What should have been an ordinary autumn day unfolded exactly as Elara had experienced before. After lunch, hail began falling from the sky, massive ice chunks hammering against car windows and bending the ornamental trees lining the streets, sending people scurrying for cover.
Seraph stood by the window, her expression grave as she watched the chaos outside. "How is this possible?" she murmured. "Even with climate change, weather shouldn't be this extreme."
Lost in thought, she felt a delicate hand rest gently on her shoulder.
"Would you like to come over for dinner next Monday, if the weather permits?" Elara's smile was no longer forced as before, but carried a subtle determination.
Those amber eyes, bright and gentle, were a stark contrast to her previously exhausted appearance. Something stirred in Seraph's heart, and she nodded.
Seraph had never harbored any ill feelings toward her colleague, despite the numerous rumors circulating about her. She had always maintained a skeptical attitude toward such gossip.
Looking into those clear eyes now, Seraph felt a sudden sense of calm. The red-haired woman nodded softly, responding cheerfully, "I'd love to."
Upon receiving this affirmative response, Elara felt a weight lift from her shoulders, her eyes curving like crescents in genuine joy.
Back at her desk, however, the previously smiling Elara covered her face with one hand.
She took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as her mind drifted back to that pivotal moment in time.
Back then, she had just discovered her fiancé Leon's infidelity. Unable to eat or focus, she had been sitting alone in the cafeteria when the hail started, forcing her to navigate awkwardly through the panicking crowd.
Through gaps in the crowd, she had glimpsed her fiancé holding a familiar red umbrella, smiling lovingly at her supposed best friend.
From a distance, Elara had caught her once-trusted friend glancing at her for a fleeting moment before looking away dismissively, as if they were complete strangers.
That umbrella... Elara remembered clearly - it had been her one-month anniversary gift to Leon when they first started dating.
At that time, Elara had forced herself to continue working, but her excessive grief had left her physically ill after violently vomiting in the bathroom. She had been too distraught to notice the extreme weather conditions.
Now, Elara stopped her spiraling thoughts. She rubbed her face, silently promising herself that never again would anyone hurt her, and she would protect everyone around her.
Time flew by swiftly. Within a single week, the city endured a series of natural disasters: hailstorms, torrential rains, and thunderstorms. Large areas lost water and electricity, barely restored through emergency repairs before a brief respite of clear weather on the final day.
Upon arriving at Elara's home, Seraph learned that it was the death anniversary of Elara's parents.
Elara prepared a home-cooked meal for Seraph, after which they purchased a bouquet of pure white daisies and visited the cemetery together.
"Please forgive me," Elara whispered at her parents' grave. "After you left, I was so lonely and made many mistakes. But heaven has shown mercy, giving me another chance. This time, I won't go astray."
Since returning to the time before the apocalypse, Elara had been diligently learning various survival skills - from cultivation to combat, physical training to construction, and even hunting techniques.
During her conversations with Seraph, Elara concealed her reasons for acquiring these skills, but her vast knowledge base and remarkable learning ability left Seraph astounded.
"If you had another chance, you could easily qualify for a direct Ph.D. admission," Seraph stated confidently.
In reality, even current Ph.D. holders couldn't master such diverse and complex knowledge, let alone apply it practically.
Seraph could clearly discern that Elara's knowledge wasn't mere hearsay - she had genuinely practiced and mastered these skills through extensive real-world application.
Elara responded with a faint smile, "I did have such an opportunity once."
She avoided delving into the specifics, only telling Seraph that she had chosen to support Leon's education instead.
Though Seraph wanted to respect her privacy, she couldn't help asking, "So it's true that you joined the company first, and Leon came afterward?"
Elara looked slightly surprised, nodding, "How did you know? I thought no one in the company knew about that."
Seraph explained, "I once saw your file in HR marked with a special notation, but it wasn't due to any backdoor connections. I only saw your file then, not Leon's."
Both women fell silent for a long while before Seraph couldn't help but continue, "So I was right? All these years, the office rumors were false. They must have affected you deeply - why didn't you ever defend yourself?"
Too much had happened in the past. Leon was skilled at sweet talk and equally adept at undermining her - what would now be called emotional manipulation or 'PUA'. Back then, with her parents' recent passing, Elara had no emotional support except for Leon, who remained by her side.
Elara still remembered that brilliant afternoon when the blonde young man stood before her, showing concern with a gentle smile, asking, "Are you alright?"
From that moment, feelings blossomed between the young couple, becoming impossible to contain. Certain unspoken secrets from their first meeting gradually became habitual patterns in Elara's behavior, like being slowly ensnared in a spider's web. Even when she sensed the danger, she found herself unable to break free.
It wasn't until death stared her in the face, until she became Leon's ultimate sacrifice, that Elara finally awakened - in that last moment before being surrounded by the undead.
As her life flashed before her eyes, Elara realized she wasn't nearly as worthless as Leon had always claimed.
In fact, compared to Elara herself, Leon was merely an empty shell without substance. All the glory he now carried was bestowed upon him by Elara, including his career.
Elara still remembered Chairman Charles's repeated confirmations about her request to have Leon join the company. She recalled the fleeting disappointment in the Chairman's eyes. Though he agreed to hire Leon, neither of them ever gained access to core positions within the company.
In a way, even Leon's infidelity was partially a result of Elara's influence. She had always known Leon lacked real capability. Even without Chairman Charles restricting their access to core projects, Leon's abilities alone couldn't handle any major projects. His career had stagnated during his years at the company, making his eventual deviation almost predictable. After all, he had never been a good person.
Elara smiled coldly at the thought.
That night, an unusual number of meteors streaked across the sky, their brilliant trails painting luminous paths through the darkness. Most people, including Seraph, saw it as nothing more than a spectacular celestial show. The two women stood on Elara's balcony, making wishes as generations had done before them when blessed with such a sight.
"Make a wish," Seraph had said excitedly, her eyes reflecting the celestial lights above. "They say meteor showers like this are rare omens."
Elara had smiled knowingly but joined in the wishmaking, though her thoughts were far from the innocent hopes one usually makes upon seeing shooting stars. She knew what was coming.
Later that night, after Seraph had fallen asleep in the guest room, Elara lay in her bed, her body tensing in anticipation. The familiar pain began as a subtle warmth, then grew into what felt like liquid fire coursing through her veins. She had prepared for this moment meticulously - her room soundproofed with extra cushions strategically placed, a thick towel ready between her teeth to muffle any involuntary screams.
The awakening of her abilities was just as excruciating as she remembered. Every cell in her body felt like it was being torn apart and reconstructed. But this time, she was ready. She had positioned herself on her bed in a way that minimized movement, her hands gripping the mattress instead of thrashing about. Years of survival in her previous life had taught her how to endure pain in silence.
Through the hours of agony, not a sound escaped her room. She had even placed a white noise machine near Seraph's room - a seemingly thoughtful gesture for a guest that actually served to mask any potential sounds of distress.
As dawn approached, the pain finally subsided, leaving Elara exhausted but triumphant. Her powers had awakened earlier than in her previous life - a fact that both pleased and concerned her. When Seraph came down for breakfast the next morning, she found Elara preparing coffee as if nothing unusual had happened, showing no signs of the transformative night she had endured.
Only Elara knew that beneath her calm exterior, new power thrummed through her veins - a power she would need for the challenges ahead. This time, she would be better prepared to protect those d
eserved.