Chapter 1: Prelude

[A short jump into the future]

A silent goblin nocked an arrow and then loosed the string—time slowed, and she twisted her wrist to snatch it out of the air. Using the momentum to skip in a circle, her leg lashed out upon entering the bush the goblin hid in, and Rachel was shocked to hear a sharp snap as its spine broke.

That easy—I killed it?!

Carried through the thicket, a few scratches marred her skin from the thorns as she recovered, and her tail went stiff as the teen she’d rescued’s cry was cut short. She’d fallen onto a rock, hitting the back of her head.

Shit... Not exactly how I saw this going in my head, she internally groaned as two of the goblins snarled and exited their hiding place to approach her, small knives drawn.

The pulse in her ears died a little as clouds covered part of the moon overhead, and she noticed only a slice of blue moon showing.

Buzz-kill... she internally grumbled at the sky as her strength slightly diminished.

Around a meter tall and green-skinned, the hairless creatures wore animal pelts, causing Rachel’s eyebrow to lift. Okay, so she was fighting skinny monster shrimps. Still, she didn’t feel an ounce of fear as she stopped to appraise them from a small section of pale moonlight that remained.

An archer’s bald head turned in the teen’s friend’s direction, and Rachel snatched the slinger’s stone out of the air before flinging it at its distracted buddy to keep its attention. She missed, and they snickered at her aim, causing a spur to kick into Rachel’s heart and a wicked fire to ignite in her chest as they made faces to intimidate her, or at least that was likely their goal.

Dammit! My strength keeps increasing and decreasing with this bipolar sky, making me misjudge my aim. I’m getting too strong with all this Lunar Energy and the two moons.

A sly twist came to Rachel’s nose as the three knife-wielding creatures didn’t approach, instead opting to form a triangle around her and snarl while slashing the air threateningly; they were scared. Then again, if she focused on them, the archer or slinger might kill her; this likely wasn’t their first human kill.

She caught the black, dead eyes of the goblin a few meters from her, staring into oblivion, yet Rachel didn’t feel anything but chills for the fight to come, remaining in a casual posture.

Rachel passively twirled the arrow around her fingers while continuing to analyze her first encounter with these alien creatures, or was she the alien? The thought made Rachel giggle as the bright, azure moon suddenly illuminated the area, casting a sapphire hue on the sharp-fanged fiends.

By their paint markings, weapons, tactics, and apparel, goblins in this world had their own culture and intelligence; they truly were a threat in this world, though not to her.

She wasn’t aware of a lot of fantasy tropes since that hadn’t been her hobby, so she couldn’t be sure if these creatures had any special abilities. It was for that reason she’d recruited Zoe, yet upon entering the azure rays, she didn’t want spoilers.

Another arrow loosed, and Rachel wanted to laugh at the speed—it was like facing the timid kids in dodgeball—she snatched her second weapon, but this one had a noticeable difference.

Poison? she theorized, noticing the dripping green goo on the point. I didn’t even see them coat it. Well done.

The remaining knife-wielding scouts moved to rush her as the slinger went for a horn, the archer aiming to attack the teen boy, who was busy caring for his friend.

However, instead of engaging them, Rachel dashed for the slinger, hearing them snarl, attempting to warn the goblin fumbling with the item on its belt. It looked up in time to see Rachel’s fist fracture its face, propelling it back two meters to tumble across the dirt and leaves.

The archer tried to stab her with a goo-laced arrow, but she simply grabbed its wrist and flipped it around to bury it in its own stomach; its face showed disbelief, and Rachel could smell its fear as it looked into her wide, illuminated eyes.

Rachel swiftly dispatched the last two by snapping their necks, somewhat disappointed by the outcome. Sighing, she studied her handiwork and the damage they’d done to her.

It wasn’t even a fight... It’s boring. I killed them, and I feel bored...annoyed. Maybe there is something about turning into a mythickin that turns you into a psychopath. If I’m not careful, I might lose myself in this heat...

Releasing another depressed sigh, she slid her fingers over the shallow cuts on her arm; her blood was now white, sticky, and thicker than it should have been, clotting quickly. Contrastingly, her fist was stained red from crushing one of the green creatures’ faces.

She could get wrapped up in fights, but this was a whole different level, and she hadn’t hesitated for a second. Then again, she might have died if she did—one wrong move could have been a dagger in her belly.

The teen boy had finished taking care of his friend and stumbled through the brush, squinting in the dark until he saw her, eyes going wide. "Is it... The Jade Hare—you’re real?!"

* * * * *

[Less than a day earlier]

Rachel set the last cardboard box on her dorm room bed. Taking a deep breath, she sat down, sullenly looking over at her new roommate’s side of the room. Cloe’s half was bright and colorful, reflecting the bubbly personality she’d experienced from the girl on their phone call.

They’d talked online earlier that week when she’d been searching for spare dorm rooms at the University of Miami. Apparently, Cloe’s previous roommate had dropped out, leaving an opening for her; hopefully, it wasn’t due to Cloe herself. Rachel had primarily done all her classes online at home before this, but things had taken an unfortunate turn.

Taking out her cell phone, she unlocked it, opened her voicemail, and listened to her father’s message in Korean:

"Sung-Hyo, I know this is challenging, and you haven’t lived on your own before, but we both know you and Alexa aren’t going to see eye to eye. This has gone on for over a year—since your brother’s wedding—and the constant fighting has been taxing on everyone, though I know it isn’t all your fault."

Rachel rolled her eyes. Not ’all’ my fault...She’s the one who always has to say something; I’m not going to just let it slide. How can Nam stand her?! I get that her dad’s a massive contributor to the company, but she’s totally the opposite of our family!

An agitated growl rumbled in her throat as her father’s message continued.

"Your mother and I couldn’t be prouder of the strides you’ve taken in your martial arts and academic studies." A short chuckle followed. "Your grandfather loves to hear about your achievements every time we speak. He’s wondering when you’ll stop by again, and...maybe it is time for you to find something more outside of the family."

Mom’s suggestion, no doubt. Rachel sighed internally. I’m too busy for a social life...First, university credits while in school weren’t enough, and now they want me to socialize!?

"In any case, we love you, and I know you’ll continue growing in Miami. Of course, we’ll want to see you at least a few times a month; it may be a three-hour drive, but a trip your mother will gladly make. We both know she’d squeal at the opportunity to spend time with you in Miami. We’ll talk later."

Breathing in deeply, she let it out in a large, slow sigh. "Huu-haaa..."

She fell back on the unmade mattress with a grimace; it was far less comfortable than her one at home. Pulling her shoulder-length black hair to the side, she streamed out a groan. It was March 26th—Saturday—and in two days, it would be the start of her junior year of college at 19 years old.

///SMENote///

How about a Power Stone Goal?

Every 200 Power Stones this week = +1 Extra Chapter

We could have the normal 2 Daily Chapters... Or +2 Extra Chapters Every Day. The power is in your hands! Or should I say Stones?