Busan – Midtown Crosswalk, 4:41 PM

The car was going too fast.
The brakes screamed.

And the little girl chasing her soccer ball didn’t see it coming.

But someone else did.

A blur—bare feet, school uniform, hair in a crooked ponytail. The girl caught the younger child around the waist and twisted mid-air.

The car hit nothing but air.

They landed in a roll, unharmed.

People screamed. Cameras clicked. The girl stood slowly, helping the child up.

“You okay?” she asked, brushing dust off the little one’s knees.

“Y-Yeah,” the child stammered. “Are you… strong?”

The girl smiled, embarrassed.

“Just enough.”

Legacy HQ – Hall of Origins

The video had already gone viral. Staff were whispering. The detection network logged an unidentified power spike.

Do Rae stood in front of the feed, sipping black coffee with a half-smile.

“Looks like another one’s waking up.”

Behind her, Do Rin stepped into the room, a pair of glasses perched on her nose, a digital map in hand.

“She’s sixteen. Records show her grandmother lived in Bong Soon’s village.”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Rae muttered.

They watched the screen for a moment longer.

“Should we send someone?” Rin asked.

“No,” Rae said. “Let her come to us. When she’s ready.”

Later – Legacy Archive Garden

Rows of recruits practiced below—some running obstacle courses, others meditating, others simply laughing like normal teens.

On a bench under the now-towering walnut tree sat Rae, her wedding ring still on her finger, a streak of grey in her braid.

Beside her, Jin Seok, older, still charming, pretending not to fall asleep in the sun.

Rin approached with a tablet, Kang Jae not far behind, giving orders to a few new tech trainees.

“Another dozen applicants from the Americas,” Rin said. “Four flagged for potential enhancement. One kid from Brazil says his mom used to read him stories about us.”

Rae raised an eyebrow. “We’re bedtime stories now?”

“Legends,” Rin said with a shrug. “Apparently you’re the punchy one. I’m the scary one.”

“Sounds accurate.”

Final Scene – Somewhere in Seoul

The girl from the video—now wearing a Legacy trainee pin—stood outside HQ, staring up at the building.

She took a breath.

Stepped forward.

The doors opened.

And somewhere deep inside, a sensor blinked green.

New legacy detected.

“Our strength is not ours alone.
It is the answer to someone else’s fear.
And the gift we carry forward, even when our hands shake.”

THE END