The sky is dark, heavy with rumbling thunder.
Below it, the ground shakes—thousands of boots and clashing armor marching in unison toward the battlefield. An army moving like a single creature.
High above them, a lone figure floats in the air.
She is slim, almost fragile-looking, crowned with a straw pointy hat woven with vines and small flowers. A soft green aura surrounds her, pulsing like a living thing. When she raises her hand, the earth answers.
The ground splits open.
Entire sections of the advancing army vanish as the land collapses beneath them. From the cracks, thick vines burst upward, coiling around soldiers, dragging them screaming into the depths. Armor scrapes against stone. Steel rings uselessly.
The sky growls louder—but no rain falls.
The floating figure watches it all with glowing green eyes, her expression indifferent. Not anger. Not mercy. Just… distance. As if she is observing something inevitable rather than causing it.
Suddenly, a sharp beam of light pierces through a window.
She raises her hand to block it—
—and the world shatters.
Morning light floods the room.
She lowers her arm, blinking, the echoes of thunder fading into silence. After a moment, she exhales softly.
"Aha… weird," she mutters. "Haven't dreamed about that in a long time."
She sits up and glances toward the wall. Hanging there is the straw pointy hat—the same one from the dream—its vines dry and still, flowers long preserved. Harmless. Ordinary.
From downstairs comes noise.
Loud voices. Laughter. Something crashing. The unmistakable chaos of them.
She closes her eyes and sighs.
"Alright, Dominique," she says to herself, standing up. "Time to take care of your family."
She gets ready quickly, smoothing her clothes, tying her hair back. When she steps out, the house is already awake. Servants hurry about, doing their best to maintain order.
Down in the dining room, the familiar chaotic trio is already causing trouble at the breakfast table.
Dominique pauses at the doorway, watching them for just a second longer than necessary.
Then she steps in.