‘...They really tore right through its hide?’
The Ghostgroom’s head and neck had been completely split open. It was unbelievable.
Still in a daze, I looked up at Winter, the man who had slain the beast. The last thing I’d seen before being swallowed was him leaping onto the Ghostgroom’s head. It seemed he had finished it off singlehandedly.
Shortly afterward, we were safely extracted from the Ghostgroom’s belly through the gaping wound, using ropes lowered by the soldiers.
“Salvia, I was so worried about you...”
“But I’m fine, you idiot! God, I thought I was going to die back there...”
“Hah... I was so scared!”
“I’m glad you’re okay!”
“Are you hurt?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
The flood of concern from comrades and juniors alike was overwhelming. I could only sit there on the ground, offering a faint smile as I reassured them I was fine.
Once El and I had been pulled out, the other soldiers began the grim task of cutting open the Ghostgroom’s stomach to recover the remains of those it had swallowed.
As expected, they were all dead—consumed in the same horrific way the original Salvia had died in the story.
‘If I hadn’t used the powder, I’d be just like them.’
The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I was trembling when someone suddenly grabbed my arm.
“I thought... I thought I’d lost you.”
“Aquila...”
He was silent after that, simply holding onto me tightly as though he couldn’t let go.
I realized then that the trauma of losing our comrades had come rushing back for him. Without a word, I wrapped my arms around him and held him close.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to die. I hate the thought of dying, more than anything....”
“Please, just don’t die...”
“I promise, I won’t.”
As I comforted Aquila, Winter approached.
“Salvia, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine—”
I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed blood streaming from Winter’s right hand.
“...Winter?”
That’s when I saw the hilt of his sword, which hung at his side, completely shattered.
‘Winter...’
My hand trembled as I touched his, and seeing the blood stain my fingers, my face paled.
Looking back, it was ridiculous to think Winter could have easily killed a first-tier monster that had given dozens of soldiers so much trouble.
The time El and I had spent inside the Ghostgroom was brief, far too short for a single man to defeat it so decisively.
The only explanation was that Winter had pushed himself to his absolute limit, injuring his hand in the process of driving his sword through the Ghostgroom’s thick hide.
“Are you... are you alright?”
As if to confirm my fears, the broken remnants of Winter’s sword clattered to the ground as the hilt finally gave way.
‘How much force did he have to use to destroy it like that...?’
I stood frozen, staring at Winter’s injured hand, while he remained calm and spoke evenly.
“I’m fine. Once we’re back, I’ll get it treated. It’s nothing serious.”
“But... you went this far....”
“It was something that had to be done.”
“Oh...”
I looked up at him, my mind swirling with unspoken words.
Winter met my gaze, his eyes steady and resolute.
“You don’t need to be afraid anymore, Salvia,” he said softly. “I swear, you won’t ever be in danger like this again.”
His promise was firm, his expression unwavering.
“Salvia...”
Before I could say anything in response, Karon came bounding over, his eyes wide with alarm.
“Blood! You’re bleeding! Are you okay?! Let me stop the bleeding!”
He was staring at the blood on my hand, clearly thinking it was mine. Winter intervened in a low voice.
“That’s my blood.”
“Oh, thank goodness, sir!”
...That seemed a bit harsh toward Winter.
But Winter didn’t react at all, and Karon, oblivious, continued to fuss over me like a whirlwind.
“At least we’re all alive...”
As the situation began to settle, an odd sense of emptiness washed over me. The fear of dying as I had in the original story faded as if it had never existed.
After facing something this monumental, it felt like nothing else could truly scare me anymore.
“It’s over... everything’s okay now,” I murmured, rising to my feet. El, still catching his breath nearby, turned to me with a grateful smile.
“Salvia, I don’t know what was in that powder, but you saved my life. Thank you.”
“Could you, um, keep the fact that I... stole that powder a secret?”
“Of course! Without it, I’d be dead, too!”
As relief began to settle in, I glanced around at the aftermath.
Aquila was still close, supporting me, while Winter alternated between supervising the cleanup and checking on me. Meanwhile, Karon hovered anxiously, his restlessness almost endearing.
And then my eyes met Ishina’s.
“...Huh?”
He stood off in the distance, staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.
Ishina wore an expression I had never seen before.
He looked startled, afraid, and even angry. The kind, gentle face I had always known was nowhere to be seen.
Without hesitation, Ishina strode toward me.
“Salvia...”
It was the first time he had spoken to me since asking about my insomnia when I’d looked gaunt and unwell. That had been over a week ago. For nearly three years, Ishina and I had been nearly inseparable, but we hadn’t exchanged a word since that moment.
“Are you alright?”
The moment I heard his familiar, gentle tone, tears began to stream down my face.
“Huh?”
Even I was confused. The tears weren’t from sadness or fear, and I wasn’t overwhelmed with grief or despair. Yet, for some reason, they wouldn’t stop.
As I stood there, bewildered by my own tears, Ishina reached out with trembling hands and softly wiped my face. His fingers came away smudged with dirt and tears.
‘...I must’ve had dirt on my face this whole time.’
Damn it. The others standing next to me had such clean faces that I thought I was fine too. Someone could’ve told me, though.
“Salvia, I’m sorry...”
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong...”
Ishina kept murmuring apologies, gently brushing the dirt from my face. Despite his tender touch, his wide, dazed eyes made him look like a man on the verge of madness.
“I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...”
...Sorry.
He was apologizing.
For what, though?
‘He must be apologizing for ignoring me when I asked if everyone would just move on if I died.’
If someone had asked me who my closest senior was in the Border Defense Army, I wouldn’t have hesitated to say Ishina’s name. I’d spent almost as much time with him as I had with Aquila.
That’s why it had hurt so much when Ishina, who had always treated me with kindness, had looked right through me as if I were nothing.
I could have handled it if someone like the toxic seniors or the commanding officers had dismissed me as insignificant. But it was Ishina’s indifference that had cut the deepest.
Now, though, as he apologized, I could feel the weight of his words. Ishina was acknowledging me. Finally, he was truly seeing me as someone who mattered.
“Why... why did you...”
My voice trembled, and the tears I’d been holding back came flooding out.
It felt like everything had finally come to an end.
Ishina’s acceptance gave me an overwhelming sense of relief, and for the first time, I could truly feel that I had avoided the fate of my original death.
The story had changed.
The sadness, frustration, and tension that had been building up inside me erupted all at once. Even through my blurry, tear-filled vision, I glared at Ishina.
“Why did you treat me like that...”
“I’m so sorry, Salvia...”
“If you were going to apologize like this... why... why did you have to be so cold... why couldn’t you treat me like a person...”
“You must’ve been so upset. It’s all my fault. Please stop crying, okay?”
“But Ishina, you—”
“Salvia, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please stop crying.”
I sobbed, voicing all the hurt I had kept bottled up, while Ishina repeated his apologies over and over, trying to comfort me.
At some point, I realized that I was standing on solid ground.
Four years had passed since I found myself trapped in this godforsaken apocalypse.
I had survived. I was alive.
And I would continue to live.
***
The people around Ishina always described him the same way: kind, thoughtful, and compassionate.
Ever since he was a child, Ishina’s parents, neighbors, and peers had praised him for these qualities.
Born as the only son of two Arkon parents, Ishina grew up in what could only be described as a picture-perfect family. His parents adored each other and showered him with love.
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They provided him with everything he needed: modest but comfortable food and shelter, education to match his sharp mind, a backyard where he could play and grow stronger, and, most importantly... love.
Ishina grew up in an environment of pure affection.
Under the guidance of his loving family, Ishina became polite, patient, and considerate. He learned to express gratitude, repay kindness, apologize, and reflect when needed.
Even though he was an Arkon, a race often feared for their strength, Ishina’s gentle nature won over everyone he met. His peers liked playing with him, and their parents admired his maturity.
To outsiders, Ishina seemed like the perfect son, the epitome of a model child.
Except for one thing.
“I wish I had a little sister,” Ishina once told his parents after playing with the other kids. “A younger sister would be nice.”
His parents’ response was gentle but firm.
“Well, Ishina, that might be difficult. You’re an Arkon, and one day you’ll have to join the Border Defense Army. That’s a dangerous place, and we wouldn’t be able to care for another child. You’re the only one we can give all our love to.”
But what Ishina lacked wasn’t a sibling.
From a young age, Ishina had been robbed of desire.
Even as a child, he was constantly reminded of his inevitable future in the Border Defense Army. It shaped him into someone who didn’t know how to want for himself.
He couldn’t make lasting friends because, one day, he’d leave them behind.
He couldn’t dream of going to college because that wasn’t in the cards for him.
Even when he grew attached to people like his cousin Cale, who had recently enlisted, he was told not to get too close.
Because that’s what happened in the Border Defense Army.
So, Ishina grew up never allowing himself to yearn for anything.
To everyone else, this made him appear selfless and good-natured. But in truth, Ishina had spent his life detached from everyone and everything.
After all, what was the point of getting attached to things that would only be taken away?