Afternoon sunlight filtered softly through the open window.
Kairo stirred. His breath came slow, shallow, then his eyes fluttered open.
Someone gasped softly beside him. "Kairo?"
He turned his head. Kaya sat in a chair pulled close to the bed, her eyes bright with worry, dark circles beneath them.
"Are you okay?" she asked, leaning forward slightly, "You've been unconscious for almost two days… I was scared."
Kairo's throat was dry, "Where are we?"
"Windbrook Village," Kaya said gently, reaching for a cup of water on the bedside table. She held it toward him. "Eric and I brought you here after… that night."
The door creaked open before he could take it.
Eric entered, his usual grin plastered across his face, "Kairo! You're finally up."
He folded his arms and laughed, "You scared the hell out of us. Kaya refused to leave your side this whole time."
Kaya's cheeks flushed. She set the cup down quickly. "I just wanted to make sure—"
Kairo struggled to sit up, his head spun, and he gripped the edge of the bed. "What happened that night?"
Eric's smile faded. He exchanged a glance with Kaya. "You don't remember?"
Kairo shook his head slowly.
Kaya clasped her hands together in her lap, "You… saved us."
Kairo blinked. "What?"
She took a breath, steadying herself, then began recounting everything. The masked man. The fight. How Kairo had collapsed, broken and bleeding, only to rise again wreathed in golden light. The aura that crushed the air itself. The voice that wasn't his. The way he'd moved, how the masked man couldn't touch him. The decapitation. The healing spell that restored Eric completely.
By the time she finished, her voice had dropped to barely a whisper.
Silence filled the room.
Kairo sat still, disbelief written across his face, "There was… another soul inside me?"
He remembered the skill. [Refuse to Die]. The system update. The unknown voice of the system.
It must have come from that soul…
Eric crossed his arms, jaw tight. "I still can't believe it. Kaya told me everything when I woke up." He paused, meeting Kairo's eyes. "Whoever that was, he saved our lives. So… thanks, Kairo."
Kairo looked up sharply. "I don't even know who that was."
Kaya shifted in her seat. "He left a message for you."
Kairo frowned, "A message?"
Kaya nodded, voice soft. "He said… 'Tell this guy to stop dying so often. It's disturbing my sleep.'"
Eric blinked. Then he laughed, but it sounded uneasy, forced. "Then you've… died before?"
Kairo's voice was flat, "I… don't know. I black out. Then I wake up somewhere else."
The room went quiet again.
Kaya leaned forward, "What really happened, Kairo?"
Kairo closed his eyes. The memories came flooding back, Mira's scream. The troll's crushing strike. Ronin's broken body. Draven's cries.
He told them everything. The troll. His friends' deaths. Waking by the lake. Throwing himself at goblins, wanting to die. Waking again. The endless cycle of pain and resurrection, the guilt that gnawed at him every waking moment.
Everything, except his true goal of resurrection.
When he finished, Kaya was already crying silently, tears streaming down her face. Eric sat wordless, eyes lowered, fists clenched against his knees.
Finally, Eric sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "You haven't eaten in two days. Come on, let's eat."
But Kairo pushed himself upright, ignoring the dizziness. "Where's Fenric?"
Eric blinked, caught off guard. "With the village lord."
Kairo stood, legs unsteady, and grabbed his short sword leaning against the wall. "I need to ask him something."
Kaya and Eric hurried after him as he strode down the hallway
...
They found Fenric inside a wooden hall, speaking with the village lord. Both turned when the door swung open.
The moment Kairo entered, he pointed his sword directly at Fenric.
The merchant stumbled backward, face going pale. "K-Kairo—"
"The summoning scrolls," Kairo said coldly, "Were you selling them? What do you know about them?"
Fenric froze, hands raised defensively. "I—I don't know! I didn't even know what was inside the box! It was just a delivery request!"
"Who gave the order? Who's the recipient?"
Fenric trembled, sweat beading on his forehead. "It came from the Heaven Clan Patriarch. He told me to pick it up from Ashvale. A man handed it to me there, I'd never seen him before!"
Kairo's eyes narrowed.
Clans. Groups of adventurers who banded together, registering officially with the kingdom. Sun City housed dozens, but the top five controlled more than half the city's wealth and influence. The Heaven Clan was one of them, powerful, well-connected, untouchable to most.
Eric stepped forward, placing a hand on Kairo's shoulder. "Kairo, stop. I asked him earlier. He's telling the truth."
Kairo held Fenric's gaze for a long moment, then lowered his sword slowly. Without a word, he turned and walked out.
...
Later that day, Kairo sat beneath a tree on the village outskirts, staring at the sunset.
Soft footsteps approached through the grass. "Can I sit here?"
Kaya stood beside him, her hair moving gently in the wind.
Kairo nodded quietly.
She sat down beside him, hands resting on her knees, and for a while, neither spoke. The sounds of the village drifted faintly, laughter, children playing, the smell of cooked grain on the evening breeze.
Finally, Kaya spoke, "You're thinking about them, aren't you?"
Kairo didn't answer.
"It wasn't your fault, Kairo."
He looked away, jaw tight. "Then whose was it?"
"The world's unfair," she said, turning to face him. "But you did what you could."
Kairo shook his head. "Mira stood and saved me. But I ran."
Kaya's expression softened. "Maybe she wanted you to live, even if she couldn't."
He froze.
She continued softly, "If you blame yourself forever, you'll lose the reason you fought to live in the first place."
Kairo's hands tightened against his knees, "I can't just forget them."
"You don't have to," Kaya said gently. "But don't let guilt be the only thing keeping them alive in your heart."
Her words lingered in the fading light, settling over him.
For the first time, Kairo's shoulders relaxed just slightly.
"…Thank you," he said quietly.
Kaya smiled faintly, "Mira must have been lucky to have someone like you."
Hearing that, Kairo thought, That's why I'm going to bring them back.
Eric joined them soon after, dropping down onto the grass with a grunt. "You two look like philosophers under that tree."
Kairo glanced at him. "Do you know anything about the Heaven Clan?"
Eric's tone turned serious. He crossed his legs, leaning back on his hands. "One of the top five in Sun City. Their patriarch's name is Raihan, a Level 32 adventurer. The clan's got at least a dozen members above Level 20." He shook his head. "I can't believe they'd deal with black market scrolls."
Kairo's gaze darkened. "They were the recipients. That's enough reason to find out why."
Eric nodded slowly. "Once we're back in Sun City, I'll ask around."
Kairo looked at him, "Thank you."
...
The next morning, they departed.
The wagon rolled steadily along dirt roads. Days passed in relative silence, each member lost in their own thoughts.
After what felt like an eternity, the great walls of Sun City came into view.
They rode straight to the guild.
Serin greeted them warmly from behind the counter, Welcome back! How did it go?"
Eric stepped forward, handing over the signed parchment. "It went well."
He recounted the journey, the bandits on the road, the successful delivery, about the masked man, and everything that followed, except Kairo's personal secrets, since Kairo had requested it, and Eric honored that.
Kairo asked, "Do you know anything about that masked man and the summoning scrolls?"
Serin replied, "No, I only heard a few things about the scrolls; other than that, I don't know about the masked man."
Serin stamped the parchment. "I'll register your rewards."
Kairo stepped forward. "Any dungeon-hunting quests?"
Eric blinked, turning to him. "You just got back. You're not resting?"
Kairo shook his head. "I can't."
Serin frowned, "Come tomorrow morning. You need a night's rest." She tapped the counter lightly. "I'll have something ready by then."
Kairo hesitated, then finally nodded. "Okay."
They split their rewards and stepped outside into the bustling street.
Eric waved, grinning. "See you tomorrow, Kairo."
Kaya smiled softly, "Bye, Kairo."
The way she said it, so gentle, so familiar, pierced his chest.
He froze where he stood. Mira's farewell echoed faintly in his mind, "Bye, Kairo…"
He watched them disappear into the busy street, swallowed by the crowd, before turning toward the inn.
...
Inside his quiet room, the silence pressed heavily around him.
Kairo sat on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing.
For the first time in a long while, after days of travel and constant company…
Kairo felt truly alone again.