I sat there, slumped against the cold earth, my fingers white-knuckled around the hilt of my blade. It was the only thing anchoring me to a world that refused to stop spinning. Inside my mind, however, a different kind of storm was raging.
"Are you out of your mind?!" I roared internally, my thoughts laced with pure venom. "I was a hair's breadth away from permanent extinction, you lunatic! And you're sitting there... laughing at me?"
The First Night's laughter was a chilling, melodic echo in the dark corners of my subconscious. He spoke of 'price' and 'consequence' with the casual indifference of a god, as if he hadn't just reached into the core of my being and squeezed my soul like a wet rag—all without a single word of permission.
"You hijacked my spirit, drained my essence to fuel your little magic show, and now you're mocking me? You're insane!" I barked, my mental voice cracking with the strain of the agony still radiating through my nerves.
I forced my stinging eyes to scan the perimeter. Yumi was still there, her palms glowing with a soft, persistent light. But the way she looked at me made my skin crawl; it was the gaze of someone who had just found the protagonist of a tragic fairy tale.
Great, I thought with a heavy dose of irony. This soul-stealing freak trapped me in a low-budget romance sub-plot while I was busy dying. On the other side of the clearing, Hina was incinerating the last few stragglers of the demon army. Her aura had surged, but Yumi's... Yumi's power had spiked into a realm that felt unnatural. Was she a sleeper cell of power this entire time? Her eyes followed my every move, and I did my best to look away. We were standing in a graveyard of monsters, and somehow, I had become the center of a romantic drama. 😱
The sheer absurdity of the situation hit me like a physical blow. I began to laugh—a dry, manic, jagged sound that tore through the morning air. I saw the villagers and maids flinch, staring at me as if my mind had finally snapped. I clamped my jaw shut, the searing pain in my ribs reminding me that I was still very much flesh and bone.
"Alright, the massacre is over," I growled into the void of my mind. "Now, give me my answers. I'm not asking again."
Silence. Then, finally, he replied. "I can give you answers, 'Partner.' But do you really think this is the time? Look at the cost around you."
I looked ahead, and the reality I had tried to ignore crashed into me. The scene was devastating. People were moaning in pain; the ground was littered with the wounded and the dead. The stench of blood and charred flesh was thick in the air.
"Yumi... please," I managed to rasp, "Go. Heal them. I'm fine now."
She hesitated for a second, then nodded and ran toward the villagers. As she left, I looked at the horizon. The sun was finally beginning to rise, painting the sky in hues of brilliant gold and soft crimson. It was peaceful. After the hell of the night, the weather felt mockingly beautiful—like a scene from a movie designed to give the audience a moment of relief. At least my eyes found some comfort in the light.I tried to stand, but my bones let out a sickening crack. The pain flared up again, making me hiss. I saw the maids nearby, helping where they could. I almost forgot they were even here, I thought.
Hina approached me then. Her eyes were filled with pain, but behind that, there was a flicker of something dangerous—a fire that looked like it wanted to burn the whole world down. She looked at me with that same intense gaze Yumi had.
Figures, I sighed internally. All girls are the same. They only chase the strong ones. A few hours ago, I couldn't even move my hand, and now they're looking at me like I'm a god.
"Your thoughts are... peculiar," Night's voice whispered in my mind.
"Shut up," I retorted. "You're the one who's peculiar. You trapped me. You gave me that first dream, a 'choice' that wasn't a choice at all. Then you threatened me with that vision of the abyss. I won't forget how you backed me into a corner until I had to take your hand. You're my shield, remember? Don't ever use my power like that again without asking. I felt like I was being dragged through the gates of death and back."
I limped toward a large tree and collapsed under its shade. I was done. My body was broken, my soul was shredded, and I didn't have an ounce of "Hero" left in me. The girls and the maids could handle the rest; I needed to disappear into sleep.
"You truly are strange," Night mused. "Your words change like the wind."
"Go to hell," I snapped. "You and those two 'Rankers' are the ones who are out of line. Who terrifies a fifteen-year-old like that?"
"A child?" Night chuckled. "You're a demon who calls himself a child. Your soul weighs as much as a hundred men combined."
"Take your philosophy and let me sleep. We'll talk later."
I closed my eyes, but the peace was short-lived. The sound of galloping horses and marching boots broke the silence.
Of course, I thought, not even opening my eyes. Now that the field is cleared and the birds have flown, the 'brave' army arrives to save the day.
"Your words... so strange," Night whispered again.
"Shut up and let me have some peace," I muttered aloud.
A group of elite soldiers rushed in. Their presence was different—heavy, organized, and lethal. Their leader approached me and performed a deep, formal bow. Beside him stood a woman with hair as red as a dying star, clad in warrior's armor.
As I opened my eyes, I felt their energy. These weren't just soldiers; they were the Elite Guards of the Third Kingdom (Solis). Their Auras were terrifyingly disciplined, vibrating with a sharpness that I had only seen in Night's memories of his prime.
"Heroes," the leader spoke, his voice booming with solemnity. "We have arrived from the Kingdom of Solis. I am Commander Valerius, a Rank 5 Soldier of the crown."
The woman beside him stepped forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "And I am General Seraphina, a Rank 4 Soldier. We serve the Third Rank."
They stood like twin pillars of steel, their gazes sweeping over the carnage with the calculated eyes of veterans. I didn't even offer them a greeting. I just stared at the sky, knowing that my 'rest' had officially reached its end.