied shut like a plastic bag.
The only difference was the Golden Reapers armed with spears, patrolling the area.
The Golden Reapers sent intent to the approaching Mini Reapers: “This is a place Mom sealed off!” They prevented them from approaching recklessly.
They handled it well without any direction.
Maybe they had gained some know-how from guarding Sehee Lab?
I walked past the Golden Reapers and carefully examined the spiral.
“The gray liquid… no change.”
Scanning the entire Mini Reaper Garden, I found the level of Desire at the end of the spiral unchanged.
It seemed there was no direct connection between the flow of Desire and the Mini Reaper Garden.
Good to know.
I told the nearby Golden Reapers to notify me if anything happened, then left the area.
Back at Marshmallow Plains, I saw a group of Mini Reapers gathering to make something.
Golden Reapers, Black Reapers, Yellow Reapers, Blue Reapers, and Red Reapers were all working together on a massive project.
The giant Black Reapers stomped around on a huge dough.
The Yellow Reapers, dressed as bakers, busily crafted hats, clothes, and shoes.
Golden Reapers shaped and kneaded the dough before placing it in a kiln.
Meanwhile, the Red Reapers gleefully stoked the kiln with fire.
Are they making bread?
As I walked closer, a Golden Reaper pulled out a loaf and beamed, sending intent.
“Mom, would you like some?”
The tray it held was loaded with delicious-looking bread… and a white ogre baked in alongside it.
Gwee-hee-hee.
But the bread was so tiny, just Mini Reaper-sized, far too small for me to eat.
"Too small…"
“Ah!”
Startled by my remark, the Golden Reaper called the Blue Reapers over.
Flying over on brooms, the Blue Reapers weaved incantations into the air.
[Please make the bread grow big!]
[Make it bread that becomes healthier with every bite!]
As the Blue Reapers’ magic settled on the small bread, it grew larger instantly.
"It’s healthy bread!"
I nibbled at the bread offered by the Golden Reaper, watching the Mini Reapers' baking process with amusement.
It was endearing to see the little ones bustling around.
As the baking session concluded, the Mini Reapers each took a piece of the large loaf and dispersed.
They were probably off to share it with their cherished humans.
I chuckled, imagining the surprise their cherished humans would feel when they tasted the Mini Reapers’ sugary bread—even the baguette was sweet like candy.
Heh.
As the Day’s Events Concluded, A Graduation Ceremony for One
The walkway above the auditorium.
The brown-haired girl walked down the passage reserved for graduates, her heart swelling with pride.
To think she’d be fighting on the frontlines for humanity!
Looking down from the passage, she spotted the silver-haired girl, who now appeared perfectly composed.
At lunch, her friend had looked distressed, but now she seemed to have made up her mind about something.
“I’m glad.”
Surely, the silver-haired girl would join her on the frontlines soon.
With a slight twinge of loneliness, she continued forward, soon finding herself outside the facility.
Unlike the facility, the area outside felt old, filled with the scent of blood.
“?”
Though it felt unsettling, she quickly shook off the feeling.
At the end of the path, a man in a military uniform spoke brusquely.
"Lie down on the bed here."
His clothes carried a strong stench of blood, and his expression was one of annoyance.
He didn’t seem to have the sense of duty that a human soldier should.
How could someone like him be in the military?
Despite her doubts, the brown-haired girl lay down on the metal bed without resistance.
Clank. Clank.
Heavy steel restraints clamped tightly around her body.
"Um, what exactly is going on?"
Sensing something wrong, she asked, but the man responded in the same indifferent tone.
"What do you think? It’s butchery."
With that, the bed moved, suspending her upside down.
"Huh?"
Confused and panicked, the girl could only utter a bewildered sound.
The man drew a sharp knife and reached toward her neck.
Just as the blade touched her throat—
Bang!
The door burst open with a loud noise, and the silver-haired girl kicked the man aside.