Mercy and Lies

He didn't move.

Karsen's screams echoed through the stone tunnels, a chaotic mix of metal clashing, bones breaking, and flesh tearing. Haise crouched behind the crate, eyes wide, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might claw its way out of his chest. His fingers tightened around the sword hilt until his knuckles turned pale.

He told himself to move. To help. But he stayed frozen.

The goblins hadn't even noticed him. Their attention was locked entirely on Karsen, who fought not with precision, but with raw desperation. His attacks were messy, wild,nothing like the drills they'd practiced. A blade tore into Karsen's side. A club shattered his knee. He gasped, stumbled, and cried out.

And still, Haise didn't move.

What if I die here? The thought burned through him, sharper than any sword. What if I die, torn apart by monsters that don't even know my name? After everything I've survived,would it really end like this?

Fear wrapped around him like a shroud, his limbs refusing to obey even the simplest command. Was this what true fear felt like? Not just panic,but paralysis?

He took one quiet step back. Then another. His boots scraped faintly against the stone as he slipped further behind the crate. Deep down, a whisper tried to justify it. It's not wrong… to want to survive.

The noise began to die down. Karsen's screams faded, followed by the sound of goblin grunts and boots slapping the ground. A few moments later, the tunnels went quiet.

Had they left?

Cautiously, Haise peeked out. The chamber was still again, shadows flickering across the blood-stained floor. He stepped out slowly, sword still in hand. Every movement felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the guilt crawling under his skin.

Blood pooled around the shattered remains of the supply caravan, dark and sticky. Haise's eyes followed the smear of red trailing across the floor until he saw the body slumped near one of the wagon wheels.

Karsen.

His chest was rising and falling,barely. Somehow, impossibly, he was still alive. His limbs were a mess of deep cuts and bruises, one foot mangled nearly beyond recognition. But most of the damage wasn't from blades. No. The goblins had beaten him,fist-shaped welts and raw, purple skin told that much.

They hadn't finished him. Just left him like that.

Why?

Maybe they thought he was already dead. Maybe they just didn't care. Or maybe… they planned to return.

Haise stood there, staring at the broken form of the boy who'd been laughing just hours ago. His thoughts twisted. There was still time to help. He could patch him up,rip strips from his own tunic, wrap the worst of the wounds, maybe drag him out and hope for a miracle.

Or…

His fingers twitched at the hilt.

The voice from before came back,quiet, but clear.

"You can earn your first card. Just let him die."

Karsen stirred. His eyes cracked open, smeared with blood, barely registering the light above. He blinked slowly, confusion swimming in his expression.

"Dorian…?"

Haise didn't answer. He stood over him, the weight of something unspoken building behind his silence. This wasn't a choice anyone should have to make.

But it was his.

This life,this second chance,it wasn't a gift. It was an offer. One with conditions.

He was supposed to grow stronger. Use what he'd been given.

And now, the system had given him a tool.

The sword slid free with a soft metallic rasp. His grip was trembling, but he stepped forward anyway.

Karsen blinked again, dazed. "Dorian…?"

Haise crouched beside him. His voice was barely audible. "Let me be… your mercy killer."

The sword's tip pressed against Karsen's forehead. Haise closed his eyes.

"This isn't personal," he said. "I'm sorry."

Then he drove the blade forward.

The resistance was sickening,bone giving way with a crunch that would stick in his mind for days. Then silence. Haise let the sword drop.

He had just killed someone.

His knees hit the stone, and he stared at the lifeless body below. Just hours ago, Karsen had been dragging him out of bed, cracking jokes about their mission. Now, there was nothing left but blood, silence, and a guilt so thick it felt like drowning.

The sword slipped from his fingers and clattered softly against the floor.

Then the glow appeared.

A blue window floated above Karsen's corpse, quiet and expectant.

[Possible Card Creation: Rank B]

[Proceed?]

[YES / NO]

Haise stared, throat tight. He raised his hand and pressed YES.

Light shimmered, folding and shifting in the air until it compressed into a palm-sized card. Black, rimmed in orange, it pulsed faintly,alive in a way no paper should be.

Karsen

No Last Name

The stats bloomed across the surface like cracks in glass.

Strength: D

Ability Power: C

Speed: B

Combat Intelligence: C

Intelligence: C

Endurance: E

Mark: Death Touch

Haise turned the card over slowly, the weight of it unfamiliar in his hand. Then, without warning, something changed.

Karsen's wounds began to close.

Not instantly, but gradually. Skin pulled together. Bruises lightened. Even the wound on his forehead faded into smooth, unbroken skin. No scar. No sign of violence.

And then… his chest rose.

A breath.

His eyes opened.

Haise's whole body went rigid.

Karsen blinked, staring blankly at the cave ceiling. "Where… what happened?" His voice was hoarse, distant. Like someone waking from too long a sleep.

Haise scrambled to steady his thoughts. He couldn't be sure how much Karsen remembered. Maybe everything. Maybe nothing.

He forced calm into his voice. "We were attacked by goblins, remember?"

Karsen looked around, gaze catching on the blood and wreckage. "I… think so? I was fighting… then nothing."

"I healed you," Haise said, quickly.

"You what?" Karsen frowned, confused. "You can do that?"

"It's kind of my thing," Haise said with a shrug. "Why do you think Arno keeps me around?"

Karsen tried to sit up and winced. Haise reached to steady him.

"Don't push it. You're still a mess."

Karsen's hand searched the ground. "Where's my sword?"

"They probably took it," Haise replied. "Dragged it off. Bastards."

Karsen didn't argue.

Haise held out a hand. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

For a moment, Karsen just looked at him, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. Then, slowly, he reached out.

Their hands met. Haise pulled him up gently, slipping an arm under his back to keep him steady.

One step at a time.

That was all they could do now.