The academy hallway buzzed with activity, students walking past in small groups, chatting about their day. But amidst the crowd, two girls stood out.

One of them had bright azure hair and an average height, her expression full of excitement. She talked non-stop, her voice filled with admiration. She barely took a breath between sentences, eager to say everything on her mind.

The other girl, however, was completely different.

She was tall—extremely tall—and had a presence that made others step aside without thinking. Her crimson eyes held a natural sharpness, and her long red and silver-white hair cascaded elegantly down her back, glowing under the academy lights.

She was none other than Lortell Mariette.

And right now, she was trying her best to keep her patience.

The azure-haired girl had been rambling for what felt like an eternity, her voice never stopping, never slowing down. She was a devoted fan of Lortell, and now that she finally had the chance to talk to her, she wasn't going to waste it.

Lortell, however, was barely listening.

Her eyebrow twitched. Her fingers itched.

"I want to give this girl a tight slap so badly..."

But then she took a deep breath, calming herself.

"No, let’s forgive her. I’m in a good mood today. After all, today’s my date with Esdeath! Let’s not ruin this."

Forcing herself to stay composed, she gave the girl an awkward smile, hoping it would make her stop talking.

But she had no idea.

She had no idea that, just a short distance away, Esdeath had been watching.

And Esdeath misunderstood everything.

Her heart skipped a beat. Her mind blurred.

To her, that awkward smile wasn’t forced.

It wasn’t polite.

It was real.

Lortell was genuinely smiling at another girl..

"That smile… That smile is mine," Esdeath muttered under her breath, her hands clenching into fists.

A strange noise filled her head.

Kill.

Kill.

Kill, kill, kill…

The voices grew louder, echoing endlessly in her mind.

Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill…

The whispers surrounded her, pressing down on her like a heavy weight. They crawled into her thoughts, twisting her anger into something sharp and deadly.

She took a deep breath. Her heart pounded.

And then—

A sleek, white sniper rifle appeared out of thin air. The ZK-20.

It was long and elegant, its surface smooth with sharp carvings. A weapon built for precision, for destruction.

Esdeath lifted it, her fingers wrapping around the cold metal. Her breath steadied as she lined up her shot.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Die, you bitch!" she thought, her finger hovering over the trigger.

But before she could pull it—

A hand landed gently on her shoulder.

"What are you doing? ", a voice came.

The rage inside her vanished in an instant, replaced by shock.

She froze.

Her mind, which had been drowning in violent thoughts just moments ago, was now blank. Slowly, she turned her head.

And there, standing behind her, was a girl she didn’t recognize.

Maruti.

Esdeath's face remained calm, unreadable. But inside, her thoughts raced.

Who is this girl?

She saw my weapon, but she’s not freaking out. Does she already know about it? Does that mean my other personality was friends with her?

Too many questions, no answers.

After a short pause, she finally spoke.

"Nothing. I was just getting used to my weapon," she said, her voice steady but cautious. Then she narrowed her eyes slightly. "And why are you here without knocking?"

She had no idea how her past self used to talk, but from what little she remembered—there was fighting, there was blood.

Maybe she was the kind of person who spoke roughly. Maybe she was a troublemaker.

So Esdeath decided to act tough.

Maruti blinked before crossing her arms with an amused smirk.

"What do you mean why I’m here? You were the one begging me to help you pick an outfit for your date with Lortell!" she scoffed.

Esdeath felt her stomach drop.

"A… date?", She thought.

She blinked, staring at Maruti, trying to process what she had just heard.

What was even more shocking was that her date was with none other than Lortell—her childhood crush.

"Wait… Wait… Did I hear that right? I’m actually going on a date with Lortell?"

Just thinking about it made her face turn completely red. Her heart pounded in her chest, excitement rushing through her veins.

But on the outside, she remained calm.

She quickly understood that the girl in front of her must be someone close to her.

Taking a deep breath, she said, "Well, that was in the morning. Now, I don’t need you. I’ve already figured out what I want to wear."

Without waiting for a reply, she placed her hand firmly on Maruti’s shoulder, turned her around, and pushed her out of the room.

Esdeath didn’t hold back at all.

"Okay, okay… I’m going! I’m going!" Maruti huffed as she walked away on her own.

The moment Maruti was out, Esdeath hurriedly shut the door, leaned against it, and took several deep breaths.

And then—

She jumped high in the air.

"Yay! A date! A date with Lortell!" she squealed, her excitement overflowing.

She spun around in joy, unable to contain her happiness.

"I don’t know how, but I think this is the best thing my other self has ever done!" she said, feeling grateful.

But just as she was celebrating, her eyes landed on ZK-20.

Her excitement faded as curiosity took over.

She slowly walked toward it, then sat down and ran her fingers over its smooth surface. It looked strange—almost unreal.

"What is this thing? This is the first time I’ve ever seen one… I just took it out on instinct."

She had no idea what it was, but she could tell it was something valuable.

"I don’t think I have a personality disorder… I think it’s something else. Someone else’s soul must have entered my body. And that person… is really powerful!"

She quickly realized her situation.

"But how do I put it back? It came out on instinct, but I have no idea how to return it!"

Just as she was deep in thought, a strange sensation filled her mind.

Without thinking, she placed her hands on the weapon.

And then, something incredible happened.

The sniper started to melt—its solid form turning into a liquid. The liquid moved on its own, flowing around her hand.

Within moments, it reshaped itself into a bracelet and wrapped snugly around her right palm.

"Woah… I did it!" she whispered in amazement.

She stared at the bracelet, feeling both proud and fascinated.

Finally, Esdeath let out a deep sigh of relief. The strange situation with the weapon was over, and now she could focus on more important things.

She looked around the room and spotted a pile of clothes scattered on the floor.

And then, a single word popped into her mind.

"Date!"

Her heart started racing again.

Her first date… with Lortell!

"First, we go on a date… then we become girlfriends… and then it’ll be our marriage… and then… and then…"

Just thinking about it made her breath quicken.

"And after marriage… it’ll be kids!"

She came to that conclusion instantly.

Even though both she and Lortell were women, having children wasn’t impossible.

"There are so many types of essence stones. And now that I’m an awakened too, there’s a high chance I can get pregnant with Lortell’s child!" she muttered to herself, her excitement growing.

Her gaze dropped to her belly, and she gently rubbed it.

"I’m already grown up… I’ll bear as many kids as you want, my lady!" she thought with pure happiness.

But then—

A small voice came from somewhere nearby.

"Mother… I’m hungry…"

Esdeath’s entire body stiffened.

The voice had come out of nowhere!

She snapped her head toward the source of the sound, her eyes darting around in confusion.

And then, under the bed sheets, she saw something move.

A small figure slowly sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Esdeath froze in shock.

A little girl.

A little girl with half-black and half-silver-white hair.

Esdeath’s mouth hung open. "Are you taking to me?"

The girl looked at her and spoke again, "Who else would I be talking to? And it’s a bad time to joke, Mother!"

Esdeath’s brain stopped working.

"Mother?"

"Who’s a mother?"

"When did I become a mother?!"

Her thoughts spun wildly, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Then, a chilling thought entered her mind.

"She’s calling me mother… What if Lortell finds out about this?"

She clenched her fists.

"I have to get rid of her."

Yes… that was the only way.

"Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her…"

The dark thoughts rushed into her mind like a violent storm.

She almost reached a terrifying conclusion.

But then—

She stopped.

She forced herself to take a deep breath.

No.

She needed to figure this out first.

Slowly, she stepped closer to the little girl.

Half-black hair. Half-silver-white hair.

Esdeath’s confusion deepened.

She knelt down and examined the girl more closely.

She smelled… familiar. Almost exactly like Esdeath herself.

"Don’t tell me…"

Esdeath immediately shook her head. No, that was impossible.

But then—

Her eyes landed on the white part of the girl’s hair.

A new thought struck her.

"This hair… Does it belong to Lortell?"

Her heart pounded as she reached out and placed her hand on the girl’s head.

And then—

She felt something hard.

Esdeath’s breath caught in her throat.

She quickly moved her fingers, and—

Horns.

The little girl had horns.

Esdeath's heart nearly stopped.

"She… She’s a dragon!"

The girl—Selene—chuckled softly.

"Don’t touch them like that, Mother! It tickles!"

Esdeath’s mind went into overdrive, forming theories faster than she could process them.

"She looks about seven years old… so she couldn’t have come from my belly, right?"

"Don’t tell me… This is one of those special methods where two women can have a child together?"

"Lortell must have used half of my blood and half of hers… to create Selene… as a proof of our love!"

Esdeath finally reached her usual, bizarre conclusion.

A huge smile spread across her face.

She gently pulled Selene into a warm hug and whispered softly into her ear—

"That’s right… I’m your mother!"