Hello Aurelith

Kazuki and Selena walked away, their figures growing smaller with each step.

The Arcane Knights watched in silence.

Then—

"Please, wait!"

Aiko's voice cracked as she reached out, taking a step forward. Her fingers trembled. Her heart screamed at her to not let him go—not like this.

But before she could move any further—

A firm grip caught her wrist.

She turned. Ryohei.

He shook his head, his expression unreadable. But his eyes… his eyes told her everything.

"Let him go"

Aiko's throat tightened, but she didn't resist. Her arm slowly lowered, and she watched—watched as Kazuki Takashi, the friend they once abandoned, walked away without a shred of hesitation.

The moment stretched, heavy and suffocating. Then—

"Ugh… my head hurts…"

A groggy voice shattered the silence.

All eyes turned.

Sako's damaged body was still sprawled on the ground, but his eyes had finally fluttered open. With a grunt, he pushed himself up, his limbs aching, his vision spinning.

He blinked blearily. "The hell happened…?"

His gaze darted around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The battlefield was wrecked. The once-mighty mammoth? Burnt to nothing. His teammates? All tense. All silent. And the atmosphere…

Wrong.

Taro's brows furrowed. "Oi, what's with those faces? You guys look like you've seen a ghost."

No one responded.

A pit settled in Sako's stomach. His memories were still jumbled, but he could tell—something was off.

He stood up fully, ignoring the pain in his ribs. His eyes scanned the area once more… and then—

He noticed.

Two people were missing.

Kazuki. Selena.

His eyes widened. "…Wait. Who the hell were those two?"

His confusion grew deeper when nobody answered.

Jiro clicked his tongue and looked away. Aiko clenched her fists. Ryohei… simply closed his eyes.

Sako's heartbeat quickened.

Something was wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

And then it hit him.

Like a puzzle snapping into place, his mind pieced together the fragmented memories—the battle, the mysterious warrior, the sheer overwhelming power he radiated, and then…

Yuki said the name.

"Kazuki."

Taro froze. His breath caught in his throat. His mind screamed at him, telling him it wasn't possible—

Because Kazuki Takashi was dead.

Wasn't he?

The king himself had declared it. The reports had confirmed it. They had all believed it.

And yet—

That man. That overwhelming, terrifying man…

It was him.

The realization sent chills down his spine. He turned to his teammates, his voice unsteady. "…Kazuki's alive?"

Silence.

Then, Ryohei spoke.

"...Not the Kazuki 3 years ago"

Taro swallowed hard. "What the hell does that mean?"

No one answered.

But deep inside, he already knew.

Because the moment Kazuki had turned his back on them—he was gone.

And he wasn't coming back.

-----------

Kazuki and Selena continued their journey to Aurelith. The road stretched endlessly before them, the only sound being their footsteps against the dirt path. The towering peaks of Aurelith loomed in the distance, bathed in the golden light of the late afternoon sun. Yet, the radiant city was the last thing on Selena's mind.

Her fists clenched at her sides, her thoughts spiraling. The words from earlier still echoed in her head.

"Heroes… from another world."

Kazuki had kept this from her. He never told her.

She stopped walking.

"Kazuki," she called, her voice sharp.

He kept walking.

"Kazuki," she called again, louder this time.

Still, he didn't stop.

That irritated her.

"Damn it, Kazuki, stop walking and talk to me!"

Kazuki exhaled through his nose but finally halted. He didn't turn around immediately, but when he did, his crimson eyes held something cold, distant. "What?"

Selena stepped forward "You never told me you were a summoned hero from another world."

Silence.

Kazuki's jaw tightened. His gaze flickered to the horizon, as if the mountains held some answer he didn't want to give. "…And?"

Selena scowled. "What do you mean 'and'?! That's something important! Why did I have to find out from them?!"

Kazuki turned fully to face her now, his expression unreadable. "Because it doesn't matter."

Selena's eyes widened. "Doesn't matter?! You—You were summoned! That means you—" She paused, the realization hitting her like a crashing wave. "Wait… if you're a hero, then why… why are you not with them!?"

Kazuki looked at her for a long time, as if debating whether to tell her. Then, finally, he spoke.

"…I never wanted to be in this world, I didnt even want to be a hero."

His voice was quieter than she expected. There was no rage, no bitterness—just something hollow.

"When we were summoned… the kingdom rejoiced. Heroes, they called us. Chosen ones brought to save Malvora." His lips curled slightly in something that wasn't quite a smile. "Everyone got their attributes. Time. Leaf. Sound. Light. All magic expected of heroes."

Selena listened, her chest tightening.

Kazuki's eyes darkened. "Then it was my turn. My attributes were tested… and I was given Lightning and Darkness."

Selena stiffened. Lightning. A god's magic. Darkness. The power of devils. A combination that no kingdom would ever accept.

"The moment my magic was revealed, the entire room went silent. The king's face twisted in disgust. My classmates—my so-called 'friends'—looked at me like I was filth." His voice grew lower. "They called me a curse."

Selena felt angry hearing this

"The king declared me an abomination. A disgrace among the chosen. And my classmates? The people I had trusted?" Kazuki let out a hollow chuckle. "They sided with him. They attacked me. Drove me out. I barely survived. And when I woke up, I was in the Wastelands of Malvora."

Selena's fists tightens as she listens to Kazuki

That place… no nobles lived there. It was a land of outcasts, criminals, and exiles.

Kazuki crossed his arms. "I thought it was over for me. That I'd die in those wastelands." His voice softened, just a little. "But I didn't."

Selena listened as he continued.

"I found a small group of adventurers. They weren't nobles. They weren't powerful. But they… they took me in." He let out a slow breath. "They became my family."

A brief silence.

Then—his hands curled into fists.

"For three years, I lived with them. I was happy. I thought I had finally found peace." His crimson eyes glowed with something unreadable. "And then… one of them sold me out."

Selena's breath caught.

"The king never forgot about me. He sent men after me. Some of my family betrayed me. The others fought to protect me." His voice turned bitter. "Three stayed on my side. Three turned against me. And in the end… they all died."

Selena stared at him, her heart pounding.

"My closest friend… the one I trusted the most… he was mortally wounded. With the last of his mana, he teleported the two of us to a village far away." Kazuki's voice dropped, as if the weight of those memories pressed down on him. "I woke up 2 days later and found out he only had a hour left before he dies.... I was the one that buried him."

A heavy silence fell between them.

Selena swallowed, her throat tight. "…Kazuki."

His gaze lifted slightly.

She took a deep breath, then asked, "If you've wanted revenge all this time… why didn't you kill them back there?"

Kazuki blinked. For the first time, there was uncertainty in his eyes.

He had wanted revenge. He had sworn to destroy them. But when he saw them again—saw their guilt, their hesitation—he didn't act. He could have ended them. But he didn't.

"…I don't know."

Selena studied him. His expression was unreadable again, but there was something different now—something conflicted.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. "…You're really complicated, you know that?"

Kazuki let out a dry chuckle. "Tell me about it."

The tension between them eased, if only slightly.

Then, Selena smirked. "Still, you could've told me you were a guy from another world. Would've saved us a lot of trouble."

Kazuki sighed. "Would it have changed anything?"

Selena grinned. "Probably not. But it still would've been nice to know."

Kazuki shook his head, exhaling. He wasn't sure what to feel anymore.

But before he could think on it further, the path before them widened, and a breathtaking sight greeted them.

Aurelith.

A city hidden within a hollow mountain, its towering walls shimmering under the golden sunlight pouring from the massive hole above. Waterfalls cascaded down the stone walls, feeding lush gardens that clung to the cliffsides. At the city's heart, crystalline lanterns glowed with the radiance of captured sunlight—Sunshard Crystals, the city's prized treasure.

The entrance was hidden behind a vast waterfall, the rushing water forming a natural barrier. Only those who knew the way could pass through.

Selena's eyes widened. "Whoa…"

Kazuki, for the first time in a long while, felt something other than anger or sorrow.

"…It's beautiful."

And for now, that was enough.