My timer tells me today is the day. Seven days of staring at the cobblestone floor, watching my life tick down second by second. Seven days of silence, of trying to piece together what I did to deserve this.
I feel nothing. No fear. No sadness. Just a void where everything used to be.
The sound of footsteps echoes down the corridor. Heavy, deliberate. They stop in front of my cell. The door screeches open, and without hesitation, Tsuki grips me, his strength making it clear I have no say in the matter. He drags me to my feet like I weigh nothing at all.
I don't resist. What's the point?
I'm escorted back through the twisting halls of the castle and into the familiar meeting chamber. The towering stone walls loom above me like judgmental gods. Ramidion sits at his elevated table, flanked by his four advisors. Their cold eyes are weapons, slicing into me as I approach.
Then, I see her.
Alondra.
She stands to the side, her violet eyes brimming with a sadness that's faker than the kindness she once showed me. The very sight of her feels like a dagger twisting in my chest.
I feel something.
"Solice Caligo, for your wicked ways, you have been brought before me once again," Prince Ramidion declares, his voice echoing through the chamber.
He continues as if reading from a script. "I gave you one week to reflect on your actions and to make your decision. Should you choose execution, all of your lifespan will be taken by the Royal Executioner and gifted to the Royal Family of Alstidon."
Execution. To have every last second of my life ripped away, stolen by the very people who accuse me of being a monster.
I wince. There's a flicker of something in my chest now.
"Should you choose exile," Ramidion says, his tone colder than ice, "you will surrender all but one week of your remaining lifespan. You will leave this kingdom, never to return. The remaining lifespan will be given to Alondra Velto of the Kepanasan Church for distribution among the orphans as an act of penance for your sins."
There it is again. That spark. Anger. It burns hotter this time.
"And truthfully," Ramidion mutters, just loud enough for me to hear, "exiling you would simply make you someone else's problem."
His words are a hammer blow.
"Solice Caligo," he booms, regaining his authoritative tone, "I believe you when you say you have no memory of this world. But whether or not you are truly the Dark Deity matters little. If you die in exile, the prophecy is false, and the danger is gone. If you survive…" He pauses, his advisors shifting uncomfortably in their seats, "…then the prophecy may prove true, and it will not matter what we do today. Either way, I cannot allow an accursed one to remain within these walls."
His golden eyes lock onto mine, unflinching, like he already knows what I'll say. "So, Solice Caligo of unknown origin, what is your decision?"
The room waits, silent and heavy.
My eyes move slowly across the chamber. Tsuki stands at my side, expression unreadable, a predator waiting to strike. Ramidion's advisors glare at me like I'm less than dirt.
Then, I look at her.
Alondra.
The elf who once healed me when I was broken and lost. The one who shared the culture of this strange world with me, who smiled as she played with the orphans. The one who cried as I fought those lifespan bandits in the town square.
The one who turned me in.
The one who leaked my existence to Tsuki.
Her violet eyes meet mine, wide and brimming with false sorrow. For a brief moment, I remember the warmth she once radiated, the trust I foolishly gave her.
Now, I feel nothing but a burning hatred.
I don't deserve this. The looks of disgust from Ramidion's advisors. The cold indifference of this prince who plays god. The betrayal etched into every inch of this elf's face.
In my old life, I chose the easy way out. I gave up. Just like Sam did.
Not this time.
I don't care anymore—not about these people, not about this kingdom, not about this cursed prophecy.
I'll survive this exile. I'll become stronger. I'll wipe that pathetic, fake sadness off Alondra's face.
I will rage.
And for that, I need time. However little I'll have, one week is better than nothing.
"I choose exile."