Primula's race was a mystery to all. But it was undeniable that her racial talent was truly unrivaled.
Alison was the witness to Primula who lost all her power in the forbidden zone of space-time three times in the 8,000 year period of struggle. But she went from zero to peak rank 9 every single time.
Finally, with her own efforts and Alison's help, she managed to find a way to partially deal with the curse. But this cost her everything.
She was set back once again.
But in the span of 2,000 years, she not only managed to grow from nothing to high rank 9, she also started a rebellion from scratch, snatched a mighty empire with a mostly intact populace and institutions.
Without any political work, Primula would've needed only 500 years. Without the curse, Alison could only shudder to think.
She didn't dare to think but sometimes, her mind would whisper that a 'century' would have been enough for Primula to go from zero to high rank 9 or perhaps even peak rank 9.
What race did she belong to? What would be other type of talents for such a talented race?
And what Alison didn't know was that everytime Primula was set back or went under severe stress, her racial talent would come into play.
It was perhaps the most basic of all talents but it's a critical one.
Primula's curse and race were both tied to die.
So was her talent.
It transported her soul to an illusory past, allowing her to relive the moments she deemed to be the best.
It was as real as the real world that a person couldn't be sure which one was the real world after waking up.
But of course, due to the racial attributes, Primula never had such problems.
After waking up, she could always tell it's a dream.
Just a dream but it was…
A dream that kept her awake and alive.
A dream that she saw over and over and over again.
A dream that had influenced her perception of reality so much that she found it in herself to struggle harder than she ever thought was possible.
And that dream…
The short, sweet events that kept her sanity intact, her soul happy and her mind peaceful…
They always started the same.
"No, Big Bro."
"Baba?"
"No, no. Big Bro! Big Bro! I'm too young to be a Baba!"
It was an early memory.
After being 'born', it was the period when she was realizing her self-consciousness.
There were three or four women taking care of her. But one day, a new person joined.
The silent woman asked Primula to call him Baba but he asked her to call him "Big Bro".
Primula didn't understand why.
As a very young child who knew words but not much else, she watched in curiosity as the new person stressed to her once again.
"Big Bro, come on, say it! Big Bro! Big Bro!"
"Stop being so shameless! You're already 20!"
"What? Sarah, you're a year older than me. Do you want to be called a mama now?"
"…It's not that I mind, but I don't want to be called a mama if she doesn't call you baba first. And you still insist on not being a father even though my dad is ready to move mountains for his grandkids."
"What's her name by the way?"
"No fixed name as of yet. We are still searching for a good name. The only service you can do us is not to na—"
"Primula." The man raised her into the air and laughed with a bright smile. "Your name is Primula."
"Preemula?"
Would that be her name? Why though?
"Pri-mu-la. It means Rose. First Rose."
"First L-Rose?"
"Because you're the best!" He cheered.
Without even knowing why, Primula too raised her arms and cheered.
This new person didn't seem bad.
*** *** ***
Due to her racial qualities, Primula's growth had been much, much faster than that
of others. So, in just a week, she had grown a couple months older. And the growth was only accelerating.
The bond with the four 'sisters' continued. As did the bond with the 'brother'.
They ran in the meadows, slid down smooth mountains which conveniently had a naturally occurring slide and played in the flower fields that stretched on forever.
One fun memory after another. Filled with moments that seemed to last forever.
She would live this dream. And get lost in it every single time.
How many months passed like that? Or was it just days?
Primula didn't know if it's because she's 'special' or if the moments were or if it was both, but she felt like she felt years growing up with him while also feeling she only met him yesterday.
"Big Bro! The turtle! The turtle stole my ribbon!"
Outside the garden area, a young girl shouted indignantly as she pointed to a red turtle who stiffened at her words and started sprinting away.
"Brother, is that even a turtle? It's running! It's literally running on two legs!"
Varian came running and threw her a double-loaded plasm gun while he removed the silencer from his.
"It's not a normal turtle! It's the intergalactic criminal I told you about!"
Primula's jaw dropped and her gaze quickly shifted to catch the sight of the red turtle who was already disappearing.
"The Red Turtle Thief! He also stole my cookies yesterday!"
"Yep, yep! That's him!"
"And the milk chocolate the other day!"
"Yep, yep! That's him!"
"And he also drew a doodle on my face when I was sleeping! He called me a cute pig!"
"Yep, yep! You're a cut—"
"…"
Primula walked to Varian who was fidgeting nervously. "Ah, ahahah. Let's catch the thief, yeah? The Red Turtle Thi…"
Load! Load!
Primula loaded the gun and pointed it at him. "Big Brother, be honest. You're the one who did it right? You like to tease me! But I'm no longer a kid you can decieve!"
Varian put on a pained expression. "You too, Primula?!"
Primula wasn't falling for that. She had seen him prank way too many members with these masterful artistic expressions. It's a shame for the movie industry that he wasn't an actor. But oh well.
"If you show me your elementary school photos, your tree cosplay, I'll let you off. Wait, brother, the stone one too. Heheheh, how did you end up sleeping for the entire play?"
"Damn you Sia! Even leaking my dark history!"
"Brother, deal or no deal?"
Varian's dramatic expression cooled down and he replied with a smirk. "…It was supposed to be your present which I stored in the ribbon."
"Ah, ahh? What?" Primula opened her mouth in panic and made a crying face at him. "Meanine, meanie, meanie!"
"Hahahah!"
Primula started running after the red turtle which had already gone far off into the distance and was barely visible. "Big Brother! Help me catch the turtle!"
"On it!"
Varian ran with her as he chased the turtle with a passionate expression but only ran as fast as her.
"Ehhh? Go fast! Fast!" Primula urged.
"I need my boost!"
"…Brother is the best."
"Boost x 1! More boosts requested."
"Brother is the most honest person."
"Boost x 2."
"Brother is the most kind hearted man, he won't hurt even an ant."
"Boost 3/3. I'll go kill that turtle!"
Said the most kind hearted man carrying a gun.
…And he vanished.
"Haaaa!"
When Primula woke up from her dream, she saw his face again. Pinching her cheeks, she wondered if she was still sleeping.
"B-Big Brother?"