—And from that day on, I never saw him again.
But somehow, I survived.
Despite being pierced through the heart and neck, I survived the hellish world six years ago.
And yet, I would never truly live again.
I had lost everything I knew, and all that was left was an empty shell.
After all, the heart beating inside my chest wasn't my own.
No.
It was a hero's heart.
My brother, a so-called knight, had saved my life.
The words themselves sound ridiculous. I know that much.
But that day, I swore to thank my brother.
Of course, it was a ridiculous goal.
The trauma inflicted on my body had caused severe brain damage.
"Are you saying you were killed by a 'knight'?"
The doctor looked at me as if I had three heads.
"The damage to your body has caused severe brain damage. It's best to refrain from trying to remember what happened."
I couldn't find the right words, but no one believed me.
I can't blame them.
No matter how much I hate it, I can't blame them.
To be honest, I still can't be sure if what I'm remembering now is real.
As the doctors have said many times, it might be because of the brain damage.
Still, I've vowed to risk my life to be grateful to him.
To be grateful to my brother Atlas.
—I remember having a few brief conversations with him.
My memories before that horrific incident are mostly hazy, but I vaguely remember Atlas.
We were close. At least I think so.
It's hard to lose someone's memory.
Now that he's gone, in a sense, he's truly dead.
A person's life is in their heart and in their memory.
Anyway, I was close to Atlas.
"—You know, Otouto."
"What, big brother?"
We were sitting in a green field. The Aron family's backyard.
It was unbearably beautiful.
Or maybe I was just imagining things.
In reality, I was probably laughing hysterically in the hospital bed.
"The greatest dream is the one that's just out of reach."
He often said ridiculous things like that.
I didn't really understand it at my age, but I thought he was a true poet.
"Oh, what does that mean?"
"It means to live life to the fullest."
I really thought he was a god or something...
Strangely, he never told me he was a knight.
I probably never believed him anyway.
But I remember those yellow eyes and silver hair.
"Big brother, how can I live life to the fullest?"
He often had a bright smile.
"—Don't even try to hurt anyone. That's my way. Never get into trouble."
It seemed like a basic lesson learned in elementary school, but it etched itself deeply in my heart.
From that day on, I never hurt anything. I even avoided stepping on insects.
If I had the chance to be like Atlas, I would do it.
"You're right, big brother."
I wagged my head up and down like a dog.
Looking back, I was too attached to him. I agreed with everything he said.
But maybe that was a good thing.
He really took his teachings really seriously.
I wonder why.
But still, I dedicated my life to that impossible dream.
Not because I wanted to make it come true, but because I knew it was impossible.
Now that I'd been saved, I felt deep within my heart that I should take life more seriously.
And so, since I'd been given a second life, I resolved to live it.
"I'll never... hurt anyone...I can do that—!"
Ah.
—I'm—
daydreaming again.