The Transmigrated Author

[Country United States, State: San Francisco, North Beach]

She reached a comfortable altitude, hovering a few meters above the choppy water.

Her gaze swept across the scene - the receding waves revealing jagged rocks where the ocean floor had been momentarily pushed upwards, wisps of steam rising like phantoms from the disturbed water.

There was nothing left.

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

"Haah..."

The playful look had returned to her eyes, but a trace of something else remained. It had been years since she'd felt this… exhilarated. This raw. A tremor coursed through her, not of fear, but of a long-forgotten sensation.

"Well, it looks like that's that." A lazy stretch dispelled the tension.

"Back to the usual then,"

she sighed, a quiet smile touching her lips.

Yet, a restless energy thrummed beneath her words, a restlessness she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I wish I wasn't the final line of defence... If only things could be more like this." A flicker of sadness crossed her features, a fleeting wish for a world without constant threat.

But responsibility, the heavy mantle of humanity's strongest, settled back onto her shoulders.

It was still good enough to know she could smile, to feel the thrill of battle coursing through her veins.

Then, that familiar mischievous spark ignited in her eyes.

"Though, I guess it's not so bad after all."

"...?"

Before she could gain altitude, a new sound reached her ears.

Clapping. Cheering. And as she looked towards the shoreline, her eyes widened.

The once-deserted beach was now alive with figures, a blur of relieved faces and upraised hands. Civilians, lower-ranked heroes – dozens upon dozens, all gazing up at the golden speck in the dimming sky.

The shouts began to filter through as she drew closer.

"That's the Divine Sorceress!"

"She saved us! She always does!"

"Incredible power! Just like in the stories!"

A warmth spread through Aurelia, a sensation familiar but it's always welcomed.

She hovered above the assembled crowd, her usual playful grin widening.

"Well, seems like the show's not quite over," she murmured to herself.

With a final flourish, she dipped towards the crowd and waved.

Cheers exploded, echoing across the water and mixing with the cries of gulls returning to their seaside homes.

"Thanks, everyone!" Her voice rang out, clear and cheerful.

As she turned and began to head home, a final thought sparked in her mind...

"I miss this feeling."

...

...

...

[Geneva, Switzerland - International Heroes Association Headquarters - Meeting Room]

The blinding flash that pierced the live feed from the coast was the beginning.

The deafening roar – more felt than heard through the speakers – confirmed it.

Then came a deafening silence, the monitors flickered with static, and the live feed from the beach cut out altogether.

Paloma Sierra, Head Director of Monster Subjugations for the IHA, stood rooted in place, her usual composure momentarily shaken.

Fear, yes, but also something else – a flash of frustration at the helplessness of the moment.

"What..." The head technician's voice was barely a whisper, echoing the thoughts of everyone in the room.

The oppressive silence was broken by the frantic clatter of keyboards, and technicians scrambling to restore the feeds.

After an agonizing few seconds, images flickered back to life.

But it wasn't the panicked civilians or the coastline ravaged by the monster's rampage that drew gasps.

It was the aftermath.

The ocean churned violently, the epicentre a roiling cauldron of steam and waves.

And where the monstrous Thrax once stood... there was nothing.

The sheer scale of destruction was undeniable, a humbling reminder of the stakes.

A wave of relief washed over the Command Center.

Mixed with the fear was a new sensation, harder to define.

Was it awe at the power displayed? Perhaps a tinge of shame at their previous doubts?

One of the younger executives, the one who had openly scoffed at Aurelia earlier, broke the silence.

"Well, I guess... I guess she showed us." His voice trailed off, not in defeat, but in bewildered respect.

Paloma nodded slowly.

"Get me an immediate status update on Aurelia," she ordered, the determination returning to her voice.

With a thoughtful frown, she added. "And patch me through to President Idris. We need to discuss a revision of our protocols, especially those regarding our final line of defence."

***

{Rel's POV}

[Paris, L'Institut des Lumières Academy - Main Arena Grounds]

Alessandro's jaw hung slack for a moment, the surprise quickly burning off like fog in the morning sun.

The look in his eyes wasn't just anger anymore, it was something colder.

Disgust, maybe, like I was something he found stuck to the bottom of his boot.

"Gutter rat," he snarled, the words sharp and dismissive.

"I despise your kind. Always thinking you can rise above your station."

That was the typical noble talk.

It didn't even bother me at this point, it was background noise.

What caught my attention was the subtle shift in his stance, that ripple of energy around his fists. Mana.

He was about to break the rules, and no one would stop him.

If I took that hit... well, let's just say I wouldn't be walking off the stage under my own power.

Dammit, what was I supposed to do now...?

Shit... no use thinking, he was already charging.

I guess even as a royalty he still had no honour.

Damn, bastard.

haah...

Focus. I breathed deep, the familiar surge of energy answering my will.

[Special Ability: Mitigation's Phenomena [Grade 1] Has Been Activated!]

The air shimmered for a fraction of a second as my barrier manifested. Invisible, like always, but as strong as it needed to be.

Alessandro's fist slammed forward, the mana-charged strike carrying the force of a battering ram.

"...!"

Then – nothing.

Or rather, there should have been a deafening, bone-jarring impact, but his attack seemed to simply… disappear.

The shock on his face was priceless.

That's when it happened.

A flash of silver and gold materialized in the centre of the stage.

A figure in an ornate uniform, reminiscent of the French monarchy of Old Earth.

My eyes widened in recognition.

"Enough."

The voice was calm, and resonant, holding an undeniable authority that cut through the fury of the fight and the gasps of the crowd.

"You're..." It was all I could manage, my own words choked off by a sudden, dizzying sense of unreality.

____________

Authors Notes:

- This is the chant without the hand signs:

[Created before the sun] – [The Moon] - [The stars] - [Appear on the fourth] – [The greater light] - [To rule the day] - [The Lesser light] – [To rule the night] - [Judgement Before Salvation] – [Ressurection and Change] -

- Aurelia used a highly advanced technique of sensory aura to see the future.