My Triumphant Return

What came next went by in a haze of pain and dizziness. Wyll had wanted to return the way we came, but I insisted we press on. I was in no condition to fight, but I wasn't really looking for one. It was a decision I made out of desperation, not greed; I knew we wouldn't last long if we went back the way we came.

Wyll is skilled, but not skilled enough to navigate through level two on his own, and especially not skilled enough to do so while protecting me. And I was in no shape to help, so I bet on the possibility that we might be approaching the end.

Rising Hero had been a punishing game, but not torturous. The ends of the dungeon levels served as checkpoints, and I thought that having a checkpoint after two mid-bosses sounded about right. It's not like I remembered anything, but it did used to be my favourite game, so when it sounded about right, I took a gamble on it.

My gamble paid off, because just a short ways away was the magical orb that denoted the end of the level. Wyll and I teleported back to the academy, and when we did, the clerk, Ms. Clara, instantly noticed us. She leapt to her feet and called for the medical staff. The medical staff rushed me to the infirmary, where I finally gave in to the dizziness to escape the pain.

I wake up on the infirmary bed a long while later. I know this because there is a window here, and I can see that the sun has already set. More importantly, above me is a person I definitely did not expect: Claire Weiss. Now what is the saintess doing here, I wonder?

I think she notices my confused look, because she says, "They were short on healers today, so they called on me," she glares at me, "What a sick joke." She moves with efficient grace as she examines my arm, the arm that's been completely healed I notice. That makes sense, in the game Claire Weiss was noted to be one of the best healers in the world, even during her school days.

I am about to flex my hand to test it, but then, for a single solitary moment, the memory of that excruciating pain floods my being.

I swallow heavily, balling up my fear and crushing it inside me. Then, I force my body to move my arm. When it doesn't hurt, I expand the range of its movement to find once again that there is no pain at all. It might not have even been injured for all intents and purposes.

"I've never seen you this wounded before," Claire Weiss says coldly, "You usually prefer scheming from the very back."

I don't say anything. There's nothing I can say, after all. I can't defend Thomas Filmore's actions because I don't agree with them either, and I can't reveal that I'm not actually Thomas Filmore either, so saying anything back would be useless.

My silence seems to arouse a curiosity in Claire, and she asks, "Why did you take a risk enough to injure yourself? Is it because of Rex?"

She stares at me with those piercing blue eyes, and I find that I have to respond. Something about her makes it impossible not to.

"Yes," I say simply.

"Is it because he's a commoner?" She asks. Her disdainful tone makes it clear just how she feels about that kind of discrimination.

"It's because he's Rex," I answer from the heart. and though it may be for different reasons, for once I think my answer coincides with the real Thomas Filmore's. Oh, he wouldn't say it out loud, but there's no way Thomas held such an enduring and deep enmity with Rex just because he was a commoner.

There are hints, implications, that Thomas Filmore was jealous of Rex Cranz. In the end, defeating Rex became his life's purpose.

"What does that mean?" Claire asks.

I don't answer, I've said all I can, and Claire won't be able to pry anymore. The selfish reasons in my heart trump even her presence. When Claire realises that her question will go unanswered, she frowns. But then she looks me up and down with a thoughtful look on her face. It's like she's realised that there's something in front of her that she wasn't able to see before.

I'm not sure why such an expression would be on her face. Not much has changed. All I've said is that I want to defeat Rex, and that's it.

"…Don't stress out your arm for a few hours longer," Claire says finally, then with one final look back, she takes her leave. Once she's gone, I stare at the stone ceiling, the memory of the battle with the lycan matron playing out in my head again and again.

If I had any remaining doubts about this being a dream, they're gone. That pain was too real, too… full to be just imagination.

I've never felt anything like that before. My new abilities made me cocky, and I revelled in the risks, but I didn't fully understand them until now. I can only imagine death, but I know that pain now, and I never want to go through it again.

I am about to close my eyes and go back to sleep, when I notice something on my bedside table. A tiny blue orb, dull and lacking in lustre. I recognise it as an in-game item: a magic pill.

Wyll must have picked up the lycan matron's gem and traded it in for that. And he left it for me… his way of saying I deserve to have it, I imagine.

That reminds me, I received five hundred experience points as well. I've probably levelled up an have stat points I can distribute. I should do it now.

…No. I'm tired, I'll do all that tomorrow. Besides, opening the system requires me to think the words with intent. I don't think I'll be able to muster that intent in my current state.

I turn away from the magic pill, close my eyes, and go to sleep.