"Archie… get up."
Elise's panicked voice dragged me out of my sleep. She shook me with all her strength, her small hands trembling as she yanked the blanket off me.
My mind was heavy and slow. Dreams still clung to me, but I let her pull me from the bed. My legs barely worked. She threw my arm over her shoulder and half-dragged me to the chair by the wall.
"W-what's going on?" My voice was weak, thick with sleep.
She didn't answer.
Then the sound came.
Bang.
It split the night apart.
My heart stopped. My body froze. My jaw locked so tight it hurt. A shiver shot through my spine and every muscle screamed in panic. My skin crawled as the air seemed to turn colder.
Danger.
Elise covered her mouth to muffle a cry. Her green eyes filled with tears, spilling as her whole body shook.
I knew that sound. Too well.
A gunshot.
But why here? Who fired it? Who was hit?
"Elise—" I turned toward her. But the girl I saw was not the one I knew.
Her eyes, usually full of life, were empty. The spark of hope she always carried was gone. She was frozen, hollow, lost in fear.
Then came the footsteps.
Heavy. Slow. Ruthless. Each step up the stairs made the wood groan.
From below us came chaos. Furniture slammed. Glass shattered. Voices shouted orders over cruel laughter.
"Check every room. Don't let even one escape."
The voice was deep, heavy, filled with authority. It silenced the others.
"The boss won't be pleased if we miss a single child. Do you understand?"
Laughter followed. Dark. Mocking. Wolves circling the pen.
My chest tightened. My throat burned. I could barely breathe. I looked at Elise again, but she was frozen in place. Her lips quivered, her body shaking.
The footsteps stopped right outside our door.
Shadows moved under the crack, shifting with their weight.
I held my breath. My heart begged for a miracle. For them to keep walking. For them to leave us alone.
But I knew better.
The handle rattled hard. Metal scraped against wood. The lock shook but held.
"Hurry it up!" a man barked. His voice was sharp and cruel.
"The bloody thing's stuck!" another snapped. His tone was rough, carrying a northern accent.
"Then kick it down!"
Silence—
Then the world exploded.
The door slammed inward with a crash. Splinters flew through the air as the wood shattered. It hit the wall so hard the whole room shook.
I raised my arm, shielding my face from flying debris.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The northerner stepped into the room.
He was tall and lanky, his frame hunched. His sharp eyes locked on Elise and me like a hawk spotting prey.
"Move aside."
A deeper voice followed. From behind him came another man—shorter, but built like stone. His body was scarred, his right eye lifeless and cold.
He stepped forward, and every inch he closed made my heartbeat race faster. Elise whimpered softly. Her hands trembled against her sides.
"What a specimen," the short man said, staring at her. "Golden hair, emerald eyes… almost elf-like."
His lips stretched into a grin, jagged teeth flashing.
"The boss will be pleased."
Then I felt it. A shadow loomed over me.
The northerner bent down, his hand grabbing my face. His grip was iron, squeezing my cheeks until it hurt. He studied me with narrowed eyes.
Disgust crossed his face. He shoved my head aside like I was trash.
"This one is worthless," he said flatly. "Fragile body. No strength. Can't hold mana. He's useless to the boss."
His hand dropped to the holster at his waist.
My heart sank. I tried to speak. I wanted to scream. To beg. To prove him wrong. To say I could be useful.
But it was too late.
The gun fired.
A sharp pain exploded through my stomach. It tore me apart from the inside, burning and twisting. My mouth opened in a scream, but blood filled my throat, choking the sound.
The world blurred. My body shook. The chair beneath me felt miles away.
Through the haze, I saw Elise.
She stood frozen, her eyes wide in horror. Her lips trembled, but no sound came. She couldn't move. Couldn't cry. She could only watch.
"What did you do that for?" the short man snapped, glaring at the northerner.
"Trash isn't worthy of the boss's presence," the other replied, sliding his pistol back into its holster.
I sat slumped in the chair, life draining from me. My breath came ragged, weak. My vision darkened at the edges.
The short man's words cut through the ringing in my ears.
"Such a disgrace."
The sound echoed, hammering into me as the world slipped away.
My body grew heavy. The pain faded into numbness. Darkness wrapped around me, pulling me into its arms.
The last thing I saw was Elise's face—her eyes wide with helpless fear.
And the last thing I heard were those words, repeating in my mind like a curse.
"Such a disgrace."
Then I fell, deeper and deeper, into an endless void.
*****
"What a pitiful end. A life filled with shame and rejection. Archie Valion—born of nobility, yet treated worse than a beggar. Truly, you have suffered. And now, your time is over. Your soul belongs to me."
The voice was cold, heavy, echoing in the dark. I couldn't see its owner, but I felt it—an endless shadow reaching for me.
But another voice cut in. Sharp. Confident.
"Not this one, Reaper. He's mine."
A pause. The darkness trembled.
"Who dares?" the first voice hissed. "Ah… you. Uriel. Why would an archdemon step into my domain?"
"For him," the second voice replied. Calm, but firm. "I will take his soul and give him new life."
"New life?" the Reaper growled. "And why would I allow that?"
"Because it hurts you," Uriel said. "It pains you to take his soul."
"You mock me? Even an archdemon can die."
"No mockery," Uriel answered smoothly. "Only truth. You and I both know—if anyone deserves another chance, it's him. So let us do this together. You hand me his soul… and I will give him power."
The darkness went silent for a long time. Then the Reaper's voice rumbled low.
"And what do you gain from this?"
"Nothing," Uriel said. "Nothing but the chance to help a friend."
"…Hmph. Foolish demon."
The voices faded, but their words stayed in me.
A conversation. One I believe I truly heard as I drifted in death.