As I fell backward, all I could do was stare.
Robert's body.
Still.
Motionless.
Gone.
I could not save anyone.
Again.
"Goddammit."
The word barely escaped my mouth.
My chest felt hollow.
Heavy.
Like something inside me had been ripped out and left bleeding on the battlefield.
I looked at Robert's lifeless body and felt the memories begin to flood in.
Another battlefield.
Another death.
A soldier I had been stationed with.
One second he was standing beside me.
The next…
A magic bullet tore through his head.
Gone.
Just like that.
I remembered standing at attention.
Holding his folded flag.
Handing it to his mother.
She looked at me like she wanted to kill me.
Honestly…
I could not blame her.
We should never have been fighting that war.
Then another memory came.
My sister.
Her funeral.
Her grave.
The people who killed her walking free because the judge was their friend.
Corruption.
Favoritism.
A broken system.
I laughed bitterly.
"The world really is rigged against you the moment you're born."
"Hey, kid."
I froze.
"You're not dead."
I looked down at the ring on my hand.
"That stupid voice again."
The ring glowed faintly.
"Sign a pact with me."
Its voice was calm.
Too calm.
"And I'll let you tap into power you never knew you had."
I stared at it.
Maybe I had finally gone insane.
Honestly, that would make sense.
A fitting end for someone born in war.
I closed my eyes.
Then everything changed.
When I opened them again, I was somewhere else.
A blue sea stretched endlessly in every direction.
Calm.
Still.
At the center stood a giant red flower.
Its petals moved gently in the wind.
"Where the hell am I?"
The ring floated into view.
Its true form.
A small black cloud.
Floating.
Watching.
"You are in the mana world."
I stared.
"My subconscious?"
"Something like that."
I laughed.
"So I'm not dead?"
The cloud drifted closer.
"No."
It smirked.
"You're alive."
Its smile widened.
"Rejoice."
I narrowed my eyes.
"That means we get to beat the brakes off heaven."
I stared at it.
"…What?"
The cloud laughed.
I drew my sword instinctively.
Then remembered.
No sword.
Just my fists.
Just me.
I clenched them.
"Look, I'll accept more power."
The cloud tilted its head.
"But only because I still have people to protect."
My jaw tightened.
"I refuse to let more people die because I wasn't strong enough."
The cloud floated backward.
"But?"
I looked directly at it.
"I want nothing to do with dark magic."
Its smile faded slightly.
"No demons."
I folded my arms.
"After seeing Hagen, I'm convinced things like that exist."
The cloud perched atop the giant flower.
Suddenly, a massive wave crashed over it.
The flower didn't move.
Not even an inch.
"Do you understand now, Ren?"
The cloud's voice changed.
More serious.
"You've been neglecting yourself."
I frowned.
"People keep dying."
Its words hit harder.
"Because you're weak."
I snapped.
I rushed forward.
My fist tore through the flower's petals.
Red fragments scattered into the air.
The petals became glowing pollen.
Swirling around me.
"Come now."
The cloud's voice echoed.
"Stand in the circle."
I stared at the pollen.
"This world's magic is different."
The cloud continued.
"Your power is there."
"You simply haven't learned how to use it."
Slowly, I stepped into the center.
The red pollen drifted onto my skin.
Into my lungs.
Into my body.
The cloud began chanting.
"With this sacred power I once wielded…"
Its voice grew louder.
"I now place this burden upon this child."
The world trembled.
"May the hardships he endures…"
The flower beneath me glowed.
"…be overcome by the power I now grant him."
Heat exploded through my body.
My chest tightened.
My muscles tensed.
Everything burned.
Then—
Peace.
My sword appeared before me.
Glowing red.
Stronger.
Sharper.
The sea around me became calm.
The flower faced me directly.
Its petals no longer shaking.
The cloud flew toward me.
Straight into my forehead.
I gasped.
And opened my eyes.
Back in Compound City.
Back in reality.
I was still alive.
I slowly stood.
My body felt lighter.
Sharper.
Aware.
I knelt beside Robert.
Gently.
I closed his eyes.
Then I whispered a prayer.
"You kept your promise."
I stood and looked around.
Something was different.
I could feel it.
I could sense everything.
The civilians nearby.
The remaining bandits.
Robin.
Safe inside the barrier.
And Erin.
Coming toward me.
Fast.
"The mana world sure is interesting."
I sat down on a nearby barrel and stared up at the moon.
Bright.
Clear.
Cold.
Then Erin arrived.
"Ren."
Her voice was breathless.
"Are you okay?"
I didn't look at her.
Instead, I kept staring upward.
"It's a terrible day for rain."
Tears ran down my face.
Quietly.
Erin looked at Robert.
Then at the sky.
Then back at me.
"Yes."
She spoke softly.
"Quite a terrible day for rain."
She stepped closer.
"You seem different."
I laughed weakly.
"I had a near-death experience."
I wiped my face.
"Not exactly how I wanted things to go."
I looked at my hands.
"I should've died."
Erin frowned.
"Don't say that."
"I mean it."
I leaned back.
"I've wanted to die for a long time."
Her eyes widened.
I kept talking.
"I have no family."
"No friends."
"Nothing."
I laughed bitterly.
"You know what it's like being alone?"
Erin stayed quiet.
"I'm supposed to be some great soldier."
"A hero."
"But I'm just…"
I looked away.
"Scum."
Erin suddenly slapped my back.
Hard.
I blinked.
"What was that for?"
She crossed her arms.
"Sulking."
I stared.
"You're sulking."
I almost laughed.
"When I'm sad, I laugh."
She looked at me.
"Because laughing is better than crying."
I stared at the dirt.
"The problem is…"
I exhaled slowly.
"I don't cry."
"The last time I cried was when I buried my sister."
Silence.
Then Erin spoke.
"I don't think you're a bad person."
I looked at her.
"Whatever happened in your old world…"
She smiled softly.
"You survived."
"Your sister would want you to keep living."
"To keep fighting."
"To stop blaming yourself."
Her words hit harder than any blade.
I stood up.
Slowly.
My hand moved to the sword now hanging at my side.
I smiled.
"You know what?"
Erin raised an eyebrow.
"You're right."
I wiped the last tears from my face.
"Starting today…"
I looked toward Hagen.
"I live for me."
Then I looked at Erin.
"And for you."
Then toward Robin's home.
"And for Robin."
I placed my hand firmly on my sword.
"Now…"
A smile formed.
"Let's go kick Hagen's ass."
Erin smirked.
"There you are."
I laughed.
Without thinking, I patted her head.
Then froze.
"Sorry."
"That was weird."
Erin laughed.
Then elbowed me.
"Very weird."
But she was smiling.
The moon above us shined brighter than ever.
A guiding light.
And this time…
I was alive.