"If this world won't be kind to me, then I'll be kind enough for both of us."
Those were the words Adam believed in all his life, even until his death.
"You should have accepted it, Adam. Salvation demands sacrifice." A red-haired man clad in golden armor shouted, looking down at Adam's bloodied body lying on the floor.
The words came from one of the Nine Heroes of the World, Kaelus Dargarth.
The Radiant Hero of the Dawn.
The same man who, along with the other heroes, had painted the entire world in blood and called it salvation.
He pressed his boot against Adam's neck with a cruel smirk. "Any last words?"
Adam only gave him a faint smile. The sight of it made his face twist in anger, and he crushed Adam's throat beneath his heel.
The sickening crack of bone echoed. Blood streamed from Adam's nose and eyes. His body fell limp.
'This is it, huh… I tried everything. Guess it's time for me to die,' Adam thought.
But the despair surged up all at once.
'Fuck… I don't want to die like this. I couldn't save anyone. I couldn't achieve anything. Even when I gave everything to protect others… Why? Why am I the one left with nothing but regret?'
His thoughts drifted into silence.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
There was no sky, no ground, no sound, only emptiness. Adam floated there, stripped of everything, yet his mind refused to fade.
'...So this is death?' he wondered. 'Then why am I still thinking? Why am I still me?'
Was this what happened to everyone? An eternity of nothing?
A bitter laugh echoed in his thoughts. 'If this is the end, then what's the point of living a good life? Why fight, why suffer, if everyone ends up in the same dark pit?'
But the despair didn't last.
'…No. It wasn't pointless.' His thoughts steadied. 'Even if I failed in the end, those smiles were real. That much… was worth it.'
'Still… this place is so empty. Where is everyone else who died? Am I the only one here?'
Then pain.
It struck without warning, sharp and merciless, ripping through him like he was being torn apart piece by piece. Adam tried to scream, to clench his fists, to move, to do anything. But there was nobody to command. No voice to cry with.
Only raw pain in the void.
And then
Thump.
He felt his chest expand. His lungs filled with air. His eyes flew open as the brightness of his surroundings blinded him.
Adam sat up coughing, his whole body trembling.
He took a few deep breaths to calm down before finally looking around himself.
"…Is this heaven?" he muttered, scanning the small room. "Looks kind of familiar."
The scent. The furniture. The faint cracks on the wooden desk in the corner. His gaze roamed until it froze on the mirror leaning against the wall.
Adam's heart skipped.
The face staring back wasn't unfamiliar, but it wasn't the one he had last seen.
It was him. But younger. His jawline is softer, his hair is shorter, and his body is thinner. He looked no older than eleven.
"What the hell…" he whispered, reaching out to touch his reflection. "I… I really am back."
Before the shock could settle, a sharp knock rattled the door.
"Adam?" a voice called, soft but firm. The door creaked open.
Standing there was a young woman with long dark hair and striking gray eyes. His cousin, older by a few years. Someone he hadn't seen in so long that his chest ached at the sight of her.
"…S-Selene?" Adam muttered, eyes widening.
She stepped into the room, raising a brow. "What's with that look? Did you just wake up from a nightmare?"
Adam opened his mouth to answer, but no words came. His throat tightened.
Tears began to flow from his eyes as he ran to her, hugging her tightly.
"Selene... Selene... Selene," he kept repeating as he clenched onto her.
She didn't know what was happening, but she didn't pull away. She gently patted him, helping him calm down.
"There, there, everything will be alright. I don't know what kind of nightmare you had, but know nothing can happen to you until I am alive."
Adam buried his face into her shoulder, his body trembling as the tears refused to stop.
Selene held him tighter, her voice calm and steady. "It's alright… You're safe. I'm here."
For Adam, it was overwhelming. He had watched her die once. He had mourned her for years. Yet here she was, warm, alive, and real in his arms.
He wanted to tell her everything. About his death. About the heroes. About the dark future. But the words choked in his throat.
Instead, all he managed was a broken whisper. "I… I missed you so much."
Selene blinked, surprised, then smiled faintly. "Idiot… I've been here the whole time. How could you miss me?"
Adam pulled back, his face pale, his lips trembling. He wanted to laugh it off, to pretend everything was fine, but his chest burned with too many emotions.
'No. I can't tell her. Not yet.'
"…Right," Adam forced a small smile, rubbing his eyes. "Just a bad dream. That's all."
Selene gave him a suspicious look but let it slide. She reached out, brushing his messy hair back. "Well, if you're awake, hurry and get dressed. Your father's calling for you."
Adam froze. His breath caught in his throat.
Father.
That word alone sent a chill crawling down his spine.
"Of course… that bastard is still alive."
The words slipped out before Adam could stop himself. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms.
Selene tilted her head. "Huh? What did you say?"
Adam quickly forced a shaky laugh, waving her off. "N-Nothing. Just… still half-asleep, I guess."
Selene studied him for a moment longer, then sighed. "You're acting weird today. Anyway, don't keep my uncle waiting. You know how he gets."
'If she knew in the future this same person kills her... and does things to her I don't even want to remember, she wouldn't be so gentle when saying his name,' Adam thought, clenching his fists.
"But don't worry. This time around I'll fix everything." Saying that to himself, Adam headed downstairs.
Adam descended the staircase slowly, each creak of the wooden steps making his chest heavier.
The manor hadn't changed. The tall windows, the polished stone floor, and the banners bearing the Veynar crest. All of it exactly as he remembered.
Exactly as it had been before it all burned.
At the bottom of the stairs stood a tall man draped in fine black robes, his dark hair streaked with silver. His sharp eyes turned the moment Adam appeared.
Darius Caelus Veynar.
His father.
The man everyone in the city called The Pillar of Justice.
The same man who in the future will train the nine world heroes.
And the same man who will twist them beyond evil, causing irreparable damage to this world.