The morning sun slipped through the curtain, a thin ray piercing the dim room of Nevermore. It fell across a young man lying on the bed. Even in sleep, his face held a quiet handsomeness, but strangely, a crack pattern ran all over his body up to his neck, like a vase shattered and patched back together with tape.
Without warning, his eyes snapped open. He drew a sharp breath and sat upright.
Viktor scanned the room, then rubbed his cheek and pinched it hard, wincing at the pain before a small sigh of relief escaped his mouth. "So... I didn't die? Am I really that lucky?"
But his relief quickly turned into suspicion. After all, before the fight with the servant of God, Viktor remembered the time when he was imprisoned by a mad cultist, feeling powerless about the situation, worried about his sister, and losing his mind because of it. Back then, Viktor used the power of the Status Page to make himself stronger beyond the limits of his level. To push even further, he used the mark on his eyes, the mark of the god, as his own power.
At that time, Viktor felt an overwhelming surge of strength but also an intense pain that left him unable to speak.
Rubbing his forehead, Viktor tried to process the flood of memories. At least it was over. Indeed, that ordeal had ended, but that didn't mean everything was resolved. There were still outer gods who wanted to enter the world. For now, though, he wanted to relax, if only a little. He stood, stretched his body, then opened the curtain and looked outside.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
The view outside looked normal, far from the ruins he remembered during the fight. Nevermore itself seemed restored, but the grounds were much larger than before, and a few students were walking around.
Viktor was about to step outside when suddenly a voice came from behind him.
"Three months, Viktor. Three long months the Academy has waited… and prayed you'd return to us."
He turned and saw a middle-aged man he quickly recognized, it was the principal of season two, Principal Dort. He clasped Viktor's hand warmly, as if greeting an old friend.
Viktor shook his hand, pretending ignorance. "You are?"
"Barry Dort," he said, "The new principal of Nevermore. And you... You're the reason we still stand. Our hero. The proof that Outcasts endure."
"What about Principal Weems?" Viktor asked.
Principal Dort shook his head slightly. "She gave everything. A sacrifice that will be remembered as long as Nevermore breathes. In her death, she showed us the cost of courage."
"But today is not for mourning. Today is for renewal. Shall I gather the others? Their hearts will soar when they see you, their champion returned to the fold."
Viktor found Principal Dort overly cheerful. He sighed quietly and shook his head, retreating to his bed. Even after being in a coma for three months, he felt strangely tired. He couldn't help but yawn as the principal kept talking.
It took several minutes for Dort to finally stop. Mostly, he explained what had happened to Nevermore. After "The Duskfall," as everyone called it, the school began to change. Many parents and guardians, worried about safety, took their families away, leaving fewer students behind.
Yet because of the Duskfall, Nevermore survived. Its reputation grew within the Outcast Community, and soon, more new students were expected to join the school in the coming week.
Principal Dort wanted to say more, but seeing Viktor's tired expression, he stopped and simply bid him farewell. Viktor lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling in silence. For some reason, countless thoughts swirled through his mind, memories of how it had all begun rushing back to him.
Everyone didn't know it, but Viktor knew the Duskfall was only the beginning. Sooner or later, greater dangers would appear again. That was why he worried about Nevermore accepting new students, but then he realized something.
'I'm stupid.'
Reflecting on it all, Viktor thought back. He had been just a student in his past life, then suddenly transported into this world as Agnes's older brother. He hadn't even gotten used to his new life before the weight of the world seemed thrown on his shoulders, dealing with gods, wrestling with the world inside his own soul, handling Nevermore, battling cultists. Everything all at once poured onto him like a tide, leaving him no time to breathe.
Anxiety, pressure, and worry clouded his mind, and because of that, he made many mistakes. But now, with things finally calm, Viktor had time to reflect. What he discovered, the most important thing, was that he didn't want to do it all alone. Even though he had help from Wednesday and Enid, and was grateful to them, he realized they hadn't been particularly useful.
So from this moment, Viktor decided, he would make Nevermore his.
"I should've listened to Agnes from the start when she said we should take over the school... The Outcast students have so much potential, but it isn't being used well. They're lacking combat ability, especially the vampires, but instead, they just hang around... What a waste..."
Viktor sighed. He already knew his first plan, but before that, he needed to sleep.
Time passed, and when Viktor opened his eyes again, what greeted him was a mix of familiar faces and a hand. Yes, just a hand, without a body, touching his face. He instinctively swatted it away in surprise, sending it flying.
"Thing!?"
"See? I told you not to do that."
A smile formed on his lips as he saw all the familiar faces safe and sound, before he said, "Hey..."
As Viktor's words fell, everyone reacted differently. Jass hugged him tightly, patting his back. "I'm glad you're awake, Viktor. You don't realize how lonely I've been these days. I was worried, sick, and depressed, unable to think straight because of you."
"Stop exaggerating, Jass..." Enid's lips twitched as she gazed at Viktor, her voice soft. "Viktor... thanks."
She didn't know what else to say. In truth, there were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she preferred to wait until they were alone. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she spoke, though no one could tell if it was makeup or shyness.
One by one, everyone shared their thoughts, but above all, their reaction was joy. Their hero and their friend was finally awake. Jass raised his hands and shouted, "Alright! We're going to celebrate! Nevermore will celebrate the awakening of our hero!"
"Another party?" Enid muttered, a wave of déjà vu washing over her. For a moment, she frowned. "I think I've had enough parties. I'm already traumatized."
Everyone nodded quickly at her words, remembering their own scars from the last celebration.
"Enid's right," Viktor said. "I've had enough parties, too. I'm fine just being here with you all."
"That makes sense, I guess..." Jass shrugged, then grinned. "But come on, guys. Are you really gonna live without parties? What kind of boring life is that? If someone attacks us again, I'm already prepared. Don't you know how much I've been training these past months? And besides, we have Viktor, the Superman of Nevermore. Or should I say... Clark Viktor!"
"Training? I thought I saw you just lazing around and chatting with girls," Yoko said.
Everyone laughed at her words, then continued chatting for a few more minutes, sharing stories with Viktor about what had happened during the past three months, how the Outcast community both respected and feared him, and how they had even built a statue of him in the middle of Nevermore. It was a sight fit for a legendary hero who had saved the school. Of course, they had also built statues for the teachers and students who had sacrificed themselves, especially Principal Weems, though none were as grand as Viktor's.
That statue was placed in the Honorary Grounds of Nevermore.
Speaking of Principal Weems, many students said she had tried to fight the cultists so the students could escape. She had no real fighting power and was weak, but she still gave her life. For that, she was remembered as the most respected person in Nevermore and the Outcast Community, second only to Viktor himself.
After a few more chats, everyone decided to leave and give Viktor some time. As they walked out, he narrowed his eyes at the hand following along behind them, shaking his head lightly at the sight. When the room finally emptied, Viktor lay back down, staring blankly at the ceiling.
No matter how hard he tried to rest, the tiredness never seemed to fade. He knew it was likely because his inner world had been badly damaged and was still healing.
He closed his eyes and yawned, but suddenly the door creaked open. Walking in was his sister, Agnes. At the sight of her, Viktor sat up and smiled warmly, welcoming her into his arms as she sobbed uncontrollably against his chest.
"Are you okay?" Viktor asked gently.
"Yes…" Agnes sobbed, her tears soaking through his clothes. "I was so scared for you. When you didn't wake up for three months, I thought you'd leave me, too, just like Father and Mother did. I don't want to be alone again! Please… please don't leave me, Brother!"
"It's okay, it's okay. I'm here. And everything is over now," Viktor whispered, comforting her.
After calming down his sister, Viktor wiped her tears as they chatted, improving the mood a bit.
Agnes sat beside Viktor with a smile. "You know, big brother… when I saw you fighting that giant monster, I was terrified you might die. But at the same time… you looked so cool, like a real hero. And in that moment, I decided... I want to be just like you!"
"Really?" Viktor asked with a smile.
Agnes bobbed her head eagerly. "Uh-huh! From now on, all my pranks are gonna be about punishing the bad guys."
Viktor chuckled, shaking his head. "So you still want to be a goblin, but a hero too? Then you're my little goblin. No, no... how about the Green Goblin from that Spider-Man movie?"
"Eww, gross! No way!" Agnes scrunched up her face.
Both of them giggled. In that quiet room, in that moment, everything felt peaceful. All the worries in Viktor's mind seemed to fade, and the heavy tiredness in his eyes slowly lifted.
...
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