The Duke's Worthless Daughter Awakens an SSS+ Guide Core

The artificial illumination of the Imperial Capital reached even the most secluded corners of the lower districts. Above the smog, hovercraft streaked across the midnight sky like falling stars between the towering skyscrapers. These massive structures pierced the clouds, reflecting holographic advertisements for military mechas and Sentinel recruitment campaigns.

Lady Merianah Emperion pulled her dark hood lower, hoping the shadows would swallow her presence. Her breathing came in shallow gasps while she navigated the damp, narrow alleyway. This place was a decaying scar hidden beneath the surface of the glittering capital where no high noble would ever dare to tread.

A greedy merchant stood across from her, his eyes glinting with a malicious sort of hunger. He watched the young woman with a sneer, his hand already reaching for the payment she offered.

"One hundred thousand credits," he stated with a voice that dripped with mockery.

"No refunds for the desperate," he added with a sharp grin.

Merianah clutched the small crystal vial, her knuckles turning white from the intensity of her grip. Inside the glass, a silver liquid swirled with a volatile energy that seemed to pulse against her palm. She knew the medical professionals of the Empire had labeled her genetic condition as hopeless.

She was the only failure in a lineage of legends. Her father, Grand Duke Alaric, was a celebrated commander, while her mother, Celestine, was a legendary SSS-Class Guide. Her three brothers were undefeated Sentinel generals whose names were worshipped across the galaxy.

The liquid was a Core-Limiter Inhibitor, a dangerous substance designed to suppress biological safeguards. It worked by inhibiting the natural limiters that kept a dormant Guide Core in stasis, forcing a violent evolution. This process was likely to shatter her energy pathways, yet she felt she had no other options left.

The social weight of her F-Class status was a burden she could no longer carry. Nobles whispered behind jeweled fans at every banquet, calling her a permanent stain on her family. Tomorrow marked the final two months before her engagement to Crown Prince Cassiel Solaris would be publicly celebrated.

She knew the Prince would not accept a failure who could not even soothe a basic headache. The thought of his inevitable rejection fueled her final, reckless gamble.

If this works, she thought to herself, perhaps my father will finally look at me with pride.

Maybe they will finally see me as more than a ghost in the halls, she whispered into the empty night.

Without giving herself another single chance to hesitate, she decisively uncorked the glass vial. The silver liquid burned like molten metal as it slid down her throat. Silence filled the alleyway for a single heartbeat before a horrific spasm racked her entire frame.

"AAAAAH!"

She screamed with a voice that was instantly swallowed by the roar of the city above. Blinding pain exploded through every single vein in her frail body.

She collapsed heavily onto the cold pavement as violent energy surged chaotically through her weak Guide Core. It felt as though her bones were being deliberately crushed into dust. Her internal organs felt torn apart, and it seemed as though her very soul was being ripped away.

Dark blood spilled from the corner of her lips, staining her pale skin. Deep cracks spread across the empty vial as it slipped loosely from her unfeeling fingers.

"No..." she moaned, her voice fading to a mere whisper.

The merchant’s face turned pale as he witnessed her horrific reaction. He took a frantic step backward, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation.

"Idiot! That specific dosage was designed for A-Class Guides!" the man shouted in a panic.

He turned and fled into the darkness, leaving her to die alone in the dirt. Merianah’s vision blurred into meaningless smears of color as her heart gave its final, fluttering beat.

I am sorry, she thought, directing the silent apology to the family that never wanted her.

Then, everything went entirely silent as her heart stopped beating.

Millions of miles away on the ruined remains of Earth, a different battle reached its conclusion. Commander Lyrina Ashbourne stood atop a shattered bridge while a crimson sky rained ash upon her bloodstained armor. Below her, a tide of infected monsters shrieked with a mindless, vicious hunger.

She watched the final civilian evacuation shuttle ignite its engines, ready to escape the dying planet. The pilot’s voice crackled through her radio, pleading with her to board before the detonation.

"Commander!" the soldier shouted through the static.

"We have to go right now!" another voice pleaded over the radio.

Lyrina only offered a quiet smile as she gripped her combat blade. She knew what needed to be done to ensure the survival of her species.

If I leave, they will reach the civilians, she spoke with a voice that held no trace of fear.

She triggered the charges, and a brilliant explosion consumed the entire bridge structure. Her physical form was torn apart by the heat, yet her final thought was one of absolute satisfaction.

At least humanity has another chance, she thought, her final mission successfully completed.

A strange sensation rippled through her fading consciousness, starting with a heavy, distinct heartbeat. Lyrina’s eyes flew open, but she did not see the fires of Earth or the swarm of monsters. She found herself lying on the cold pavement beneath a sky filled with unfamiliar stars.

The metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, mixing with the rush of foreign memories. These desperate thoughts did not belong to the battle-hardened Commander Lyrina Ashbourne alone. They belonged to an incredibly lonely girl named Merianah Emperion.

Lyrina clutched her head as eighteen years of a stranger’s life flooded her mind. She saw a little girl standing entirely alone in vast, manicured gardens. She felt the sting of every public insult and the crushing weight of neglect from her brothers.

A translucent blue screen materialized within her retinas, flickering with a rhythmic, synthetic chime.

"Identity confirmed," a synthetic, emotionless voice announced inside her mind.

"Unknown energy signature detected," the voice continued as red warnings flickered across her vision.

Lyrina tried to sit up, but her new limbs felt weak and unconditioned. These were certainly not the scar-covered hands that had wielded heavy assault rifles for over a decade. She had truly become someone else, inhabiting the shell of a completely different person.

A sudden, brilliant golden light spread quickly through her dark veins. The agonizing pain she had expected never came to pass. Instead, a deeply comforting warmth settled directly within the center of her chest.

"Compatibility confirmed," the system chimed softly.

"The SSS+ Guide Core has successfully recognized its new master".

The notification remained suspended in the air before shattering into countless shimmering particles.

Lyrina stood perfectly motionless against the brick wall, her brows knitted together in contemplation. This core pulsed with a calm, perfectly rhythmic energy that eased the burning pain in her body. The golden warmth was actively rebuilding her physical foundation from the inside out.

The lingering soreness in her unconditioned muscles gradually faded away. Her lungs expanded without pain, and the persistent dizziness disappeared.

I will figure out exactly what you are later, she directed the thought toward the golden sphere.

Right now, I need to survive, she added, her eyes narrowing with a veteran’s focus.

She adjusted her dark cloak and stepped out of the shadows of the alley. The grand city layout was completely unlike anything she had ever imagined during her life on Earth. Towering skyscrapers glittered brilliantly beneath artificial constellations.

Wealthy citizens moved with an absolute sense of privilege and security. No one spared a second glance toward her cloaked, solitary figure as she navigated the sidewalk.

Never before have I stood in a place so clean and so heartless, she realized with a strange sense of detachment.

A sudden, faint vibration echoed from inside the heavy folds of her dark cloak. Lyrina pulled out a slim, highly polished silver communicator that projected a holographic message.

[Sender: Father]

Her thumb hovered over the notification as her military instincts advised caution.

According to her memories, Grand Duke Alaric had not contacted his daughter in nearly four months.

Why would a man who treated her like an invisible ghost suddenly reach out in the middle of the night? she wondered silently.

The holographic message automatically expanded into several lines of crisp text.

[Return to the Emperion Estate immediately. Your mother has awakened from her coma. The entire family is waiting for your arrival.]

Lyrina stared at the glowing words in absolute silence, her expression turning grim.

Something is terribly wrong here, she thought, her battle-tested instincts flaring up instantly.

The "worthless" daughter of House Emperion was gone, but the trap she had left behind remained. Lyrina looked toward the silver spires in the distance and felt a familiar surge of adrenaline. She would go to the estate, but she would not go as a victim.

The veteran of a hundred battles straightened her posture and began to walk. Her hair had begun to shimmer with a silver light, and her eyes were now the color of rubies. This galaxy was about to meet a Guide it was never prepared to handle.