๐ช ARC1: Imprinting of a Broken World
From the beginning, the world was not intact. ……The air was taut with silence. In the shadow of collapsed buildings, the wind rolled rubble along the ground. Clack, clack…… a dry sound echoed from somewhere strangely far away. It was the next moment. “—Someone’s down!!” The shout burst, and the stillness split open. Thud-thud-thud!! Footsteps piled on top of each other—someone running, someone dropping to their knees. Dust rose, and the view turned white. “Next, over here!” “Hurry—!!” Before I knew it, I was inside the swirl. I wasn’t special. Not the one giving orders, not the one making calls. Just one person who was meant to be there. “Magic, ready.” A short command. No reason. No explanation. And yet everyone there looked in the same direction in an instant. ……Of course. Because it was needed. That was all. A magic circle unfolded. The air warped, as if it had softened. —Gii……n. In the back of my ear, something rang like metal scraping, and the edge of...