I reluctantly followed my mother out of the holding cell. The metal bars clanged shut behind us with a cold finality that made my shoulders tense. The guards — or whatever they were called in this world — stood at attention, their gazes cold and unforgiving as we passed. I recognized that look. I’d seen it often enough in my old life — knights assessing whether you were a threat or a problem they could ignore.


    We stepped through the heavy doors and into the bright chaos of downtown Tokyo. I squinted as the sun reflected off the sea of glass and steel surrounding us. Towering structures reached toward the sky, flashing strange glowing images that shifted and pulsed with unnatural light. Figures smiled down from the sides of buildings, their mouths moving, speaking soundless words. Magic? No… something else.


    My mother walked ahead without saying a word, her heels clicking sharply against the pavement. I hurried to keep up, trying not to stare at the strange images above. They flickered and shimmered unnaturally, as though made from illusion magic — but they weren’t spells. Some kind of… technology.


    In front of the Police Headquarters, her black metal beast awaited us. The monstrous thing sat low on the street, dark and predatory. It had no legs, just strange circular limbs beneath it, and yet it didn’t sink into the ground. I’d seen these metal beasts many times now, and I still couldn’t wrap my head around how they worked. They didn’t breathe. They didn’t have a pulse. Yet somehow, they lived.


    Mother opened the front compartment and slid inside without a word. I hesitated before climbing into the back. The door shut with a mechanical hiss, sealing me inside. The seats were soft and black, with a scent that reminded me faintly of polished leather armor.


    The beast growled to life beneath me, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through the floor. My mother gripped the circular control mechanism in front of her, guiding the beast onto the paved road. We slid smoothly into the flow of other metal beasts, all moving in perfect lines like soldiers in formation.


    I leaned against the window, watching the city pass. My eyes caught on the tall black figures stationed at every street corner — the golems. Towering constructs of metal and dark glass, their glowing blue eyes scanned the crowds. Unlike the guards in my old world, these golems didn’t carry swords or shields. Instead, strange black weapons were mounted on their arms — sleek, metallic rods that pulsed with arcane light.


    Magic guns. I’d watched them in action before watching an illusion with Shiba while we waited for my mom to pick me up. These golems could fire magic spells with perfect precision. I didn’t know how it worked — if they had mages trapped inside them or if they were simply artifacts animated by some complex magic. The fact that they could move and think made me uneasy. Artificial life — the idea felt too close to necromancy for comfort.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    My mother remained silent as we crossed a large intersection. Her gaze was fixed ahead, her jaw tight. I wondered if she was angry with me — for getting into trouble again. Or maybe she was just tired of dealing with me.


    A sharp sound split the air — a wailing screech that made my stomach clench. Red lights flared along the edges of the buildings, flashing rhythmically.


    “Civilians, please head to your nearest shelter. A wave of wyverns is heading our way. I repeat, all civilians please head to your nearest shelter.”


    Wyverns. My breath hitched.


    I pressed my hand to the window and squinted at the sky. There — just above the tallest tower — dark shapes cutting through the clouds. Long, leathery wings. Sinuous bodies with glinting scales.


    My heart hammered in my chest as the first wyverns swooped low over the city. Smaller than dragons but just as deadly, their venom could melt steel, and their claws could cut through plate armor. In my old life, killing a wyvern required a fully armed squad of knights.


    A screech cut through the air as a wyvern slammed into the side of a building. Glass shattered, raining down onto the street. A second wyvern dove toward the street, mouth open wide, flames building in its throat.


    The golems reacted instantly. Their arm-mounted weapons flared with blue light, and bolts of energy streaked through the sky. The nearest wyvern jerked mid-dive as a blast of magic struck it in the chest. It screamed and twisted, smoke trailing from its body.


    Another wyvern dove toward the street, talons outstretched. A golem fired — missed. The wyvern opened its mouth —


    A blur of movement.


    My mother was out of the car before I could react, standing in the middle of the street. She reached into her coat and pulled free a slender sword. The blade gleamed silver as a pale mist curled around it. The air itself seemed to chill in response.


    She held the sword low at her side, her gaze calm and focused. The wyvern roared and dove straight for her.


    Mother raised her sword, and a thin line of frost traced along the length of the blade. The wyvern’s mouth opened wide —


    She stepped to the side, swift as a shadow, and slashed upward. A burst of pale blue light shot from the blade, cutting across the wyvern’s chest. Ice formed instantly along the wound, spreading outward and encasing the creature''s body. The wyvern crashed to the ground, frozen solid.


    I stared, breathless.


    Another wyvern swooped down.


    Mother raised her hand. The air shimmered as a wall of ice erupted from the pavement, jagged and lethal. The wyvern smashed into it and tumbled sideways.


    “Stay in the car,” she said without looking back.


    I pushed open the door. My legs hit the pavement before I even realized I’d moved.


    “What are you doing?” I shouted.


    Mother glanced over her shoulder, eyes sharp. “You can’t handle this, Noriko.”


    I clenched my fists. “Try me.”


    She turned fully toward me then. The silver mist from her sword swirled around her feet. “You don’t know the dangers yet.”


    “I know how to kill a wyvern,” I shot back.


    A shadow passed over us — another wyvern circling above. My gaze tracked it automatically. My muscles tensed. My body still remembered the rhythm of battle.


    Mother’s gaze narrowed.


    “I suppose there’s no stopping you,” she said. Her tone was calm, but I didn’t miss the faint edge of disapproval in her voice.


    Another wyvern dived toward the street.


    I reached into my coat, fingers brushing the hilt of the short sword strapped to my side — a training sword from one of the high school’s I attended.


    “Stay close,” Mother said as her blade flashed. “And try not to get yourself killed.”


    A wicked smile curled at the edges of my mouth.


    “Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve killed worse.”