Soren Arden POV
Soren stared down at the two pieces of paper resting in his hand.
They were thin, unassuming things, simple parchment stamped with the academy's crest, but he couldn't stop turning them over between his fingers.
His gaze unfocused as the teaching assistant's earlier explanation replayed in his head, word for word.
— These are duelling tickets. Each student will be issued two. They may be used to formally apply for mock duels against other students.
— However, for the sake of fairness, students are not permitted to apply for duels against anyone of a lower rank.
— Normally, a single ticket is sufficient to issue a challenge. That said, the recipient retains the right to refuse.
— By using both tickets at once, you may force an opponent to accept, provided, of course, that their duel slots have not already been filled.
Simple rules.
Rules Soren already knew.
Rules he had known long before stepping foot into this academy.
And yet, his thoughts refused to settle.
'Who should I fight…?'
The question echoed uselessly in his head.
Ranked ninety-six.
It wasn't a number that inspired fear, nor was it one that commanded respect.
It sat in an awkward space, low enough that no one important would take him seriously, yet just high enough that he was separated from the true failures of class F.
Most students below him would crumble without teaching him anything meaningful.
And beating them wouldn't prove a thing.
'If I win, it doesn't matter.'
'If I lose… it's embarrassing.'
Either way, it felt pointless.
'Maybe I should just fight some weak students…'
The thought slipped in quietly, almost comfortably.
It would be safer, quieter, and less noticeable.
His desire to stay hidden, to avoid drawing attention, to avoid tangling himself further into the main story, had only grown stronger since arriving here.
Every step forward felt like it came with consequences he couldn't predict, consequences that stretched far beyond himself.
Ripples.
That was always how it started.
One small action.
One decision made without thinking.
And then the world bent around it.
He had seen that before.
Back on Earth.
The memory surfaced without warning, dragging a familiar, unpleasant weight into his chest.
His fingers curled slightly around the tickets as guilt welled up, sharp and uninvited.
He forced himself to breathe.
"Why not use this as an opportunity to fight someone strong?"
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Soren flinched, shoulders tensing as he looked up.
Lilliana sat across from him at the small table, her posture relaxed, one leg tucked beneath the chair.
Pink hair spilt loosely over her shoulders, catching the light as she tilted her mug back for another sip.
Steam rose faintly from the surface.
Soren frowned.
"Someone strong…?"
"Mhm." She nodded casually, eyes half-lidded. "It's a mock duel. Low risk, controlled conditions. Perfect chance to test yourself."
He grimaced.
"But wouldn't I just get destroyed if I did that?"
She paused mid-sip, blinking once as if genuinely considering the question.
"Well…" Lilliana tilted her head. "Probably."
Soren stared at her.
She smiled faintly at his expression and continued before he could respond.
"But that's not necessarily a bad thing."
He frowned deeper, confusion written plainly on his face.
Seeing it, she set her mug down and leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the table.
"Think about it, if you fight someone significantly stronger than you, even if it's short, you still gain something. You feel the pressure directly. You see how they move, how they think, how much space there really is between you."
She spoke easily, without lecturing, as though this were obvious.
"You've grown," she added. "A lot more than you realise, but compared to the higher-ranked students? You're still behind. This could be a chance to see what the level of your future rivals actually looks like."
"Future rivals…?" Soren repeated quietly.
"Mhm."
She nodded, confidence unwavering.
"They're your classmates. You'll face them eventually anyway. Might as well get a glimpse now."
Soren leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck, gaze drifting away.
'Will I ever be that strong…?'
The thought surfaced unbidden.
He wanted to believe her, he really did, but belief didn't come easily.
He knew how fragile his position was.
How easily everything he had built could collapse.
He had been reminded of his own weakness over and over again, by this world, by his class, by himself.
"There's no harm in trying, is there?" Lilliana added lightly. "The rankings won't shift much either way."
Soren released a slow breath.
"…That's true," he admitted. "Well. Why not, I guess."
The words tasted strange in his mouth.
The decision settled, but uneasily.
Because the question still remained.
Who?
He needed someone competent, but not overwhelming.
Someone skilled, but not so eccentric or monstrously talented that they would dismantle him before he could even react.
His thoughts spiralled in circles, names, faces, rankings, until his gaze drifted upward.
To Lilliana.
She was currently focused on her mug again, humming softly as she scooped up another spoonful of honey and ate it without hesitation.
'Wait…'
Soren blinked.
'Why don't I just ask her?'
With everything going on lately, he had almost forgotten something rather important.
Lilliana wasn't just his friend.
She was a professor.
"Who do you think I should challenge, then?" he asked.
"—Cough! Cough!"
She choked mid-sip, hastily reaching for her black coffee instead.
"Give me a moment," she said, taking a quick drink to clear her throat.
She leaned back, eyes unfocusing slightly as she thought.
And then, calmly, she gave him a name.
A name Soren had never once considered.
And just like that, his planned opponent for the second mock duel was decided.
…Or so he thought.
Because not long after, a certain someone appeared before him and tore those plans apart completely.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
"I challenge you to a duel, Soren Arden!"
The words rang out clearly across the classroom.
Too clearly.
Soren froze.
For a moment, he genuinely thought he had misheard.
His eyes widened as the door swung fully open, footsteps echoing against the stone floor as a tall figure strode inside without hesitation.
Golden hair caught the light.
Piercing blue eyes swept across the room with an easy confidence that didn't need to be announced.
Alex.
The Hero.
The protagonist.
The very axis around which the story of this world revolved had just walked into a class F Arcane Studies classroom and called Soren's name.
'…What the fuck?'
The thought barely registered before panic surged through him.
His chest tightened, breath catching as if an invisible hand had closed around his lungs.
He tried to speak, anything, even a simple question, but no sound came out.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
He hadn't asked for this.
He hadn't wanted this.
Getting too close to Alex, interacting with him at all, was dangerous.
Every thought, every instinct, every memory from the game screamed that this was crossing a line that should never be touched.
And yet, it already had been.
'Why is this happening?'
'I'm not meant to be part of this…'
Soren was painfully aware that the story had already begun to drift off course.
He had known that from the moment Olivia awakened early.
From the moment Amelia's attention shifted.
But this…
This was different.
This felt like a fracture.
Not once had he interacted with Alex before, not directly; the closest he had ever come was right after transmigrating, when he had quietly gone out of his way just to confirm that the Hero existed at all.
That was it.
So why was Alex standing here now?
Why was he looking at him?
A smaller figure peeked out from behind Alex's shoulder.
Brown hair.
Curious eyes.
Olivia.
Soren's heart sank.
'I helped you…'
'And this is how you repay me?'
Before he could process that bitterness, Alex stepped forward, cutting cleanly through Soren's spiralling thoughts.
"You, you're Soren Arden, right?" Alex asked.
His voice was firm, steady.
There was no mockery in it, no arrogance, just certainty.
"…Yes," Soren answered after a beat, forcing the word out.
"Duel me."
The room seemed to tilt.
Soren's thoughts scattered, tumbling over one another in a mess of fear and disbelief.
'Why?'
'Why now?'
'Why me?'
The cracks in the story were no longer subtle.
They were right in front of him, clear, undeniable, the unintended consequences of his actions staring him in the face.
He had meddled too much.
"Hmm…" Alex tilted his head slightly. "He doesn't look interested, Liv."
"I promise it'll be fun!" Olivia chimed in immediately, her voice bright and unbothered.
Soren glanced at her.
She was smiling, genuinely excited.
And something twisted uncomfortably in his chest.
She didn't see the pressure crushing down on him.
Didn't understand the storm of thoughts tearing through his mind.
To her, this was just another event.
Another interesting turn.
To him, it felt like standing on the edge of a cliff.
'This isn't just a duel…'
If he messed this up, if he made the wrong move, the story itself could unravel even further.
"If that's what you say, Liv…" Alex shrugged lightly. "Then I'll use both tickets. How's that?"
The declaration sent a ripple through the classroom.
— He's using both tickets?
— Against Soren?
— Does that mean Soren's actually strong?
— Wait—The Hero is in our class?!
Excited whispers spread like wildfire.
But Soren barely heard them.
Alex using both tickets meant there was no refusal.
No negotiation.
No escape.
The choice had been stripped from him entirely.
He felt cornered.
"…Fine," he muttered, the word barely audible even to himself.
Alex nodded, satisfied, and stepped back.
Olivia followed close behind him, still smiling, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
They left just as suddenly as they had arrived.
Soren remained seated, staring down at the tickets now resting in his palm.
His fingers trembled.
He exhaled slowly, trying and failing to steady himself.
'This is going to be a problem…'
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
"What's wrong?"
Amelia's voice cut through the haze in Soren's mind, grounding him just enough that he realised he had been staring at the same spot on the ground for far too long.
He blinked, then looked up.
She was standing beside him, arms loosely folded, her expression neutral but attentive.
Not worried, not yet, but clearly aware that something was off.
"The Hero challenged me," Soren said.
The words felt unreal even as he spoke them.
Amelia frowned slightly.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Soren let out a slow, tired breath.
'Of course she'd say that.'
To Amelia, Alex wasn't the Hero; he was just another strong student, another talented peer, someone worth testing oneself against.
"No," Soren replied, shaking his head. "Not for me."
She studied him for a moment longer, then seemed to accept that answer without pushing further.
Amelia wasn't the type to pry when she sensed resistance; she simply shifted closer and leaned against the railing beside him.
Soren turned his attention back to the small flame dancing above his palm.
It was barely larger than a candle's wick, unstable, flickering as his thoughts wandered.
The magic circle beneath it trembled faintly, mirroring the unease in his chest.
'Should I just forfeit?'
The thought surfaced unbidden.
It would be easy.
Simple, even.
Lose on purpose.
Avoid complications.
Let the story correct itself without him interfering any further.
But even as the idea formed, doubt followed close behind.
The story was already fractured.
Amelia's interest had shifted earlier than it should have.
Olivia had awakened far too soon.
Both were deviations, clear ones, and both traced back to him.
If not for his actions, the world would likely still be following the rails he remembered.
It was his fault.
Every crack led back to him.
'What if I've already ruined everything?'
TKS hadn't been the hardest game he had ever played, but it wasn't forgiving either.
Mistakes compounded, poor decisions snowballed, and without a complete, properly formed party, the game was brutal.
Nearly impossible.
What if his interference had already doomed the run?
Or worse…
What if his actions killed Alex?
The thought made his chest tighten.
It wouldn't matter whether it was intentional or not.
If Alex died, the story ended.
Everything collapsed with him.
He remembered it clearly.
[Bad Ending – 1: Fall of the Hero]
If the Hero died, the Demon Lord won by default.
Without a rival to oppose them, war consumed the continent.
Kingdoms fell one by one, and in the end, Aryn, the goddess of time, stopped watching.
Ivansia lost its divine protection.
The world rotted.
"So what now…?" Soren murmured under his breath.
Should he give up entirely?
Step fully into the main story and use his knowledge openly?
Guide events instead of avoiding them?
He shook his head.
'That's impossible…'
Every instinct screamed at him to retreat.
To hide.
To minimise his presence as much as possible.
He wasn't meant to stand at the centre of anything.
Unfortunately, the situation in front of him didn't care about his instincts.
Alex had originally intended to challenge a class C student.
Someone closer to his level.
Someone appropriate.
Instead, he had challenged Soren.
A class F student.
Because of him.
Because Soren had been greedy.
If he had ignored the quest, if he hadn't tried to squeeze value out of something he should have left alone, this never would have happened.
It didn't matter now whether Olivia had nudged Alex in this direction or not.
The outcome was the same.
The damage was already done.
'So… what then?'
The flame in his palm wavered erratically, stretching and shrinking as his thoughts spiralled.
After a few seconds, Soren abruptly closed his hand, crushing the magic circle.
The flame vanished with a faint hiss.
He raised his eyes, staring up at the open sky above the academy courtyard.
Something Lilliana had said earlier echoed in his mind.
— There's no harm in trying, is there?
If everything had gone as planned, Alex would have lost his upcoming mock duel badly.
That loss would have driven him to train harder, desperate not to disappoint those who placed their hopes in him.
It was a crucial event.
One that shaped his growth.
If that loss didn't happen…
What if Alex didn't train hard enough afterwards?
What if he died against the first boss because he lacked preparation?
Or worse…
What if, because he didn't lose, he became arrogant?
What if he failed to gather party members because he thought he didn't need them?
The consequences spiralled endlessly.
'Can I… fix this?'
In theory, the answer was simple.
Fight Alex.
And win.
Soren's fingers curled into a tight fist.
The anxiety surged again, sharp and paralysing.
'Is it even doable?'
'What if I screw everything up?'
'What if I can't do it at all?'
He wiped his face with his hand, dragging his palm down over his eyes before looking back at the stone floor beneath his feet.
'I'm useless…'
The thought was bitter.
Familiar.
Then…
Warmth.
A gentle pressure closed around his hand.
Soren froze, his thoughts coming to an abrupt halt.
He looked to his side.
A girl stood there, holding his hand softly, as if afraid he might pull away.
Her grip wasn't firm, but it was steady.
"It's okay," she said quietly.
Her voice was calm, grounded.
She didn't know what was happening inside his head.
Didn't understand the weight of futures and endings pressing down on him.
And yet, she reached out anyway.
A girl who had never had a friend before.
She chose him.
A shaky breath escaped Soren's lips as the warmth seeped into his fingers, up his arm, and settled somewhere deep in his chest.
The storm didn't vanish.
The fear didn't disappear.
But the edge dulled.
The panic loosened its grip just enough that he could breathe again.
Soren turned his head slightly and gave her a faint, tired smile.
"I guess… I'll have to beat him," he said quietly, his voice low and steady despite everything,
It wasn't confidence.
It wasn't bravado.
Just resignation.
The flame of determination inside him was weak, almost nonexistent, but he forced himself to move forward regardless.
Not because he believed he could win.
But because he had no other choice.
————「❤︎」————