The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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The world is burning.

In the eyes of young Daphne, it felt that way. The cars stranded on the road were being destroyed, trampled, and torn apart without exception.

– *Grrr!*

A pack of Skullcats was chasing terrified people down the road. In between, Pelinots dashed around, flailing their arms like mad cats, tearing victims apart. Growlers used their bulk to rip vehicles apart like paper, abusing the hidden survivors. Large, spider-like monsters the size of buildings walked around shooting beams and setting the road ablaze.

“Get the kids! Hurry!”

As the beast’s cries grew closer, Dad entrusted the two sisters to Mom. Before long, the growling sound was heard, and male shouts and screams echoed, getting drowned out in the chaos.

The roars of the monsters kept getting closer. The scream of a cat-like creature approached, and as Mom hurriedly took care of her children and fled, she was knocked over by something that fell from the sky.

“…Daphne! Run! Laurel, you too! Quickly!”

“…Mom!”

Leaving the woman’s screams behind, the sisters ran. Tears streamed down their faces. Was it out of fear? Or the horror of possibly never seeing their parents again? In the midst of the chaos, Daphne ran on without realizing she was tiring.

“…Huff..! O-older sister! Huh! Huh!”

Laurel had a seizure and fell. Her weak lungs couldn’t handle the sudden exertion. Daphne, who was pacing back and forth, pulled her sister and hid behind a truck.

“Huh..Huh! Sister! Huuuh! Huh…”

She finally managed to calm down Laurel, who was struggling to breathe.

I’m scared. Please. Someone save me.

The Grace sisters clung to each other, trembling.

The growls of the nasty monsters got closer, and then the sound of something flapping loudly was heard from the sky.

Looking up, helicopters flew over the road. People jumped out into the hell of smoke that was rising. A little later, the sounds made by the monsters diminished sharply. Young Daphne realized they were hunters.

“Sister?”

“We’re alive…!”

As they came out from behind the truck, they saw all the monsters had turned into corpses.

In a moment of relief, a massive yellow beam shot through the air and incinerated the vehicles. An explosion occurred, and the sisters fell in shock. Daphne felt a slight sting. Something hot was oozing from her forehead.

“What’s happening…?”

A spider-like monster the size of a house was charging at them. The monster was fleeing from the hunters.

The problem was that the Grace sisters were in the path of the escaping monster.

The spider-like monster, thrashing around in pain, swung its legs in every direction. It failed to get rid of its enemies, but the stalled cars rolled or soared into the sky. One of them came rolling towards the sisters.

It was too late to avoid it.

Young Daphne learned for the first time that when a person is in danger of death, the world seems to slow down. Her body felt stiff and immovable as if turned to stone.

Then, her body leaned sideways. For some reason, against her will, she was thrust outwards.

“Wha?”

From somewhere, a surprising force pushed her frail younger sister, who fell down while pushing her with both hands. Daphne barely managed to escape the trajectory of the rolling vehicle.

And then, Laurel disappeared from her sight along with the car.

Current Daphne watching that scene just wanted to close her eyes.

The nightmare wouldn’t allow that.

***

The silver-haired girl ran, blood streaming from her forehead, tears streaming down her face. She gasped as she followed the direction the car had taken with her sister, on the road littered with stalled vehicles.

“Ugh!”

Caught by a feeling around her ankle, she tumbled to the ground. An injured person who crawled out from under a car grabbed her ankle. It was a desperate grasp for survival.

“Sa…Save me…”

“No! Let go! Let go!”

The blood-soaked injured person looked no different from a monster to her. I need to save my sister. Please let go.

Just as she desperately tried to pry off the man’s hand, a pale green light burst forth from Daphne’s body. A translucent barrier formed and vanished between her and the man’s grasp. His hand was knocked away.

“Ugh? O-Oh…”

That wasn’t all that was surprising. The man, now illuminated by the green glow from Daphne’s hand, unknowingly fell into a peaceful sleep. The numerous wounds on his body vanished.

For reasons she didn’t understand, this was an opportunity. Daphne stood and moved forward.

Nearby, Laurel lay next to a vehicle. Her body was drenched in blood, and her eyes were closed. Most importantly, she wasn’t breathing.

“Help! Is anyone there?”

Panicked, Daphne called out desperately, but no one answered. While mournfully pleading for rescue, she suddenly felt something strange and touched her forehead.

The wound was gone. The bleeding had stopped, and the pain was gone.

Memories of earlier flooded back. The green light emerging from her body. She recalled the lessons learned at school.

Could this possibly be awakening?

It wasn’t too difficult for an elementary school student to deduce her situation from a few causal connections and basic knowledge. With a desperate heart, Daphne prayed to God.

“Please! Help me! Let the light shine!”

The light emanating from my body is surely the power of an Awakened One. If it healed my wounds, perhaps I could heal my sister!

As she prayed desperately, a pale green light shone from her hands. Charged with feelings of expectation and hope, she fervently stroked Laurel’s body.

Nothing happened.

Hope crumbled.

“Wha…? Why? Why?”

Daphne, recalling this entire process, wanted to cry as she watched her past self stroke her sister gently with trembling hands.

“No? Could it be that it only applies to me? My wounds healed, so Laurel should too…”

On the first day of awakening, she learned a painful lesson.

She learned it.

Her unique ability, named by an elderly witch who was her former mentor, was [The Blessing of Blue Peace].

“Ugh…Huh…”

That one cannot heal the dead.

In the midst of a great catastrophe, the girl wept while holding her sister’s corpse. She couldn’t stop the outpouring of regret.

Laurel, wake up. We said we’d go to the amusement park.

I’m sorry for saying such bad things. I really didn’t mean it! Believe me. I didn’t mean it. Please. So, wake up.

I won’t complain when you whine every night.

You can throw a tantrum. I won’t be angry anymore. I’ll just give you my doll.

Please, please.

But there was no one to hear the girl’s confession.

***

Daphne’s nightmare typically ended at that point.

Crying while holding her sister, darkness surrounded her, and she would wake from her bed with a heavy heart. Although such occurrences had become rare recently, they used to be a familiar pattern that haunted her nights years ago.

Yet the dream continued.

‘Why doesn’t it end?’

Daphne pondered, but since there was nothing she could do, she merely watched. The scenes before her eyes continued on.

Time flowed coldly like a majestic river. Many days had passed since the Year of the Tragedy.

The incident of that day was quickly forgotten. It was something worth sympathy on Daphne’s part, but in harsh reality, it was merely a common occurrence happening in real-time across all continents, including Rustroom.

The qualitative value of tragedy is inversely proportional to its quantity. The more there are, the more people become numb. With children losing their parents to monsters in abundance, Daphne couldn’t remain forever as the protagonist of tragedy.

Fortunately, the relatives who took her in were strict but generous. While recovering from her scars and moving on, she had the good fortune of receiving nearly free lessons from a retired old man about the powers of Awakened Ones.

– Always remember to show respect to others and never forget to honor them. Your words define your dignity and worth. Do you understand?

– Yes, teacher.

While the scars in her heart wouldn’t vanish, over time, a matured resolve filled the space created by the pain.

Daphne vowed.

“I will surely help people with my abilities.”

She decided that no one else should be hurt. She didn’t want to see tragedies repeat themselves anymore.

Having set her direction, all that was left was to move forward. She diligently studied to prepare for the Awakener Academy entrance exam.

Her goal was Polaris Comprehensive Academy.

It was an academy boasting a long tradition and strict ethos. Other good academies could have been options for her abilities, but for some reason, her intuition felt right about heading there.

Then she passed the exam, entering the academy with high-ranking grades. Thanks to scholarship support, her burden of student loans was somewhat alleviated.

A week before the entrance ceremony, she was unpacking in the dormitory when the door suddenly burst open.

In a moment of contemplation, Daphne was surprised.

‘This is… the time I first met Violet?’

A blonde girl with an innocent face entered. Her ruby-red eyes were striking.

Her roommate, Violet.

“Hello?”

Violet was startled upon seeing her face.

“Wow… You’re pretty…!”

The past Daphne became flustered, not knowing how to respond, feeling shy.

Time flowed again as it approached the entrance ceremony.