Chapter 7
"Rowan, wait up!"
A six-year-old girl shouted, her voice bright and breathless as she chased after a boy who looked no older than herself. Her small feet crushed the tall grass beneath them, laughter slipping through her words even as she struggled to keep up.
Rowan froze.
Wait… is this a dream???
His younger self kept running, light and carefree, while the girl chased him through a vast field just outside the kingdom's walls. The grass swayed endlessly, painted gold by the afternoon sun, the wind carrying warmth instead of danger.
Everything felt too real.
At that time, Rowan wore noble attire—well-tailored fabric dyed in deep blues and whites, silver embroidery tracing the edges of his sleeves and collar. It was clothing meant to show dignity and lineage without excess. The girl wore a noble dress of pale fabric, soft and flowing, ribbons tied neatly in her hair. Clothes untouched by hardship. Untouched by hunger. Untouched by fear.
It's as if I'm in the past… but I can't control my body, Rowan thought.
No… it's just a dream.
Then why did his chest ache so badly?
Why did his eyes burn as if tears were about to fall?
Why does everything feel so real…?
They eventually stopped beneath a familiar tree, its thick branches stretching wide like open arms. The two children climbed onto a low branch and sat there, legs dangling, staring out at the endless view before them.
"Out of it all…" young Rowan said softly, a gentle smile on his face, "this place feels special."
The girl turned toward him, smiling brightly. "Of course, you dufas. It's because this place is only known by us."
Her smile was pure.
Unburdened.
"So, Rowan," she asked, tilting her head, "even now your Atherion ability hasn't kicked in?"
"I'm afraid so," he replied with a quiet sigh.
That's right, present Rowan thought bitterly.
Back then… I hadn't unlocked my ability.
"Well that's what you get for being an intelligent element user!!" she laughed, patting his back far harder than necessary.
Rowan laughed alongside her.
Watching that smile made something twist painfully in his chest.
That moment…
That was the brightest moment I ever had…
…until that one accident.
The world shattered.
The peaceful field was gone, replaced by chaos. Dead beasts littered the ground. Adventurers fought desperately beside kingdom knights, steel clashing as screams tore through the air. Blood soaked into the grass, turning beauty into horror.
And the girl—
She had gone to their special place.
Rowan ran.
When he reached it, she lay face down on the ground, her small body unmoving. Deep claw marks tore across her back, blood pooling beneath her.
"No… no… no…"
Rowan dropped to his knees, shaking hands trying to lift her—already knowing the truth he refused to accept.
She doesn't have much time…
At that moment, he remembered, something inside me refused to give up. It screamed at me to keep going, even when everything else said it was hopeless.
"It's no use," a voice echoed inside his head.
"She's dead. Save yourself."
Rowan's eyes widened in horror. "Wha—no!!! She can still make it!"
"The only thing that will reach the end now is a corpse."
"Shut up!!!" Rowan screamed, tears streaming down his face. "I will save her no matter what!!!"
"If that's what you believe," the voice said coldly, "then heal her."
Rowan froze.
"Wait… can I…?"
"It all depends on how determined you are."
Slowly, carefully, Rowan laid her back on the ground. His small hands trembled as he placed them over her wounded body.
"Heal!!!"
Nothing happened.
"Heal!!!"
Still nothing.
"Heal!!!!"
"HEAL!!!!"
Again and again he shouted, his voice breaking, desperation ripping through his chest.
The voice laughed.
"How can a genius fail at something so simple?" it mocked.
"Oh, I get it now. Our so-called genius has no emotions. All you ever were was a shallow machine that manipulates others."
"Shut up!!!!" Rowan cried, tears blurring his vision. "I'm not like that!!!"
"Oh, come on," the voice continued.
"You accepted her friendship only to gain access to the library. You wore smiles like masks. And now you're telling me you aren't evil?"
The words cut deeper than any blade.
The voice was right…
I never cared about anyone unless I benefited.
But the time I spent with her—even as kids—it made everything feel worth living for. And because of that, I wanted to keep her close.
Again.
Like a lab rat of emotions.
That was my misfortune.
"No!!! You're wrong about me!!!" Rowan screamed. "I care about her! She's the only friend I have!"
"And only because you cast everyone else aside."
"They weren't worth my bond!!!"
"And that," the voice replied coldly, "shows how greedy and self-centered you truly are. Arrogant. Prideful. Selfish."
"You fail to see what lies beyond power—what life truly holds. You possess the power to heal, yet until you understand what life truly means, you will never surpass your limits."
Atherion surged violently around Rowan's small body.
Without speaking, he tried again.
This time, the healing answered.
He stayed there for hours, pouring everything he had into her fragile body. Slowly, painfully, the wounds faded away.
When it was finally over, Rowan collapsed beside her.
"That… took a lot," he muttered before darkness swallowed him whole.
The voice wasn't wrong, he admitted later.
I cared about power more than anything else.
But what more was the world supposed to offer?
Betrayal?
Being cast out of my bloodline for being weak?
Thrown into the outskirts of the capital where survival meant crime?
Is that what the world had to offer?
Faces flashed through his mind—Celestia, his guild allies, those who praised his healing… and finally Yohan.
Yohan…
That noble tried to kill me more times than I can count.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Reliving my regrets before death… how fitting.
His eyes snapped open.
He inhaled sharply, feeling every part of his body.
The zone.
"I'm… alive?"
He stared at his hands, then at the snake meat lying beside him.
"Could the trade really have happened…?"
Back at the Vale household.
"Is that all we need to know?" an enforcer asked.
"Yes," Ethen Vale replied, his hand resting on the crystal.
"Half of his story seems to be true," the mage enforcer added. "Except where they lost Rowan and his friend."
"I see. Issue a search party. Find the body."
"Yes, sir."
Back in the zone.
Rowan stood there in silence.
"My healing couldn't do a thing… Was it all a hallucination?"
He clenched his fists.
"Either way, I'm here now. And survival comes first."
He picked up a piece of uncooked meat, studying it carefully.
"It'll take two days for the poison to clear… I can't waste this second chance."
He lay down, staring at the stone ceiling.
"Best get some rest."
Moments passed—moments that felt like days.
Suddenly, he sat up.
"No… I'm alive. That means I need to move."
He tried exercising.
Two push-ups.
Collapsed on the third.
A plank—ten seconds.
Failure.
Again and again, until frustration forced him upright.
"Damn… how weak was I really?"
He lay back down and closed his eyes.
"They say feel the air… feel the Atherion… calm and gentle…"
He opened one eye.
"Yeah… that's bullshit. Especially in this place."
The zone was dry and lifeless. Toxic air. Scattered rocks. No comfort. No warmth.
"This place…" he muttered.
"…is a hell hole."
To be continued.