"Oh, how I love you..."
The world spun—yet one held it.
The men and women who roamed it—this world not meant to be ruled alone—were destroying their mother. The blackness of oil dripped into the unreachable depths of space, and yet it fell slowly onto hands of pure blue. Untainted water painted over those hands beneath the planet, but humanity had no reaction, for no creature could see her. Like a soul, she was unseen.
"Yet you do not take care of me... Must you be so toxic to me?"
Disasters plagued the world. It grew worse. And yet, for her, time passed faster. Years slipped by—the present fading into memory, the only thing the future would remember.
"Grandmother... Are you sure you want to sleep?"
A luminous entity sat before the woman who held the planet. The speaker's face could not be seen—nor any part of their body. Even with how brightly they glowed, their expression remained dull—a reflection of disappointment in the actions of their elder.
"Do not worry. Everything will be best for you all..."
[Upon the Earth]
The sleeping mother descended onto the world she had once held. Her form shifted from an unnatural design into something more human—though she was not human herself. Her existence was serene: an embodiment of humanity's will. And though no gender could truly define that will, she now wore the form of a woman.
"Lady, you mustn't walk around like that! Even if this is a beach—"
A voice called out. She turned her head.
An older man approached, dressed in loose beachwear that left little covered, though it didn't matter to her. He was coming to help.
"I apologize, young man. I lost my clothes in the ocean, and it has gone too far out to retrieve."
Her words were a lie—but a gentle one. She did not wish to reveal herself as unnatural or indecent. She held dignity, though she didn't mind being seen—so long as those who saw her were kind.
"What are those clouds around you...? You lost your clothes? Oh! I think I have some of my wife's clothing here—stuff she doesn't wear anymore!"
She gave a long stare, then smiled.
The clouds that wrapped around her concealed what humans found most intimate. Only those truly loved could see past them—those meant to remain forever.
"I'm back!"
She hadn't moved. Her gaze still lingered on the sky, even as the man returned, holding clothes. Her soft hands accepted them. As she dressed, the clouds faded. The man would not recall seeing them at all.
"I must ask... what is your name?"
Her voice was soft, yet it rang clearly through the air.
"Please call me Mara. That is my birth name. But I would prefer Kaida."
There was something ethereal about her. She waved as she walked past him, the water rising to her feet. Her legs remained untouched by it.
"I hope this world stays peaceful, like my life..."
[System Activated] [Initiating Sequence]
"A system? Looks like my children have learned to implement stories into reality. How entertaining."
[Please accept a Path]
She turned to the message with a bothered expression. It was mildly annoying that such a thing would try to force her into action. It should have recognized what she was. Still, she would prove it wrong.
"...Why should I be one to pick a path?"
[...Because you have to] [How—MM!]
"Why would you be allowed to dictate what I do?"
[I—] [Connection Severed... Connection Regained]
Her expression grew grim, then softened into an exasperated sigh. She looked around. The beach was empty, as expected—it was cold.
She walked calmly through the sand until she reached the pavement—the edge of human habitation. A quiet frustration lingered in her. It was always tiring to relearn everything after so much time had passed.
"What do you get out of watching me?"
[...I watch the entirety of the Earth. I am the System, created to grant humanity power. I thought you would be a suitable starting point.]
"At least you have good taste, though not good awareness. I'm not taking it. Give it to someone else. Now go away before I find you and throw you off a building."
[Y-Yes, Ma'am]
She continued down streets paved in cement and asphalt. Though barefoot, her feet were untouched by the ground. She could not feel it—but she remembered what it felt like.
The sounds of cars, footsteps, and faint chatter surrounded her. People clung to their devices. Progress had come, but the air was polluted in exchange.
A language once too complex for outsiders had shifted with time—its culture transformed as well. But just as quickly as it had changed, it began to crumble.
The ground shook. Buildings cracked. The earth split open.
From within rose a pillar—intricate and futuristic. Its symbols mirrored occult markings. Its colors clashed with the bright sky above and the star that warmed the planet.
"Everyone, evacuate!"
People screamed and fled, but the more they ran, the louder the pillar's hum became. It lured people in, like a siren's call, and those who resisted watched their world collapse in seconds.
Oceans surged. Tsunamis rose. Tornadoes spiraled. The world twisted.
"I think I should've just killed that system..."
She yawned, tired of the chaos erupting around her. Rain fell, glistening like diamonds. Yet she stood untouched.
["I think you should go somewhere else."]"Huhhhh? What the hell do you mean you—"
In a single instant, space warped. Like a black hole, it pulled her inward. Darkness surrounded her.
When she opened her eyes, she stood on her feet in a world that resembled a medieval empire—but blended with features of Japan, where she had been moments ago. For a second, it could have passed as the past.
But it was a different world entirely.
Her eyes opened softly, her body cushioned by the grassy but wet texture of the floor which made her look around in confusion, she knew not where she was.