MYCDM 01

Chapter 01

“Huff!”

She ran, gasping for breath. Tears streamed down Shia’s face.

She couldn’t believe it.

Even though it was the reality right before her eyes, she absolutely could not believe it.

Why was this happening?

“It’s obvious even if you run, little girl.”

The man’s voice, following with slow footsteps, was terrifying.

The man smiled, as if he knew perfectly well that struggling would be useless for Shia.

“What do you think is the reason I brought you to this forest?”

“Why, why are you doing this? Anyway, I….”

Shia had a chronic illness.

An illness no one could identify the cause of.

Nausea, dizziness, lethargy, and in severe cases, vomiting and headaches so bad she would faint.

The illness grew worse over time, and after she turned sixteen, it became uncontrollably severe, making it difficult for her to even go outside.

The doctors did not know the cause of the illness.

She could still clearly see the doctor shaking his head at her father, saying she wouldn’t live long.

“Right. You should have just stayed away from your father a bit. Your mother can’t stand the relationship between you and your father.”

The words fell like a punishment, and Shia crumbled.

For Shia, her mother was merely the woman her father had remarried last year.

Since Shia was now over twenty and a proper adult, those around her advised that it would be fine to take a new wife, and so her father, Oper, took a bride.

And for the sake of his new wife, Shia began living separately from her father. In a small hut a little ways from her father’s house.

Only a woman who brought Shia food would come and go once a day.

The time she spent with her father was only two or three hours on the weekends.

Other than that, there was no reason to meet.

So Shia often spent all day alone, suffering from her illness.

And yet she was told she followed her father around too much? That it incurred her new mother’s wrath? What on earth was all that about?

“What kind of father and daughter are they to be suspected like that?”

What more could there be between a father and his daughter?

Until her new mother came, she and her father lived together and had a good relationship.

It was her father, Oper, who held her hand when she was sick, always watching over her with worried eyes.

Perhaps the only unusual thing was that Oper, Shia’s father, was a rarity even in that mountain village—a handsome man.

To Shia, who saw her father’s face every day, there was nothing new about it, but apparently it was different for others….

Thinking back, there were quite a few women in that mountain village who subtly threw glances at Oper. Although Oper was always more interested in his daughter Shia than in all those countless women.

Change came to the two of them living that way because of her new mother, Dirai.

It started when Dirai, who happened to visit that backwoods village for fun, fell for Oper, Shia’s father.

But Oper always put Shia first. Even before romance, taking care of Shia was his priority.

Dirai proposed marriage to such an Oper, even promising Shia’s future.

And so the two married, and Dirai was incredibly kind to Shia as well. At first.

Did Dirai change after having a child?

Honestly, Shia had no idea.

After her father’s marriage, people around Shia advised her. That it was discourteous to be overly close to her father like before.

Thanks to that, during the week of their honeymoon, Shia was in so much pain she wanted to die, but she had to endure it alone.

The moment Oper returned from his honeymoon, he came to Shia.

*”I’m sorry, Shia. Thinking about how sick you must have been for so long tears my heart apart.”*

Shia cried at Oper’s words.

At that time, it seemed her father had spent even longer with her than on other days.

Could Dirai have resented him for that?

For going to his late wife’s daughter the moment he returned from his honeymoon?

In truth, without knowing what was in Dirai’s heart, nothing was clear.

“I wasn’t ordered to kill you, you know. I was just told to make sure you never return. It would be best if you went far away, miss.”

The man nocked an arrow on his bowstring.

Shia ran with all her might. She didn’t want to die like this.

This wasn’t right. It was unfair.

Dirai had suddenly suggested they go on a trip….

She was just happy to be going out after so long. To be able to see her father. That was the only reason she had followed along.

It was Shia who followed the guide, who said it would be nice because it was a mountain and reminded her of childhood, who said there were beautiful sights and that he would show them to her.

Actually, the real reason she had followed along wasn’t so much to see the scenery, but because of Dirai’s cold gaze—she felt she had no choice but to follow him.

And while resting briefly in the forest due to dizziness, the guide disappeared and that unknown man appeared.

‘No. I don’t want to die. Save me! Someone… please, just save me!’

She had been sick for a long time, and in so much pain that there were times she thought she would rather die. There were times she questioned what meaning there was in living like this.

But whenever her body recovered, and whenever she felt peaceful, comfortable, and loved, Shia thought over and over again that she would muster her strength and live on.

Hadn’t her father said it?

*”I cannot live without you.”*

To Oper, Shia was so precious. And to Shia, Oper was so precious.

Whoosh.

The arrow flew and lodged in Shia’s arm.

The moment the arrow pierced her arm, Shia’s body collapsed.

‘Dad! Dad! No, anyone! God! Please help me!’

Tears wouldn’t stop flowing from Shia’s eyes.

Why wasn’t her father coming to save her? Why did her new mother, Dirai, hate her so much?

She had tried her best as she saw fit, but was that not enough?

If her birth mother were still alive….

If that were the case… she wouldn’t have met such a meaningless death at someone else’s hands.

The man was already nocking the next arrow.

She felt as if her mind was being torn apart.

Save me!

Please save me!

In that desperate moment, Shia screamed.

No, no sound came out of her mouth. But she felt like she had screamed. She definitely did.

Something felt like it was escaping her body.

It wasn’t like she had vomited blood, nor was there anything visible, but something burst out of her body and spread in all directions.

In truth, the first to feel Shia’s power was Oper.

With a chilling sensation, Oper immediately tried to leave the villa. Shia was using her power right now.

Fifteen years were passing since he had brainwashed her into believing she was a frail child with no abilities whatsoever.

Shia herself had lived all those days without knowing what kind of power she possessed!

He had carefully fed her medicine little by little so no one would find out, so that no matter how sick she was she wouldn’t dare use her power, and they had come this far.

Now Shia was terrifyingly using her power.

His wife Dirai grabbed hold of such an Oper.

“The child might just be out of sight for a bit. Why are you suddenly so sensitive?”

“Shia is in danger.”

“What are you talking about? Do you know you’re acting strange?”

He paid no heed to Dirai’s sharp voice.

Oper had to go. Shia was calling out to him. Strongly.

“If you go like this, know that you won’t see me or the child in my belly again.”

Despite Dirai’s threat, Oper’s face remained cold.

“What did you do to Shia.”

Wasn’t Shia just going out to look around the area?

Only now did he think something was strange. Although he had always thought Dirai harbored a peculiar wariness towards Shia.

“You tell me first. What exactly is that girl to you? We have a new child now. How long are you going to keep clinging to the illusion of your old woman and only fuss over Shia?”

“So you intended to kill Shia?”

The moment he saw his wife’s sealed lips, Oper guessed. That all of this was his wife’s doing.

“Do you know that’s the same as killing me?”

Oper shouted in frustration.

“Hah! What? You like her that much? Would you die without her? What about me? What about the child in my belly? Is she so precious to you that you’d abandon me and our child?”

There was no time to entertain Dirai’s complaints.

Overwhelmed by the powerful signal, Oper ran out of the place without answering Dirai.

It wasn’t that the child he had with Dirai wasn’t important to Oper either.

Dirai didn’t know. What Shia truly was. What would happen if Shia died.

This was not the Tashin Empire.

This was Arune. A place with an entirely different system from Tashin.

The people of Arune knew little of the Tashin Empire. They only knew that Tashin had many espers with special abilities, but had no idea how those abilities were maintained or used.

And even if someone visited Arune from Tashin for trade, they wouldn’t come to such a small countryside. This place was a seaside village on the outskirts of Arune, somewhat known as a resort.

So only Oper would feel Shia’s presence, and only Oper would save Shia.

Oper ran out, carving his wish like a prophecy.

But then,

“Where are you going?”

“Mother?”

Oper’s mother, Bvinnna, was standing there. Along with several men.

“No. It’s time to graduate from Shia.”

“Mother, what….”

“Now that your body has recovered, it’s time to separate from Shia. Just because you’re a little farther apart doesn’t mean your body will break down. I realized that far too late.”

“Excuse me?”

As Oper tried to move, Bvinnna grabbed his arm.

“Oper.”

The moment he met Bvinnna’s eyes, Oper found it difficult to move.

Bvinnna’s power seeped into Oper’s mind. That power quietly bound Oper’s body.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of killing Shia since she has value to use. I just felt the need to create some distance.”

Oper struggled to break free from Bvinnna’s power, but it didn’t work well. The men around Bvinnna seized the frozen Oper.

Oper was captured without even putting up a proper resistance and locked in a remote room of the lodging.

‘Shia!’

Before the second arrow could pierce her, something flew in and lodged into the back of the man trying to kill Shia.

The man collapsed with a dagger stuck in his back.

Behind him, a man stood.