"Mr. Kaelhart!"
All the students shouted. The blade Lucan held was buried in Lucien's chest. Lucien's face registered shock, a depth of surprise he had never felt before. How did I not see that coming? he thought.
"Why did you do that?" he asked, his voice strained.
Lucan's eyes gleamed red, a diabolical smirk twisting his lips. "You bastard, I won, and you lost." He let out a harsh laugh as he yanked the sword free.
Lucien collapsed to his knees, blood spilling from his mouth. He looked up at Lucan. "I told you, rage will lead you nowhere. It will consume you."
"Shut up! You piece of filth, I'd never call someone like you my instructor. Now go rest — eternally." Lucan raised his sword for another strike, but Alaric and Liam grabbed him, holding him back.
Amara stormed toward him and—
SLAP!
Lucan's cheek burned from the impact. "Do you even understand the value of a person's life?" she demanded.
Yukiara and Ziya rushed to Mr. Kaelhart's side to get him to safety. Ziya reached for his hand to help him up, but she froze. No pulse. Hesitantly, she pressed her hand to his chest, searching for a heartbeat. Her eyes widened in horror.
"He's… dead," she whispered.
"What? What are you talking about?" Alaric's voice trembled, his eyes wide with dread.
"He's dead. His heart's stopped," Ziya said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes. She covered her mouth, stifling a sob.
Lucan's face paled, his earlier bravado crumbling. "D-did I kill him? What have I done?" he stammered, panic creeping into his voice.
Yukiara's teeth clenched, tears streaming down her face. Fueled by rage, she grabbed Lucan by the collar and shook him violently.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" She landed punch after punch until Liam pulled her back, restraining her.
Regret? Do you regret killing me? That's why I told you, rage is not the way of a warrior. I lost again, too soon. I was reckless. Joining this academy was my worst decision. I was consumed by my own desires.
Has the warrior inside me already died?
If I had just one more chance, I'd never make such mistakes again.
Lucien's thoughts swirled as his vision faded to black.
He found himself in an endless void. "What? Why am I here?" he muttered.
Suddenly, a window appeared before him:
[Do you want to restart again?]
[Yes] [No]
[But many things will change]
His eyes widened. "What? Am I getting another chance?" he said aloud.
"And what do you mean by 'many things will change'? What exactly is going to change?" he asked the system.
[This time, you will be teleported to ACE.]
"To ACE? So the academy will become a myth? All my students… they'll die?" He looked down, his voice heavy with sorrow.
[Yes]
He sighed. "It's fine. It's all for my goal."
[Also, you will lose all your stats, and your inventory will be reset.]
Lucien's face contorted in shock. "What? I'm going to lose everything again?"