Gozine

Black Blade Fire Mirror.
The power of the first form of the middle stage was fiercer than imagined, a swordsmanship imbued with the will to erase all living things.
Theo had once said.
This sword is the most terrifying when directed at the one it hates most among the middle-stage forms.
Only now do I think I understand a fraction of what he meant.

Countless shards of mirrors.
The afterimages and faint sensations that arise the moment they are cut.
The relentless onslaught…
That was all there was to this sword.

Not long after, we walked down an even darker path, relying only on torchlight. Along the way, we hunted countless monsters, but due to the increasing mana of the creatures, both Zitri and I struggled.

‘This place wasn’t supposed to be this difficult. Has something… changed?’

My body grows heavy, and dizziness intensifies.

Cough! Blood and phlegm spill onto the floor.

‘As expected, this is strange. Everything looks blurred…’

Of course, this place is different from the game. My mind understands, but my body doesn’t.
I’ve learned various swordsmanship and magic.
I prided myself on having grown enough by the time I reached this place.

Yet, here I am, still unable to see the end of even the first layer of this labyrinth.
Growing impatient, I dealt with the swarming monsters before leaning against the wall to rest with Zitri. With difficulty, I opened my mouth.

“I’m sorry for forcing you to help me, Zitri.”

I spoke flatly, exhaling the breath I’d been holding. The thought that this is only the beginning dominates my mind.
What form of trauma will the coming threats stir?
Perhaps I’ll see what Ru mentioned.
Something that might hold an answer for me.

As I pondered, Zitri clasped her hands over her chest and nodded. She seemed to have taken several deep breaths. The oppressive mana was likely part of it, but more than anything, it must have been the unbearable anxiety of risking her life.

I understand.
Isn’t this close to instinctive fear?

But Zitri’s response was different from what I expected.

“You have no idea how grateful I am for this moment.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean to stay by your side, young master.”

She continued immediately.

“Truthfully, I’ve been tormented for a long time. I thought a maid more capable would suit you better.. and I kept wondering if I was nothing more than expendable.”

What is she saying?

I swear,
I’ve never once thought Zitri was incompetent.
The girl who always silently stood by my side. The one who chose me even when I thought I should let her go after restoring the Rovelia family’s honor.

The determined yet somewhat clumsy girl who vowed to support the villain, Nox von Reinhaver, to the end. That was her.

[The trait ‘Prodigy of Acting’ is shaken intensely.]

“How could I ever hate you?”

“It’s not about hate. It’s just… I thought there was nothing I could do for you by staying. All I could offer as a mere maid was changing your towel when you were sick, brewing your tea, organizing your documents… That’s all there was.”

“If that’s all, then I’m satisfied.”

The words slipped out before I realized.

Zitri von Rovelia.
The girl who stood on the ridge of death, having lost her family, met me, a two-faced person wearing a thorough mask. I remember when we couldn’t trust each other.
Where was the right boundary for our relationship?
When I first agonized over it, I reached my own conclusion.

A relationship where we didn’t need unnecessary formalities, where we didn’t have to force smiles.
But above all, one where we wouldn’t betray each other in the most desperate moments…
That was the relationship I thought.

But one thing I know. Just as Nox von Reinhaver grew in Zitri’s heart, so too did she grow in mine.

If she weren’t here at this moment?

I’d probably be drowning in anxiety.
Of course, I don’t know if this is romantic love.
I don’t even know if it’s different from what I feel for my other companions. Honestly, the fact that she loves me is so transparent that it only makes my heart more chaotic.

In a situation where I must survive, I can’t afford to accept anyone’s feelings. The life of Nox von Reinhaver is like a candle, it could flicker out at any moment.
So perhaps I’ve arbitrarily concluded that I can’t let anyone into my heart.

But the reason Zitri’s words left me so bewildered was something else entirely.
Everything Zitri von Rovelia did for me filled a void I had always longed to fill. Because of that, I couldn’t help but feel deep affection for her.

“Do you think everything you’ve done for me was meaningless, Zitri?”

“Young master.”

“The mornings I could start because you brewed my tea, the times you indulged my clumsy complaints, the letters you wrote for me to send to my father, the hours you spent caring for me and the other animals… Not a single one of those moments was ever unimportant to me.”

No one had ever done such things for me before.
Only Rona and Zitri stood by me in my hardest times.

And Zitri abandoned everything—even her family—to stay with me.

The emotion I felt inside?

Relief.
Humans are fickle. They often act in self-interest, and it’s hard to ever fully escape self-centered thinking.

I was no different.

I knew it too well.
When I learned Zitri could return to her family, I knew sending her back was the right thing. That she no longer had any reason to sacrifice herself.

No matter how much Zitri wanted to stay, this was the truth.
She could have made a better choice.

But in the end, had I become so large in her heart that she gave up everything else? Even if she could return someday, it might be too far in the future, and as long as she stayed with me, she’d keep facing life-threatening dangers.

Yet, I couldn’t send her away.

Because I wanted Zitri von Rovelia to stay by my side.
Because of my selfish heart.

“Thank you, young master.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

Why?

Had the violently shaken ‘Prodigy of Acting’ blurred the line between my identity as Nox and my past self in another world?

My tone had softened without me realizing it, and my gaze toward Zitri wavered uncontrollably. What is this situation? How did I end up like this?

The thick fog around us, no, my deteriorating health and blurred vision—left me unable to see anything clearly. Only Zitri’s vivid green hair and porcelain-like beauty stood out.

Before I knew it, Zitri had caught me as I swayed and gently laid me across her lap.

“It’s okay even if it’s a different meaning. It doesn’t have to be romantic love. Even if it’s the affection you’d feel for family, that’s fine. There’s something I want to ask you, young master.”

Weird.
My lips won’t part. This is dangerous.
My stamina is draining away.

The message about my lifespan shortening hasn’t appeared yet, so I might be okay for now..

But still, no.

I need to get up.

Press

At that moment, Zitri placed her hands on my chest, stopping me.

“Please answer me, young master….”

Do you love me?

Our eyes met.
In that breathless illusion, I heard something like an eerie whisper.

— Child, listen.

Zitri’s transparent tears fell.
A drop landed on my lips before I could answer, carrying a faint saltiness and sorrow.
This was the end of the first memory.

**********

When she first entered the Aksaras labyrinth, Zitri had no choice but to be startled.
The moment Nox stepped inside, he collapsed to the ground.

“Young master!”

Her shock was short-lived, as an indescribably strange voice began whispering in her ear.

[I have taken the soul of the young boy.]

The voice said it would grant her power.
Zitri, eyes filled with determination, shouted back.

“What are you talking about?! Return young master to how he was, if you don’t!”

[And what will you do if I don’t?]

The voice’s question carried a unique magical pressure, making it hard for Zitri to respond.
But she endured.

“Who.. are you…?!”

[I am one of the old four sages who guard the Aksaras labyrinth. My name is Altende. Though strictly speaking, I am just an illusion…]

Altende?
Zitri’s pupils narrowed.

Through Nox’s half-lidded eyes, a radiant light began to seep in, and a figure resembling Nox started to take shape.

“….What connection do you have with the Reinhaver family? Why did you take young master’s soul?”

Zitri’s tone softened slightly. The mana around her didn’t feel threatening, and the Nox-like presence didn’t seem like it would harm him.

Then what?

Figuring out who this sage, who founded Altende Village—was and why they were connected to the Reinhaver family was now urgent.
Zitri, willing to do anything to help Nox even a little, waited silently for the next words.

But the answer that came was shocking.

[Nox von Reinhaver is my son.]

“…What?”

[I am Altende. In human terms, I am Aria, the wife of Theo von Reinhaver and the mother of Nox von Reinhaver.]

Zitri muttered in shock. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t seem like a lie.
Even aside from the striking resemblance to Nox, the sheer magnitude of this mana was something she had never felt before.
Which only made her more confused.

“…Then why? Why take your own son’s soul and do this…?”

[Because this world, too, shows signs of failure.]

“Yes?”

World? Failure?

Altende continued with incomprehensible words. The spectral woman spread angelic wings as she spoke.

[Child, you wouldn’t know.]

[Countless dimensions and worlds exist here, and only a select few will survive.]

“I don’t fully understand, but… dimensions…”

Zitri searched her memories. Nox had been deeply preoccupied with this very topic not long ago. While records of other dimensions existed in ancient texts, none had ever been proven real.

Yet, her master had studied it obsessively, repeatedly conducting magical experiments, as if dimensional travel and movement between worlds were possible. He had been utterly convinced of it.

After a moment of thought, Zitri asked.

“….Could it be, that young master came from another dimension? Or world?”

[You catch on quickly.]

Altende spoke flatly, watching Zitri’s shocked expression.

[And if things continue like this, Nox will have to abandon this world, too. Once again, all his memories will be erased, and he’ll have to start over from the beginning.]