The beast took another step.
Thump.
Its leg lifted again.
And when it came down—
Nothing.
No sound.
No vibration.
It wasn't that the world had slowed.
No.
It had stopped completely.
I was still kneeling.
Still staring forward.
Still looking into the drake's slitted eyes.
It stared back.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't even blink.
Then—
"Adonis."
A whisper echoed in that stilled world.
It came from behind me.
My heart shuddered as the voice registered in my head.
No.
It couldn't be.
How?
When?
…No.
"My love."
The voice came again.
Soft.
Warm.
As if it were real.
Then came the touch.
Press.
Something warm pressed against my back.
My body flinched at first.
Then—
Calm.
My heartbeat slowed.
Not weak.
Just…
Steady.
Rustle.
Soft arms curled over my shoulders, crossing in front of my chest.
They didn't hold me down.
They just—
Held me.
I leaned back into them before I even realized I was doing it.
My trembling stopped.
My breathing evened.
The burning in my chest faded.
My mind cleared.
Like fog blown off a mountain.
Haah.
A deep breath left my lungs.
One I didn't know I had been holding.
It felt good.
Like home.
And only then did I notice my body.
Pain.
Everywhere.
My arms were heavy.
My legs were weak.
My ribs hurt when I breathed.
My skin was sticky.
Blood.
I was tired.
Exhausted.
But her touch made it feel…
Bearable.
As if something that had been crushing me was finally lifted.
My eyes closed as I basked in the comfort of it all.
"Didn't I tell you?"
She whispered.
"That you can lean on me when it becomes too hard?"
I leaned further back.
I didn't resist.
It was like my body needed it.
Like if she let go, I would fall apart.
I asked softly.
"…Lisa?"
My voice didn't even sound like mine.
"Is it really you?"
A soft chuckle brushed against my ear.
"Yes—"
"My love."
Her hair tickled my cheek.
Her hand brushed through my hair.
My head tilted into her touch without me wanting to.
Or maybe I did want it.
"I'm here," she whispered again.
"I'm always with you. Watching over you."
She paused.
Tap.
Then tapped my head lightly.
"And didn't I tell you to call for me if it becomes too hard?"
"…You did."
Her arms tightened a little.
Not painfully.
Just closer.
She asked softly.
"Why so late?"
Then her voice lowered.
"Look at you."
"You're hurt."
"Exhausted."
"Even bleeding."
"I'm sorry."
I apologized before I even knew I was speaking.
The words just came out.
A soft chuckle escaped her.
"You don't need to apologize to me."
A small pause.
Then—
In a teasing tone.
"Though I could kiss you and see if that helps."
A sound escaped me.
Almost a chuckle.
But it died quickly.
Because my eyes opened again.
And the arena returned.
The drake was still there.
Staring down at me.
The corpses were still there.
Scattered across the ground.
Blood soaked the sand.
Like a silent reminder of what had happened.
Death loomed over the arena.
And I—
I was still alive.
Again.
My gaze locked onto the drake.
Behind me, her voice came, softer this time.
"Is it that lizard?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
My throat tightened soon after.
"But…"
I whispered.
"But?"
Her voice didn't push.
It waited.
Patiently.
I swallowed.
My lips parted, then closed again as I searched for the words stuck in my throat.
"…Rash."
The name hurt.
"I… killed him."
The image resurfaced.
His smile.
Blood at his lips.
My sword in his chest.
It didn't matter if my eyes were open or closed.
It was always there.
Looming over me like the drake.
"It won't leave me," I whispered.
"His face."
"His voice."
I breathed in.
My body shook.
"And not just him."
My gaze drifted across the arena.
"My group…"
Every word felt like a knife cutting deeper into me.
"They all died."
My voice cracked.
"Because of me."
My hand trembled.
"I couldn't move."
I clenched my jaw.
"I just—"
My breath hitched.
"I'm still alive… and everyone around me is dead."
My hands trembled again, and my voice broke further.
"It keeps happening."
My calm shattered.
Like glass.
The panic rose again.
The guilt.
The shame.
Like a wave ready to slam into me.
My heart raced again.
My breathing sped up.
I felt it coming.
And then—
Press.
Her arms tightened around me.
Just once.
And the wave collapsed.
"Adonis," she whispered.
"You are not the reason for their deaths."
The words landed heavily.
Not comforting.
Just...
Certain.
"You did not kill him because you wanted to, but because you had to."
"You did not abandon them. They chose their own path."
"You are not a murderer."
"You just gave it your all to—"
Her breath brushed my ear.
"—survive."
The word sank into my chest.
"They couldn't do what you could."
She paused for a moment.
"And living is not a sin."
My throat burned.
My eyes stung.
But no tears came.
They had long dried up.
But something inside me stopped devouring me.
Her hand left my chest and slid down into the sand.
She gripped the sword.
My sword.
The one that had fallen beside me.
She lifted it and pressed the hilt into my palm.
Slowly, she curled my fingers around it.
"Hold it."
My fingers closed around it.
My mind felt clear.
I felt...
Not shackled down anymore.
But—
My gaze remained fixed on it.
"…How do I beat it?"
But before I received an answer—
I felt her warmth leave my back.
Like she stepped back.
At that moment.
The world seemed to tremble.
The drake shifted and moved again, still in that slow, unreal stillness.
Then—
Tap.
Her hands lightly touched my back.
Warm.
Gentle.
"Raise your sword," she whispered.
"Without looking back."
"Move forward."
"That's how you survived until now."
Press.
Her soft hands pressed against my back.
Gentle.
But—
Pushing.
My body lurched forward.
Step.
I stumbled—
But stood.
And in that moment—
Sound returned.
The crowd's shouts.
The pressure of mana.
And—
Thump.
The drake moved.
Its slitted eyes locked on me.
And it walked forward again.
Thump.
***
The crowd was moving.
Coins clinked.
Voices rose.
Laughter mixed with cheers as people leaned forward in their seats, some already turning away, convinced the outcome had been decided.
Below them, the sand was soaked red.
Bodies lay scattered across the arena floor—broken, limbs bent at wrong angles. Weapons lay half-buried where they had fallen.
At the center of it all stood the beast.
The Rock Drake moved slowly, its massive body shifting with heavy intent. Its thick legs sank into the sand, stone-like scales grinding against each other with every step.
A mighty beast, albeit still young.
Layered scales of dull brown and gray covered its body like fused rock, jagged stone jutting out along its back and shoulders. Four legs moved its heavy body steadily forward. Its thick and long neck supported a blunt, angular head built to crush rather than tear. Each breath created a cloud of dust.
It walked toward something.
A boy.
He knelt in the sand.
His sword lay beside him, half-buried, his fingers inches away from the hilt. His shoulders were slumped, his head lowered, his breathing shallow and uneven.
The crowd murmured.
"It's over."
"He can't even stand."
"Just finish it already."
The drake drew closer.
Thump.
Each step made the ground tremble.
The beast walked toward the boy, ready to devour him.
Then—
The boy's hand moved.
His fingers closed around the sword.
Slowly.
But firmly.
He lifted his head and locked eyes with the beast.
Then—
Step.
He stood.
One leg pushed his body upward.
His body swayed.
For a heartbeat, it looked like he might fall again.
But he didn't.
He straightened.
His body and clothes were a mess, torn and bloodied.
As if none of it mattered, he raised his sword.
The crowd stirred, amused more than impressed.
The drake took another step.
Thump.
Then—
Step.
The boy took one as well.
Forward.
Step.
Then another.
The distance between them shrank.
The beast lowered its head slightly, watching him approach, unbothered. Its slitted eyes followed the boy's movements without urgency, as if nothing he could do mattered.
Step.
The boy's steps quickened.
He ran.
Sand shifted beneath his feet as his steps quickened, each stride stronger than the last. His body surged forward with sudden force, sprinting straight at the drake as if death could no longer scare him.
Some in the crowd laughed.
Others leaned back.
The drake stopped completely.
It did not retreat.
It did not brace.
It only stood and watched.
Thud.
The boy jumped.
His body lifted off the ground, sword raised high above his head as he crossed the final distance.
The crowd watched with bated breath, waiting for the obvious end.
But—
Swoosh.
Mana burst outward from the boy in a visible wave. And a pressure swept across the arena.
His body seemed to glow faintly, red light bleeding through his skin.
Mid-swing.
A translucent crimson liquid appeared, flowing out of his hand.
It wrapped around the hilt.
Then the blade.
Then the tip.
Until the whole sword was engulfed.
Thud.
People pushed their chairs aside and stood up.
Their eyes widened as they watched the boy rise through the air.
Like a falling star.
His glowing body moved forward in an ethereal crimson glow.
His sword descended.
SLRRSH!
The blade carved deep into the drake's skull, ripping through scales. Blood sprayed across the sand as the strike blinded one of its eyes. The boy planted his feet against the drake's throat and kicked off, ripping the blade free as he pushed himself backward.
The deep wound of the drake widened, but the beast didn't move and just watched it all happen.
Thud.
The boy landed several meters away, sliding through the sand before regaining his footing.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Not the drake.
Not the boy.
Not even the crowd.
The arena was drowned in utter silence.
Only—
Drip.
The sound of blood falling from the drake's wound to the ground echoed across the arena.
Drip.
Then, as if to end the silence.
The drake opened its maw and—
Shrieked.