I am Aria Olika.
First Princess of the Olika Flame Empire.
Heiress to the largest fire-dominant nation in my universe.
In my world, fire is law.
Entire continents kneel beneath volcanic skies, and oceans evaporate beneath the march of imperial armies. More than half the known planetary territories belong to the Olika bloodline, a dynasty feared across galaxies for producing rulers whose flames can swallow stars whole.
And I…
was born to inherit all of it.
From childhood, they called me blessed.
A prodigy.
A future empress touched directly by the Fire God.
But they never understood the truth.
Because from the moment I was born—
there were two souls inside me.
One belonged to Aria.
The other…
belonged to Yasurah.
A reincarnated soul from another world.
Another universe.
A girl chosen personally by the War God before her death.
Her memories bleed into mine constantly.
Her emotions.
Her regrets.
Her love.
Sometimes I dream of unfamiliar cities lit by artificial stars.
Towering metal structures.
Rain-soaked streets.
A young man with crimson eyes laughing beneath neon lights.
Hiroy.
Even before meeting him here…
part of me already knew him.
And that terrified me.
━━━━━━━━━━
The cavern trembled violently as Kara's punch sent me crashing through solid stone.
Pain surged through my ribs.
But something deeper answered it.
Something ancient.
Something furious.
"Hiroy! Kara! Fall back!"
The roar echoed across the chamber.
Too late.
The seal inside me shattered.
FWOOM.
Crimson fire exploded from my body in a catastrophic wave that devoured the cavern walls instantly. The mountain itself groaned under the pressure as molten heat consumed everything nearby.
The blue strands in my hair ignited into blazing scarlet.
My eyes turned molten gold-red.
Even the atmosphere warped around me.
And for the first time—
Hiroy understood.
Two auras.
Two souls.
One body.
The weaker presence vanished beneath the second completely.
The Fire Empress awakened.
Two massive fireballs formed high above the cavern.
Not spells.
Miniature meteors.
They crashed downward instantly.
BOOOOOOM.
Kara and Frana were smashed into the stone floor beneath oceans of flame.
The impact cratered the battlefield.
Even through the inferno, I could sense they barely survived.
"Lani! Lilith! Get them out of here!"
Hiroy's command shook the cave.
Golden magic exploded outward around him as his twin-headed scythe materialized.
Then—
it changed.
The weapon dissolved into streams of radiant gold that wrapped around his body like liquid sunlight. Sleek armor formed over his chest, arms, and legs, glowing with divine patterns neither of us recognized.
Even Hiroy blinked in shock.
"…That's new."
No time remained for confusion.
He vanished.
CRASH.
His foot slammed into my stomach hard enough to rupture the air itself.
My body launched backward—
but Hiroy appeared behind me mid-flight instantly.
Three consecutive kicks exploded against my spine and side before I could recover.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
I crashed through another wall violently.
Wind spiraled around me immediately.
Then lightning descended.
Except—
the moment it touched my body—
it disappeared.
Absorbed.
Consumed entirely by my flames.
Hiroy froze briefly.
I used that opening instantly.
Water exploded from the ground beneath him, swallowing the battlefield whole. The cavern transformed into a drowning abyss where gravity, sound, and even magical flow distorted unnaturally.
The water wasn't ordinary.
It carried soul pressure.
Ancient magic.
He could have escaped immediately.
But then—
I spoke.
Or rather—
she did.
"Hiroy…"
The voice trembled softly.
"…please…"
Everything stopped.
His expression shattered instantly.
Not because of the attack.
Not because of the power.
Because he recognized the voice.
Yasurah.
Golden magic erupted from Hiroy violently.
The entire water prison shattered apart in a radiant explosion.
I stepped through the smoke slowly.
My posture straightened naturally.
Imperial.
Absolute.
"I am Olika Aria," I declared calmly. "First heir to the Flame Empire. Future ruler of the strongest fire clan in this solar system."
Hiroy stared at me strangely.
"…Why do you say your last name first?"
For a moment—
I genuinely blinked.
Then laughed softly.
"You really are from another universe."
His eyes narrowed.
I smiled faintly.
"I, Olika Aria, descend from the supreme fire emperors of Universe 8476."
Silence.
Then Hiroy muttered quietly:
"…Yeah. I definitely moved universes."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
Recognition flashed across my face.
"Wait…"
My eyes widened slightly.
"You're from Yasurah's original world."
Everything around Hiroy stopped moving.
Completely.
The cavern.
The flames.
The dust.
Even the magical currents seemed to freeze.
"…Yasurah?"
His voice cracked.
Actually cracked.
The name hit him harder than any attack I'd used.
Golden power exploded outward uncontrollably.
The mountain shook violently.
His hands trembled as he slowly brought them together.
"SOUL TIE…"
The air screamed.
"SEAL BREAK."
The declaration echoed like divine judgment itself.
My body froze instantly.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
For the first time in years—
the separation between us weakened.
I felt Yasurah clearly.
Her emotions.
Her memories.
Her sorrow.
And beneath all of it—
her love for him.
Hiroy opened his glowing golden eyes slowly.
And looked directly at me.
No—
through me.
Straight toward her soul.
"Yasurah…"
His voice became painfully soft.
Almost broken.
"…I'm coming for you."