Awakening of the Forgotten Mind

As they ran through the narrow alleys, doubt gnawed at them all—but for different reasons.

Adrian and Alaric stole cautious glances at Seraphina, uncertain about the sudden shift in events. Why wasn't she saying anything? Lucian's orders were absolute, but shouldn't she have resisted more?

Luke's face darkened. Why didn't she fight back? He knew she wasn't strong, but this was Lucian. Her closest friend. Her brother in all but blood. Yet she hadn't even flinched when told to run. The realization sat like a rock in his chest, heavy and painful.

Rose, on the other hand, was furious. Not at Seraphina—at herself. Her fists clenched as she ran. If she had been stronger, if she had been useful, Lucian wouldn't have had to stay behind alone.

Ralph ran beside his sister, his small hand clutching hers tightly, but his heart was drowning in confusion. His sister, who always laughed and argued with Lucian, who always worried about him and the others, looked… empty. Her dark eyes were distant, void of emotion. It scared him.

Among them, Jonny was the first to notice.

His sharp eyes flickered toward Seraphina, his analytical mind working overtime. Something was wrong. He activated his skill, trying to read her—but it was like staring into a void. A blank slate. An unbreakable wall.

"This isn't right."

Yet Seraphina herself was completely unaware. She wasn't in control of her own body.

She drifted forward with the group, her mind drowning in a flood of memories.

A tidal wave of images rushed into her—too fast, too strong. Past and present blurred together, merging into one. She remembered.

She saw herself as a child, happy and carefree. She saw her parents, their warm smiles as they held her and Ralph close.

She had once been just a normal child.

Naïve. Clumsy. Carefree.

She fought with other kids. She scraped her knees. She cried when she got scolded. She laughed—a lot.

But then…

That night came.

The night her parents were murdered.

Her mother's desperate voice echoed in her mind—her final command.

"Run."

"Take Ralph and run."

"Use your ability. Protect him—no matter what."

Terror swallowed her small body as she clutched her baby brother and ran.

They chased her. The men who slaughtered her parents.

They would have caught her, but she used it.

Her power.

Mind Control.

She bent their will, manipulated their minds—made them think they had already killed her.

And it worked.

But the exhaustion afterward had nearly crushed her. She had barely remained conscious when she stumbled into Lucian—and that was when their story together began.

But then—

A hidden truth surfaced.

Lucian had never been the one truly protecting them.

It had been her.

She had controlled the Pig Boss. She had twisted his mind, forced him into an endless loop—whenever he heard about the slum kids, he would ignore them. He would forget.

Every. Single. Time.

Lucian had fought off independent threats, those who didn't listen to the Pig Boss. He had defended them from outside dangers, from those who didn't fall under her ability.

But the main threat?

It had been her doing all along.

And now—now that her ability had broken…

The Pig Boss remembered.

Seraphina's eyes snapped open.

This time, they were clear.

There was no hesitation. No fear.

For the first time in years, she truly understood herself.

And it changed everything.

She stopped running.

"Stop."

Her voice was strong, unshaken.

The group skidded to a halt, whipping around to face her.

Seraphina's gaze was sharp, calculating. Her posture, her expression—everything about her was different.

Luke narrowed his eyes. Something was off. His gut screamed at him, but he couldn't put it into words.

"Don't go this way," she ordered, turning to Rose. "Take them to the Merchant Guild."

Before anyone could argue, she pulled out a hidden card and pressed it into Rose's hands.

"Use as much money as you need. Find Chloe. Settle there."

Rose's brows furrowed. "Seraphina, what the hell are you—"

"Go. Now."

Her tone was absolute.

Luke hated it.

Hated how she looked at them with those unreadable eyes. Hated how different she felt.

His usually squinted eyes opened fully as he stepped forward, mouth parting as if to say something—anything.

But before he could, Seraphina's eyes flashed.

"Leave here at once and go to the Merchant Guild."

A strange force rippled through them.

Their bodies moved on their own.

Eyes wide, panic flooding them, they couldn't stop themselves.

No matter how much they tried to resist, their feet carried them away.

Seraphina watched them go.

Then—she turned back.

The alley was drenched in darkness.

Her small frame walked forward, but she no longer felt like a child.

There was no hesitation in her steps.

The cold glint in her eyes mirrored the woman she had once been.

The one feared in her past life.

The "monster" who had been called a workaholic machine.

She didn't run away from battles.

She ended them.

And this time would be no different.