'FUCK!' Claude screamed in his mind, panic surging through him.
'Am I really going to die again? Just like this? Not even a goddamn moment of peace!'
'FUUCCKKK!!!' His thoughts spiraled, his hands trembling as he desperately scanned the chaos around him for an escape.
'Fuck you, God! At least let me say goodbye to my mom!'
In the end, all he could do was clench his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, drawing blood. He shut his eyes, bracing for the inevitable.
But… nothing came.
No pain. No searing light.
Slowly, hesitantly, Claude opened his eyes—only to find the massive arrow gone. The ground in front of him was torn apart from its impact, but he remained unscathed.
"Did… I just get a power-up or something?" he murmured in disbelief, his eyes catching the dark, translucent barrier still flickering before him.
"This…!" His breath hitched as realization struck—he hadn't blocked the attack. Someone else had.
A voice from behind made his body go rigid.
"Claude! Get the fuck out of here!"
Claude spun around, his heart sinking at the sight.
Theo stood there, battered and bloodied, his tattered clothes soaked in crimson. A gaping hole in his stomach oozed thick, dark blood, yet his stance remained firm.
Claude's eyes widened in horror, his relief at seeing his father alive quickly turning into dread.
The holy chains binding him had melted away, destroyed by Theo's dark energy. Without hesitation, Claude rushed to him.
"Let's get out of here together! There's no way I'm leaving you here to die," Claude said, already chanting the teleportation spell.
But Theo's grip on his shoulder was ironclad.
His breaths were ragged, but his eyes held a fierce determination.
"No… You need to get out of here. Take your mother and run. As far as you can."
Claude's stomach twisted. "No! We go together!"
Theo exhaled sharply, then gave him a weak smile—the kind of smile that made Claude's heart crack.
"I'll stay behind and slow that damned saint down…" Blood dripped from his lips, but he never wavered.
"I should have taken you with me instead of keeping you in this cursed town… I'm sorry, Claude."
"No! I won't let this happen! I won't leave you!" Claude shouted, his voice raw with desperation.
But Theo didn't listen.
Instead, he pushed Claude back and chanted his own spell.
"Theo! Promise me you'll survive this! Promise me!"
Claude's scream was swallowed by the light of teleportation.
The last thing he saw was his father's face—resolute, proud, and heartbreakingly calm—before the golden explosion engulfed everything.
Claude hit the ground hard. He gasped, his lungs struggling to keep up as he blinked against the sudden shift in scenery.
He was outside the village gate.
The golden explosion still burned in the distance, swallowing everything in its path. It was enormous—so vast that survival seemed impossible.
His knees felt weak. His mind refused to accept it.
"No… He promised me. He'll be fine."
Claude forced himself to stand, his body moving on instinct. 'Find Mother. Get her to safety.'
"Moon," he muttered, reaching out through the telepathic link with his Chaos Hound. "Where is my mom?"
A moment later, Moon's voice echoed in his mind. Left side, inside the forest… But she's talking to someone.
Moon's hesitation made Claude frown.
There, he saw his mother, Dalia, standing with a man in a black robe. The man's face was obscured, but his voice was low and urgent.
"You need to leave this town immediately," the man warned, his voice firm but quiet. "Never return. Never show your face again."
Dalia clutched his wrinkled hand, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you… Thank you so much for everything," she whispered, her voice breaking as though she was saying goodbye.
The man sighed. "Outside this town, I have no authority. Be safe, Dalia. Survive."
Then, without another word, he vanished, teleporting away.
Claude, still shaken and unable to think straight, stumbled out of the forest.
"Mom, we need to go! Now!"
His voice was urgent, his mind too clouded with grief and exhaustion to dwell on who the man was.
Dalia turned to him, eyes filled with desperate hope. "Where's Theo?"
Claude's throat tightened, but he forced himself to stay composed. "He'll catch up later. Right now, we have to move."
He grabbed her hand and started chanting, preparing to teleport them to their next hiding place.
"To Diamond Town," he said, voice steely. "It's the safest place for now."
With a final surge of magic, they vanished from the burning town, leaving everything behind.
***
Diamond Town lived up to its name. The land was rich with diamond mines, making it one of the largest producers of the precious gemstone.
Its wealth attracted jewelers, merchants, and traders from across the continent, but its true power lay in its autonomy.
Even the Everbright Church had little authority here, thanks to Marquess Raynold—the land's ruler and a close ally of Theo.
Some whispered that Raynold had ties to darkness, perhaps even to the Daemons themselves.
But for Claude, that didn't matter. What mattered was that this place was safe—for now.
Entering Diamond Town wasn't easy, but thanks to Theo, Claude had already memorized its layout.
That prior knowledge allowed him to teleport himself and his mother directly to its front gates.
The moment they arrived, the town's knights recognized him. There were no questions, no hesitation—only quiet nods of acknowledgment.
Though Theo's alliance with Raynold was a secret, those loyal to the marquess understood what that meant.
And so, without delay, Claude and Dalia were escorted to Raynold's castle.
Now, they sat in one of the castle's many chambers, waiting.
As per Theo's plan, Raynold or his men were supposed to provide Claude with a map to Elysium. But when the door finally opened, it was not the marquess who entered.
"My apologies," a butler said as he stepped inside, bowing slightly.
"My lord is unable to attend this meeting. Instead, I have been instructed to deliver this map and this pouch to you."
He handed Claude a folded parchment and a heavy pocket filled with gold coins.
"The marquess is currently occupied with representatives from the Everbright Church. I strongly advise you to leave Diamond Town before dawn. We have prepared horses for your journey."
Claude barely processed his words. He was only half-listening, his mind drowning in thoughts of the past few hours.
"One more thing," the butler continued.
"Mr. Theo arranged for a guardian to escort you. You will meet him outside the town gates."
Claude nodded absentmindedly, gripping the map and gold.
"…Can I wait until dawn?" he asked quietly. "I… need to wait for someone."
The butler bowed. "Of course. You are an esteemed guest of my lord. Please rest here until then."
With that, he exited, leaving Claude alone with his mother.
Dalia watched her son carefully. He was a mess—silent, withdrawn, lost in his thoughts.
He hadn't spoken about Theo, but she didn't need to ask. She already knew.
The explosion. The way Claude had arrived alone. The way he refused to meet her eyes.
Theo was gone.
As a woman, her heart ached with unbearable grief.
She loved Theo deeply—he had given her joy, purpose, and the most precious treasure of all: Claude.
But as a mother, she couldn't break. She had to be strong.
She had to be the one to hold Claude together.
"Claude," Dalia said softly, breaking the silence.
"Do you remember the first time you met Theo?"
Claude stirred slightly, turning his head toward her.
"That time… I hesitated to introduce you," she continued, her voice warm with nostalgia.
"But I'm glad I did. It gave you both more time together—as father and son."
Claude let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah… You told me I pissed and pooped on him."
Dalia smiled. "You did. He handled it well."
Claude's expression darkened. His gaze fell to the floor. "Do you think he hated me?"
She blinked in surprise. "Why would he?"
"I left him… at the worst time." His hands clenched into fists. "I didn't call him 'father' even once."
Dalia reached out, gently rubbing his head. "Claude, you were never a burden to him. You were our greatest treasure. Every moment we spent raising you was the happiest time of our lives."
She gave his hair a soft tug, just like she used to when he was a child. "He would never hate you."
Claude didn't know why, but her words hurt more than he expected. Maybe it was because, deep down, he had always longed for a family—a complete family.
A mother who loved him. A father who guided him. He had always wanted Theo and Dalia to be together, to stay by his side.
But that future… was now impossible.
'He promised me…' Claude thought bitterly, resting his head against Dalia's shoulder. 'He broke his promise.'
The memory of his first life clawed its way back.
His first father had promised to take him to a football game.
That day never came.
Theo had promised to stay alive.
And now… he was gone, too.
'Why do fathers always break their promises?'
Claude clenched his fists, swallowing the lump in his throat.
'It's too late now. I can never call him 'Father.'
He's dead. And now… it's just me and Mother.'