"It hurts. My whole body… it really hurts."
A faint voice echoed within the chaos of my mind, distant and fragile, like the last remnants of a dying dream.
I opened my eyes—blinding light engulfed everything. Endless, ethereal light. Warm. Calm. Soothing.
For a fleeting moment, there was no pain. No sorrow. No fear. Just… peace.
Then, a voice—aloof and strange—whispered through the brilliance:
"What do you think hurts more... emotional pain or physical?"
It wasn't a question. It was a knife wrapped in silk.
And before I could respond, memories came flooding back. Sharp. Brutal. Unrelenting.
I saw them—my parents, my friends, everyone from the village. This time, not from my own limited perspective, but as if I were watching from the skies. I saw every moment in vivid detail. The horror in their eyes. The desperation in their screams. The blood. The fire. The laughter of the demons.
I could do nothing. Just stand there. Watch. Powerless.
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
Sorrow. Despair. Helplessness. Rage.
My emotions twisted like a storm inside me, suffocating me. I wanted to scream. To run. To disappear. I wanted to choke myself just to make it all stop. But I couldn't even move. I just trembled.
And then the village—the place I once called home—vanished in flames. Ashes. Smoke. Silence.
Another flash—this one different.
Pain.
I was back in my own body, but it was broken. Exhausted. Battered. Blood gushed from deep wounds as I dragged myself across the dirt, inch by inch. My vision blurred, the world spinning in and out of focus.
Every breath was a battle. Every heartbeat a scream. I wanted to die.
But then—I curled up into a ball, hugging myself as tightly as I could. I whispered into the darkness, not to any god or higher power, but to myself: "Just hold on. Please… just hold on."
And somehow, I did.
Slowly, the pain dulled. The world faded again, leaving only that endless, glowing light.
Then came the voice once more, deeper this time. Almost divine:
"EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED WAS NECESSARY. EVERY DESPAIR. EVERY HOPE."
It echoed through the void, shaking something deep inside me.
I screamed—my voice raw, filled with agony and rage.
"Who are you?! Where am I?! What is this place?!"
And then… he appeared.
A figure emerged from the blinding radiance—a man with ten arms, each moving slowly and deliberately. His body shimmered like glass, made of clouds and light. His smile was wide, unnatural, terrifying.
"YOU HAVE A HEAVY RESPONSIBILITY."
His voice was cold, detached, vibrating through my bones.
I stumbled back, my mind reeling. Responsibility? What are you talking about?
He began to circle me, moving with an eerie grace, as if dancing through space.
"YOU ARE FATED TO BE A HERO."
Hero?
My heart stopped. My mind spun. And suddenly, visions took hold of me again.
A kingdom—not destroyed by demons this time, but by angels.
Their wings were majestic, radiant with light. Their faces were divine—beautiful beyond reason. But behind their eyes… nothing. No mercy. No empathy. Only cold calculation. Indifference.
I watched them slaughter humans like pests, their divine glow bathing the land in blood. It was the Auxiliary Kingdom. One of the last bastions of hope.
Gone.
My breath caught. I wanted to scream again, but only a hollow, broken laugh escaped me.
"I'm just a weakling... I'm always helpless... It hurts. It hurts. I can't save anyone..."
More kingdoms fell. More lives ended. The cries of the innocent, the wails of the dying—all echoed in my soul.
And I'm supposed to be their hero?
The vision faded. I was back in the light. The man with ten arms stood before me once more, grinning.
"YOU FINALLY GLIMPSED A FAINT TRUTH."
His words slithered into my ears, making my skin crawl. My knees buckled, and I nearly collapsed.
My mind swam in confusion and dread. I could feel myself drifting—on the edge of unconsciousness.
And then his voice boomed again, louder than ever:
"EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU WAS FATE."
I clenched my fists. My teeth ground together. And then, piece by piece, everything began to click into place.
The bear—it was only supposed to be a 2-star mid-tier beast, but it suddenly grew stronger during the attack. Unnatural.
My village—wiped out entirely, and yet… I was left alive.
No. This wasn't coincidence. This wasn't luck.
It was all orchestrated.
A wave of hate. Rage. And helplessness surged through me.
They used me. Played with me like a pawn.
I was born into despair.
Molded by it.
And now… they're telling me it was all destined?
My hands trembled, not with fear anymore, but with something else.
Resolve.
No more running. No more watching.
If I'm truly meant to be a hero, then I'll become one on my terms.
And if fate brought me here…
Then fate should prepare itself—
Because I will tear it apart.