Maeyurai drowsily sat up from the bed that wasn't his. From the white sheets to the small room, it was a place he'd never seen before. It was an infirmary.
Looking at himself, he found his body covered in bandages. He's been treated.
Maeyurai turned his face to the left and saw a familiar figure sleeping on a chair, resting his head on his arm.
It was Shikkan. He had watched Maeyurai in his sleep all this time.
For how long have I slept...?
"Agh!" he grunted, feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. The sound he created woke up Shikkan, who was startled by the sudden noise.
"Maeyurai?" Shikkan asked, before standing up abruptly to hug him gently. "You're finally awake!"
Feeling Shikkan's warm embrace, Maeyurai felt the pain subside. He gradually brought his arms to Shikkan, wrapping them both around his waist.
"I was so worried! I thought you died in The Hunt!" said Shikkan in a relieved tone.
Shikkan sniffled. "What happened in The Hunt? Why were you the only survivor?"
Huh? Only survivor?
Where's Shienne?
"Me?" asked Maeyurai; he was confused. "I'm not the only survivor. Shienne should still be alive."
Hearing his answer, Shikkan pulled back.
"Shienne? The pink-haired girl?" he asked.
"Yeah... What happened to her?"
"...They couldn't find her. She went missing alongside Mhiya."
The room went silent.
Shikkan's gaze fell to the floor. He felt great sympathy for Maeyurai, knowing that Shienne, Mhiya, and Huizen were the people that he held dear in his heart.
"I see," Maeyurai replied quietly, looking at his battered hands.
"During The Hunt, we encountered a General-Level Hell's Spawn. A Shrieker. It killed everyone, leaving only a few people left, me included."
Maeyurai would continue, "Huizen came to save us, but... we ended up getting betrayed. Huizen was shot in the head by Mhiya, and the Shrieker was killed by a guy named Wency, quite effortlessly. I don't know who he is, but he's powerful."
He sniffled as he recounted the story, tears falling down his eyes.
"I... I don't get it!" he yelled out. "Why did Mhiya do that?!"
"Wasn't Huizen her master? Why would she just do that?!"
"If only I were stronger, if only I mastered my Fire and Lightning Magic, I would've been able to protect Shienne, Huizen, and Ugina!"
"But, no—I was weak, powerless, and never stood a chance."
"I was the luckiest, having been the one who gave out first."
"If only I was the one that died, and not Huizen..."
He closed his eyes as he cried once more.
Shikkan, who had been listening intently, was calm.
"Maeyurai," he called. "You shouldn't say things like that."
With tear-brimming eyes, Maeyurai shifted his gaze to Shikkan and sobbed. "I—I can't help it!"
"Didn't you say you would bring me to places I had never seen before? That you'd guide me after traveling the world? What would you do then if you had died in Huizen's stead?" Shikkan replied.
After speaking, Shikkan continued.
"You promised to show me the world, that you'd bring me to the most beautiful places you've ever seen."
"Think about it," he said. "If you died, then I'd be sad. I'll be lonely, and I'll grow old without you fulfilling the promise you gave me."
"If that were the case, then you shouldn't make promises you can't keep, because a person can never wait a thousand years."
"You were given a second chance to use your freedom, right? Think of your survival as fate's way of giving you a third chance in life. You are given another chance to continue. The path forward has already been built, and all you have to do next is to persevere."
"So raise your head and stand strong, because a happy and healthy Maeyurai is the Maeyurai I wish to always see."
The silence passed on, moving time forward.
Maeyurai sobbed, crying out loud.
And, of course, Shikkan pulled him into a warm embrace, sharing his fatherly love and care with the distressed child.
"Hahhh! I'm sorry, Shikkan!" Maeyurai wailed as he leaned into Shikkan's shoulder, seeking comfort.
"It's okay, Maeyurai," replied Shikkan, patting Maeyurai's shoulders. "It'll be fine; let it all out."
For the next 30 minutes, Maeyurai stayed in Shikkan's embrace.
"I'm fine now," said Maeyurai as he hesitatingly pulled back. "Thank you, Shikkan. I've calmed down because of you."
Shikkan nodded. "No worries. I'll always be by your side."
After speaking, Shikkan's eyes brightened, as if he remembered something.
"Oh, right!" he said. "Maeyurai, I have something to give to you for working so hard!"
He was joyful, like he'd been preparing for this for a long time.
A gift?
What could it be?
Maeyurai slightly lowered his head. "What is it?"
Standing up, Shikkan went to the drawer from across the room. He pulled it open and took a small object. It was a cube, and it seemed to contain something.
"What is that?" Maeyurai asked, cocking his head a little to the right, trying to get a closer look.
"It's a surprise. Go on, open it," replied Shikkan as he handed the container.
Maeyurai took off the hinge of the container and opened it.
Inside was a golden ring with an exotic design and a golden eye on top. On the eye, the sclera was represented by a milky quartz, and a ruby gem at the center served as the iris.
Though the ring was small, you could see the details and how good the eye looked.
"W—woah... This looks so good, Shikkan!" Maeyurai said in astonishment. He can estimate just how expensive the ring can be. "How much did you buy this for?"
Shikkan smirked. He placed a finger over his own lips and winked.
"That's a secret."
The door slowly opened, and a stranger dressed in white came in.
"Good evening, Mr. Shogen," the person said.
He was a physician and the one that took care of Maeyurai's injuries.
"Mr. Yhodth finally woke up; that's good. Are you feeling any pain?" asked the physician while looking at Maeyurai, walking to the bed.
"I don't feel any pain," Maeyurai answered as he touched his shoulders.
"Mhm," the physician hummed. "That's good. You recover fast."
"Since you are the sole survivor of the event, the treatment will be free. It's consideration for the hardships you have faced and respect for the deaths of the other participants."
"So I really was the only one left? No one else survived? How could that be?"
The physician was quiet. Then, he opened his mouth and spoke.
"The coordinator, alongside the receptionists, couldn't enter the forest. It was also reported that those inside possibly couldn't leave as well, since a large, strong barrier was placed by a powerful Fortificator over the forest, rejecting those outside."
"How did Shienne and Huizen enter then?"
"It's because Mr. Koja was inside the forest, supervising the other participants. He never stayed with the coordinator."
"Also, what happened to Shienne? Why was she gone? I swear, I saw that she only fell unconscious. She was there, not dead, not missing!"
"The rescue team only found the corpses of 132 out of 136 participants, not including Mr. Koja. We don't know where Ms. Yumeia had ended up, but we are certain she is missing."
"Tch," Maeyurai clicked his tongue. "The rescue team sucks! Shienne was alive, so how come they didn't find her?!"
"I apologize for that on behalf of the team. But the rescue team really didn't find Ms. Yumeia, nor the other two."
Maeyurai let out a shaking sigh. "I'm sorry. I was just distressed. I still can't get over all this."
"No, it's absolutely understandable; there is no need to apologize," said the physician. "If there is nothing else, I will be taking my leave now."
Shikkan then raised his hand to excuse the physician. With a nod, the physician leaves the room.
"Well then," Shikkan said. "You should be ready to head out now, right?"
"I am," Maeyurai answered.
Hopping off the bed with a soft thud, Maeyurai felt zero pain. He recovered quite quickly.
The two of them left the room and were now walking through the hallway of the infirmary.
As they walked, Maeyurai felt peaceful.
A simple walk could feel so warm, despite neither of them talking.
Maybe it was just the presence of someone he knew and loved, but it could be because he was finally out of pain.
But the deaths of Ugina and Huizen, as well as the missing Shienne and Mhiya, still lurked in his mind.
And of course, he felt that a big part of his life became missing.
The main door was in sight.
They approached the door and opened it.
Outside, Maeyurai was welcomed by the gazes of dozens of people. They had been waiting for the only survivor of The Hunt to wake up. And now, here he was.
Maeyurai's eyes opened wide, looking at all the people outside.
"He's here!"
"TheFinal Survivor is awake!"
The Final Survivor, a title given to Maeyurai for being the lone survivor of the incident during The Hunt.
All sorts of shouts were heard all over the place in front of the infirmary. Everyone was praising Maeyurai and even sympathizing with him for what he experienced.
It was overwhelming.
The amount of people, how many people that were trying to talk to him, Maeyurai couldn't handle them all.
And naturally, Shikkan noticed it. He stepped forward and cleared the path.
"Everyone! He's just woken up; please leave him alone."
His voice was stern enough to silence the crowd.
The people apologized and left one by one.
As the crowd dispersed, only one person remained. And that person's face was one that Maeyurai bothered to remember.
"Merico," Maeyurai muttered.
"Yo, blind guy," Merico replies casually. But no matter how casual he tried to make it sound, his voice carried a tinge of pain and guilt.
Maeyurai turned his face to Shikkan. "We can separate now; I'll talk to Merico."
Shikkan nodded and gave Maeyurai a pat on the shoulder. "Okay, have a nice talk."
When Shikkan left, Maeyurai walked forward to approach Merico.
"How's it going?" he asked.
Merico averted his gaze from Maeyurai. It seems he's ashamed to face Maeyurai, probably because he's been the one tormenting Maeyurai and because he asked Ugina to bother him during The Hunt.
"I..." Merico tried to speak. "I'm really sorry for what I've done to you in the past. When I heard from Ugina that you've been training in Huizen's place, I was shocked. I didn't want to see you succeed, so I asked him to ruin your progress as much as possible during The Hunt."
Why is this guy apologizing now?
Your words will never replace what you've done to me in the past.
Ugh, whatever.
"Yeah? I figured. He mentioned you once," replied Maeyurai.
Merico wasn't surprised. He knew that Ugina was never a bad person and would give the vaguest hints for Maeyurai to realize his intentions.
"It's my fault that Ugina died. If it weren't for my pettiness, he would've—"
Maeyurai cut off Merico by speaking firmly.
"Don't say that. It's not your fault, nor was it Ugina's," he said. "Blame it on the Shrieker that was there, not anybody else.
Merico was silent, trying to understand Maeyurai's words.
"Right," he replied.
"I have a question," Merico continued. "How did you regain your eyesight? I'm one of the only people here that knows about your past."
Oh, yeah.
Merico is one of the only two people I know of that's aware I have bad vision.
Should I tell him? I feel like not.
I'd rather keep it hidden.
"It was last week," he answered. "I woke up, and I could suddenly see things."
"Sounds like a pure miracle."
"It really was."
Why is this guy trying to sound friendly?
It's creepy.
I'm not used to this.
"How was Ugina during The Hunt?" Merico asked, trying to keep up the conversation.
"Ugina? He was strong. I only had 19 counts, and he had 54, which is a lot more than mine. He... he died protecting Huizen and Shienne."
"I see, he ended up being quite heroic, huh?"
"Yes, but... it's tragic. He died protecting Huizen, who later on was murdered. And Shienne... she went missing."
"...I'm sure he still is happy. Did you happen to... hear his final words?"
"I did," Maeyurai replied.
Then, Maeyurai recalled the words that Ugina said before dying.
...
Merico chuckled in pain. "In the end, he apologized, huh? That's so like him. He never really was a bad person; he's just a good actor."
"Did you know?" Merico added. "When I made fun of you every day, Ugina merely laughed along but never once tried to join me in bullying you. Stupid, isn't it? He listens to his friends way too much. He couldn't refuse my request and still went on to go and intervene in your progress during The Hunt."
"I see," Maeyurai replied.
"He was such a good friend; it pains me to see that he's no longer around," Merico said, tears threatening to fall down his cheeks.
"I know," said Maeyurai.
"Maeyurai," Merico called.
"Hm?" Maeyurai hummed in question.
"I know you don't want to talk to me. I can see it in your face. I'll take my leave now; best of luck to you."
"Is that so? Goodbye, then," replied Maeyurai, watching as Merico already turned to walk away.
Merico didn't even wave his hand; he just walked away as if the conversation never happened.
Seems some things never change. Maeyurai thought to himself as he shifted to move in the other direction.
Ugina's final words... 'Maeyurai... I'm sorry...'
I initially thought he was apologizing for failing to protect Huizen and Shienne.
But it seems that he actually apologized for his behavior, as it wasn't natural for him.
I wonder... Had Ugina survived, would we be close friends?
Who knows? Maybe we would spend a lot of time in the army.
If it weren't for that damned Shrieker that appeared out of nowhere.
We couldn't even kill it.
Was its heart really at the navel?
Hm.
I keep thinking about it...
Why did Mhiya kill Huizen? It's... It's strange; why would she suddenly turn her back on us?
And then there's Wency. He participated, somehow, without a bow!
He was also incredibly powerful. How did he move that fast?
Wait...
I can make a connection.
The physician stated earlier that there was a large barrier placed over the forest, which prevented the participants from leaving and the outsiders from entering.
Then what's the connection to Wency?
Simple.
Wency possibly created the barrier.
Though it's just a speculation... I don't even know what his Attribute and Affinity are.
About Mhiya, though... I can't figure it out.
Was she waiting all this time to kill Huizen? Why didn't she kill me?
I thought she would kill me to become the only one who leaves The Hunt alive and to become part of the army easily.
No wonder why she was missing the entire time; she had been up to no good.
As Maeyurai was deep into his thoughts, he passed by Huizen's house, where there was a funeral ceremony being performed on his lawn. It was quite fast.
He thought for a moment and decided to enter.
Walking through the lawn, he saw several people crying. He figured that they were all members of the army, as they all wore the same clothing, only a few being different.
Then, at the very center, was Huizen's coffin.
He walked towards the coffin shamelessly. Everyone stared at Maeyurai, but they immediately recognized him and allowed him to do so.
He looked in the open coffin.
Huizen's corpse was lying inside peacefully. He seems to be in eternal rest now, though at such a young age.
I forgot to ask how old Huizen is.
Is he, like, 34 years old or something?
Maeyurai kneeled in front of the coffin and bowed his head.
"Thank you for being such a great teacher. Please, rest in peace."
Upon sharing his thanks and paying respects, he saw a flash of Huizen's image in his mind.
Through the vast white space and the grassy ground, split by a never-ending river, Huizen stood on the other side.
He was waving his hand, a gesture of goodbye.
And of course, Maeyurai waved back with a smile.
"This is farewell," Maeyurai uttered under his breath, eyes closed, yet tears broke through.
"It's a shame, isn't it?" a mature voice spoke, standing beside Maeyurai as he looked over the coffin.
Maeyurai raised his head to look at this person; he had gray hair and stood at a height of 5'9. "Yes, it is."
Who is he? He looks dignified, yet so young.
Is he a young adult? His arms look developed; I can see it through his clothes.
"He never got to reach General-Level. It was his one and only wish in life," the man spoke.
Listening to his words, Maeyurai stood up to look at Huizen's face once more.
"Maybe when I stood by his side during his final fight, he had already reached it," he replied.
"Perhaps."
The surroundings were silent. Only the soft voice of the wind passing by could be heard.
"My name is Kamka Wuyo. I'm the newly appointed captain of the army, Huizen's previous best student. Nice to meet you, Yhodth Maeyurai," Wuyo introduced himself, his hand reaching out to Maeyurai, asking for a shake.
"Nice to meet you too, Wuyo," Maeyurai replied with a slight nod, gripping Wuyo's hand and shaking it.
"By the way," Wuyo said. "You're already part of the army, since you're the only one that came out of the forest alive."
Maeyurai lifted his head in surprise. "That means...?"
"That means you'll be working under me in the army. I'll be assessing your skills once you're ready to go into the barracks," Wuyo replied.
"Oh, I see. What happens if I fail the assessment?"
"You still get in. It's a way to pay you for the incident that occurred in the forest and a way to respect Huizen's death for protecting you."
Maeyurai nodded.
"So," he said. "When does that start?"
Wuyo brought his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. He looked at the other people, then back at Maeyurai.
"Possibly tomorrow. I'll pay you a visit in the morning if that's the case," he answered.
"Got it," Maeyurai replied with a nod. "I'll be taking my leave now. See you tomorrow, captain," he said, bowing to Wuyo.
"See you," Wuyo said, patting Maeyurai's head.
Maeyurai raised his hand as a gesture of goodbye before turning away to leave.
Afterwards, he headed home.