From Rock Bottom To Hero

A Burden Too Heavy

I activate my Perception Magic.

I scan the darkness. Then, I see it. The mana.

Its form. Its density. Its structure.

It's the same mana as the person who watched me back then.

So I wasn't imagining it.

"You..." His voice is hoarse. "It was you back then."

Footsteps. A figure steps into the pale moonlight.

A slender man with a black coat and dark hair. "So, you noticed."

My grip on my dagger tightens. "Who are you?"

The man lifts his hand slightly, as if to reassure me. "Not an enemy, if that's what you're thinking."

"Then tell me your name."

A brief silence. Then, a smile.

"Faris."

I don't trust him. "Why were you watching me?"

"Because you're different." His eyes study me. "Something about you... isn't from this world."

My heart skips a beat.

"I know that myself." I reply, my voice sharp.

Faris raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

I press my lips together. "But that's none of your business."

"A child who defeated a shadow demon..." His gaze lingers on me. "When I heard about it, I knew something was off."

"So what?" My voice is cold.

Faris smiles slightly. "Then tell me this, Sota. Have you ever heard of Tokyo?"

My body stiffens.

My stomach tightens.

What?

My thoughts race.

That... that's impossible.

I force myself to stay calm.

I can't let anything show.

I steady myself and mask my expression. "No, I've never heard of such a place."

Faris chuckles quietly. "Oh, really?" His gaze sharpens. "Then how did you guess that Tokyo is a place?"

A dreadful feeling crawls into my chest.

Shit.

I can't find any words.

"Don't worry." Faris watches me closely. "I won't reveal your secret."

"How do you know about this?!" I can't suppress the nervous edge in my voice.

His gaze turns colder. "Because you're not the only one Elara sent on this mission."

I blink. "That..."

"I tried too."

He lets his coat slip off his shoulders.

His right arm is missing.

My eyes widen.

I stare at the empty space where his arm should be.

"I failed." His voice is calm.

A chill runs through me.

"Your arm..."

Faris' expression hardens. "This happened because I made the same mistake you're making right now."

"What do you mean?!" My voice is barely a whisper.

"You're not alone."

I laugh bitterly. "I know that. That's why I have to protect them!"

Faris watches me in silence.

"Wrong. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."

I shake my head. "Stop it."

"I know what it feels like to think everything depends on you."

"Shut up!"

"And I know what it's like when no one understands how exhausting it is."

I want to respond, to yell, to push him away, to do something, anything, but no words come out.

Faris takes a step closer.

"How long have you been pretending you can handle it alone?"

A tremor runs through me.

"How long have you kept it to yourself that you need support?"

My breathing quickens.

"How long have you been trying to be strong when you can't anymore?"

My chest feels like it's being crushed.

"I have to do something!" My voice cracks.

"No, you don't. At least not by yourself!"

My fingers dig into my coat.

"You think that sacrificing yourself will fix everything. But if you go, you'll die for nothing."

I shake my head. "But!"

"And you'll disappoint them."

I freeze.

"Do you think your parents want you to go?"

I want to answer, but I can't.

"Do you think your family can bear it?"

The world blurs before my eyes.

"Do you think they can live with the fact that you threw yourself away without a fight?"

My shoulders shake.

"I..."

A crack runs through me.

My legs give out, but before I can collapse, Faris catches me.

My face presses against a warm chest.

I tremble, clutching onto the fabric.

Then, the tears come.