One of Us Gotta Fall From The High Horse

What...?

What in the…?

The horse had returned to her.

As if nothing had happened.As if she were dreaming and just woken up.

As if the nightmare she had endured was nothing more than a cruel mirage.

The high steed now stood before her in all its quiet magnificence, head lowered, calmly chewing on something. Mia tilted her head, scanning the grass around the podium, looking eagerly for the fruit she had dropped… but at the same time, trying to juggle her attention towards the hourglass.

Grain by grain, the sand slipped away. Time was almost up.

No! Only one more—

But Mia never got to see the final grain fall.

Because at that very moment, the horse stepped forward, blocking her view, rising to its full height with a presence so radiant, so overwhelming, it was like watching the sun break through the darkness after a long, cold night of fear and loneliness.

Indeed, it was a whole new day for Mia.

All her doubts — whether she had been accepted or not — were swept away by the wind the moment the creature bowed its head and gave her permission to mount.

This can’t be true.

Just before pulling herself up, Mia noticed something for the first time: a mark on its forehead.

A... circle?

It was faint, almost imperceptible, but undeniably there.It wasn't paint, more like a scar.

From what, though?

She had no idea.

But now wasn’t the time for questions.

She had a task to fulfill, and she moved without hesitation.

So high.So impossibly high.

Brave Ice Horse, the tallest horse from her village, was nothing compared to this one. Not even close. The difference was so great that Mia instinctively clung to the creature, afraid she might fall at any second.

“Alright, I’ve got this.” Mia took a steady breath, quietly reassuring herself as she began to find her balance. Her fingers sank into the golden mane, the familiar softness anchoring her in the moment.

It was the softest thing she had ever laid her hands on.

When she was just a little kid, she used to dream of one day touching the silks and fine fabrics from the myths and tales of forsaken times she'd heard; and now, as her fingers sank into that golden mane, she knew: that dream had come true.

“Thank you,” she whispered, bending slightly to rest her forehead against its neck as she gently stroked its snow-white coat.
“My name is Mia—”

She almost said Mia Hansen — the name she had always known — but caught herself, because Gaia had told her earlier that surnames held no meaning in this world. Family lineage, bloodlines... none of it mattered here, but her talent.

In Luminesis, reputation was her surname.

“My name is Rierie.”

The voice she had heard before echoed once more in her mind — strong and ethereal.

As if to acknowledge the name, Mia softly ran her fingers through the creature’s mane again.

“Rierie… I–”

She would have said more, if not for the sudden gasp that cut through the air nearby, snapping her out of the moment.

Just on the other side of the platform stood her rival...

Also mounted on the back of a horse.