Chapter Five: A Dialogue of Wills Amidst "Regret" and "Betrayal"
That night, Ryoma, Sia, and Mira sat in Sia's private chamber in the castle. Mira was insisting that Ryoma take the "Central Crystal" to be cleansed, while Sia was afraid the king would discover this and kill Ryoma. Sia (holding a glass of Idena blue wine, her eyes fixed on the fire in the fireplace): "Ryoma... why are you fighting? For the system you spoke of? To become stronger?" Ryoma (looking at his palm, an old regret flickering in his eyes): "The system? The system is the executioner who condemns me to fight, Sia. If I fail, my existence vanishes forever. But... I'm fighting for something else." Mira (interjecting curiously): "For glory? For women?" Ryoma (laughs bitterly): "Glory? I was a world champion in my own world, and my closest friend stabbed me in the back for a handful of glory and money. No... I fight for the scream I heard in your eyes, Sia, when you saw the ogre slaughtering the villagers. I fight because I'm tired of seeing treachery triumph, tired of seeing innocents die because of my naiveté." Sia (grabs his hand, her eyes welling with tears): "Ryoma... you said you were naive?" Ryoma (slowly pulls his hand away): "Yes, naive because I thought strength and hard work were enough to lift everyone up with me. I didn't know that the shadow in people's hearts is stronger than any fighting skill. And that's why... I will be the shadow that devours shadows in this world."