My Instant Death Doomed Firefly to a Lifetime of Regret

[Age 16]

You graduated top of your class at the Imperial Academy, joining the Royal Knights as the sole human capable of piloting the Molten Knight.

Your days blurred into relentless training at the Mountains, honing yourself into a weapon.

Liuying regained her pilot credentials, sparring with you in mock battles where armored fists clashed like colliding stars. The training grounds expanded to stadium size, yet between you two, nothing changed.

"Now, let's welcome our valedictorian—An Ming!"

At summer's end, An Ming approached the podium, scanning the crowd. Three seconds. That's all it took to spot her—a willowy figure in cyan, waving from the flowerbed.

Liuying's smile outshone the blooms. Distance meant nothing. He stood tall; she saw him. His eyes held only her; he saw her.

Across the sea of faces, they mirrored their first meeting.

The speech was rote—a script Liuying had painstakingly crafted to appease Imperial ideals. The thunderous applause startled even him.

Backstage, Annie leaned against a wall. "Don't die," she said airily.

"You either."

A nod. A brush of shoulders.

He'd join the frontlines tomorrow. Every battle against the Swarm meant near-certain death.

Annie watched him leave. Some stubborn ghost of their youth made her call out:

"An Ming!"

"Did you ever… like me?"

His back didn't falter. "No."

Her breath hitched. She'd known, yet the finality still carved her hollow.

"She's a Gene-Hack. It'll never work."

"She's not a hack." Amber fire ignited in his eyes. "She's Liuying."

Annie slumped against the wall, laughing bitterly. The firefly girl had won, utterly.

"Run."

An Ming paused.

"Take your little firefly and run."

Fireflies glow brightest before death—brighter than stars.

Annie staggered away, finally free to embrace her predestined fate. No regrets.

Goodbye.

Forever.

Gramr had no tomorrows. Only now.

At the flowerbed, Liuying's smile eclipsed the garden. "Celebratory cake?"

Who could refuse?

"Your favorite."

An Ming would've baked it in molten armor if she asked.

A knight intercepted them. "Her Majesty summons you. Alone."

An Ming tensed, but Liuying squeezed his hand. "I'll decorate your transformation device. We'll feast when you return."

Always understanding. Always heartbreaking.

"Wait for me."

He ruffled her hair. Gramr's shadows deepened. Annie's warning couldn't be ignored.

For our future.

Liuying hummed a nameless tune as she shopped for decorations. "Like firefly wings," she murmured, selecting iridescent filaments.

The Royal Court

Opulent. Oppressive. Marble floors mirrored the ceiling's gilded excess.

Titanis lounged on her throne, crimson gown pooling like blood. Her gaze—empty yet piercing—followed An Ming's approach.

"Your Majesty."

He bowed, recalling Liuying's graceful demonstrations. She'd taught him more than combat.

"We meet again."

A man emerged from the shadows—lean, scarred hands burned. The stranger from years ago.

"You."

"Good memory." The man ignored Titanis, circling An Ming. "A story. About Gramr's past."

"No."

"What if it concerns… her?"

An Ming's aura shifted—a dormant blade unsheathed, sharp enough to cleave the court.

"Threatening me?"

He cared nothing for Gramr's fate, the throne, or its games.

Only Liuying.