“Is it me, or is my imagination running wild

for whatever things I think you would do here?”

A whisper runs through her head as she suffocates over the

classroom she attends. Barely escaping from the sight of her classmate, she

steps foot on this isolated space, a rooftop of a five-level building.

"What are you doing by speaking through my head?!"

The girl raises her brows while expressing irritation over

an inner voice that has bugged her life for three years. She had no intention

of starting this conversation while trying to free herself from this stressful

day.

“I'm hungry—"

She barely held her anger after hearing her inner self's words

'hungry.' She throws a jab upward, hitting over nothing but the empty air. Her

expression elicits nothing but uncontrollable rage.

Somehow, her motion paused as she reminded herself of how

stupid to fall over a simple taunting with fewer words from her alter ego.

"You've been invading my body for three years. When are

you going to leave me alone?!" The girl inquired, distasted with the presence

of her alter ego.

“How often should I remind you that I cannot

leave your body? You are the one who awakened me in that stupid ritual. Now you

want to ditch me because I do not come to your liking?”

"I didn't conjure up a demon to creep over my body.

Even if I do…."

“Shush! I am you, and you are me. We are one

from the beginning. You should accept that fact and the fate of ruling over

this NEW WORLD.”

The girl stammered after hearing the last sentences stated

by her alter ego. Her eyes blinked for a few, confused while she stared at the

visible city under a bright sun this late morning, where the sun had almost

reached its peak.

It was a large city with no visible end of the line on this

city border. Her mind ran wild, thinking about how the world was supposed to

have changed. How do humans live before gods and demons come into their presence?

“Here we go again with your stupidity. Welcome

to the NEW WORLD, created after the worldwide salvation the Creator of Life

brought forth. It was the world your parent had made just for you and me, the

next generation of immortal beings.”

"Don't simply assume everything on your own! You don't

know my parent yet; who was this Creator of Life?!"

“Have you ever wondered why those pesky humans refer

to themselves as neo-humans? It is the new world your parents and other gods

created after narrowly escaping the world's apocalypse. Since we were born

after the world rebooted, I can't blame you. Mortals once believed that gods

existed. But, over time, this belief faded, leaving humans with nothing but

greed and selfishness, which drew the wrath of the creator who created this chaos.”

"You've already told me this same story a dozen times.

What is human, and what is neo-human?! What distinguishes us from them?!" She

expressed her displeasure in a protesting tone.

“These humans not only did not thank us for

saving them from extinction. Yet, they disapproved of our existence after the

apocalypse. Thanks to our brilliant uncle, a neo-human was born during the reboot

of this world. Neo-humans not only acquired the strength which rivaled a god, yet

they have the abilities that surpassed the evolution of feeble mankind since

millennia ago.”

"Is this the cause of this so-called Creator of Life

trying to eliminate our origin? To protect this neo-human from a demon like

you?"

“Wrong! I don’t understand how a prodigy like

you could come out with this stupid resolution! I think you should change your title

from prodigy to imbecile.”

"You know there is a way to kill you. I assume that

you are well aware of that too, right?"

“Hmm—I doubt you will do that. Anyway, I will

stack up some information for my silly sister, who knows nothing about our

previous world. Listen. This world has consisted of three dimensions since the first-day

humans existed on this planet. But due to the lack of necessity of being

materialized as humans do, we stayed in our domains, living our life bound by

the laws made by the Creator of Life.”

"Since we can't materialize ourselves, why is this

creator so bothered to find a way to eliminate us along with these humans?"

“As I said before, humans once had faith in us

but simultaneously feared and were tempted by the demon provocation. Over time,

humans left their faith behind as the new generation replaced the older. After

they pitched their belief in mythology and religion in pursuit of so-called

advanced technology, it wasn't any big deal if they kept their conscience while

advancing in this revolution. Still, their action was far too extreme in

damaging the world's gift, resulting in countless conflicts of war, diseases

out of control, and global warming that came sooner than we expected.”

"Still, I can't find fault within ourselves for this

matter. It was human wrongdoings…."

“I see you enjoy interrupting whenever I try so

hard to explain the fact to you. Would you just—"

The inner voice detected someone headed straight in their

direction through the stairwell that connects the door to the rooftop. She had

paused her sentences. Sensing a familiarity with someone both had known since

childhood, the inner voice abruptly hid its presence, cliffhanging the

explanation and disappearing into the shallow darkness within the girl's soul.

More than twenty years since

the reboot of the world’s salvation. Humans begin to call themselves neo-human,

a new breed that has acquired god's strength, a power that had unrivaled both

god and demon in the past.

Civilization grows as they

start to reassemble the world from scratch. Within these twenty years, the

world begins to re-enter contemporary society.

The knowledge of world history

had nearly wiped out along with salvation. All of history's records were on the

verge of depletion, but humanity discovered they had yet to struggle before the

current world.

There is no conflict, nor does war

happen during this NEW WORLD era. Humans carefully take all the hard lessons they

have learned in the past and manage to rebuild the lost civilization due to the

sudden catastrophe that hit on earth.

Historical education, vast

knowledge of medication, and futuristic technology begin to resurface in

society. Neo-humans stick to one principle; not to kill, and conserving peace

always becomes their top priority.

"Skipping class

again?"

A girl's voice that suddenly

breaks the stillness of a windy day on the same rooftop where another girl and

the alter ego’s conversation took place. Their debate temporarily ceased when

this young girl who had suddenly appeared behind the stairway suddenly entered

the rooftop.

On this breezy day with a

crystal-clear, blazing hot sun. On the rooftop, we could see two girls gazing

up at the sky. The wind blows gently as a breeze runs through her long hair

that reaches a height of her waist, her mind carried along with the wind.

Without any worries or thoughts, she slowly closed her eye and tried to indulge

herself in this beautiful peak of the day.

Both girls have displayed a

fine body figure with a goddess look-alike facial. Their uniform, almost

similar to a sailor navy theme Japanese style called sailor fuku, combines

several variations like neckties, long sleeves white shirts with both gold

plating on their shoulders.

They were dressed in a dark

brown checkered blouse that nearly reached their thigh, a brown shoe, and a

midnight blue long stocking. Their white shirt matched the color of the clouds

on this delightful day.

"What are you doing here

too? Don't give me lame excuses that our homeroom teacher asked you to come and

drag me back to his boring lecture session. Give me some new reason if you wish

to move my feet from here." Annoyed by the presence of her friend, the

girl who got here earlier tried to chase her friend away.

"Come on, Cynthia. Don't

be so cold to me. I just randomly loitering around and sense your presence here.

It didn't have to be any particular reason."

"You've done more than

enough already to disturb my mood right now. I want to stay calm accompanied by

the weather today."

"What happened? Does the

inherited power from your father awoken again?!"

"HE IS NOT MY FATHER!!"

The girl named Cynthia was

affected by her friend's query by raising her voice in anger. They stayed

silent for a while. But after it was all said and done, the girl who had just

carelessly spoken the inappropriate phrase gasped. She walked past Cynthia while

leaning her wrist on the barricade and looking up at this great afternoon view.

"Cynthia, I'm sorry for

what I just said. I didn't mean to say those words earlier. I was just worried

about you because I haven't seen you come back to our house lately. You didn't

often show up for any of our class sessions at school, either."

"It’s okay, Rin. Thanks

for being thoughtful to me. I'm sorry too for my sudden rise of voice."

They appear to be close enough

to be able to forgive each other even after having a minor argument. Rin, the

girl who had just come up seeking her friend, joined Cynthia in a small laugh

over their silly argument as they both gazed up at the sky.

They were the descendants of

deities that once protected the entire human race from the brink of extinction.

Cynthia adored and thought of Rin as her younger sister since their childhood, even

though they were not blood related.

Both have been looking up to

one another and keeping their identities a secret while fitting into this

neo-human civilization to prevent any unsettling dispute over their true power,

which has been seen as a threat to humanity even at the dawn of this new era.

The education system in the NEW WORLD civilization differed

from the depleted modern world, which used to emphasize logic, theoretical

concepts, science, and math.

The neo-humans did not demand proof of this emphasis. With

their god-like abilities, they delved into the basics of mystic arts. They

adapted the ancient way of living with greater blessings for the greater good

of the present day.

Both children who carelessly loitered at the rooftop of their

school, Cynthia and Rin, were born with a natural talent for mastering mystic

arts.

Revealing their identities to the public would cause an uproar

among the minority of neo-humans who hold specific views about their origin.

Therefore, they must always keep their identities concealed while living their

daily lives among the neo-humans.

"So—what kind of spell does our homeroom teacher want to

teach us today?" Cynthia asked. She turned her body around and opposed

Rin's direction while leaning her back on the barricade, her arms crossed while

waiting for the reply.

"I can't say anything out of the ordinary. This week's

assignment was about taming the fire element. I need some enlightenment since

I'll be sure to mess up with my wind element. It's like adding fuel to the

fire, one wrong move, I might burn the whole school to ashes ground," Rin

replied timidly, giggling over her frailty. Knowing her weakness will be a

crack joke to everyone, as her natural element was the wind, a natural enemy to

fire.

"Sigh—Your father is a god of fire. How come you, as a

princess of the heavenly realm, can't even manipulate the simplified fire chanting?"

Cynthia says as she sighs over her word. She couldn't believe that the daughter

of both masters of wind and fire elements couldn't even manipulate one of her

natural-born elements.

"Nana, please don't tease me. My father abandoned us

sixteen years ago. My mother was the only one who helped me develop my natural-born

ability. However, due to my father's absence, she struggled to teach me how to

control the opposite element."

"Sixteen years..." Cynthia pulled another sigh in

the middle of her sentences.

"Time sure does fly fast. In a blink of an eye, we could

see a lot of changes in this town," Cynthia responded to her sister in an

indirect manner. She blinked her eyes a few times and gazed at the view of the

town. It was filled with double-story buildings that were slowly rebuilt and a

neon sign that was barely noticeable in the daylight.

"Sometimes, I am truthfully envious of you—the fire, water, wind, wood, ground, and even dark and light

elements. You've mastered every one of them since three years ago.

All are almost completely dancing under your palm. Could you at least lend me

your wisdom to your miserable sister?"  Rin speaks out her manner in

a childish way. At the same time, her hand repeatedly pulled Cynthia's sleeve,

showing her affection and adorable cute face.

Cynthia didn't bother to phrase her reply. Instead, she feels

annoyed as she didn't want to recall the past on how she managed to control all

those elements at a young age. She wished not to become extraordinary, but

those talents came in with many prices she'd sacrificed.

When her parent drew a truce with the Creator of Life to save

humanity, Cynthia's parents decided to

leave her when she was only three.

Her parents possessed a complete opposite element. Her mother

was a princess from the world of the gods, while her father was a prince of the

demonic underground world. They deeply fall in love and struggle their way out

of this nonsensical grudge between the two domains. They both have fought out

of this war that lasted for centuries before they could unite and conceive

Cynthia in this reboot world.

The Creator of Life opposed their decision and calmly invoked

them to adhere to his demand. He separated them into a completely different paths

in this vast universe to avoid collision between two opposed energy. Before

Cynthia's parents can settle down with everyday life, misfortune strikes back

hard into their fate.

Even if the three realms have merged into reality, the balance

between dark and light should draw their line. Suppose humanity makes the same

blunder and falls back into the gulf of darkness. There shouldn't be any

significant ancient entity that can induce neo-human to spark a new feud that

may lead to the same path as before the world ended.

Despite Rin's mother extending her hospitality to Cynthia when

she was a child, Cynthia chose to wander around since the age of twelve. She

was a prodigy whose intelligence surpassed anyone her age and could handle any

situation calmly. Consequently, she had to live her childhood independently,

without the warmth of a family.

At the time of their conversation on the school rooftop,

Cynthia was already seventeen years old. Although she led a melancholic life,

mastering the fundamental element seemed effortless for her. She could even

recite a deadly spell capable of destroying the town instantly.

On the other hand, Rin's father, who had been absent from her

life, followed in the footsteps of Cynthia's parents and willingly accepted the

invocation.

He was the next successor in ruling the Heavenly realm and

possessed the power to replace the image of this world as he desired. Despite

having Rin and her mother by his side and remaining calm and sane, the Creator

of Life did persuade him to refrain from repeating the mistakes of the past.

 Thus, these three

essential characters played a significant role in creating this new world. The

consequences that were placed on the younger generation were silent depression,

and Rin grew up without the warmth of her father.