The one you hate

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

In an abandoned temple, deep within the Azure Empire, the sharp click of heels against the cold stone floor echoed as a woman entered.

"Where have you been all this time?" a voice called from a platform at the far end of the hall. She turned to see a young woman seated on the altar ahead, her legs swinging back and forth lazily, her expression unreadable.

"What do you mean?" the woman replied, a smirk on her face.

"You know exactly what I mean!" the one seated on the altar snapped, her voice laced with anger.

"I had to make sure everything was going according to plan… to make sure… he was okay." A flash of pain crossed her face.

The woman on the altar sighed, hopping down and taking slow, deliberate steps down the stairs that led from the platform.

"I don't need to remind you what he said about interfering. You know who's keeping watch over him," she said, and both their expressions darkened.

"Ugh…" the woman groaned in frustration, stepping forward. "I have this feeling that things aren't going as we foresaw. She might take him by any means necessary if she senses it. We need to restore his memories," she urged, desperation creeping into her voice.

"Honestly… I want that more than anything, but we can't. Not in his current state… not with that fractured mind. If he remembers now, it could destroy him."

"So what? We just stand by and watch everything fall to ash? I can't lose him again! Not this time! NOT when we have a chance to change things!" she shouted, frustration clear in her tone.

"Don't be reckless. I'd have done it if I didn't understand the consequences… and I think you don't fully grasp them either," the other woman replied, pain flashing across her face as she added, "You know why she's making him go through all this, even after everything she did to him. You know how unpredictable that bitch can be"

"..."

"Get ready. I sensed another one of them," she said, turning to the altar where a magic circle lay etched in the stone.

"Fine… but one day, I'll kill that bitch. I swear it."

...

[Generated Quest

In Progress...

You barely have two days left… so why not risk it all?

Objective: Rescue the one you hate the most.

Reward: 100 LP and a skill.

Penalty: Instant death.

Timer: 00:40:54:23]

"The one I hate the most?" Amael raised an eyebrow, scowling at the quest notification. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He had a long list of people he despised—probably more enemies than allies in his life. But if he had to pick one? Well, perhaps there was one exception: the so-called goddess who'd made his life unbearable.

The one person he hadn't seen yet, but whom he hated above all. He didn't know why he hated her so intensely. It was as if…

…he was meant to loathe her very existence.

Sometimes, it felt strange…

…almost as though he was being compelled to hate her by someone else.

But who?

Anyway, she was a goddess and probably wasn't the one the system intended for him to save. So that left him with one name: Ellie.

"Could she actually be in danger?" he wondered aloud. But then…

…what did that have to do with him?

In fact, he wanted nothing to do with that elven woman. He'd spent so much time planning just to make her and her friends feel what it meant to be helpless.

But now…

…now it felt like all his plans had been wasted.

Tsk. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, glancing again at the mission's penalty.

Yeah. He really didn't have a choice, did he?

Sigh. He exhaled slowly, closing his eyes and letting the cool wind wash over his face.

Now he understood: the system, the quests…

…they were all designed to keep the story on track, to prevent any deviations, to stop him…

…from ever changing anything.

"You—" he started, but then stopped himself, remembering the pain that would strike if he tried asking the system what it meant by past lives. He decided to keep quiet, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes.

This was going to be a long day.

Time in this ancient world flowed differently than in the normal world. He knew beyond a doubt he'd be here for a long while.

"All right…" he said, coming to a decision, his eyes snapping open. "Since this world wants to mess with me… why don't I show it…

…why I am the agent of [Bad Endings]." He grinned and looked over at the weapon section, his gaze landing on a specific weapon that felt strangely familiar.

"I want that…" he said, and with a flash…

…it appeared right before his eyes.