Sharvari sat cross-legged in her tiny, book-cluttered room, the sunlight pooling on the scattered pages around her. Sketches of fantastical creatures and futuristic machines were pinned haphazardly on the walls. Physics formulas jotted down in bright ink shared space with vivid depictions of starry skies and whimsical castles.
She rubbed her temples, staring at her laptop screen where multiple tabs were open: one on astrophysics, another on architectural marvels, and a third with an analysis of *The Untamed*. Her head was a maelstrom of ideas and desires, none of which seemed to settle. "Why can't I just pick one thing?" she muttered, tapping her pen against her notebook.
Sharvari had always been a whirlwind of curiosity, pulled in a dozen directions at once. One moment she'd dream of designing buildings that touched the heavens, the next she'd be sketching mythical creatures from the wuxia novels she devoured.
But today, the familiar excitement felt hollow, as though she were searching for something she couldn't name. As she leafed through her tattered copy of *Heavy Sweetness: Ash-Like Frost*, her fingers hesitated on a page. A faint ache bloomed in her chest. "Jin Mi..." she whispered.
The name slipped out unbidden, startling her. She blinked, confused. Where had that come from?
---
The sound of children laughing outside drew her attention. She leaned out her window to see a group of kids playing in the street, their carefree joy lifting her spirits.
Then, she noticed a small boy chasing a ball that had rolled onto the road. Her heart clenched. An oncoming truck hurtled toward him, its horn blaring, but the boy seemed frozen, paralyzed by fear. Sharvari's body moved before her mind caught up. She bolted down the stairs, her bare feet slapping against the cool concrete, and sprinted toward the boy. "Get back!" she screamed, her voice cutting through the chaos.
In one desperate motion, she shoved the boy out of the truck's path. Time seemed to slow. The boy's wide eyes met hers for a fleeting second, filled with terror and confusion.
Then, the impact came. The world tilted. Pain bloomed, sharp and all-encompassing, before it gave way to a strange weightlessness.
---
Sharvari floated in a void of light and shadow. The pain was gone, replaced by an overwhelming stillness. Fragments of something—memories, maybe—flashed before her. A golden palace bathed in sunlight. A man with eyes like molten fire. A serene river reflecting the moon's glow. And a name. "Jin Mi," a voice called, distant yet resonant.
Her heart ached as though the name were tethered to a part of her soul she couldn't reach. She tried to grasp it, but it slipped away, dissolving like mist in the morning sun. "Who..." she whispered. "Who is she?" The void shimmered, and for a moment, she felt the warmth of a lover's embrace, the searing betrayal of a blade, and the cold finality of water enveloping her.
---
Back in the real world, the boy she had saved knelt beside her crumpled body, tears streaming down his face. "Miss, please wake up!" Sharvari's breaths were shallow, her vision fading as the sky above blurred into a kaleidoscope of colors. "Jin Mi..." she murmured, the name escaping her lips like a prayer. Her hand went slack, and the world went still.
---
Somewhere, in a realm beyond life and death, a spark rekindled. The story of Sharvari, the mortal, had ended. But her soul had a purpose to which most were blind.