Caedes' POV
Buzz.
A faint sound pierced through the fog of my mind, dragging me back into consciousness.
"Huh? Did he just escape the dreamscape?" I heard a voice, distant but clear. "That... shouldn't be possible. Not for a kid at least."
Another voice cut in, sharp, "Did I not tell you? Do not take him lightly. Especially you, Andres. Be careful—his back shoots out tentacles!"
Tentacles?
The fog cleared, and my vision sharpened. The cold, damp earth beneath me pressed into my skin. I glanced around—four figures, all staring at me like I was some kind of monster. My arms were tied. A strange circle was drawn around me. This wasn't the hospital. Where the hell was I?
A familiar face caught my eye. Simon.
I felt it all crash down on me like a tidal wave. Memories. Faces. Voices. Every single moment from my life as Keiren—and as Caedes—came rushing back, each memory sharper than the last. I wasn't just some kid anymore, not some lost boy wandering aimlessly. I was Theodore Volkov, second born to the Volkov family. I was Caedes, too. Two names, two lives, but now, one resolve.
"I hate to say this," I muttered to myself, "but Jester was right."
I'd been weak. I'd wanted peace but never had the guts to fight for it. I'd wanted to save my family, but I had never tried, not really. That was over now. This time, I'd make amends.
Simon looked at me like he didn't recognize me. Maybe he didn't. I wasn't the naive kid he once knew. "Simon," a voice called, "should we capture or kill him? What would appease the kings more?"
Kill me? Simon scoffed like he couldn't wait. "Kill him! To think that this boy dared to make me go through all this trouble. Pathetic—truly pathetic. I'll kill you myself, Caedes, so the royals don't have to sully their hands with a retard like you."
His words echoed, but all I could do was laugh. I must've looked insane, clutching my face, trying to gaze at stars that weren't there. My mind was spinning, and all I could hear was the soft drip of water against the cold stone. It felt like the world itself was laughing at me, trying to break me down.
A sharp pain shot through my skull. A system window opened before me, glowing with cold authority:
[Kill a human / Time remaining: 10 minutes]
[Penalty: Death]
[Reward: (Cursed)Human -> Halfling]
Kill. Or die.
I looked Simon straight in the eyes. "Kill me, huh?"
He and the others went on edge immediately. They were scared. I could smell it, feel it. The cave walls shook with the force of a loud, wet bang. Simon's companions were nothing more than red stains now, bursts of blood and flesh. My laughter didn't stop. Why would it? I had completed the quest. My body felt different, stronger.
"I was wrong," I whispered to myself, "so wrong."
I had spent two lifetimes running away. Every time something got too hard, I ran, leaving behind the people I cared about, abandoning them. I wasn't going to run anymore.
My eyes drifted to the circular orb in Simon's hand. A dreamscape.
That explained everything. It manipulated memories, trapping people in illusions. I understood now. But that wasn't the best part.
If I was in the dreamscape, then... my family... they were here too. Reincarnated, just like me. I didn't know how, but I didn't care. I wasn't letting them die again.
They didn't get to die.
I wouldn't let them.
Simon paled as I took a step toward him. His face twisted in confusion, fear even. "Am I... am I under an illusion?" he stammered, hand gripping his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
I didn't care.
He unsheathed his weapon, an all-black short sword with a phoenix etched into the hilt, glowing with fire-natured mana. He was ready, waiting for me to move. But I did not wait. I blinked, and in the next second, I had him by the throat, lifting him into the air like he was nothing.
"Speak," I growled. "What did you do to me?"
"I-I dragged y-you into the dreamscape, just after you left the hospital," Simon gasped, his voice filled with panic. "I swear I didn't want to hurt you! The bounty on your head... it was too tempting! Please, just forgive me!"
Bounty?
I felt a cold anger settle in. "What bounty exactly?"
His eyes darted around, desperate, as he choked out, "The kings all over the world—they've put a bounty on your head. You're wanted, and whoever catches you will be given numerous wealth, land... everything!"
I tilted my head. "So you tried to kill me for a reward?"
Simon trembled, eyes wide with fear. "B-but no one else knows! Just these fools, and they're dead now. Please, just spare me!"
Convenient.
"What use do I have for your worthless life?" I asked, though my voice shook slightly. Killing someone for the first time—it wasn't easy, no matter how much anger I had.
"I-I have everything on me!" Simon shouted, trying to hold back his terror. "My sword, my space ring! You can take it all! Just... just let me live!"
I considered it. I really did. But then, I thought of how I'd lived these past few years—weak, lost, abandoned. All the memories of being Caedes, living unawakened, surviving by the mercy of others, surfaced. But now? Now Keiren had accepted Caedes, and Caedes had found something to fight for.
I had a family now.
And this man was in the way of that.
I smiled, cold and final. "Good. Now that everything's ready..."
I leaned in close, watching Simon's last hope drain from his eyes.
"Can you please die for me?"
***