Life

Kai's breath hitched, his chest tightening.

His mind struggled to process the sight before him. The man standing just a few feet away wasn't just anyone.

'This guy isn't just any Eternal…' Kai's thoughts spiraled in awe.

'...This guy is Renji Kaito... the number one Eternal in the entire world.'

Simply put, this man was the strongest sorcerer alive in the modern day world.

And what made it even more astounding? He was an elf.

Elves from the elf clan, were naturally powerful. Their magic often unmatched even by seasoned sorcerers.

But for one of them to claim the title of the world's strongest? That was unheard of.

Renji Kaito was a legend, a living myth that most only knew through exaggerated tales of conquest. A man who had destroyed an entire mountain

Yet, here he stood, right in front of Kai.

"You're... you're..." Kai stammered.

"Yes." Renji smiled faintly, his tone light and casual, as though this moment held no significance for him.

"I'm the Renji Kaito. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Kai Draven."

Kai's heart nearly stopped at that moment. An Eternal, not just any regular Eternal, but the strongest knew his name.

"You... you know my name?"

Renji shrugged with a grin that exuded both confidence and mischief.

"Of course, I do. I know everything."

The certainty in his voice left Kai momentarily dumbfounded. He blinked, trying to process the absurdity of such a claim. The same buffoon who had been dazed by his plain grammer was omnipotent and all knowing.

What were the chances of that?

Renji couldn't hold it in any longer. He blew a playful raspberry, breaking into a soft chuckle as he gestured his hands to his side.

"JK! I don't know much, honestly. My friends never fail to tell me that I'm retarded."

Kai blinked, bewildered by the unexpected shift in tone. Before he could respond, a voice spoke from the side.

"I've told you several times, Master Kaito... you're not retarded. You're just proof that common sense isn't as common as people think."

Kai's eyes darted toward the speaker—Investigator Farrell.

The man responsible for the deaths of his entire seeker group.

Seated on an armchair near the wall, Farrell kept his gaze low, shame etched into every line of his expression. His demeanor was heavy, burdened by guilt that seemed to weigh him down.

Renji waved dismissively, grinning ever so proudly.

"Haa... you always know the kindest words to say, Farrell."

Kai narrowed his eyes, confused by the banter.

'Why's he taking such an insult so lightly? I guess he really is an idiot.'

But Renji's next words swiftly attained Kai's attention.

"That's funny coming from the guy who failed a basic mana assessment and got a group of Seekers killed."

Kai froze, his entire body stiffening. The weight of the statement crushed down on him like a boulder.

"Ohh...ehh...I wasn't supposed to say that, was I? Damn this ADHD" Renji cursed.

'it was him...'

Slowly, Kai turned his head toward Farrell, who sat with his head bowed even lower now, guilt radiating from him in waves.

'He's the reason I met that... thing...'

Farrell's voice broke in, thick with remorse as he carefully rose to his feet.

"I'm sorry...I've never made such a mistake in my life before... If only I hadn't been incompetent... If only I had reconfirmed my findings....your friends would still be alive."

Kai's rage could visibly be seen on his face. It was only normal for him to be angry. An entitled rich man sending the weak and poor to a slaughter house was all but enough to make Kai enraged.

"If you wish to file a lawsuit or demand my dismissal from the association, I'll understand...but I just want you to know..." Farrell continued.

Kai stared at him, with several thoughts racing in his mind.

'He's the reason I almost died?'

Anger surged through him, but it was quickly tempered by an unexpected realization.

As terrible as the experience had been, it wasn't without its revelations.

In their final moments, his group—who had always resented because of their hypocrisy— had shown their true feelings. Even Alisson, the angel of his dreams, had confessed just how much she truly cared for him.

'I bet she's still can't believe that I'm the lone survivor from the raid and not her... I'd love to see the spiteful look on her face right now.'

And now, for the first time in his life, Kai found himself in a comfortable room with air conditioning, soft beds, and luxuries he never thought he deserved.

"They weren't my friends," Kai finally said, cutting into Mr. Farrell's speech.

"And I'm not sorry they're dead. You could say I'm glad. So... I suppose I'll forgive you...atleast, I can get a taste of luxurious life right here."

Farrell's head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief. He quickly stood and bowed deeply with no atom of shame in his core.

"T-Thank you! I won't fail you sir Draven! I swear it."

Silence hung in the room, heavy and thick. Kai remained still, stunned by the unexpected display of respect. For a peasant like Kai, he had never had the courtesy of being greeted by passersby let alone a high status man like Mr. Farrell.

Renji, left in an awkward position, broke the tension with a laugh.

"And he calls me the retard. You know better than to make those kinds of promises, Farrell. He probably won't be here for long."

Kai's stomach dropped.

'What did he just say? "I'm not going to be here for long"?...Am..Am I dying?'

Fear crept into his voice as he asked. "What do you mean I won't be here for long?"

Renji scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Huh? Oh, I mean, you were involved in an accidental raid far above your rank. It was the Association's error. Following your rights as a sorcerer, you're entitled to compensation...

'Compensation?! That means money right?' The thought lingered in Kai's mind as his ears caught the pleasing word.

"...but..." Renji added, almost as though he wasn't about to throw in a catch for Kai. Normally, in this case that's what the 'but' meant, but rather he trailed off, leaving the room in an uneven silence.

Kai's frustration boiled over.

"But?!"

Renji flinched, startled.

"Oh, right, sorry. Dementia hits at any time." He chuckled softly before continuing.

"But I'm more than concerned about what I read in your file, regarding your life, Kai Draven."

Kai's confusion deepened. "My life?"

Renji nodded. "Yeah. Based on your file, you're from the Draven Clan, one of the major sorcery clans in this world. But following some unclassified incidents, you were orphaned and have no ties to your great clan. You also claim to have no memory of your life before a year ago, which happens to be the same time your family, excluding your clan, disappeared. And somehow, you're the only survivor of an Eternal-class raid."

He took a long deep breathe before he continued.

" Now, it might be my ADHD, Dementia, OCD..."

'One guy suffers from all this illnesses? Damn.'

"...Doesn't that seem a bit suspicious at the very least?"

Kai's throat tightened. He couldn't argue with the logic. It was suspicious—but in truth, he had no memory of how he had gotten to be Kai Draven. He had no memory of his childhood, friends, mum, dad or sibling. There was nothing up in his head but blank nothingness.

"That's... the truth. I really don't remember anything—"

Renji cut him off abruptly.

"See, that's another thing. Usually, I can tell when someone's lying or hiding something. But with you? Nothing....But, I do know that your hiding something, something that I bet is pretty juicy....so tell me Kai, what're you hiding?"

A tense silence followed as their eyes met.

'Does he know about the system? No. It's probably not real, or at the very least useful...still, telling him about it might lead to a psych evaluation.'

Finally, Renji shrugged, letting loose of the silence.

"Meh. Story for another day, I guess. Let's get back to your compensation."

He gestured to Farrell, who rose and retrieved a leather briefcase.

Opening it, Farrell pulled out a document and handed it to Kai.

"The hour is upon us, Kai. It's time to choose."

Kai, pausing for a moment, took the document.

His hands trembled slightly as he read through the contents, and then sharp gasp escaped his lips as his eyes widened in awe.

"...Oh my...This...This can't be real"

"It is real." Mr. Farrell replied.

Following the document, Kai was to make an immediate decision which would determine his coming future, and the options, however, were not exactly in his favor.