Where should I start, huh?
I exhaled, the sound muffled by the bandages wrapped around my face, and met Zephyr's expectant stare. He hadn't moved an inch since I'd admitted the truth—that my "death" had been planned.
His arms were crossed, his expression unreadable, but his aura hummed with its usual sharpness. Impatience. Maybe anger.
No, it was definitely a demand.
I sighed again, louder this time, just to annoy him. Then I began.
"It started after what you told me. About you and Luna. About the five years running."
Zephyr's eyes flickered—just a fraction—but I caught it. Good. He remembered.
That day, after he'd confessed how villages burned, how people got hurt just for being near them, how Luna blamed herself for every single loss… something in me had snapped.
Not even at their pursuers.
Because wasn't my situation even worse than theirs?
Zephyr and Luna were being hunted for something valuable—Luna's blood, her lineage, some ancient power, whatever.
My pursuers didn't want me alive. They didn't want to use me. They just wanted me gone. And if they couldn't get to me directly…
My fingers twitched under the bandages.
They'd go for the people around me.
The family I hadn't even met yet.
The kids at the orphanage who'd started calling me "Big Bro Aman." Emory, who'd somehow become a friend despite his paranoia. Aeron, Emilia, Livia, and probably Luna and Zephyr would get involved too.
I knew better than anyone how these scenarios would go.
In almost every similar tale, the main character survives—through grit, luck, strength, or sheer stubbornness. But the people around them?
Parents will get murdered. Friends will be tortured. Homes will be burned to ash—all to make the protagonist hurt, to make them rage, to give them a reason to surrender 'nicely' - as if it would work against them.
Anyway, even though I was just a background character, the pattern was still the same. So...
The others may die...
I also ran several scenarios in my head.
- Scenario One: I survive the monster attack, go home to my family, and lead the assassins straight to them. We will probably get ambushed on the road—or worse, after I reach home. My family would pay the price for my survival. I didn't have to doubt anymore since I got that letter.
- Scenario Two: I stay at the academy. The attacks escalate. The next time, it wouldn't just be monsters or simple poison in the food, it would be a blade in the dark, an "unfortunate accident" that leaves someone else dead instead of me. Someone close to me.
- Scenario Three: I run. Disappear. Like Zephyr and Luna. But then what? Do I live like a fugitive forever, always looking over my shoulder, while the people I left behind become targets anyway?
Every path led to the same damn ending.
The thought had slithered into my mind that moment, dark and quiet.
Not for real, of course—I wasn't that crazy or brave—but in a way that looked real.
Convincing enough that my enemies would stop hunting me. Believable enough that the people around me would truly accept my death.
But it was also perfect.
Because if I died, others would live.
I'd even told Zephyr about it, saying, "I just want to die."
Zephyr had glared at me as if staring at someone crazy.
Honestly, I was considering telling him about my intention, but decided to keep it for myself after that.
But after that, I started working on the details and crafted a plan.
It wasn't that complex; in fact, it was a simple one.
First, I would proceed with the monster attack plan.
I was the perfect cover after all.
Chaos. Destruction. A body that could be lost in the wreckage.
And I needed to make it spectacular and real. No half-measures.
If I was going to "die," it had to be undeniable—something no one would question.
But I would need to survive too.
Therefore, Virion's help was non-negotiable. Only he could pull me out at the last second and make sure no one—no one—knew I'd survived.
And lastly, I would need to stay dead for a long time. Probably till I was strong enough.
But, I couldn't contact anyone and couldn't afford any slip-ups.
Long enough for my enemies to lose interest. Long enough for my family and friends to grieve and move on.
And most importantly, it was obvious I couldn't predict every outcome.
I just hoped… that it would be enough. That it would work
I explained it all to Zephyr—short but easy to understand, while leaving no room for misunderstanding. Of course, I didn't exactly tell everything.
When I finished, he nodded slowly, his gaze distant.
"I see," he muttered.
I couldn't tell if he blamed himself for my decision—if he thought his words about Luna and their past had pushed me to this. But in truth, I was grateful to him. Because of him, I realized the danger before it was too late.
Zephyr exhaled sharply, then looked up.
"Tell me what happened that day," he said. "I want to know how it really went."
"The plan, no, the plans were working—mostly. The fake monster attack drew out the perpetrator, just like we expected. They took the bait, made the fake real, and chaos broke out in the academy."
Zephyr nodded since he already knew the other plan and had witnessed everything himself.
"You already know the rest," I continued. "We fought together till the end—just like we'd planned."
He nodded again, but then his eyes narrowed.
"...Right, but... Aeron was a variable," he said. "Why did you take him with us that time?"
I smirked beneath my bandages, the motion pulling at healing burns. "Actually, that was a last-minute decision."
Zephyr's eyebrow arched slightly, waiting.
"We both know Aeron's aiming to become the Sword Saint's disciple and enter the Nexus Resonance Academy," I continued, shifting carefully against the pile of borrowed treasures. "But let's be honest— although he was training every day, he wasn't pushing himself hard enough. He was a bit too comfortable being the academy's golden boy."
A bitter chuckle escaped me. "Figured watching me die might... motivate him. Give him that kick in the ass he needed."
"Yeah, if my death would make him stronger, I thought it wouldn't be a waste."