Days passed before I finally opened my eyes.
The light felt unfamiliar. Heavy. My vision adjusted slowly, and the first thing I saw was Amelia — asleep in a chair beside my bed, her head resting awkwardly against the wall. She looked thinner. Tired. Like she hadn't properly rested in weeks.
The moment I shifted slightly, her eyes snapped open.
"X-Xiver?!" Her voice cracked. She shot up so fast the chair nearly fell. "XIVER, YOU'RE AWAKE— OH MY GOD— I WAS SO SCARED!"
She threw her arms around me before I could even react. Her grip tightened like she was afraid I would disappear again. I felt her shaking. Then I felt the tears.
"How long… was I asleep?" My voice came out dry and weak.
She pulled back slightly, wiping her face, but she couldn't stop crying. "Four months."
"…What?"
Four months?
My mind struggled to process it. I remembered the fight. The dragon. Maria. The dream of Elizabeth and Alexander living peacefully somewhere far from this mess. A life where I didn't fail them. Where I didn't push everyone away. Where I didn't ruin every relationship before it had a chance to grow.
Maybe if I had handled things differently… maybe if I hadn't closed myself off… maybe I wouldn't always feel like I was standing alone.
But reality doesn't bend for regrets.
People leave. People die. People change.
Crying doesn't reverse it.
Amelia was still holding me, still trembling.
"Stop crying," I muttered softly. "And tell me what happened."
She swallowed. "Martha woke up three days before you. I thought… I thought you'd wake up too. But you didn't. I kept thinking—" Her voice broke again. "I couldn't handle losing you too."
I tried to sit up, and that's when I noticed it.
My body felt different. Leaner. Stronger. The muscles along my arms were more defined. And on the right side of my torso, stretching across my ribs, was a scar — not massive, but not small either.
A reminder.
"Where's Martha?" I asked.
As if summoned by the question, the door creaked open.
"Xiver…? Is that you?"
Martha stepped inside slowly, a black bandana tied over her eyes.
"MARTHA! YOU STILL CAN'T WALK PROPERLY!" Amelia rushed toward her.
"It's fine," Martha said gently. "I just wanted to check on him."
I stared at the cloth covering her eyes.
"What happened?"
Amelia hesitated.
"It's okay," Martha said calmly. "Xiver… I lost my eyesight."
Silence filled the room.
My chest tightened.
"…Because of that battle?" I asked quietly.
She smiled faintly. "I'm alive. That's enough."
I looked away.
"I'm sorry," I said — and for once, the words didn't feel automatic.
I stood up slowly, grabbing my green coat.
"I'm hungry," I said after a moment. "Amelia, you thinking of eating with me?"
Later, when we entered the adventure guild, the entire hall went silent for half a second.
Then—
"WELCOME BACK!"
The place exploded with noise. Some held beer mugs high. Others brought flowers, gifts, food. People crowded around us.
"We were so worried about you!"
"We thought you wouldn't make it!"
"You fought the Fate Dragon!"
"I can't believe you survived!"
So that's what it was.
I had become popular.
The one who met the Fate Dragon — the ancient creature who hadn't been seen for thousands of years. The first being to bring magic into this world.
Martha quietly reached for my hand.
Amelia wrapped her arm around my neck in a half chokehold hug.
"Chill," I muttered. "I just woke up."
She laughed through leftover tears. "Sorry. I'm just really happy you're alive."
The guild kept celebrating.
But in the middle of the noise, I felt something different.
The battle wasn't over.
The Fate Dragon wasn't finished.
And neither was I.
As I spent the afternoon in the guild hall, I met two new faces.
One was a massive, broad-shouldered old man with a greying beard and an axe resting casually over his shoulder. His name, fittingly, was Axe.
The other was a lean man in his thirties, sharp-eyed, with a long mustache and a thin beard lining his jaw. His name was Tea.
Both of them wanted to join our clan.
Amelia crossed her arms, studying them carefully.
"Hm… let me think about it."
Axe stepped forward first. "I'll give you everything I've got. I swear it. Just give me a chance."
Tea nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, we'd be a great addition. You won't regret it."
Amelia turned her head slightly. "Martha? What do you think?"
Martha stood quietly, her black bandana covering her sightless eyes. "I'm not sure… What about you, Xiver?"
All eyes turned to me.
"I want Tea to join," I said calmly. "But I'm not sure about Axe."
Axe's brows furrowed. "Huh? Why?"
"Tea is a sorcery user," I replied. "The last time we relied on a sword wielder… we lost her."
Silence fell over the hall.
The air grew heavy.
Axe's jaw tightened. "So what? You're going to live in fear? That's the life of an adventurer! People die. You fight. You move on. Or are you just going to let Maria's death mean nothing? That dragon has to pay!"
"Calm down," I said evenly.
Axe gripped his weapon harder, breath heavy with frustration.
"You can't control your emotions," I continued. "That's another reason I can't accept you."
His expression twisted with anger. "And her death just… what? Doesn't matter?"
"It does," I said firmly. "But Martha's death didn't go to waste."
Axe froze. Tea blinked. Even Amelia went still.
"We're standing here. Talking. Breathing. That's the result of her sacrifice."
Axe frowned. "What sacrifice?"
"Hope."
I stood up from my chair.
"She's the one who gave me hope. As long as I know she's alive… I have something to fight for. In our last encounter, Maria didn't say a single one of our names. Not even once. That's not her. She has a strong will. She would never attack her friends like that."
I clenched my fists.
"She's being controlled. Manipulated. Forced."
Tea shifted uncomfortably. "Wait… what are you saying?"
"I think I know a way to break the illusion on her," I said quietly. "But I'll need sorcery. Complex sorcery. Not brute force."
My eyes hardened.
"I must save her."