A STORY JUST FOR ME

It had been seventeen days since you last saw blood bloom like petals on stone.

Since you watched two lovers fall into each other's arms, not for a kiss, but for an ending.

In the weeks that followed, the city settled.

Not into peace, but into routine. Something almost like safety.

You helped around the barracks where Corporal Mireya had taken you in.

They never officially said she adopted you…

But the way she made sure you were fed and the way she wordlessly fixed your scarf each morning made it feel that way.

You cleaned the comm units.

You folded uniforms.

You repaired a snapped drone wing using glue and half a spoon.

But today… you were on kitchen duty.

And that was a mistake.

"Hey, Eui," you said, holding a sealed jar with a red label. "What's this say? "

The little spirit puffed beside you like a judge inspecting a crime scene.

"It says… 'DO NOT OPEN: May attract fire-breathing rodents. Extremely volatile."

Your hand was already twisting the lid open.

"Wait! " Eui yelped. "That was upside down! IT ACTUALLY SAYS—"

But it was too late.

A scoop of mystery powder was dropped into the soup pot.

Instantly, smoke the color of magenta exploded from the pot like a spell gone wrong.

A nearby soldier choked.

The radio short-circuited.

And someone screamed, "WHO SPIKED THE STEW?! "

You stared, ladle still in hand.

"Wanderer…" Eui said solemnly, floating beside you like an executioner.

"You've committed culinary treason."

The ladle began to glow orange.

And then, quite casually, burst into flame.

Before you could react, footsteps approached from behind—sharp, controlled.

Corporal Mireya stood at the kitchen door, arms crossed, her expression unreadable.

You quickly stood at attention, holding the flaming ladle behind your back as if that might help.

She didn't speak at first.

She just let the silence roast you better than the soup ever could.

"…You are banned from kitchen duty for two weeks," she finally muttered.

You nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"And bury that ladle. Not washed. Bury."

She tossed something at you.

It was a scroll—an assignment order.

"Pack your bag. You're on my next mission team."

You blinked. "Wait, what? I—"

"No soup pots in the desert," she smirked. "You'll survive."

Later that night, while Eui floated in circles and sneakily ate your last marshmallow rations, you unrolled the mission file.

MISSION TYPE: Artifact Recovery / Ruin Stabilization

LOCATION: Sector D8 – The Hollow Ridge

DANGER LEVEL: Moderate-High

OBJECTIVE: Locate the source of seismic interference. Secure any lost relics.

ASSISTING TEAMS: Capital Patrol – Red Division

Your heart paused on the last line.

"Red Division…" Eui murmured, looking over your shoulder. "That's the General unit."

You stared at the paper, at the single name that shouldn't feel like a thread pulling tight in your chest.

You barely knew him.

He barely spoke.

But that day… the way he held you back. The way he whispered, "Don't look."

It stayed with you.

The Genarl would be there.

You closed the scroll and tied your satchel shut, eyes lingering on the scarf—Neris's scarf—now tied like a charm to its strap.

It fluttered slightly in the night wind.

"I'm still remembering," you whispered.

Eui nestled beside your cheek, warm and soft.

"And I'm still watching."

You fell asleep like that.

A wanderer with a burning ladle buried in the backyard.

A soft spirit for the company.

And a quiet mission that was about to become anything but.

Because far beyond the city,

beneath dunes of shattered glass and forgotten bones,

A new story was waiting to be heard.

And this time…

It wouldn't wait quietly.