The trumpets played a soft yet dangerous tune, setting the stage for a melodic and beautiful dance.
Those who danced seemed to be enjoying the moment, savoring the thrill of living one more day in a world that wouldn't last much longer.
Suddenly, at the far end of the ballroom, through the crowd, a door creaked open. From it stepped a teenager, no older than eighteen.
With a confused look in his eyes, he asked aloud:"Where am I?"
Only the echo of silence answered him, while the dance carried on. People laughed and sang, paying no attention to the young man in formal wear who still couldn't grasp what was happening.
Matías. That was his name. A stubborn yet clever boy, known for founding the rebellion called the Insurgency. Just another organization, like so many before it, that tried to guide humanity down a new path.
But he was naive. It was impossible. Everything is just an endless cycle.
Humans don't learn from their mistakes... they only search for new ways to repeat them. Not with the same customs, but with new methods to summon and unleash chaos.
"My body... why...? This is my old body..."
His eyes, narrowed in confusion, and his mouth hanging open in shock, said it all: he didn't understand. He was trapped.
He could move his hands, walk normally... but his mind clung to a single question:"How did I go from the hotel room... to this? That music… I know it..."
"No...""Not again."
Panic took hold of Matías, and he began running toward a figure among the crowd. But the dancers blocked his path without even noticing him—like he was a ghost.
And then, the inevitable happened. Even though he ran with all his strength, with fear flooding every inch of his being, he failed.
As the musicians heightened the melody and the people danced with growing passion, time ran out. And the last thing heard was:Boom.
Glass exploded from the windows in slow motion. Bodies were thrown by the force of the blast. Chandeliers fell, and the walls gave in, unable to hold any longer.
Cracks spread across the room, accompanied by screams of pure desperation… until everything froze.
Time stopped, frozen at the very peak of tragedy. Nothing would move forward. Only a mental torture remained—one that, to me, was beautiful.
"No!" Matías screamed as he saw a young woman trapped under a fallen pillar, motionless, turned into a statue in that suspended scene.
It wasn't that he couldn't move. He was the only one who could. But he had arrived too late.
His eyes filled with tears, and from the depths of his soul, a hellish fire burned—one made not of hatred for others, but for his own kind.
Thoughts of the one he loved faded away. And then, he began walking forward, fists clenched with a fury that pushed him onward.
His brown eyes turned a vivid, piercing green. So deep, they cracked the very fabric of reality, revealing glimpses of a better fate—one that could never come to pass.
With each step, with every tear, he drew closer to the figure of a beautiful woman sitting on a golden throne, waiting for him with a longing that had lasted far too long.
"I'll kill you, damn witch!" he roared, his voice echoing across the space.
He started running. Fire coursed through his veins like that of a demon… and he carried the soul of someone who had already been broken far too many times.
I laughed as I watched the scene.
Let's return to the protagonist's point of view. I had missed narrating a good story.
We meet again, old friend.
POV: Kael Lanpar… or perhaps, Matías Castleboard.
Pain engulfed me completely. It was the same helplessness I had felt so many times in my past life.
To relive one of the most traumatic events again, to repeat it even against my will… was utterly heartbreaking.
I could feel the power of that damned goddess flowing through me, giving me the strength to finally put an end—at last—to her bitter game… the one that had always been about torturing me at any cost.
"Calur!" I shouted, clenching my teeth.
Time was rewinding as I approached the door. Everything around me returned to its original form, undoing the tragedy, taking me back to the beginning.
I opened the door once more. The same music from just seconds ago filled the air. People danced carelessly, unaware of my presence… as if I were a ghost.
"Stop, Dextrina!" I cried out, bringing my hand to my right eye in exhaustion. "I won't fall into your games again. What do you want from me? Why this? Why here again?"
She gave a wicked smile and, with a snap of her fingers, time stopped once more.
"Lovely to see you again, my Champion," she said as she slowly descended from her throne. "You have no idea how much I missed you."
When I was younger, that was the moment I lost everything.The girl I tried to save was the only one I ever loved in my entire life.And still, despite everything I did, she forgave me.
But the world doesn't forgive good people.It destroys them—no matter what.
"I don't believe your words, goddess," I replied, narrowing my eyes as I began to circle her. "I learned long ago not to trust you."
"Why would you say that, dear?" she asked as, with a flick of her finger, the melody played again—like she was skipping through a video. "Don't you remember that the power you're using is mine?" she added with a mischievous grin. "If your world found peace, it was thanks to me, not you."
I deactivated my eyes, ashamed of the power I carried.The blood I had spilled.The blind faith I had once placed in the gods.
"Just tell me what you want," I said, pulling a sword from the waist of one of the dancers. "Or did you only come here to play with me?"
Her serious gaze was all the answer I needed.I let go of the sword. It clattered to the floor with a metallic thud as I began walking toward her… ready.
I wasn't going to lose my new life.I had found a fresh start, in a distant land, in a new world.A place I could finally call home, no matter the price I'd have to pay to protect it.
"I met your father recently," she said, leaning her face close to mine. "I still don't know why he was chosen, but…" she paused, smiling cruelly, "honestly, it's ridiculous how everything always ends with you at the center of it all."
"Hahaha…" she laughed, covering her face like a madwoman."Not even my siblings—who've existed far longer than I—understand it.So tell me, Matías… what will you do now?"
Every time she gave me a choice, I analyzed it with unwavering focus, always trying to find the best path to fulfill my purpose.
But… not everything is about me anymore.
I have a family now.People I love.And a dream I want to reach.
I took a breath, letting my heart calm, allowing my thoughts to settle.
"What I'll do now…" I said softly, "is protect my family."
"So you've decided to protect shadows?" she sneered. "Maybe you have changed a little. I want to see how this ends, even if I already know it by heart."
As the goddess of fate, she was also the one who controlled the story.She knew what my past had been, and what my future would be.
But she would never tell me.Not because she didn't want to—but because even with all the knowledge of every living being's life, she was forbidden from interfering directly.
That's why she chose me.A martyr willing to do whatever it took to carry out her vision.
"Now that you know my answer…" I asked, stepping back from her face, "what will you do? I'm no longer bound to your power. I'm free."
"Hmmmmm… yes, you're free now. But only from me," she said as she walked toward the same door I had entered through."For now, enjoy it. You've earned it. Don't be afraid to love."
She paused, and just before disappearing, she whispered:
"Your father… never got that chance."
Before I could ask what she meant, the door closed.Time resumed its flow, and the same events played out again.The music intensified.
And then, once more, there was only—The explosion.
I let a final tear fall as I walked through the chaos.I looked into her eyes one last time, placed my hand on the door handle…
And stepped through into the white light.
I closed my eyes, letting myself be swallowed by that blinding light, unsure whether I was returning home… or heading toward yet another encounter with the goddess.
The light faded. Darkness returned.
The flashes no longer blinded me, and my vision slowly adjusted to the quiet shadows of night. When I opened my eyes, I realized I had been brought back to the exact moment before I had crossed the door.
I could hear Airis sobbing again.
A long breath escaped from my chest. I was finally at peace. Night had returned, and my grandfather's snoring helped ease the fear inside me, grounding me once more in calm.
Slowly, I walked over to Airis's bed and lay down beside her. I gently stroked her head, trying to soothe her.
"Leave me alone…" she whimpered, her crying intensifying.
I didn't say a word. I didn't need to.I simply held her, letting her cry it all out.
I'm no angel, but I'm no demon either.
So this is what it means to be human.What we lost in that war…The meaning of our existence was simply understanding that we're not perfect.
I closed my eyes, resting my head against hers.She had calmed down now, and finally, she could sleep peacefully.
(The next morning)
"Aww… you two look so adorable," a voice broke into my sleep. "If only I had a way to record this moment…"
My ears were still adjusting to loud voices.After so long, and such a badly needed rest, both light and sound felt completely new again.
I opened my eyes with difficulty, blinking against the sunlight, and saw—blurry but unmistakable—little Airis still clinging to me, fast asleep, like she hadn't truly rested in years.
"What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my face. "Why are you making so much noise this early, Grandpa?"
"I don't know… maybe because the two of you look like kittens in my eyes," he replied while getting ready. "Come on, wake up Airis. We're leaving in five."
"Got it," I said, watching him close the door behind him.
I ran my fingers through Airis's hair once more, then sat up in bed, gripping my necklace tightly.I knew that from this point on, I would begin to uncover all that I had lost… and start rebuilding myself.To build a happy ending—for me and for everyone I love.
I got out of bed and woke Airis with a soft pillow smack.Her scream was the first thing to echo through the room.
I grabbed my dagger, my clothes, and walked straight to the hotel balcony, embracing the noise of the city and the beautiful life waiting ahead.
Whatever the future holds, I'll face it.I've done it once before…But this time, it'll be different.
"I'm free!" I shouted, loud enough for the entire city to hear.And I didn't care.
For the first time in so long…I could finally see the world clearly again.
To be continued...