The early morning sun filtered through the obsidian-glass of the Sanctum vault, casting gentle ribbons of gold over the floor.
Shin stood in front of the Reclaim Altar, holding a cracked coin in his palm—one that belonged to a fresh recruit who'd panicked during Echo conditioning.
He prepared to kneel.
But a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.
"Wait."
Silenne.
No armor. No visor. Just her voice—clear and resolute.
A Request, Not an Order
"You've used Reclaim seven times in ten days," she said."You look like you haven't slept in eight."
Shin didn't respond.
Silenne stepped around him, into his line of sight.
"Two months. No more Reclaims. I'll train the Echo Units myself in the meantime.They'll be strong enough not to need it."
Shin raised an eyebrow. Calm, as always.
"If they break during that time—"
"Then we break with them. Together. As a team."
He looked at the coin in his hand, then gently placed it into the stasis ring.
And nodded once.
"Two months."
— SYSTEM NOTIFICATION —
[ Reclaim Skill Suspended: 60 Days ]
All pending coin restoration requests archivedEmotional Transfer Flow: StabilizedMental Load: Holding at 6.3%Side Effect Delay: Engaged
The Quiet Days Begin
What followed was... strangely peaceful.
Shin returned to sipping tea during missions.He resumed blade drills with Agent Lio.Reviewed stealth exercises with Petal and the Shadows.Even visited the forge to upgrade the Black Suits with silent-thread adaptive weave.
Silenne watched closely.
He smiled slightly more.Laughed once, when Fang crashed through a dummy during sparring.Sat with the junior agents during meals.
And never once—not once—touched the coin altar.
But the burden didn't vanish.
He still woke with distant eyes some nights.Still sat alone under the Wisteria Tree when no one watched.
But he respected her wish.
And for the first time since the Reclaim skill awakened,Shin looked like a man who was living…not just holding everyone else's pain.
Closing Scene
On Day 29, Silenne found a sealed envelope on her desk.
Inside:
A single coin fragment—hers.
A note, handwritten:
"I never forgot what you gave me that day beneath the falling ash.So for two months… I will give it back to you.Thank you for carrying me first.— Shin"
She stared at it for a long time.
Then whispered:
"You always say things with silence, don't you…"
It happened just after midnight—beneath the Black Wisteria Tree.
Shin had not touched the Reclaim altar in 30 days.
But even without using the skill…
The memories stayed.The burdens lingered.The strain whispered.
He poured his tea.He sipped.
And then—his coin glowed black and silver.
A ring of system runes flared to life around him.
— SYSTEM ALERT —
[ USER LEVEL UP ]
Current Level: 82 → 83Mental Load: 9.9%Unlock Threshold Reached…
— PASSIVE UNLOCKED —
[ Reset Law: Coin Overload Protocol ]
Trigger: Mental Load reaches 10%Effect:
Shin is forcibly "reset" into a childlike state—age randomly chosen between 5 and 14
Physical body changes gender randomly
Powers reduced by 50%
Mental Load resets to 0%
Duration: 1 month real-time
Cooldown: 3 monthsPassive cannot be disabled
Note: "Reset Shin" retains memories, but personality may be affected by age-specific traits.Emotional walls drop. Coin cannot use leadership commands.
Shin stared at the text.
Then, calmly, raised his cup.
"...Hilarious."
And drank his tea.
The Warning
Silenne arrived moments later, breath short.
"I felt a system surge—what happened?"
He handed her a paper slip. Simple. Clean.
"Reset Law."
She read.She blinked.She stared.
"Wait… so if you overload… you become a child? With random gender?!"
"Temporarily," Shin replied flatly.
"And you're okay with that?"
He looked into the middle distance.
"I'd prefer that to bleeding through another Reclaim."
Silenne looked like she was processing three crises at once.
"How will the agents respond—if their commander suddenly turns into a twelve-year-old girl who can't use half her powers?"
"Hopefully," Shin said, setting the tea down,"with less panic than you are."
The Team Learns
The next morning, Petal, Lio, Seradin, and Fang gathered for a briefing.
Silenne explained it bluntly:
"Shin now has a failsafe.If he takes on too much, he'll reset.Physically. Temporarily. Randomly."
The room went silent.
Fang blinked.
"...So we might get Mini Shin?"
Petal raised a hand.
"What's the plan if he resets mid-mission?"
Silenne muttered:
"We carry him. Or hide him. Or babysit him."
Seradin, deadpan:
"I volunteer."
Lio sighed.
"We all will. Don't worry."
Then Petal whispered:
"...He never takes anything for himself, huh?Even his collapse becomes a tool."
That Night
Shin sat alone again.
He opened a small side file in his personal system HUD.
[ Project Codename: Little Black Suit ]
Auto-fitting uniformsTactical coin stabilizers for underaged frameEmergency protocol for command fallback
He sipped his tea once more and murmured:
"Even a child can lead…if their heart is heavier than any blade."
The echo chamber inside the Black Sanctum had never seen this many agents in one place.
Every rank was present:
Full agents
Echo Unit members
Shadows
Operations Specialists
They stood quietly, watching as Shin, cloaked in black and calm as ever, stepped onto the teaching platform.
His voice was even.
"As of now, Reclaim is no longer mine alone."
The Lesson Begins
A glowing sigil expanded from the floor, forming a vast ring of light.
Inside it: five cracked coins, spinning slowly in stasis.
Shin gestured to them.
"These belong to the willing.You will each attempt to stabilize one.If you succeed—your bond deepens.If you fail—they won't be harmed…but you'll feel what it means to carry something that wasn't yours."
He paused, letting those words echo.
"This is not a spell.It is not a command.It is a promise."
— SYSTEM UPDATE —
[ Sub-Reclaim Protocol: Taught by Shin ]
Requires:• Agent Rank or higher• Direct consent of the recipient• Emotional focus and physical touch• Shin's "Reset Law" now acts as fail-safe if too much strain accumulates among active Reclaimers
Effect:
Heals light to moderate coin fractures
Stabilizes emotional drift
Restores minor physical damage
Can only be used once every 30 days
Shared Cooldown System Activated
If Shin resets, all Sub-Reclaim abilities are paused until his return
First Students
Petal stepped forward first.Then Seradin.Then Fang.
Each placed their hand above a floating coin.
Shin walked among them in silence, only speaking when a hesitation broke rhythm.
"It's not about power.It's about willingness."
"Don't dig into the wound. Breathe it in—then let it pass through you."
"You are not the answer. You are the doorway."
One by One
Petal's target: a frightened junior Shadow.
She wept softly during the link.Petal bore it with gentle tears of her own.
Result: Success.
Seradin's target: a former vanguard knight burned by betrayal.
Seradin grunted, shook slightly, and whispered, "You were more than your uniform."
Result: Partial Success. Coin stabilized, full healing pending.
Fang's target: herself.She placed the cracked remains of her own coin into the ring.
Shin raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Fang screamed, coughed blood—then grinned:
"Still here."
Result: Success. But fainted immediately.
Aftermath
Later, as the agents rested, Shin sat with Silenne on the observation balcony.
She nudged him with her elbow.
"You just made twenty-nine of yourself."
"Hardly," he replied. "They each heal differently."
"Still…" she muttered, glancing down at the field of recovering souls."...it's a good beginning."
— SYSTEM NOTICE —
[ Reclaim Network Formed ]
Sub-Users Active: 9Reclaim Pool Synced to Shin's coreShin's Reset Law now triggers only if total mental load exceeds 100% across all networked agentsShared burden. Shared strength.
Closing Scene
Shin stood at the Wisteria Tree once again.
This time, he was not alone.
Petal, Silenne, Seradin, Lio, and Fang stood beside him.
Each carried a healed coin.
Each placed it gently on the altar.
And Shin simply whispered:
"Even the strongest blade must be passed…if the wielder is still human."
The morning began normally.
A tactical review.A report from the border team.A subtle nod from Shin as he sipped a newly steeped tea.
But beneath his calm expression…
Mental Load: 99.8%Shared Reclaim strain pushing against his limitsSystem: Watching
He handed Petal a mission file mid-sentence—
And then everything shattered like glass.
— SYSTEM ALERT —
[ RESET LAW TRIGGERED ]
Mental Load exceeded 100%Initiating failsafe protocol…
— TRANSFORMATION IN PROGRESS —
Form: FemaleAge: 8Powers: 50%Leadership Authority: Temporarily RevokedMental Load: 0%Duration: 30 DaysCooldown: 90 Days
In the Sanctum
A small thump echoed across the war room floor.
Everyone turned.
Shin's long coat was now... draped over a tiny figure.
Black hair tied back in two lazy loops.Small hands trying to hold up sleeves ten times too big.Big, unreadable silver eyes staring at the room like she'd just woken from a nap she didn't remember taking.
"...What just happened?" Petal whispered.
Fang blinked.Seradin squinted.
And the tiny girl tilted her head and said in a very serious voice:
"...May I have a smaller suit, please."
Mini Shin Is Born
Within minutes, the entire command floor was in controlled chaos.
Tailors were summoned.Fang had already dubbed her "Shinnie."Silenne? Frozen. In pure, wide-eyed silence.
Petal finally stepped forward, crouched down, and asked:
"Commander… are you alright?"
Tiny Shin—now dressed in a perfectly cut mini-black business suit and sipping from a comically small teacup—nodded calmly.
"Yes. I am… approximately eight. Possibly female.Coin authority is suspended, so I'll need someone else to handle any executions."
Petal stared.
"Executions…?"
"...Figuratively. For now."
Shadows React
The younger Shadows couldn't help it.
They began saluting seriously.
"Agent Lil' Commander reporting for duty!"
"Ma'am, your tea is ready with a 2:1 ratio. Just how you like it!"
"You're so smol…"
Tiny Shin blinked.
"...Is 'smol' a combat class?"
The Realization
Later that day, Shin sat cross-legged in a training room while Petal read reports aloud.
"Should I address you as Sir? Miss? Commander?"
Shin—now tying a knife to a ribbon and twirling it like a toy—paused, then replied:
"Just Shin. The title is currently in stasis."
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Clear," Shin said softly. "Like… all the pressure is gone. But I'm not sure if I like it."
Petal smiled gently.
"Then let us carry it. Just for a while."
— SYSTEM STATUS —
[ Shin (Reset Form) ]
Status: StableAge: 8Form: FemalePower Limit: 50%Emotional Wall: LoweredObservations:– Shows more outward emotion– Blushes when praised– Still drinks tea like a warlord
Closing Scene
That evening, Silenne finally found the courage to knock on Shin's temporary quarters.
The door opened to a girl curled up in a blanket, reading mission logs with a serious face and two cookies by her side.
"You look… small," Silenne said flatly.
Shin blinked up at her.
"You look very large."
Pause.
"Would you like a cookie?"
Silenne sat beside her.
And whispered:
"You're not alone anymore, Shin. Not even like this."
Two weeks into the Reset.
Shin had fully stabilized in her new form:An 8-year-old girl with serious eyes, perfect posture...and a habit of absently swinging her legs when she sat too high.
It started in the mission room.
She was perched on the edge of the long obsidian planning table, sipping tea while her agents reported in.
"Fang's report. Mission: Border sabotage. Status: Complete."
"Good," Shin said with a nod, legs gently kicking midair."Was the explosive sound profile within protocol?"
Petal blinked.Lio tried very hard not to smile.
Shin didn't notice.
Behavioral Shift Log:
Hops slightly instead of walking when excited.
Swings legs idly during briefings.
Sits on desks. Sleeps in windowsills.
Insists on exact sugar levels in her tea.
Still perfectly capable of calculating casualty curves without blinking.
A Moment in the Hall
Seradin found her one afternoon hopping down the hall—literally hopping—holding a clipboard nearly her size.
"...Commander?"
"Yes?" she asked brightly, hair bouncing.
"You're hopping."
"Strategic blood flow optimization," Shin said without hesitation.
"You look like you're playing."
She paused.
Then calmly replied:
"...Possibly both."
The Tea Table Scene
Later, in the common room, Silenne walked in to find a surreal sight:
Tiny Shin sitting on a plush chair,
legs kicking gently,
humming softly while drawing a war logistics map in colored chalk.
There was a cookie in her mouth and ink on her cheek.
Silenne sat beside her.
"You okay?"
Shin nodded.
"I've achieved optimal inner clarity."
"...You sure?"
Shin held up her chalk map proudly.
"Look. All possible refugee paths, coded by safety gradient. Red is bad."
Then she leaned sideways and whispered:
"Also, I learned how to skip. It is... fun."
Silenne stared.
Then covered her mouth with a hand.
"Shin… you're actually becoming a little girl."
Shin blinked. Then blinked again.
"...Oh."
Pause.
"Is that bad?"
System Status Log – Shin (Reset Form)
Emotional Suppression: InactivePlayfulness: +65%Logic Retention: 100%Cognitive Stability: NormalBehavioral Drift: Minor – "Age-correlated joy patterns emerging"
Closing Scene
That night, Petal found Shin sitting on a windowsill, feet swinging above the courtyard, eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight.
She sat beside her.
"You feel… lighter."
Shin nodded.
"My thoughts still calculate the same.But they rest differently now."
She smiled faintly. Real. Warm.
"Petal… do you think it's okay to be like this?"
"Yes," Petal whispered, brushing Shin's hair gently."Because it means we're healing, too."
And for the first time, Shin leaned softly against her agent's shoulder and whispered:
"Then I'll keep skipping. For now."
The Reset was now entering week three.
And something had… shifted.
Shin—once the cold, calculating leader of S.I.N, the man who made knights kneel and nobles tremble—was currently spinning in slow circles across the polished war room floor.
Arms out.Eyes closed.A soft humming escaping her lips.
"~Laaa dee dee... I'm a pretty princess~"
She twirled once more and then posed with a flourish, her oversized tea spoon like a royal scepter.
"You may now applaud," she said calmly, opening one eye.
Fang collapsed in laughter.
Petal clutched her chest, trying not to scream from cuteness overload.
Silenne?
She stared. Pale. Shook her head like she was rebooting.
Behavioral Drift Log – Reset Shin
New Trait: Humming softly while walking through the base
New Quote: "I'm a pretty princess, and my tea is royal-grade"
Dance Rating: Surprisingly graceful
Combat Awareness: Still perfect mid-spin
Training Yard: Princess Drill
Later that day, Reset Shin stood atop a crate in the training yard, wearing a black ruffled combat skirt and her tiny double-breasted suit jacket—now adorned with a single glittery brooch shaped like a rose.
She addressed the junior Shadows with absolute seriousness.
"Today's stealth test will be conducted under royal conditions."
"...What does that mean?" asked a nervous agent.
"You must protect the princess—me—as I twirl through enemy territory.Anyone who makes me drop my tea cup fails."
Then she twirled again, lifting one leg and spinning gracefully—
—while dodging four thrown daggers mid-pirouette.
Silenne's Log: Day 20 of Reset
"She is twirling.She is humming.She called herself 'the royal sovereign of tactical charm.'And I just watched her take down two vanguard operatives while dressed like a tea-party mascot."
"...This is terrifying. And adorable."
The Reflection Moment
That night, Shin stood before her mirror. Alone.
She adjusted a hair ribbon. Smoothed her little suit. Hummed again.
And then paused.
"...I don't feel broken," she whispered.
"I don't feel crushed."
"...I feel light. Like I could float into the sky."
She turned slightly, examining her own reflection.
"I think… the pretty part doesn't matter."
"It's the softness that makes me dangerous now."
She smiled.
A real smile.
"I like being a pretty princess.Because no one sees the sword coming when she's dancing."
— SYSTEM OBSERVATION —
[ Reset Drift: Emotional Reintegration at 81% ]
Shin's form is adapting to joyCore personality permanently absorbing traits:— Playfulness— Expressiveness— Grace-under-smiles
Note: Upon reversion to adult form, fragments of joy may persist
Closing Scene
The next day, Petal found Shin holding a "Royal Court Tea Lesson" for the new recruits, where she twirled, hummed, corrected posture, and deflected questions about explosive placement with:
"That's for duchesses, dear."
She curtsied.
And every agent present immediately fell in love with the idea that Shin, Slayer of Paladins,was now also the Dancing Princess of S.I.N.