Rain fell from the dark sky, soft at first, then heavy.
Wenzel ran.
Her shoes splashed through puddles as city lights blurred in her eyes. The world felt loud—cars, horns, voices—but her mind was somewhere else. Exams. Tuition. The future. Everything felt rushed, like time itself was pushing her forward.
"Just a little faster," she muttered.
She stepped onto the crossing.
A bright light flashed.
A loud horn screamed.
Her body froze.
Ah…
Time slowed.
In that single moment, Wenzel felt something strange. The rain stopped falling. The sound disappeared. Even her own breath felt distant.
Is this… death?
The world shattered into white.
---
Warmth.
A gentle rocking.
A sharp cry escaped her throat.
"Your Majesty! It's a girl!"
Voices echoed around her. Soft. Excited. Relieved.
Wenzel tried to open her eyes. Everything was blurry, glowing gold and white. She felt small—too small. Her arms moved on their own, weak and clumsy.
Why can't I control my body…?
Someone held her close. A calm, deep voice spoke.
"A princess… My tenth child."
Her thoughts trembled.
Princess?
The world faded again.
---
Years later, Nathalia often thought about that moment.
The instant when time slowed. The instant her old life ended. The instant her new life began.
She sat by a tall window in the royal castle, silver hair shining in the sunlight. Knights trained in the courtyard below. Mages practiced spells that painted the air with fire and light.
Magic was everywhere in this world.
And yet—
"I wonder," she whispered, staring at her reflection in the glass, "what kind of magic do I have?"
At that time, she did not know.
That the power sleeping inside her was not fire, nor light, nor any element known to this world.
It was something far more dangerous.
Something that ruled over time itself.
And when it awakened—
The world would never move the same way again.