What do you even call this feeling? When someone you have longed to see for so long, no, craved to see, suddenly stands before you, as if pulled straight out of your imagination and dreams. Is it idolization? Or is it mere delusion?
Even within the ghostly haze swallowing the forest, Kaiser seemed to devour the light itself. The bioluminescent flowers hanging from the branches dimmed around him, their pale glow fading further with every step he took.
Yet in my eyes, he shone brighter than anything else in this world.
He looked like an ikemen wrapped in dangerous beauty, black roses blooming beneath his feet. He was like an idol standing onstage beneath a single spotlight, while I remained buried among the faceless crowd, cheering only for him.
He moved slowly and carefully, his sharp eyes sweeping across the darkness, measuring every shadow and every living thing hiding within it. The way he walked reminded me of a cautious child approaching a long-absent father—tentative, proud, and strangely restrained for someone carrying a bloodstained sword.
The metallic scent clinging to his form drifted through the crisp night breeze, carrying the smell of fresh blood.
'Ah, my dear son. Papa is here,' I thought, caught somewhere between a profound awe and absolute terror.
But before I could admire my menacing protagonist any longer, the system window exploded across my vision, swallowing everything in a glaring crimson glow.
[ WARNING: PROXIMITY VIOLATION DETECTED. ]
[ The target 'Kaiser' has entered the restricted 50-meter radius. In accordance with Contract Clause 1, any unauthorized contact, communication, or physical proximity before the designated condition is fulfilled will result in immediate termination. ]
[ Current Distance to Protagonist: 47 meters and closing. ]
Ever since this transmigration started, I had already lost count of how many times the gates of Saint Peter nearly welcomed me inside. But honestly? The worst death imaginable would be getting killed by my own protagonist. No thanks.
Especially now, when the person he came to save was literally trembling in my arms, the situation practically screamed catastrophic misunderstanding. That sword reflecting the last traces of the dimming moonlight? Yeah, that thing might come flying toward my neck next.
The three of us remained frozen, silently studying one another while a chilly woodland breeze whispered through the trees. The flamebees had vanished completely, and without their bioluminescent glow, darkness swallowed the forest whole.
I slowly shifted sideways, trying to move carefully, quietly, and lightly. Or so I thought. My foot caught on a root hidden beneath dead leaves, and I stumbled.
A violent gust exploded past me. At the exact same moment, the system shrieked inside my ears while steel collided with a deafening clang. Red sparks burst across my vision, and something sharp grazed my bangs, missing my skin by a breath. It was far too close. If Kaiser's blade had not been blocked, my head would have rolled across the dirt by now.
To my shock, the one who stopped him was the scarred man. Kaiser's reaction made sense; he was guarded, cold, and suspicious. But the scarred man protecting me? That part felt completely insane.
"Don't misunderstand," the slaver said lazily, his voice smooth with mockery. "I'm only protecting my piggy bank."
"I don't owe you anything," I replied flatly.
"Then I'll put it on your tab, dear customer." I could practically hear the grin hidden beneath his words.
"We're never meeting again."
"How sure are you?"
I was a hundred percent sure. Kaiser was his opponent, which meant the scarred man was absolutely doomed. I did not care what happened to the slaver. Honestly, I hoped Kaiser folded him like laundry.
My bigger problem was the system warning flashing violently across my vision, alongside the young man's weakening heartbeat against my chest. It was time to run again.
I had barely managed another step when the system beeped sharply. At the same time, Kaiser's deep voice cut through the darkness.
"Step aside."
It sounded less like a warning and more like a definitive death sentence.
[ The protagonist remains within the Author's fifty-meter radius since the first warning. ]
[ Punishment will now commence. ]
The moment the message appeared, a searing agony ripped through my hand.
"Agh!"
The black-feather insignia branded into my skin suddenly flared scarlet. It twisted violently beneath my flesh, every pulse feeling like parasitic worms burrowing through my veins. I nearly dropped the young man from the sheer shock.
The pain only worsened. Veins bulged around the feather-shaped mark, swelling grotesquely until the skin rose as if something alive was trying to claw its way out from the inside. Then, it split open.
The stem of the feather peeled apart slowly and wetly, revealing something grotesque beneath. It was an eye socket. It twitched once, rolled, and then stilled as a razor-red iris snapped toward me. An electric dread skittered across the nape of my neck.
"What… is this…?"
A broken groan escaped my throat as an unbearable heat surged through my veins. It felt like hundreds of ants chewing through me from the inside. A dark purple coloration spread outward from the eye, crawling up my arm vein by vein until every nerve screamed in agony.
Sweat rolled down my neck. My blood was being dragged toward the iris, the thing feeding on me, excreting my life force while crying tears of blood. Warm crimson quickly soaked through the young man's already ruined clothes, while a phantom fist clenched around my lungs, threatening to suffocate me entirely.
'If those veins reach my chest… my body's done for.'
I bit down hard, forcing my failing muscles to comply as I dragged myself upright. I had to move. I needed to move now, even as the sharp clash of steel echoed through the forest behind me.
Kaiser and the scarred man were already fighting, their blades crashing like thunder somewhere behind me.
"Who the hell are you?" Kaiser's voice rang sharply.
"That's what I'd like to ask, kid."
The two of them faded into the distance while I stumbled deeper into the forest. They were trapped in their own battle, and I was trapped in mine.
A chilly night draft lashed against my face while branches scraped my cloak. The glowing system window became my only guide through the suffocating darkness, the forest blurring around me as my breathing turned ragged.
[ HP Remaining: 1125 → 678 ]
[ Target's HP Remaining: 10,000 → 220 ]
[ Thirty minutes have passed since potion consumption. ]
[ Temporary boost to Author's stats has been lifted. ]
The strength vanished instantly, as if someone had ripped the bones straight out of my body. My legs completely gave out. I crashed hard against the ground while the young man slipped from my arms.
"Sh—"
I crawled toward him desperately, dirt grinding against my palms. My fingers shook violently as I checked his pulse, which felt weak and barely there. Carefully, I lifted his head onto my lap and forced my breathing to steady.
I had run for so long, but there was nothing. There were no trails, no villages, and no people—only endless trees.
Was this quest impossible from the start? Was the system mocking me, enjoying the spectacle of my struggle before killing me off?
"Damn it…" I shouted hoarsely into the empty forest. "Fuck the system! Fuck whatever entity's behind it! Damn those bastards, eat poop!"
[ Several profanity words detected. ]
[ Author muted for 30 minutes. ]
'You know what? Fair enough.'
Heat coiled violently through my chest like burning chains tightening around my ribs. The eye on my hand continued weeping blood. Pain swallowed everything, and because of the mute penalty, I could not even scream properly anymore. Only broken sounds escaped my throat.
'Ahh… ngh… ah…'
It felt like my body would burst apart at any second, like a balloon stretched far beyond its limit.
Suddenly, a cool touch brushed against my face, gentle and merciful. Instantly, the pain softened—not completely, but enough for me to breathe again. It was like finding water in the middle of a dying desert. My breathing steadied, and the agony dulled.
Slowly, I lifted my head. Ocean-blue eyes stared down at me, worried and soft. For a terrifying second, it felt like my soul might drown inside them. Even now, even while dying, he was comforting me.
I did not deserve that. Not after everything. I was the reason he suffered in the first place.
Quietly, I held his hand tighter. 'Let's survive, young man.'
And somehow, that thought hurt even more. I realized something terrible: I had never given him a proper name. In the story, he was just a nameless friend, a tragic sacrifice, a mere reason for the protagonist's pain and nothing more.
Almost as if he heard my thoughts, the young man gave me a faint, bittersweet smile. Then, his expression changed completely.
Fear flashed across his face. His grip tightened sharply against my shoulder while his body trembled, his terrified gaze looking right behind me. Panic filled his eyes.
"Stop… stop…" he whispered repeatedly, trying to hide beneath my cloak.
Only then did I feel it—another presence right behind me. Hearing the person stepping closer, the kid's body tensed up even more, as if he wanted to run or vanish. Rather, he simply did not want this person to see him in this state.
'Sorry, young man,' I thought bitterly. 'Too late. He already saw you.'
"Eane… why?" Kaiser's voice broke through the silence. It was confused, concerned, and beneath it, there was something raw enough to make my chest tighten.
He had come here to save his friend, but his friend did not want to be saved.
Kaiser's eyes shifted toward me, and the warmth vanished instantly. Coldness sharpened his gaze like a blade pressed against my throat. The scarred man was nowhere in sight.
'Dead already? That was fast.' My thoughts abruptly stopped.
"Give him back…" Kaiser's voice thundered through the forest. "…Or die."
I could not answer. I could not hand Eane over. In the original story, Eane was not supposed to survive, and the protagonist's fate must not be disturbed. But did I even have the right to decide that?
He was not just some disposable side character anymore. Yet that was exactly how I had written him: weak, nameless, naïve, and innocent. He was the kind of person Kaiser would bury deep within his memories and never speak of again. And yet, here he was. Alive. Breathing. Terrified.
I knew Kaiser could save him. Meanwhile, I could not even feel my legs anymore. I had no strength, no options, and no future.
'Was it wrong for Kaiser to save his friend?' No, I was simply selfish.
Slowly, I looked toward the trembling young man hiding beneath my cloak.
'So your name is Eane.'
The name struck something deep inside me. Eane. It was the same name I had once given my life journal, the notebook that held every frustration, every regret, and every dream I never achieved. It was the thing that knew me better than anyone else, like an imaginary friend carrying the ugliest corners of my heart. And now, that same name belonged to a living, breathing person whose life I had ruined with my own hands.
The guilt became unbearable. 'I'm sorry, Eane.'
Kaiser deserved the chance to change his fate, even if it meant my death. A dry laugh escaped my lips. 'Looks like I finally lost to the system…' How unlike me.
Eane's eyes quivered slightly, almost as if he sensed my thoughts. Then, slowly, he turned toward Kaiser, who had started walking closer.
"Let's go home, Eane," Kaiser said softly. His voice sounded pleading, almost desperate.
But Eane shook his head violently. "No!"
He forced himself upright despite the blood pouring from his wound. Then, he shielded me with his own body.
Kaiser froze mid-step. Confusion flickered across his face, and the coldness in his eyes cracked instantly the moment he looked at Eane. Pain ripped through me again, unbearable enough to make my vision darken, yet somehow, when Eane glanced back at me, I endured it.
Kaiser's voice shook slightly. "Does family really need blood ties?" he asked quietly. "Forget them, Eane. I'm here… Madam Grandma too." His jaw tightened. "So please. Let me save you."
'Grandma…?' Right, that old woman, I almost forgot about her. 'Where was she supposed to be right now?'
Eane trembled weakly. "Kaiser… just go…" Blood stained his lips as he coughed.
Seeing that only darkened Kaiser's expression further. "Then forgive me."
Both of us shut our eyes as a violent wind burst around us. For a second, I thought Kaiser planned to forcefully drag Eane away, but before he could reach us, the earth trembled. Thunder exploded overhead, and a blinding flash of lightning split the darkness between us.
All of a sudden, the ground collapsed. We had been standing too close to the cliffside. As the soil crumbled beneath our feet, I grabbed Eane tightly while both of us plunged into the darkness below.
"EANE!" Kaiser's horrified voice echoed across the storm.
In stark contrast, Eane looked calm, his arms spread slightly beside him like wings. He showed no fear and no panic, only peace, as if he had already accepted this fate long ago. As if falling felt freer than living.