NOVPUBThat night, Fifi couldn't sleep well.
She curled under the soft blanket in Fiona's room, hugging her pillow tightly.
But no matter how soft the bed was, no matter how warm the light was… the pain still came.
Not in her body, but in her memories.
She dreamed of the cold water tube again.
The wires in her arms.
The voices shouting commands.
The feeling of not being human.
Not being real.
Just… something made.
She flinched in her sleep. Her paws clenched tight.
She wanted it to stop.
She just wanted peace.
Morning came slowly.
The soft sound of light waking up the room gently filled the air.
Fiona was still asleep on her bed nearby, snoring softly with a blanket half on her face.
Fifi sat up, her hair messy, her ears flat.
But her eyes were different now.
She was tired.
But also ready.
She stood up quietly, tiptoed to the mirror, and looked at herself.
"…I don't want to be broken anymore," she whispered.
She turned toward the wall panel and tapped it softly like she had seen Fiona do.
"Liline?"
A few seconds later, Liline appeared from the wall in her glowing, calm form.
"Yes, Miss Fifi?"
Fifi took a deep breath.
"Can I… talk to Lord Lucius?"
Liline smiled gently.
"He's expecting you."
A little later, in the same room as before, Lucius stood waiting.
He looked up as Fifi walked in alone, her small hands clenched at her sides.
"You came," he said.
Fifi nodded.
"I… I thought about it."
Lucius said nothing, waiting.
Fifi looked at the floor.
"I had nightmares."
"I felt all the pain again."
"The wires. The voices."
"The fear."
She looked up at him.
"I don't want to feel it anymore."
Lucius stepped forward slightly.
"Then say it clearly."
Fifi took a deep breath.
"I want to do the contract."
"I want to be part of Luxoria."
"I want to… be fixed."
Lucius smiled softly.
"Good."
"You made the choice yourself."
Fifi nodded again.
"No one pushed me."
"I want to be better."
Lucius raised his hand.
"Then come here."
"It's time to begin."
---
Fifi gasped.
Her eyes shot open.
She sat up fast, breathing hard.
Her body felt heavy. Her chest ached. Her limbs shook.
"W-What…?"
She looked around.
The sky was red. The ground cracked and scorched.
Everything smelled like smoke and metal.
"…What place is this?"
Suddenly—BOOM!
An explosion echoed in the distance.
Fifi flinched and covered her ears.
Then she saw it.
A large mutated beast—half metal, half flesh—charging across a destroyed street.
It slammed into something behind a broken wall. Screams followed.
Fifi crawled backward, shaking.
"W-What the hell is going on?!"
Then she saw that more beasts appeared.
Flying ones. Crawling ones. Some had glowing cores.
Others shot out sparks or acid.
Fifi stood up, her legs wobbling.
"No… no, no, no. I don't want this!"
She turned and ran.
But the land stretched forever.
Burnt buildings, fallen weapons, craters.
Everywhere she looked, there was only war.
No Fiona.
No Lucius.
No Liline.
She wasn't in Luxoria anymore.
She fell behind a crumbled wall, panting.
Suddenly, one of the mutated beasts turned toward her.
It charged.
She screamed.
And then it hit her.
Darkness.
---
She woke again.
Same place.
Same sky.
Same burning smell.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I died…"
"But I'm here again?!"
She tried to move—but another explosion hit nearby.
This time she didn't run.
She clenched her fists and growled.
"I don't want to die again!"
Her feet sparked with electricity. Her body charged with unstable power.
As another beast leapt at her—
She released it.
BOOM!
A shockwave of thunder knocked the beast back.
But her body trembled.
It was too much.
And again—
Another one came. Too fast. Too strong.
She was slammed into rubble.
And everything turned black.
---
Again… she opened her eyes.
Same red sky.
Same battlefield.
Same death.
"…Why?"
"Why do I keep waking up?"
No system.
No explanation.
Just pain.
Just war.
But this time—
Fifi stood up slowly.
Wiped her tears.
And clenched her tiny fists.
"…Then I'll keep fighting."
"Until I understand why."
And the thunder in her heart sparked again.
---
Fifi stood there, her feet sparking on the broken ground.
Smoke filled the air.
The thunder in her chest beat louder—steady, not wild. For once, it didn't hurt.
She looked at her hands.
They were still paw-shaped… but something was different.
The blue glow in her fingers was stronger, more focused.
"I… don't feel it."
She blinked.
"The pain. The experiment pain… it's gone."
She clenched her fists.
"Why?"
Her ears twitched as a roar echoed nearby.
A huge mutated beast came charging toward her.
It was like a gorilla, but its back was covered in sharp black pipes, and its eyes were glowing red.
Fifi didn't run.
She didn't panic.
Instead… she stepped forward.
"Let's try this."
She raised her hand.
"Bunny… Bolt!"
A flash of lightning burst from her palm.
BOOM!
The bolt hit the beast straight in the chest, blasting it backward into rubble.
Fifi gasped.
"I… I did it?"
But then—another one came from the side.
She jumped high—higher than she ever had before.
Mid-air, her body twisted, and her feet sparked.
She slammed down with full force.
ZAP!
"Whoa!"
She landed safely and looked back.
The beast was stunned, twitching on the ground.
She took a step back and panted.
"…What's going on?"
"I can fight now. I don't feel scared. I don't feel broken…"
Another beast—this time a flying one—swooped toward her.
She flicked her finger.
"Static Veil!"
A wave of low sparks burst around her.
The flying beast hit the field and dropped, stunned before it hit the ground.
Fifi blinked again.
"These are… new abilities."
She looked at her arms, then her legs.
She felt faster.
Stronger.
But her eyes showed sadness.
"…Why?"
"Why am I here?"
She looked around at the endless battlefield. Fire. Screams. Smoke. Dust.
"Am I… dreaming?"
She placed a hand on her chest.
"No…"
"This feels real."
Another explosion in the distance made her flinch.
But this time, she stood her ground.
"I don't know why I'm here."
"But if I can fight…"
She turned and faced the next wave of beasts.
"Then I will."
"I won't die again."
She crouched low.
Her sparks charged up.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
And then she leapt back into battle.
