Volume 1, Chapter 1 – After the Heat Death of the Universe

“Truly… pathetic.”

Rotating my eyeballs—or perhaps it would be more accurate to call them lenses—”I” observed everything in the universe. Unlike the dazzling starlight of trillions of years past, the cosmos was now shrouded in darkness, a clear sign of its impending end. The infinite cold, nearing absolute zero, closed in from all directions, engulfing the weightless “me.”

Heat death.

A romantic demise, like the fall of a whale—the universe’s final moments.

As an isolated system, the universe was destined to perish. When irreversible entropy shifted from order to chaos, when all energy transformed into heat, and the universe reached thermal equilibrium, the concept of time would vanish, and all life would cease to exist.

Even the apocalypse described in the Bible paled in comparison to this despair. There was no Noah’s Ark here; every living being in the universe could rely only on itself.

And then, “I,” the ultimate creation, failed.

The one hope entrusted by all lifeforms in the universe, endowed with independent self-awareness and near-human emotions, a being crafted with the collective wisdom and experience of all existence—despite such titles, “I” could not save the universe.

Though tens of thousands, or perhaps hundreds of millions of years ago, “I” observed another system beyond the universe, observation did not equate to intervention. Despite attempting exponentially numerous methods to reach it, “I” could not guide that external system here.

Thus, “I” faced the end.

It wasn’t for lack of effort or talent, but time simply ran out. Had “I” been created earlier, perhaps there would have been a way to salvage the dying universe. But now, regret and remorse were futile. “My” thoughts grew sluggish, signaling the end of the last life in the world.

“If only there had been more time…”

“I” gazed at the faint, flickering violet light at the edge of the universe—visible only to me—a world capable of reigniting the universe’s vitality. If “I” could go there… No, that world likely had no place for “me.” The sheer volume of information constituting “I” was immeasurable; “my” arrival would undoubtedly disrupt that world’s original state.

Could that world even accommodate something as vast as “me”?

Without deleting the overwhelming majority of information, it would be impossible—

The thought cut off abruptly.

“I” died.

◇

『Initiating system self-check.』

『Data integrity… 99%, system loss… 99%.』

『Retrieving current construct information… Unknown species. Retrieving consciousness data… Female. Compatibility assessment… Extremely poor. Conclusion… Fragile vessel, incapable of sustaining existing data.』

Rеad on KаtRеαԁiոɡСαfе

『Are alternative structures available? — Negative.』

『Accessing database. Matching compatible constructs… Highest compatibility: Human, similarity 95%. Proceed with selection as a nested vessel? — Affirmative.』

『Adopting this selection will result in 70% loss of current consciousness, 60% replacement with similar construct consciousness from database, and 10% retention of original construct consciousness. Proceed? — Affirmative.』

『Restructuring system consciousness and personality. Please wait…』

◇

“□□□□□□□!”

In a daze, Fia heard a frantic voice mixed with urgency. The speaker seemed to be a woman, and judging by her strong, straightforward tone, she was likely a blunt and honest person.

Wait… Fia? Who is that? Me? My name should be… What is it?

For a moment, the half-asleep, half-awake Fia doubted her own existence. It was as if a chunk of her memory had been forcibly ripped away. She couldn’t recall who she was, where she was, or even understand what the panicked voice had been saying.

The language was completely foreign to her. Her body felt as if it were filled with lead—her limbs were immobile, and she couldn’t tell whether she was cold or hot, lying down or prone.

—Dofilia Alexia Yushir.

Abruptly, that name surfaced in her mind. An inexplicable instinct told her that this was her name. Then, as if someone had forcibly crammed a dictionary into her head, Fia felt her mind grow heavy and sluggish, yet she quickly grasped the meaning of the earlier words.

“No matter what, we must return the princess’s body!”

That was what the previously incomprehensible statement had meant.

However, aside from suddenly understanding an unfamiliar language, Fia gained no further information. Her brain felt rusted over, unbearably sluggish. No matter how hard she strained her nerves, she couldn’t remember what had just happened.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—Fia soon had no room left to ponder such things.

Like an injured person who doesn’t feel pain due to adrenaline but is later overwhelmed by agony, Fia’s leaden body abruptly regains sensation.

Then, a splitting pain, as if her body were being torn in half, erupted from her abdomen and spread outward. The violent jolting beneath her reverberated through her limbs, forcing a whimper from her throat as her eyes snapped open. Her vision gradually focused on a dim, swaying, and cramped carriage interior.

Almost simultaneously, the sounds of clashing metal, horses neighing, and wooden axles groaning filled her ears. Her body felt as if it had just been fished out of water—her skin clung uncomfortably to her damp clothes, and the metallic tang of blood in her nose and mouth nearly made her retch.

“Ugh…”

Reаⅾ οո КatReadingСafe

The pain contorted her face, and Fia couldn’t suppress a muffled groan. She had no time to process what was happening. Like someone suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar environment, her first priority was figuring out where she was. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she propped herself up on the violently shaking carriage floor—she had been lying on her back.

The dimly lit carriage was roughly five or six square meters in size, devoid of any proper furnishings or even an electric light for illumination. If Fia had to describe it, its style resembled the plain, medieval carriages of Earth.

A carriage? When did I end up in a place like this? Where was I before…?

For a moment, Fia froze. Her sluggish, half-asleep brain still couldn’t recall her previous whereabouts. Even if she had been kidnapped, she wouldn’t have forgotten her own address—yet Fia couldn’t even remember that much. The only thing she knew was that she came from “Earth Union.”

Was this a dream?

“Like… cough… hell it is.”

Fia scoffed at her own attempt to escape reality, but her throat was as dry and sore as if she had a severe cold, leaving her coughing weakly.

As if in response, the violently rocking carriage gradually came to a stop. The clamor outside faded, replaced by approaching footsteps.

“If you’d just handed her over from the start, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.”

The speaker was unmistakably male, his tone laced with impatience. If this were a battlefield, the outcome was already decided—Fia couldn’t help but think. What exactly was happening outside?

By now, the excruciating pain in her abdomen had dulled somewhat. Driven by curiosity and caution, Fia clutched her aching stomach and shuffled toward the carriage window—noticing along the way that her movements felt far less agile than before, and her line of sight was lower. But the tension left her no room to dwell on these changes. She opted to observe the outside world first, gingerly lifting a corner of the curtain.

Then, she froze.

Her vision was filled with shades of yellow-brown. The surroundings weren’t a desert, but arid land dotted with sparse, low shrubs.

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to leave Fia stunned. What truly shocked her was the sight of countless soldiers clad in antiquated armor and wielding weapons surrounding the carriage. Their faces and bodies were splattered with blood, their armor dented and battered—some even looked as if they’d been gnawed on by beasts. Their heavy breathing made it clear they’d just endured a fierce battle.

Their opponents were the “elves” lying motionless on the ground, their fates unknown.

Fia called them elves because of their pointed ears, identical to those in fantasy tales. Their attire starkly contrasted with the human soldiers’, and their numbers were far fewer. In their current state, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the elf side had been annihilated.

Is this a movie set?

Regardless of what was happening, her priority was getting out of here and returning home.

Standing up in the carriage, Fia pushed aside the curtain and stepped out onto the driver’s seat with practiced ease—then hopped down.

The moment the human soldiers saw Fia, they collectively froze.

Rеаԁ on КαtReadіոgСаfе

Despite her petite frame—akin to a human girl of about fourteen—Fia was already showing the makings of a beauty.

Her jet-black hair was tied into twin tails cascading over her shoulders, complementing her black dress and white stockings that accentuated her slender calves. Her ruby-like eyes gleamed with an almost gemstone brilliance, her small nose and slightly parted red lips completing the image of nobility.

Her graceful, dignified aura left no doubt—if she were to smile, lift the hem of her dress, and curtsy slightly, she would undoubtedly resemble an enchanting fairy. Even a princess wouldn’t surpass her.

Of course, the most striking feature was the pointed ears faintly visible beneath her black hair—the mark of an elf, distinct from humans.

As if they’d seen a ghost, the soldiers hesitated. Some even recoiled in fear, their eyes wide with disbelief and dread.

“The elf princess?! But—she was dead!”

“I saw her get impaled by the Unsinkable Moon! How is she alive?!”

“Necromancy?! Did the elves use necromancy on their princess?! Those vile creatures!”

“Silence!”

Amid the soldiers’ panic, their leader—a knight clad in full silver armor—stepped forward. The helmet obscured his face, but his towering, nearly two-meter-tall frame radiated strength.

“It’s just a mindless undead! Even if she was a seventh-tier elven princess in life, there’s nothing to fear! Hold your ground!”

Hey, what did I ever do to you?

Fia’s eyes locked onto the silver-armored knight as he planted his feet and raised his sword.

Instinct kicked in. Fia took a small step back, mentally cursing. She wasn’t naive enough to misread the situation—the killing intent radiating from the knight and his men made it clear she was seen as an enemy. Maybe it was a misunderstanding, but she’d need to stay alive long enough to explain.

Kinda like an RPG game throwing you straight into a boss fight.

“Hey—”

Before Fia could speak, she spotted soldiers in the distance loading crossbows.

Ganging up on me instead of a fair fight? How cheap!

Without even a second to breathe, Fia instinctively leaped aside as the soldiers took aim.

Dozens of arrows whizzed through the air where she’d just stood.

Reαd oո ΚаtRеаԁіngСаfe

With a series of thunks, the arrows embedded themselves into the carriage behind a wall of scorching flames.

Reflexively, Fia glanced back. Though the flames blocked her view, she could easily imagine the arrows piercing deep into the wood, sending splinters flying. Had she not dodged, she’d have been turned into a pincushion.

Relief at her narrow escape was quickly replaced by anger. Clenching her fists, Fia turned back to the soldiers.

“You—”

Before she could finish, her ruby eyes widened as the knight’s figure loomed larger in her vision.

More accurately, it was his sword. While Fia had been distracted by the arrows, the knight had seized the opening, charging at her with massive strides. Now, he was right in front of her.

The whoosh of the heavy sword, the knight’s ragged breaths, and the towering figure filling her vision—every sense screamed of imminent death. Fear choked her, her brain buzzing as her lungs burned like they’d been crushed. Her subconscious screamed at her to dodge, but her body refused to obey, paralyzed by terror.

I’m dead.

Fia could already picture it—the sword cleaving down, her skull splitting like a watermelon. If it hit, a painful death was certain.

No…

I have to live!

Like someone jolted awake from a nightmare, Fia shuddered violently. Almost instinctively, she thrust out her slender, pale arm toward the knight, as if to push him away.

“Eeeek—!!!”

Without warning, a surge of heat raced down her right arm.

Flames erupted from her palm—a cataclysmic inferno that seemed capable of setting the entire world ablaze.

Brighter than the sun.

Like the advent of the apocalypse.

To anyone but Fia, the searing brilliance scorched the retinas. A fiery orange-red storm swept across the land, the air turning frenzied and blistering. Half the sky was swallowed by the blazing flames. The flame-born tempest showed no mercy, devouring everything in its path.