Disconnected

Chapter 2: Untold Beginning (pt.2)

After equipping herself for her first journey in this strange world, Serein realized that something was floating at the periphery of her vision. It remained almost permanently stuck at the corner of her eyes, regardless of how many times she moved her head.

‘Eye floaters? Or maybe cataracts?’ she pondered, trying to steal a glance at it.

As Min Suhyun, she never had eye problems, although her vision was not the strongest. She had only ever heard about other people experiencing such issues. She wondered if, aside from Stiriacrus, this body also had other health problems when suddenly, out of the blue, a half-transparent screen appeared before her, causing her to jolt in surprise.

"What the...?" she barely hold back her exclamation.

Presented before her was a familiar sight—the desktop screen she recognized—but without the taskbar. Instead, three folders were lined up in the left corner, and something resembling a health bar adorned the top right corner.

One of those folders was named something she immediately recognized: "Fallen Grace." Inside were three documents—the first listed the characters used in the story, the second was the very draft she had been reading before blacking out as Min Suhyun, and lastly, an unnamed document that stood out by glowing.

‘It's almost as if I'm supposed to pay attention to it," she thought, comparing it to how items would glow in a game tutorial, guiding players through the magical land of fantasy. Except now, it was happening right before her, and Serein had zero idea how to make things work.

She stared at the glowing icon, half-wondering if others were able to see this absurdity as well. However, given that no one in the busy market reacted differently, it was likely a good sign that the answer was "no".

– Ping!

After hearing that quiet noise, the glowing document opened. Instead of writings, a video appeared before her.

〚Hwak! Boom!〛

The unfolding scene displayed a familiar face—Serein—engaged in a fierce spar with another person.

"Dark hair, dark eyes, and missing one finger on his left hand," Min Suhyun noted. It was Reynald Rowe, Serein's biological father.

〚– Slash!〛

No words were exchanged, only the clash of blades echoed through the air, resonating with the weight of a crucial test. 

〚"It was a moment Serein had to endure, a trial that would determine her father's approval."〛

The narration was done by the same mystical voice that had called her to wake up when she first arrived in this place. Min Suhyun couldn't spare a second to wonder who it might be as she felt the need to focus on the video before her. To avoid appearing suspicious, she went to a stall and pretended to choose a snack to buy, stopping in the middle of the road.

〚– Kwagagagang!〛

The sheer force of Reynald's strike sent shockwaves rippling across the training grounds, causing the very floor to crumble beneath them. Serein in the video swiftly distanced herself, and the debris of broken stones and gravel left their marks on her skin and clothes.

Min Suhyun watched the young Serein gasping for breath before leaping up, grasping onto a sturdy wooden beam just as her father swung his sword in a wide arc.

〚–Kaboom!〛

A cloud of dust enveloped the field, obscuring the vision on the training ground.

〚"The immense devastation wreaked by her father's attack. Disbelief mingled with her breath as cold sweat drenched her back. It was clear as day that Reynald had no regard for letting his only child go."〛

That being said, the young Serein didn't seem to break easily. In fact, contrasting her cold gaze, her movements were fiery. Drawing upon the momentum, Serein propelled herself forward, leveraging the speed of her descent to amplify the power behind her counterattack.

〚–Clang!〛

Right after that, the video turned black, and then some writings appeared on the screen.

〚Serein was having a hard time, but she eventually won against her father, who is a swordmaster and the head of the Mercenary Guild.〛

There was no voice narrating the words in the video. This part almost felt like a slideshow, in fact.

〚She had once again proved her worth and earned his trust on one condition...

"Serein must return when she turns 20."〛

After what sounded like a warning, the video shut down, the unnamed document stopped glowing, and the screen disappeared once more, returning to the mere 'dot' lingering at the corner of her vision.

‘I guess that's all the info I can get for now,’ Min Suhyun thought to herself, not really concerned with how absurd the situation would be if this were real life.

—But hey, Lucid dream can get as weird as it can be, right? why worry~?

"In any case..."

Given that "Serein" was a character she created as an extra, Min Suhyun never really delved deep into her background story. There were only some minor details mentioned in the draft since her father would actually be a bigger character in the story than the owner of this body herself.

‘Well, I guess doing nothing won't do me any good,’ Min Suhyun thought to herself as she paid for the snack she finally bought. Speaking of which, they were definitely overpriced.

"3 silvers for each snack bar? What a steal," she sarcastically mused. ‘Then again, I'm in the Kiraan Kingdom.’

The land of draught that was led by a tyrannical King. 

In the draft, the character Serein had told the protagonist, Arlia Whitlock, that she was heading to the Amaranth Kingdom after failing miserably at an escorting job in the Kiraan Kingdom, which also caused her to lose money.

Anyway, back to the topic of Serein's origin. Min Suhyun remembered some other details that she had written in the Character List folder.

‘The doctor told Reynald that his daughter's time might be limited to 5 years since the second stage. And he definitely wanted to be with her if it was indeed going to be her last moment. That's why Serein needs to return to her homeland before turning 20, whether she likes it or not.’

...However, what neither of them would know was the fact that Serein was fated to die earlier than that.

‘On the 12th day of the 3rd month in the 789th year of the Felix Calendar.’

That is when Serein meets her doom in the unforgiving sea, killed by a herd of sea monsters, just three days after meeting Arlia and his growing group.

"In less than a week."

For some odd reason, Min Suhyun—the soul currently residing in Serein—felt goosebumps all over her body, despite knowing that it would be just fine since it was merely a dream for her.

"Either way, I feel sorry for her."

Hence why she is now heading to Ervenyl Mountain after buying all the stuff she needed with her limited money. It is the only place where the Adelweirn Flower, the main ingredient for the medicine for Stiriacrus, would grow.