Morning sunlight slowly crept through the tall window of Evan's room.
Soft golden rays slipped through the curtains and stretched across the quiet floor, slowly climbing toward the bed where two figures still slept.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
The night had washed away the noise of yesterday.
Birds chirped faintly outside the estate gardens, and the distant wind rustled through the leaves of ancient trees.
Evan was the first to stir.
His breathing shifted slightly as his mind slowly surfaced from sleep.
At first, everything felt calm.
Quiet.
Then the memory returned.
The rabbit.
The knife.
The moment its small body stopped moving.
Evan's eyes slowly opened.
But before those thoughts could fully take hold of him, he immediately realized something strange.
He couldn't move.
Something warm and firm was wrapped around him.
Evan blinked slowly and looked down.
Lyra's arms were still around him.
Sometime during the night, she had pulled him even closer.
One arm rested beneath his neck while the other was wrapped securely around his chest, holding him against her.
Their bodies were practically pressed together.
Lyra's breathing was slow and steady.
She was still asleep.
Evan froze.
His brain struggled to process the situation.
Then his face slowly turned red.
Why are we still like this…?
He carefully shifted his head to the side.
Lyra's face was only a few inches away.
Her long silver hair had become slightly messy during sleep, soft strands falling gently across her cheek and neck.
Without her usual sharp and confident expression, she looked completely different.
Peaceful.
Soft.
Human.
Evan quickly looked away.
His heart began beating a little faster.
This is way too close…
He slowly tried to move one arm free.
Very slowly.
Very carefully.
Just as he thought he might succeed—
Lyra's arms suddenly tightened.
Evan froze again.
"...Don't move."
Her voice was quiet and sleepy.
Evan's eyes widened instantly.
"You're awake?!"
Lyra slowly opened one eye.
She stared at him lazily, clearly not fully awake yet.
"Yes," she replied calmly.
A small moment passed.
Then she added in the same sleepy tone,
"You were trying to escape."
Evan immediately shook his head.
"I wasn't escaping!"
Lyra lifted one eyebrow slightly.
"Oh?"
Her lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Then why were you slowly sliding away like a thief sneaking out of a treasury vault?"
Evan opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
He had no answer.
Lyra chuckled softly.
The sound was quiet but warm.
"You look a little better this morning," she said after a moment.
Her voice had returned to its usual calm tone.
Evan hesitated.
Then he sighed quietly.
"A little… I guess."
He looked up at the ceiling again.
"The feeling is still there, though."
Lyra didn't interrupt him.
She simply listened.
"It's strange," Evan continued slowly.
"I know it was just a rabbit… and logically I understand why I had to do it…"
He paused.
"But it still feels heavy."
Lyra loosened her arms and slowly sat up.
Her silver hair slipped down across her shoulders as she stretched slightly.
"That feeling will not disappear immediately," she said calmly.
"And honestly, it shouldn't."
Evan sat up as well.
Lyra reached forward and gently tapped his forehead.
"If killing ever becomes easy for you…"
Her eyes became serious.
"Then I will personally make sure you remember why it shouldn't be."
Evan rubbed his forehead.
"You say that like you enjoy hitting me."
Lyra crossed her arms and smiled faintly.
"You make it very tempting sometimes."
Evan rolled his eyes.
Then suddenly—
!~Ding~!
A familiar sound echoed inside his mind.
A moment later, a cheerful voice appeared.
[Good morning, Master.]
Evan blinked.
He had almost forgotten.
Echo's cheerful presence stirred inside Evan's mind.
A familiar voice echoed clearly within his thoughts.
Evan could almost imagine her stretching lazily inside his mind, her playful voice carrying the same relaxed energy.
[It appears Master has successfully survived his first post-trauma sleep cycle.]
Evan stared at her .
"That's… a strange way to say good morning."
Echo's playful voice echoed inside Evan's mind.
[I believed accuracy was important.]
Evan could hear the bright cheerfulness in Echo's voice.
[However, Master's emotional condition appears to have improved slightly compared to yesterday.]
Evan frowned slightly.
"Echo says my emotional condition has improved."
Lyra raised an eyebrow.
"Your system said that?"
Evan nodded.
"Correct."
A glowing screen appeared in the air.
[Mission Completed]
[
First Kill
Requirements:
Kill the Sunfire Rabbit
Reward:
100 System Points
]
Evan stared at it for a moment.
"I didn't even notice this yesterday."
Echo crossed her arms proudly.
[Of course, Master did not notice.]
[Master was extremely busy vomiting.]
""
Lyra immediately covered her mouth.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Evan groaned.
"Please don't remind me of that."
Echo's voice carried a mischievous hint inside his mind.
[However, the mission reward was still successfully granted.]
Another screen appeared.
[Current System Points: 2200]
Evan blinked.
"Oh."
"That's actually more than I expected."
Echo answered with clear satisfaction in her voice.
[Indeed, Master.]
[The system rewards important developmental milestones.]
Lyra watched Evan's expression with curiosity.
"So the system rewards him for killing?"
Echo's voice turned thoughtful inside his mind.
[That description is somewhat inaccurate.]
Echo's presence felt slightly stronger in his thoughts.
[The mission was designed to help Master overcome psychological hesitation when taking a life.]
[In dangerous situations, hesitation often leads to death.]
Echo continued speaking to him.
[Yesterday's experience served as a controlled environment for Master's first confrontation with that reality.]
Evan sighed quietly.
"So in other words… it was training."
Echo replied without hesitation.
[Correct, Master.]
Lyra stood up and stretched her arms above her head.
"So the system says the lesson was successful?"
She turned toward the door.
"Which means there's no reason to waste the rest of the morning."
Evan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lyra opened the door slightly.
"Training begins in ten minutes."
Evan stared at her.
"Ten minutes?!"
Lyra nodded calmly.
"You were the one who said you wanted to become stronger."
She leaned against the doorframe.
"And strength doesn't wait politely for people to finish their emotional recovery."
Echo giggled softly.
[Lady Lyra's statement is logically valid.]
Evan groaned as he stood up.
"This feels like abuse."
Lyra smirked.
"You'll survive."
She paused for a moment and looked at him again.
Her voice softened slightly.
"Besides…"
"I promised your mother I would make you strong."
Evan looked at her quietly.
The weight from yesterday was still somewhere in his chest.
But it didn't feel as suffocating as before.
Echo's presence lingered quietly in his thoughts.
[Master.]
Evan looked at her.
[Every great cultivator begins with a first step.]
[Yesterday was simply Master's first step.]
Evan could almost hear the smile in Echo's voice inside his mind.
[Today, we take the next one.]
Evan took a slow breath.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
He stepped toward the door.
"Let's train."
Outside, the morning sun had fully risen.
And for the first time since yesterday—
The world didn't feel quite as heavy anymore.