A strong gust of wind blew past William as he looked into the horizon, toward the distant buildings and fields of the army base.
For most, it would be a beautiful sight, but for William, it felt dull and empty.
He stood on the ledge of the hospital rooftop, twelve stories high, staring down at the ground below.
William had never been afraid of heights, but this time was different.
With the intention of jumping and ending it all, the height now felt terrifying. His stomach twisted, and a wave of nausea hit him.
As he stood there, a bit of clarity struck him.
'What am I doing? Why am I here? Why should things end this way?'
Instinctively, he stepped back, survival instincts kicking in.
He stumbled and fell backward, landing on the roof with his butt.
"Haaah… haaah…" William panted heavily, covering his head with his hands as the thought of what he was about to do sank in.
'Am I really going to kill myself just like that?!'
After sitting for a few minutes, his breathing began to calm. Hugging his knees, he buried his face against them.
"Not going to jump, huh, kid?"
The sudden voice made him snap his head up.
Across from him, lying on the opposite side of the roof's ledge, was a man.
William blinked, stunned. "Who… are you?"
"I'm Kaelith, the guy in charge of soldiers like you—the ones trying to kill themselves."
"They even have a position for that?"
"Oh boy, you have no idea how common it is. Soldiers face death on the battlefield every day.
They watch their brothers die, and many return with no family or reason to live.
You know, most suicidal soldiers would've jumped already. Let alone chickening out from fear like you."
"..." William had no response.
"Looks like you still have something to cling to. Mind telling me what that is?"
Now sitting upright, the man leaned forward, showing interest.
"..." William hesitated, staring at him, unsure.
The man just waited, calm, with a slight smile.
"I just… I was too afraid to jump. That's why I didn't."
"Afraid, huh?" The man's tone was steady. "Fear usually means there's still something you don't want to lose. What do you think that is?"
"Can't I just be naturally afraid of death? Isn't that reason enough not to jump?" William shot back.
"Of course. Fear of death is natural. But if you're so afraid to die, then why climb up here and prepare to jump in the first place?"
"..." William stayed silent.
The man let the quiet stretch before speaking again, his voice low. "Something happened on the battlefield?"
After a long pause, William finally answered. "I lost a friend on the expedition. He died protecting me."
His words came slowly, and the man listened without interrupting.
"Now his mother and little brother are left alone because of me."
"Is that why you want to end your life?" Kaelith pressed.
"No… It's just—everything had been so miserable after I was abandoned by my family."
"Abandon?"
"I was banished from the capital. Since then, everything's fallen apart.
I was tortured by Captain Jack.
The one person who gave me hope here… is dying.
And Tonto… he died because of me.
I'm just so tired of it all."
William's voice broke as the weight of his words filled the silence.
The man let him breathe, then asked quietly, "And you think dying will change that? Redeem you?"
"No…" William muttered, head bowed.
"Right. Death won't clear your name. Won't bring your friend back." The man's voice hardened.
"You've got two choices. One, you quit here and let the world write you off. Or two, you face it—shame, pain, guilt. You fight, and prove you're more than what they say you are."
He leaned closer. "So which is it, William? What will you choose?"
"..."
***
Late at night, after the rooftop incident, William returned to his quarters in the barracks.
He lay in bed, his head still spinning.
With one arm covering his face, he replayed the rooftop scene again and again in his head.
"You say it like it's easy—to fight, to change, to prove myself," William muttered with a mocking tone.
"You're right," the man's voice echoed in his memory. "In fact, it's so hard that most of the time it just feels impossible."
In his mind, Kaelith stood and walked toward him.
"It's hard to be abandoned. Hard to be tortured. Harder still to watch a friend die. Some would even call death merciful compared to that.
"So why are you still here, William? If you knew ahead of you was only pain, why haven't you jumped?"
As the question rang in his head, Kaelith's face came close, forcing him eye to eye.
Feeling the weight, William stuttered. "Because… I was afraid…"
"THAT IS A LIE!" Kaelith's voice boomed.
"I… I—"
He suddenly grabbed William's collar and dragged him toward the ledge.
"If you can't think, maybe this will jog your brain."
He lifted William over the edge, dangling him in the air.
Panic shot through William's body. He tried to speak, but only gibberish came out.
Without warning, the stranger released him.
William fell.
Adrenaline surged through his veins. Time slowed. Three seconds stretched into minutes.
His mind cleared. His life flashed before him—his spoiled childhood, his banishment, the months of hell on the frontlines.
But two desires burned brighter than everything else.
First, rage—a hidden fire, the deep urge to prove he wasn't useless, not just a spoiled, uneducated brat.
Second, desperation—a call for power, to save and protect the people around him.
As the ground closed in, William's chest tightened. Fear clawed at him, but beneath it was only guilt and exhaustion.
A single tear slipped free as he silently accepted his fate.
[BOOF]
The impact came, but softer than expected.
"!?" William opened his eyes. He was unharmed.
"Pretty cool, huh?"
A voice spoke behind him. William turned. It was Kaelith.
With a smile, he said, "Haven't you noticed? People don't die from a twelve-story fall. Yet you were convinced you'd die if you jumped down."
William's eyes widened.
"Ha. It's a simple illusion magic. The Marshal himself made it.
He knew soldiers in this line of work would try to kill themselves every so often.
So he set up an illusion—convinced you the fall would kill you, made you feel it all.
The fear, the slow-motion, even your life flashing before your eyes.
It's all designed to make suicidal soldiers rethink their choice. Pretty clever, huh?"
Kaelith spoke proudly, almost smugly, like it was his own invention.
"..." William just stared, frozen.
The man chuckled. "Alright, enough of that. You've got a lot on your mind now. Go rest."
With a pat on William's back, the stranger walked away, leaving him dumbfounded on the ground, staring into space.
Back to reality—
William lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wide awake.
His mind went not to the fall itself, but to the two desires that had surfaced mid-fall.
He raised his hand into the air, replaying those feelings again and again throughout the night.
***
The next morning.
Inside a pristine office lined with medals, William stood, saluting.
On the other side of the desk sat General Isaac. His clothes were wrinkled, his hair messy, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
It was clear he had worked overnight, and he was not in a good mood.
"What do you want?" Isaac grumbled.
"Sir, I'd like to accept your request to join Unit Zero."
"..." Isaac paused. "What?"
"Please allow me to join Unit Zero."
"No. I told you before, the offer was only open if you decided not to be deployed."
"Yes, but I heard a soldier is always rewarded for their achievements, right?!"
"..."
Before Isaac could respond, William pressed on.
"Then, as part of the team that discovered the location of the Eclipse Orchid, I request you reopen your offer, General!"
He shouted the last part, staring at the wall, refusing to meet Isaac's eyes.
. . .
One second. Two. Three.
[BAM]
Isaac slammed the table. "Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here and telling me what to do? Get out!"
Without delay, William bolted out, just as Jacob entered.
Jacob quietly placed a holographic tablet on the desk.
Still fuming, Isaac asked, "What is this?"
"It's the progress report on the Toxcarver cure. Dr. Henry has made great progress. It's estimated a cure will be ready in a few days."
Isaac's eyes lit up. He leaned back, exhaling a long breath. "That's good."
"Also, sir, I agree with William. Their team made a big contribution to the effort and should be rewarded properly."
Isaac smirked faintly. "Ah, I know. I just wanted to vent my stress on that kid. I'll see to it."
Jacob nodded and left without another word.
Left by himself, Isaac thought back to William's request and laughed. "Hah. Well, he asked for it."