CHAPTER 7 —
The hideout wasn't grand, wasn't luxurious, wasn't impressive by the standards of any noble but to us, it was home.
A worn wooden cabin in the center of a dense jungle, surrounded by towering trees whose branches overlapped so tightly that sunlight only slipped through in broken fragments. Vines snaked around the wooden pillars, leaves rustled in the humid wind, and the faint smell of earth and smoke mixed with Avira's overly sweet tea lingering in the air.
This place had been built by our hands, my hands and theirs.
Our first home.
Our only home.
The seven faces in front of me, each cloaked in black with outlines glowing faintly in their sin-specific colors had seen war, death, resurrection, madness, and the burden of destiny. To anyone else they'd look like monsters, but to me…
They looked like family.
Ivy stepped forward first. She always did. Envy, with her green-lined cloak and sharp stare.
"Celia has already begun researching the artifact they used to extract the mana," she said crisply. "She's analyzing the mana itself as well. Only those five people's bodies were blasted to pieces. The others from the Null Choir dead bodies remained intact."
Her voice lingered in the air, heavy and cold.
I leaned back in my chair. "Null Choir is a big organization," I said quietly. "Even bigger than we anticipated."
Rhea cracked her knuckles from the corner, her red-trimmed cloak slightly torn from her earlier training. "Yeah," she muttered. "They are."
Ivy continued, expression calm but her fingers tapping nervously. "We'll have to increase our numbers too."
The moment she said that, the atmosphere shifted.
Their eyes turned toward me… waiting.
Expecting something.
Wanting reassurance.
I hated what I was about to say.
But I had to say it.
"…Hmm." I exhaled slowly. "I don't want this… but let's separate."
Silence.
Then-
"NO!"
"Why?!"
"Lord Death!"
"You can't be serious!"
It was chaos in seconds.
Their voices overlapped like breaking glass.
Luna rushed toward me first, her orange-highlighted cloak dragging on the floor. "I won't cling to you, Lord Death!" she said desperately. "I swear I won't cause trouble, so don't make us go!"
Celia dropped her notebook, purple eyes trembling, her violet-lined cloak slipping from one shoulder. "I'll work hard," she said, voice cracking despite trying to remain monotone. "I won't be lazy anymore. I'll actually try… so don't make us leave."
Avira, with her golden eyes shining and her yellow outlines glinting in the light, grabbed the edge of my sleeve like a child terrified of the dark. "If we separate, I won't get anything without asking you… my lord. Please don't make me wander without direction…"
Selene moved closer as well, arms wrapped around herself, her pink-lined cloak fluttering. "I won't tease you anymore," she whispered. "I promise. So… why do we have to part?"
Their voices… their fear…
It struck deeper than any blade.
They were kids.
My age.
Maybe a year older or younger, but mentally they were wounded children who finally found something to hold onto.
They finally found a place where they weren't monsters.
A place where they could belong.
A person who accepted them.
Of course they'd panic.
Of course they'd think I was abandoning them.
Ivy let out a tired sigh. "Can you all be quiet and let him explain?"
Rhea stepped beside me. "Lord Death, tell them your plan."
Before I did, Breille finally moved. Pride. The emblem of superiority itself. Her gold-lined cloak shimmered as she crossed her arms, chin held high.
She stared at the others with clear annoyance.
"Hmph. You all panic too easily," she said. "It's unbecoming."
Then she turned her regal, focused gaze toward me.
"My Lord… I do not fear separation. But I dislike being kept away from your side."
Their reactions faltered.
Even Luna fell silent.
Breille wasn't crying.
Wasn't whining.
Wasn't clinging.
But her voice carried something raw.
Her pride didn't protect her from the truth:
She didn't want to leave either.
I stepped forward, exhaling.
"Look. I'm not abandoning you," I said. "I'm saying we split up because the Eclipse Order needs to grow. You'll all go out, save others like you, gather information, recruit when necessary. Meanwhile, I'll stay here and work from the shadows. I don't know when we'll meet again… but we will. When the time comes."
Luna bit her lip, trembling. "But… being apart feels wrong."
Celia hugged her notebook tightly, knuckles pale. "We just started living together," she whispered. "It's too soon…"
Selene looked away. "Being alone again… it's terrifying."
Avira's voice shook. "What if we don't find our way back to you…?"
Breille scoffed lightly. "You all sound pathetic," she muttered yet her hands were clenched. "But even I… understand the fear."
Ivy spoke softer than usual, standing behind them like a quiet pillar. "It's not forever. All of you know that."
Rhea nodded firmly. "He's not pushing us away. He's giving us the chance to build something larger."
"I know that…" Luna whispered.
"We all know…" Celia echoed.
"We just hate the idea," Selene muttered.
I walked toward them each and every one and placed my hand on their heads one by one.
Luna froze.
Celia's eyes widened.
Avira blushed deep red.
Selene let out a small breath.
Ivy lowered her gaze.
Rhea smiled a little.
Breille closed her eyes, proud but calm.
"Let's do our best," I told them.
"And when the time comes… we'll meet again."
And like that…
We separated.
The eight of us, who lived together for so long.
The only family they ever had.
The only group I could ever trust.
Gone into the world.
To fight.
To survive.
To prepare.
For the war the world didn't knew about.
— 2 Years Later —
The capital road stretched endlessly in front of me, bathed in afternoon sunlight. Cobblestone cracked in some places, carts rattled past, and the distant city walls rose like silver teeth biting into the sky.
2 Years since we parted ways.
2 Years since I watched them walk off into the world.
I adjusted my coat and kept walking, the wind brushing against my face.
I turned fifteen last month.
Which meant I had no choice
Like every noble
But to enroll in the Imperial Knight Academy.
My sister had gone three years ago.
Now it was my turn.
I didn't make any friends.
Never tried.
Never needed to.
People were objects, useful only when required.
I stopped at the station platform.
A metallic serpent glided toward me its body long, smooth, and glowing with flowing mana lines. A mana-powered engine pulsed deep within as light reflected off its polished surface.
A mana snake.
A train, in my previous world.
But here it ran on mana cores, channel lines, enchantments and structural magic formations.
Celia would've loved explaining it.
Every circuit, every flow of energy, every mechanism…
…Damn it.
I miss them.
I stepped onto the mana snake.
A soft hum resonated through the cabin as it carried me across the capital.
Minutes later, it stopped at the station closest to the Imperial Knight Academy.
I walked forward until the enormous academy gates loomed before me.
Steel polished to perfection.
The imperial crest carved in the center.
"So yeah…" I muttered. "This is the Imperial Knight Academy, where every noble comes when they turn fifteen."
I wasn't admiring it.
Just observing.
Measuring.
"Hey," a voice called. "What are you doing just standing there?"
I turned slightly.
Two boys stood behind me, students, judging by their uniforms. Arrogant faces. Typical noble brats.
"Yeah, get moving," the other added.
Their tone was casual superiority, the kind born from privilege, ignorance, and the belief that authority came from birth instead of strength.
If this had been my past world, before the Tragedy…
Before reincarnation…
Before the burden of Death…
Maybe I would've apologized.
But now?
I walked past without a word.
"Hey! What the hell!? Why are you ignoring us!?"
"You ain't worth noticing," I said.
"You little—!"
His friend stepped in. "Bro, chill out—"
"Seems like your friend has some common sense," I muttered.
The first guy glared at his friend. "Why are you taking his side?"
His friend lowered his voice. "Challenge him to a duel. We can't beat him just like this. We will be punished."
I sighed loudly.
"Seems like I was mistaken."
They faltered. "What…?"
"I thought one of you might actually have a brain."
That triggered him.
"Fine! I challenge you to a duel, brat! I'm gonna kill you!"
"Who cares," I replied.
"Don't run away, you bastard!"
I stopped walking, turned around.
"You're not going to back down, are you?"
"…Then fine. I'll take you both at once."
"Overconfidence," he spat.
"No," I said. "Just the arrogance of power."
They stepped into the designated duel area.
A stone circle used for practice.
A place where nobles tested their worth.
They came at me without hesitation, swords raised, yelling like idiots.
I didn't even unsheathe my sword.
Clang—!
I deflected the first strike with the sheath.
Bang—!
Parried the second with my elbow, sending a shock up his arm.
Their eyes widened.
"H-How—?"
I stepped in and tapped the first one's stomach with the sheathed blade.
A light hit for me.
A devastating blow for them.
He flew backward, breathing hard.
The second slashed wildly.
I tilted my head slightly—barely an inch—
His blade sliced air.
Then I struck his shoulder with the sheath.
He crumpled to the ground.
Just enough force to label me "skilled but not outrageous."
I had to look like a slightly talented noble kid.
Not a monster.
Not Death.
"Y-you… didn't even unsheathe…" the second groaned.
I turned away.
People are the same everywhere.
If you show your weaknesses,
They try to rule over you.
The weak aren't allowed to live freely.
Only the strong rule.
But above the weak, above the strong and above all the deities—
There is DEATH.
I pushed open the academy doors, not even glancing back.
End of Chapter 7.