I had spent three days in bed.
Mother never left my side. She held my hand and cried.
"I almost lost you," she whispered. "My baby. My sweet boy. I almost lost you."
Her tears felt real.
And something in my chest hurt worse than my ribs.
Lilia visited constantly and asked questions. Gentle and Careful ones.
"What happened out there, Zero?"
"I was training and found bandits. I wanted to see how strong I was."
"Five dead bodies say different."
"I got lucky."
She stared at me long and hard.
Then she nodded. "Okay. Lucky."
She didn't believe me.
She also didn't tell anyone.
Luna visited most.
She'd sit by my bed for hours, holding my hand and not talking. Just... watching.
Sometimes she'd touch my bandaged ribs. Gentle and tender.
Then her eyes would go dark.
"I'll find them," she whispered once. "The ones who hurt you. Even if they're dead, I'll find them and hurt them again."
Well She means it.
She absolutely means it.
"Luna. They're dead."
"Good. I'll make sure they stay dead."
That's... not how death works.
But I didn't argue.
On the third night, alone, I finally processed what happened.
I killed four bandits easily and cleanly.
Then a real fighter nearly killed me.
But then something happened.
My eyes changed. My body moved on its own. I felt...
Absolute.
I raised my hand. Stared at it.
Was that magic?
No.
It didn't feel like Lilia's ice or Luna's fire. It felt like something else. Something deeper.
Something inside me.
Something that's always been there.
I closed my eyes and tried to reach for that feeling again.
Nothing happened.
So it's not magic. Is it a state? Or is it a trigger? A survival mechanism seems suitable.
I can't depend on it.
I need to get stronger. Strong enough that I never need it again.
I opened my eyes.
But at least now I know.
This world isn't a game.
Cid makes it look easy because he's lucky and the story bends for him.
I don't have that luxury.
I have to earn everything.
Every kill.
Every victory.
Every breath.
I looked at my bandaged hand.
And I will.
Even if it breaks me.
Especially if it breaks me.
That's what absolute means.
I was eight years old, and I'd nearly died.
That fact sat in my chest like a stone. Heavy.
I trained my whole life for this world. I was Obsessed and even chased a truck with a smile.
And one washed-up knight almost ended me.
If I'd been stronger,
That's the problem. That's always been the problem.
I trained to be ready.
I wasn't ready.
So now?
I train.
It was dawn, and I stood in the training yard alone.
Sera wouldn't arrive for another hour. That was fine. I didn't need her for this.
Push-ups.
Sit-ups.
Squats.
Running in place until my legs burned.
Not enough. Never enough.
I looked around and found the heaviest rocks I could carry.
That night, after Sera's lesson, I didn't go inside.
I waited until the estate went dark. Until the last servant's light flickered out.
Then I moved.
I went to the forest. The same place I'd nearly died.
I'd brought a thick rope at that.
I tied rocks to my ankles, my wrists and my waist.
Then I started moving through my forms.
Sera says speed is my advantage. That I'm small, fast, and hard to hit.
She's right.
But speed without power is just running away.
I need both.
I swung my wooden swords. Once. Twice. A hundred times.
The rocks dragged at me. My muscles screamed at me, and my Joints ached.
Good.
Pain means progress.
Suffering means strengthening.
Break now so I'm unbreakable later.
I trained until I couldn't lift my arms.
Then I did ten more.
Luna found me in the yard one night.
I was not training. I was just sitting there exhausted. Dripping sweat at midnight.
"Zero?"
I looked up. She stood at the edge of the yard. Moonlight catches her white hair. Purple eyes wide.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Could ask you the same."
"Came to find you. You weren't in your room."
Of course, she checks my room at night.
"Training."
"At midnight?"
It's the Best time. There are no distractions."
She walked closer to me and sat beside me. Too close.
"You're different lately. You barely play anymore. You barely talk. You just... train."
Because I nearly died. Because I'm weak. Because I refuse to let that happen again.
"I'm fine, Luna."
"You're lying."
I looked at her.
Her eyes weren't bright tonight.
There were just...showing signs of worry.
Real worry.
For me.
..Okay, I'm her, brother tho
"I'm not lying. I'm just... focused."
She grabbed my hand and squeezed.
"You are too focused. You're hurting yourself. I can tell."
She can tell.
"You don't need to do this alone, Zero. You have me. You have Lilia. You have—"
"I know."
I pulled my hand back. Gently.
"But this is something I have to do myself."
She stared at her empty hand. Then at me.
Something flickered behind her eyes. Darker than worry.
"...Okay."
She stood.
"But if you break yourself, I'm breaking whoever made you do it."
She walked away.
Luna.
She is scary as hell.
THE END.