The next classes were filled with writing and books.
And they all read, learnt, and evolved to be perfect mages.
Haruka was still quiet.
He was humiliated
The whole class was gossiping about how weak he was.
It was always like this—
half-whispers, half-laughs, words that pretended to be quiet but somehow reached exactly where they needed to.
"…that's him, right?"
"The one with three elements?"
"Yeah… the one who lost."
A pause.
Then a chuckle.
"Expected something crazy."
"Same. Thought he'd dominate."
"Guess talent doesn't mean anything."
Haruka didn't move.
Didn't look up.
Didn't even blink.
Because none of it was wrong.
That was the worst part.
His fingers rested against the desk, still, almost lifeless. The sunlight from the window hit his side, but it didn't feel warm. Nothing did.
"…I chose that."
The thought slipped in quietly.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just… there.
He could still see it.
That moment.
That decision.
He could've won.
He knew he could've.
And yet—
He didn't.
"Pathetic."
The word didn't come from them.
It came from him.
At the front of the class, the teacher continued explaining something about mana flow, control, efficiency—words that should've mattered.
Words that used to matter.
Now they sounded distant.
Like noise underwater.
Across the room—
Yume kept glancing at him.
Not obvious.
Not enough for others to notice.
But enough.
She wasn't looking at him like the others.
No mockery.
No disappointment.
Just… concern.
That made it worse.
When the bell rang, the class shifted back to life. Chairs scraped, voices returned, footsteps filled the space.
Haruka stayed seated for a second longer than everyone else.
"…what happened?"
Her voice.
Close.
He looked up.
Yume stood beside his desk.
Simple expression.
Soft eyes.
Too soft.
Haruka looked away almost immediately.
"…nothing."
The lie felt dry in his throat.
Yume didn't move.
"…nothing doesn't look like this."
Silence.
Haruka exhaled slowly.
"…I said I'm fine."
There was no anger in his voice.
That's what made it worse.
Just emptiness.
He stood up.
Walked past her.
Didn't even glance back.
Halfway to the door—
He slowed down for a split second.
"…say something."
The thought hit him.
"…tell her."
But his feet kept moving.
And just like that—
The moment was gone.
"…why am I like this?"
The question followed him the entire day.
Night came quietly.
The hostel building was almost silent, lights flickering off one by one as people drifted into sleep.
The rooftop, however—
was awake.
Cold wind.
Open sky.
Endless dark above.
Haruka sat near the edge.
Legs hanging slightly over.
"…I could fall."
The thought came.
Calm.
Not tempting.
Not scary.
Just… present.
"…would it even matter?"
He let out a breath.
"…no."
A pause.
"…it wouldn't."
His hand tightened.
"…you're really thinking like this now?"
"After getting a second chance... and living with Yume again? I am just lucky Yume is conscious... and remembers the Haruka I am from the universe we are from."
And then—
He punched himself.
A sharp, dull sound against his own skin.
No hesitation.
"You lost on purpose."
Another punch.
"You walked away."
Again.
"You're weak."
Again.
"You're scared."
Again—
He stopped.
Breathing uneven.
His knuckles stung.
His cheek burned.
"…so fix it."
A whisper.
Barely audible.
"…stop acting like you don't know what to do."
Silence answered him.
"…get stronger."
His head lowered.
"…or stay like this forever."
The wind shifted.
Slightly.
Enough.
Haruka's body tensed.
That feeling—
Not mana.
Not pressure.
Something else.
Something… wrong.
He turned slowly.
And saw him.
A figure stood a few steps away.
Tall.
Still.
Unmoving.
Black clothing, long and heavy, like it absorbed the night itself.
And a mask.
White.
Beak-shaped.
A plague doctor.
Haruka's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Rideous P?"
No reaction.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stood there—
watching.
The air felt heavier now.
Not crushing.
But undeniable.
Haruka stood up.
Slowly.
"…what do you want?"
Still nothing.
For a moment—
They just stared at each other.
Wind passes between them like a silent witness.
Then—
"I am not Rideous P."
The voice was calm.
Flat.
Almost emotionless.
Haruka didn't flinch.
But something inside him did.
"…then who?"
A pause.
"I am Wrath."
The word didn't echo.
It sank.
"…Ratheres W."
Silence.
The name felt… wrong.
Like it didn't belong in a normal conversation.
"…Wrath?" Haruka repeated quietly.
Ratheres tilted his head slightly.
"…you hesitate."
Haruka frowned.
"…what?"
"You saw the outcome."
A step forward.
"…and chose against it."
The air shifted again.
"…so?" Haruka muttered.
Ratheres stopped in front of him.
Close enough now.
"You call that strength?"
Haruka didn't answer.
Because he didn't have one.
"…then what is it?" he asked instead.
Ratheres' voice didn't change.
"Refusal."
A pause.
"…to accept what you are."
The words hit deeper than expected.
Haruka's jaw tightened.
"…and what am I?"
Silence.
"…someone who already crossed the line."
A pause.
"…and is pretending he hasn't."
Haruka froze.
"…you killed before."
Not a question.
A statement.
"…and yet you hesitate now."
The wind grew colder.
"…why?"
Haruka didn't answer.
Not because he didn't want to.
But because—
He didn't know.
Ratheres turned slightly.
"…figure it out."
A pause.
"…before your hesitation takes something you won't get back."
Silence.
And then—
He was gone.
No sound.
No trace.
Like he was never there.
Haruka stood alone again.
But this time—
It wasn't the same kind of alone.
His hands were still shaking.
His chest felt… heavier.
"…Wrath…"
The word stayed.
Not as fear.
But as a reminder.
Haruka looked at his hands.
"…next time…"
A pause.
"…what will I choose?"
The wind didn't answer.
But for the first time—
He wasn't sure he wanted it to.
"I never knew they had other names like Wrath... Sins? Rideous P... Huh... what could you be? P. Rideous... Pride...eous?..."
Haruka once again questioned himself, as he realized who he had met before.