I had just finished one of the best games I have ever played, only to look up and find I was no longer in my room, but kneeling in the bloody sand of a colossal, sun-baked fighting arena.

How did this happen?

How did things go from playing a video game to being transported into the body of a background character within the game, who was exonerated and abandoned due to not having as much magical potential as the rest of the family?

…A character who was doomed to die a very horrible death right at the beginning of the game?

Discord: https://discord.gg/RHyMpbw3np

Somewhere along the line, we grew close, yes. We bonded, but that's the essence of Bonds, isn't it?


To bond with the being that stays by your side, that protects you, and fights for you.


Aika has always been by my side, fighting to protect me. So… it was only natural that we bonded.


You know, at first, I was worried anytime we got into danger and Aika had to fight. I kept thinking: "What if something were to happen to her? I'd become powerless."


I have too many goals, and I've worked far too hard to afford any setbacks.


But then, when was it? If I remember correctly, even before the battle of the Lords, even before I learned that I could still have power without Aika, my thoughts had already shifted.


Whenever Aika jumped in to fight alongside me, my concern was no longer about my strength. I just worried: "What if something were to happen to her? I can't live without Aika."


Chapter 414 - Cedric’s Kiss