Just like that?
Everything I worked for... gone. Years of blood, sweat, and willpower—ripped away in a moment.
My heart... it hurt more than when it was pierced on the battlefield.
The mana I trained endlessly to store. The body I forged through fire and pain.
Gone. All because of those damn beasts.
Those monsters twisted by the Herkon Kingdom's cursed 8th Circle Necromancer.
Hours passed.
But I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Couldn't breathe properly.
Couldn't accept it.
All my strength—meant to protect my family—just gone.
And my body wouldn't move.
I wanted to train. Get up. Fight back. But my limbs felt like stone.
Why me?
That question kept echoing in my head.
Over and over. Like a broken prayer.
I never betrayed the light. Never turned away from what was right.
So why the hell... did I have to lose everything?
Then—my mind drifted.
Back to that day.
The last talk I had with the Emperor.
-Flashback: Throne Room-
I knelt.
Light poured through the stained windows behind the Emperor's throne. He looked down on me, calm, composed.
"Vincent Velcrist," he said, voice heavy. "In this upcoming battle... you may lose something you've worked your whole life for. I'll give you a chance to back out."
I looked up.
He sat like a statue of war.
Blonde hair that shimmered gold. Eyes like frozen skies.
He was fifty, but looked thirty. Must've used mana to keep himself young. All the emperors did.
But that didn't matter.
"I know the risks, my liege," I told him. "But I'll still do it. For the Empire. For my family."
He nodded once.
"Very well. If the worst happens... use the identity I gave you. You may need it. Dismissed."
"Yes, my liege."
I stood, bowed, and left.
-End Flashback-
"Yeah... I chose this," I muttered, staring at the ceiling.
The pain didn't stop.
Didn't ease.
Just kept crushing me from the inside.
"Why me...?"
My voice cracked.
But there was no answer.
Not this time.
-End of Chapter-