Chapter Text
I was still alive.
I never thought that idea would weigh on me so heavily. A creature that can reincarnate probably shouldn't cling to life in the first place. But I'd only been in this world for a short time. I hadn't reached that conclusion yet. I'd fought to live with everything I had. Today, though, I wanted to die more than ever.I wanted to be reborn back home and live in peace.
No. I wanted to return to a time when nothing worried me. Before poverty. Before hunger. Before victory.
I was so tired.A few years had passed, and I could barely remember who I'd been before.
Pain pulled me from my thoughts. I opened my eyes. The light blinded me. My vision refused to focus. It took me several seconds to realize I'd been unconscious.
So you finally woke up? You'd have done us both a favor if you'd died. Saved me the trouble and spared yourself the suffering.
He spoke with an accent. Definitely a foreigner. Where was I, anyway?It hardly mattered. Wherever I was, that accent couldn't mean anything good.
He was wiping down a syringe. Maybe he'd injected me with adrenaline. Maybe something else.
I was tied to a chair. The ropes dug into my wrists so tightly that my hands had almost gone numb.
Then kill me...
He wouldn't.
He needed me alive.
Still, it was exactly what I wanted.
I was ordered to interrogate you.
Don't waste your time. I'll tell you nothing.
You're the one wasting my time. Do you have any idea how much effort it took to wake you up?
He grabbed my cheeks and lifted my head. For the first time, I got a good look at him.
Azure hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin.
And on the left side of his face was the Mark of Iris, shaped like a flame.
That mark...
So he was one of the strongest Igneoris.
I was in serious trouble.
He didn't seem angry. If anything, he was using the argument as an excuse to study me. His eyes moved across my face, searching for something.
Tch. Kid, you're barely fifty years old.
I was half that age. How he'd figured it out, I had no idea.
Something else caught my attention. The way he'd said it. For a moment, I thought I heard... sympathy in his voice.
Yeah... I probably looked pathetic.
How about a deal? Tell me what you were doing aboard that ship. I'll heal you and let you go. I gain nothing from your death.
...
And neither do you from staying silent.
I didn't get the chance to answer.He slowly walked behind me. A second later, I felt his breath against my neck. Then something wet traced across my skin. His tongue.
My stomach twisted. The next instant, agony exploded through me. It felt like someone had pressed red-hot iron against my flesh.
I tried to scream, but he clamped a hand over my mouth.
Heat spread from my neck through my entire body.
It was getting hotter.
Hotter.
The stranger let go. I tried to speak, but every thought had vanished from my head.
A loud crash echoed somewhere nearby. He turned toward the sound.
I've got other things to deal with. Sit tight.
As if I had a choice.
I felt worse with every passing minute. Maybe I deserved all of this.
I hadn't helped anyone.
I hadn't saved anyone.
I'd gotten lost again.
Useless.
I'd already accepted that nothing would ever change.
I'd always be hungry. We'd never have enough money. Our table would never be full. This war wouldn't end anytime soon.
Terrible things would keep happening, and I wouldn't be able to stop any of them.
Not a single one.
Maybe I'd been born in the wrong place.
Maybe I'd been born the wrong person.
Maybe I'd simply been born wrong.
The heat kept rising. My head spun. My bones felt like they were breaking apart.
Dizziness overwhelmed me. I tipped over with the chair and crashed onto my side. The impact nearly struck my temple. A tiny flame flickered where I'd struck my head. The bleeding stopped at once. I stayed conscious, but barely. I couldn't think straight anymore.
Half an hour passed. At least, I think it did. It felt more like two hours. Maybe longer.
Well? Feeling better? Holy Vindemiatrix!
The stranger stared at me in horror.
He grabbed my face again, this time with both hands.
You're soaked.
I knew you were inexperienced, but not this inexperienced. Why didn't you dispel the spell?
He shook me lightly.
Look at me. Can you see me
Everything was blurry.
I couldn't focus.
I couldn't think.
He sounded genuinely worried. Even through the haze, I could hear it.
Water! Now!
Why...?
Why?!
His voice cracked.
I wouldn't wish this death on anyone. Are you weak-willed? Then wish for it to end!
Wish for it to end... I already had.
Another wave of heat tore through me.
I howled.
By then, I could barely understand his words.
He's really going to die...
A pause. Then he shouted,
Idiot! Your country lost two days ago!
Stop trying to play the hero already!
I didn't react.
I didn't hear him.
I didn't understand.
This fire magic felt wrong. Dark. It pulled me toward a world of shadows. My vision dimmed. The magic squeezed the air from my lungs. I couldn't breathe.
But I didn't fight it.
I let myself sink.
Deeper.
Maybe I was losing consciousness again...
Or maybe this time...
...
Suddenly, cold crashed over me. My mind snapped back into focus. Light burst across my vision. I blinked.
The stranger was kissing me.
Flames spiraled around us. Not the same flames as before. Different.
I didn't even realize my hands were free until I swung. My palm connected.
The stranger flew backward. I staggered toward him.
What the hell are you doing, you...!
He lay on the floor, breathing hard. One hand covered his eyes. His cheeks glowed faintly, as though he'd swallowed a firefly.
He'd taken my condition onto himself. Hadn't he?
After three ragged breaths, he slowly exhaled and lowered his hand.
Already?
He'd recovered that quickly?
The stranger glared at me from the floor. I took a step back.
The step found nothing.
Empty air.
Darkness swallowed my vision again. I started to fall. The stranger lunged toward me.
Then everything went black.