Elegy from Another World

How hateful, how hateful...

The hustle and bustle and warmth of the bonfire party seemed to still linger in the air, but my physical exhaustion forced me to leave early. After saying goodbye to the three—my husband with whom I had just agreed to marry, his forgiving wife, and their lively child—I returned to the cabin that was just beginning to feel warm, collapsed onto the bed, and drifted off to sleep with vague hopes for the future.

However, this brief tranquility was shattered by a strange and intense pleasure emanating from my neck. I jolted awake, my hand instinctively reaching for my throat—wet, sticky, my fingertips touching a deep, rapidly healing wound. My esophagus and trachea had been severed by a sharp blade; had it not been for this immortal body, I would have died silently in my sleep long ago. I struggled to sit up, discovering my clothes were gone. Perhaps my body had expended enormous energy repairing its fatal wounds, turning even my clothes to ashes? At this moment, I had no time to ponder further.

A chilling fear gripped me instantly. That family of three!

Barefoot, I didn't bother looking for anything to cover myself, and rushed to the bedroom on the second floor, guided only by memory and instinct. Pushing open the half-closed door, what greeted my eyes was not a familiar sleeping face, but a strange figure rummaging through drawers! Fueled by anger and fear, almost without thinking, I conjured water with a wave of my hand, transforming it into a strong rope that bound him tightly.

"Who are you?! Where is this family?!" I demanded sharply, my voice hoarse from the recent recovery of my throat.

The man was initially panicked, but after seeing my naked and seemingly frail appearance, he revealed an arrogant and sinister smile: "Pah! You've got some tough skin, little lady! That family? We've already killed them! Who told them to be so ignorant and refuse to hand over their grain and money! It's their 'good fortune' that we've taken a liking to this village!"

bandits and robbers...

I refused to believe it, staggering to the window. Under the moonlight, the once peaceful village had been transformed into a scene of hell. Flames soared into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and familiar houses crackled and popped in the flames. Scattered across the grass and paths were broken limbs and severed bodies; the stench of blood mingled with the acrid smell of burning flesh. Figures dressed in rags, wielding weapons, moved about in the firelight, laughing maniacally, kicking and punching the corpses, looting anything of value. Their laughing faces, illuminated by the firelight, resembled demons from the abyss.

I stood frozen by the window, my mind blank. Those few seconds felt like an eternity. Happiness... the future... home... all the budding hopes were reduced to dust by the devastation before my eyes.

In that moment of distraction, a roar came from behind me. Taking advantage of my turmoil, the bandit broke free of the rope binding him and charged at me, brandishing a short knife! The instinct for survival and the surging rage instantly overwhelmed my fear and sorrow.

"Die!" I let out a low, inhuman growl, channeling all my water magic. The remaining moisture in the air and corners of the house converged wildly, forming a massive water sphere that completely enveloped the bandit's head and limbs. He struggled violently within the sphere, bubbles constantly bubbling from his mouth and nose, his face contorted with terror and pain. A few minutes later, the struggle ceased.

I stared blankly at the body floating in the water, a mix of emotions churning within me. This was my first time killing someone. There was no exhilaration I had imagined, only a cold, nauseating sense of utter exhaustion. A scalding tear uncontrollably slid from the corner of my eye and landed on the floor.

Ah...the people I cherish...are all...dead...

Fear, anger, sadness, despair... like a flood bursting its banks, surged from the deepest part of my heart, instantly overwhelming my reason. I felt like I was about to be torn to pieces by these extreme emotions.

Just then, an even louder commotion erupted outside, and the wooden house began to burn fiercely, sending waves of scorching heat crashing down. This house, which had held a brief moment of warmth, was about to be destroyed.

I wiped away my tears, my eyes turning cold and empty. I walked out of the still-burning house, my bare feet treading the scorching earth. The bandits outside, who were setting the fire, were first startled when they saw me, then revealed lewd smiles.

"Hey! There's still a naked little beauty who's not dead!"

"Brothers, grab her!"

Their foul language became a death warrant. Without hesitation, I raised my hand again. Water, the omnipresent water, became my sharpest blade. The water in the stream, the water in the air, even the water in their blood… under my precise control, it transformed into a deadly cage. One after another, the bandits who had just been swaggering around died painfully in the suffocating water sphere. I felt no pity; my mind was filled only with the warm smiles of that family of three and the scorched earth before me.

Revenge! This is the last thing I can do for them!

As the last bandit breathed his last amidst the bubbling sounds, the village fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the crackling of the burning flames. I stood there, covered in mud and blood, like a vengeful goddess returned from hell.

I used my magic to draw water and extinguish the still-spreading flames. Then, I began a painstaking search through the ruins. I carefully collected the remains of the villagers that I could find—whether intact or not—and carried them to the open space in the center of the village. And the remains of the three "family members" in that hut… I arranged them as neatly as possible.

I used magic to dig a deep pit and gently placed all the remains inside. Gradually, I covered it with soil, as if burying the nascent hope for humanity that had just begun to sprout within me.

"I'm sorry..." I knelt before the grave, my voice hoarse, "I couldn't save you..."

"But now, the great revenge has been taken..." I raised my head and looked at the ashes-filled sky. In my blue pupils, the pale blue heart symbol seemed to be stained with blood.

"Rest in peace."

The baptism of blood and fire made me fully realize that this seemingly dreamlike otherworld was far more cruel than I had imagined. Naïve and dependent people here would only lead to destruction. From now on, all I can rely on is this immortal body and this... newly stained magic.