The afternoon sun hung high above the estate, casting long shadows across the training yard.
Evan sat on the ground near the wooden fence, breathing slowly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm. The morning training had been exhausting as usual. Running, body conditioning, Qi circulation—Lyra never allowed a lazy day.
His muscles ached, but it was the familiar kind of pain that came after hard work.
Normally, he would complain a little, joke with Lyra, and then prepare for the next exercise.
But today felt different.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Lyra stood a few steps away, unusually quiet.
Normally she would already be teasing him for resting too long or ordering him to stand up again. Instead, she simply watched him with an expression that was difficult to read.
Evan noticed it quickly.
He tilted his head and looked up at her.
"You've been staring at me for quite a while now," he said with a faint smile. "Should I be worried, or is there something interesting on my face?"
Lyra hesitated.
For someone who usually answered him instantly, that hesitation felt strange.
"…There is something we need to talk about," she said finally.
The playful tone she normally used was gone.
Evan slowly stood up.
The seriousness in her voice made his chest tighten slightly.
"Well," he said cautiously, "that sentence alone already sounds concerning."
Lyra didn't reply immediately.
Instead, she walked toward a small wooden cage that had been sitting near the fence.
Evan frowned slightly as she pulled it closer.
Inside the cage was a rabbit.
But it wasn't an ordinary rabbit.
Its fur carried faint red streaks that shimmered softly under the sunlight, and a gentle warmth radiated from its body.
Evan recognized it immediately.
"A Sunfire Rabbit?" he said in surprise.
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
Evan crouched slightly to look closer at the creature.
The small rabbit twitched its nose and shifted nervously inside the cage.
He glanced back at Lyra.
"So… let me guess," he said slowly. "This is not for dinner."
Lyra reached behind her waist and pulled out a small knife.
Then she placed it into his hand.
The moment the cold metal touched his palm, Evan understood.
His stomach dropped.
He looked at the knife.
Then at the rabbit.
Then back at Lyra.
"…No," he said quietly.
Lyra met his eyes without hesitation.
"Yes."
The single word carried no cruelty.
But it carried certainty.
Evan felt a knot form in his chest.
"You're serious about this," he said.
Lyra nodded slowly.
"You need to learn something today."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
A memory surfaced in Evan's mind without warning.
The man from the Ascendant Circle.
The sound of a blade cutting flesh.
The smell of blood filling the air.
The way the man's body collapsed to the ground.
And the way Evan's stomach had twisted violently before he bent over and threw up in the grass.
His fingers tightened around the knife.
"I thought…" he said quietly, "that was something I could avoid."
Lyra stepped closer.
"In this world?" she asked softly.
Evan didn't answer.
Lyra crouched beside the cage and opened the door.
The rabbit hopped out onto the grass.
It sniffed the ground curiously, unaware of the tension surrounding it.
"In this world," Lyra continued calmly, "life is not peaceful."
She stood up again and looked toward the distant hills.
"It is a world where the strong survive and the weak are devoured."
Evan watched the rabbit.
It looked harmless.
Small.
Completely innocent.
"I know you dislike killing," Lyra said gently. "And that is not a bad thing. A person who enjoys killing too easily is far more frightening."
She looked back at him.
"But as a cultivator… you cannot avoid it forever."
At that moment—
!~Ding~!
A familiar sound echoed inside Evan's mind.
A translucent window appeared.
[New System Mission]
[
First Kill
Requirements: Kill the Sunfire Rabbit
Reward:100 System Points
]
Evan exhaled slowly.
"Even the system is pushing me toward this," he muttered.
Echo's calm voice appeared in his mind.
[Master.]
Evan rubbed his face with his hand.
"Let me guess," he said tiredly. "You're about to recommend that I complete this mission."
Echo answered without hesitation.
[Yes, Master.]
Evan let out a quiet sigh.
"I thought so."
Echo continued speaking in her steady tone.
[Completing this mission will benefit the master's development. This step is considered important for individuals pursuing cultivation.]
Evan stared at the rabbit again.
It had started nibbling on a patch of grass peacefully.
His hand began to tremble slightly.
Lyra watched him carefully.
"I'm not asking you to become a killer," she said softly.
Evan swallowed.
"Then what exactly are you asking me to become?"
Lyra's voice remained calm.
"I'm asking you to understand that sometimes taking a life becomes necessary."
The rabbit hopped a little closer.
Evan's breathing grew uneven.
He had never killed anything bigger than an insect.
Mosquitoes.
Flies.
Those were the only lives he had ever taken.
And now—
He was supposed to take one intentionally.
Echo spoke again.
[Master.]
Evan closed his eyes briefly.
"Yes, Echo?"
[Your hesitation is a normal response.]
Evan gave a weak laugh.
"That's comforting, coming from a system spirit."
Echo responded after a brief pause.
[Masters current reaction is within expected parameters, It is normal to feel like this.]
Evan slowly opened his eyes again.
The rabbit was still there.
It had moved slightly closer without him even noticing. Its small nose twitched as it sniffed the grass, completely unaware of the storm raging inside the boy standing in front of it.
It looked up at him.
Its red eyes were clear and curious, reflecting the afternoon sunlight.
There was no fear in them.
No understanding of what was about to happen.
Evan's fingers tightened around the knife.
His hand trembled.
Not slightly.
Violently.
His chest felt tight, as if something invisible was squeezing the air out of his lungs.
It's just a rabbit.
But the thought didn't help.
It didn't make it easier.
He took a step forward.
The grass crunched softly beneath his foot.
The rabbit twitched its ears and turned slightly toward him.
Evan stopped.
His entire body refused to move.
His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears.
Just do it.
The voice inside his head sounded distant.
Unconvincing.
His arm slowly lifted.
The knife rose in front of him.
But the moment he imagined the blade cutting through flesh—
His arm froze.
His grip loosened.
The knife slowly lowered again.
Lyra didn't say a word.
She didn't push him.
She didn't encourage him.
She simply watched him quietly.
Because she knew this was a battle he had to fight alone.
The wind moved softly through the grass around them.
The training yard was completely silent.
Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing.
Time stretched endlessly.
Evan clenched his teeth.
His hand tightened again.
He forced himself to move forward.
One step.
Then another.
The rabbit remained where it was, calmly nibbling on the grass as if nothing in the world could possibly threaten it.
That innocence stabbed deeper than any blade.
Evan's arm lifted again.
The knife trembled above the small creature.
His breathing became uneven.
His entire body screamed at him to stop.
But another voice whispered quietly in the back of his mind.
If you cannot even do this… how will you survive in this world?
His teeth clenched harder.
Then finally—
He forced his arm to move.
The blade came down.
A short cry escaped the rabbit.
A small, weak sound.
Then silence.
The body fell still.
For a moment, Evan didn't move.
His mind went completely blank.
The knife slipped from his fingers and fell into the grass with a dull thud.
Blood slowly spread across the ground.
Bright red.
Too bright.
Evan stared at it.
His stomach twisted violently.
A wave of nausea surged through him so suddenly that he almost lost his balance.
He staggered back.
His breathing became erratic.
The smell of blood reached his nose.
That was enough.
Evan turned and ran.
He ran blindly toward the house, barely seeing where he was going.
By the time he reached the doorway, he collapsed forward and vomited onto the ground.
His entire body shook.
His hands trembled uncontrollably.
The image of the rabbit wouldn't leave his mind.
The sound it made.
The way its body stopped moving.
It kept replaying over and over.