What do you even call this feeling?
When someone you've been aching to see—no, craving for a very long time, suddenly stands before you, as if pulled straight from your imagination and dreams.
Idolization? A delusion?
Even in the ghostly air, Kaiser seemed to devour the light itself. The bioluminescent flowers hanging from the branches dimmed around him, yet in my eyes, he shone brighter. He looked like an 'ikemen' draped in dangerous beauty, wrapped in black roses. An idol performing on stage while I stood among the crowd, cheering just for him.
He took his time, eyes flicking over the shadows, measuring the space and anyone who dared live in it. He walked like a cautious toddler greeting a long-absent father. Tentative, proud, a little too careful for something that carried a sharp tool and smelled of metal.
"Ah, my dear son. Papa is here," I thought, half in awe, half in terror. In that split second I admired my menacing protagonist, the system's warning bloomed across my vision and swallowed the moment with its gargantuan window.
[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED INTERACTION DETECTED. In accordance with Contract Clause 1.1 — BREACH WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE TERMINATION. ]
Ever since this transmigration began, I've lost count of how many times the gates of Saint Peter nearly opened. But the worst death imaginable is dying by the hands of my own protagonist. No thanks.
Especially now, the person he's trying to save is in my arms, grieving. This situation is a perfect recipe for a catastrophic misunderstanding.
That blade, reflecting the last glimmers of fading light, might come for my throat... or my neck.
The three of us froze, studying one another. The flamebees had vanished, leaving the forest steeped in darkness. I took the chance to move sideways — careful, light, silent. Or so I thought.
My foot caught on something. I stumbled, nearly falling backward. A sharp gust swept past me just as the system shrieked in my ears, its warning overlapping the deafening clash of steel. A red spark burst across my vision, the sword's tip grazing my bangs. If Kaiser's blade hadn't been blocked, my head might've rolled by now.
To my shock, it was the scarred man who had saved me.
Kaiser's reaction was understandable, guarded and cold. But the scarred man? That was another story.
"Don't misunderstand," he said, his tone smooth and mocking. "I was only saving my piggy bank."
"I don't owe you anything," I replied flatly.
"Then I'll just put it on your tab, dear customer." I could almost see his smirk behind those words.
"We won't meet again," I warned.
"How sure are you?"
Of course, Kaiser is his opponent. He'll definitely lose.
I had no sympathy for a vile man like him. My concern was the system's warning, and the young man's life slowly slipping away in my arms.
Time to run. Again.
I had barely taken another step when the system beeped—right as Kaiser's deep voice cut through the silence.
"Step. Aside." His warning to the scarred man sounded more like a threat than a request.
[The protagonist remains within the author's fifty-meter radius since the first warning. Punishment will now commence.]
The moment the message appeared, pain exploded in my hand. The black-feather insignia, my system contract was flared scarlet, twitching and writhing like a living thing.
Every pulse came with agony, like a worm burrowing through my flesh. "Urgh!" I nearly lost my grip on the young man, but the pain only worsened. My veins bulged around the mark, swelling until it rose like a golf ball under my skin.
Then it split open.
The feather's stem peeled apart, revealing an eye socket forming in its place. It twitched, rolled, and finally stilled. Its razor-red iris snapping toward me.
"What is this…?"
A raw groan tore from my throat as heat surged through my veins, searing like a hundred ants biting and chewing from the inside. The purple spread from the eye, crawling up my arm, until every nerve felt aflame.
I could feel sweat rolling down my neck as blood surged backward, drawn toward the razor eye. It sucked it out of me... crying blood. The young man's clothes were quickly soaked in it.
My heart pounded like a drum about to burst. 'If this keeps up, and those dark veins reach my chest. My body won't hold on'
I shook my head, forcing the dizziness away. I needed to move. Now.
The clash of swords rang sharp and clear. They were already fighting, Kaiser and the scarred man were locked in their own deadly rhythm.
"Who the hell are you?" Kaiser's voice cut through the air.
"That's what I'd like to ask, kiddo."
They were in their own world. I was in mine. I bit back the pain and let my legs carry me anywhere, just far away. The forest blurred around me. The faint glow from the system window became my only guide through the dark. Cold wind howled as I stumbled forward.
[HP Remaining: 1125 → 678]
[Target's HP Remaining: 10000 → 220]
[Half an hour has passed. Temporary boost to author's skills has been lifted.]
It felt like my energy was suddenly drained dry. I lost control of my body — my limbs turned soft, my knees hit the ground hard, and the young man slipped from my arms.
"Sh—" I hissed, crawling toward him with what little strength I had left. My fingers trembled as I reached for his pulse. Weak. Barely there. I lifted his head onto my lap, trying to steady my breathing.
I ran and ran, but there was nothing. No trails, no human settlement, just endless forest.
Was this quest really impossible?
Was the system just toying with me?
Mocking me because I can't even save a single person?
Do they enjoy watching me struggle before I die?
"Damn it. Fuck the system! Fuck whatever entity's behind it! Damn them all! Those bastards—eat poop!" I shouted, every word burning with frustration.
[Several profanity words detected. Author muted for 25 minutes.]
Heat surged through my chest, wrapping tight like burning chains. The eye on my hand wept blood, and my vision blurred until tears and crimson mixed. The pain was unbearable, yet I couldn't even scream properly.
'Ahh… Argh… ahhh…'
It felt like my body was going to burst, a balloon about to pop from too much air inside. And then—
A touch.
Cold. Gentle. Merciful.
A soothing hand brushed my face, and suddenly the pain eased. It was like an oasis blooming in the middle of a desert, cooling everything it touched. My breath slowed. The agony dulled.
When I looked up, a pair of ocean-blue eyes stared down at me, filled with worry. My soul felt like it was sinking into them as he gently caressed my cheek.
He was comforting me, when he was actually the one suffering. I didn't deserve that. Not when I was the one who put him in this mess.
I reached out and held his hand again. 'Let's live, young man.' I didn't even know his name. I never even bothered to give him one.
He must've read my thoughts because he gave me a small, bittersweet smile.
Then, suddenly, his expression shifted. His eyes widened, and his grip on my shoulder tightened. His whole body tensed as if he wanted to run... or vanish. Panic flickered in his gaze. He didn't want someone to see him like this.
"Stop… stop…" he mumbled again and again, trying to hide behind my cloak.
Only then did I sense another presence behind me.
'Sorry, young man,' I thought bitterly. But he already saw you before.
"Eane… why?" Kaiser's voice broke the silence in confused, concerned. There was something else in it too, something raw I couldn't name.
He came here to save his friend.
But his friend didn't want to be saved.
Then his eyes shifted—to me. They hardened, sharp and accusing. The scarred man was nowhere to be seen. Had Kaiser already killed him? If so… that was fast.
My train of thought stopped the moment Kaiser's voice thundered through the air.
"Give him back… or die."
I couldn't answer him. I couldn't let him have the young man. In his fate, Eane wasn't supposed to be there. His destiny must not be disturbed.
But… do I even have the right to decide this young man's fate?
He's just a character I once chose to die for the protagonist. I never gave him a name. I only called him a friend, a savior—nothing more. Kaiser buried him deep in his memory, a memory destined to fade with time.
That's how I wrote him: weak, nameless, naïve, innocent—
The kind of person Kaiser would never want to be reminded of again.
And yet… here he is. Alive.
I know Kaiser could save him. And I can't even feel my legs anymore. I have no strength left. No way to save either of us.
'Was it wrong for Kaiser to save his friend?'
No. I'm just selfish.
I turned my face to him, to the young man hiding behind my cloak. 'So his name… is Eane.'
Eane. The name struck something in me. It was the same name I'd given to my life journal — the one that knew every corner of my mind, every frustration, every worry, every regret. It held the things I wanted to do and the ones I never could. It was like an imaginary friend who kept record of my ups and downs.
And now, hearing it again, attached to a living person, I felt a strange connection, as if we were old friends reunited in a very worst fate. The guilt for ruining his life only grew heavier.
'I'm sorry, Eane.'
Kaiser has the right to change his fate, I thought, even if it means my death.
A dry chuckle escaped me. 'I guess I've finally lost to the system,... How unlike me.'
Eane's eyes quivered, as if he could sense that I was about to give up. Quietly, he turned his gaze toward Kaiser, who was stepping closer.
"Let's go home, Eane," Kaiser said, his voice carrying a pleading tone.
But Eane shook his head, biting his lip. "No!" He pushed himself upright, shielding me with his body. Blood streamed from his wound, as though every last bit of strength he had was pouring out with it.
Kaiser stopped mid-step, confusion flickering across his face. His eyes, sharp and cold toward his enemy, softened the moment they landed on his friend.
Pain surged through my body again, almost unbearable, yet when Eane looked back at me, somehow, I could endure it.
Kaiser's voice wavered as he spoke again, "Does a family need to share blood? No, Eane, forget them. I'm here… and Madam Grandma too. So please, let me save you."
'Grandma?' I almost forgot about that woman. Where was she now? She should've been with Eane in that place.
Eane's body trembled. "Kaiser… just go…" he coughed, blood staining his lips.
Seeing Eane's condition, Kaiser's face hardened. "Forgive me, then."
Both of us shut our eyes as a fierce gust of wind swept past. It felt like Kaiser was about to forcefully take Eane away—anything to save him.
But before he could even take a step closer, the ground beneath us trembled and sank. Thunder roared across the sky, and a blinding flash of lightning struck between us. We were standing too close to the cliff's edge, the soil crumbled under our weight.
I grabbed Eane tightly as we plunged into the darkness below.
"Eane!" Kaiser horrified voice echoed through the storm as we fell.
Eane, however, seemed calm. His arms spread wide like wings, his face serene as though he had accepted everything. As if surrendering to his fate, he looked… free.