Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Goodbye Sean
Chapter 57
Good Bye Sean
Previous Chapter Context:
After pushing himself to the limit inside the Virtual Simulation Room, Kael repeatedly challenged Zion’s projection in an attempt to copy the Celestial Star Style. He eventually collapsed from the strain and was taken to the infirmary by Stella. Meanwhile, the illusion Kael used during his duel with Sean had already left deep scars on Sean’s mind.
Sean opened his eyes.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling, breathing heavily.
His memories were a mess.
The duel.
The pain.
The fear.
The sensation of both his arms being severed.
The feeling of his head leaving his shoulders.
Everything felt real.
Too real.
Sean abruptly sat up.
"Where am I?" he asked.
An elf nurse sat nearby reading a book. Her attention didn’t seem to be completely on him.
Sean immediately looked down at both of his hands.
His fingers moved.
His arms were attached.
Everything was normal.
"How am I alive?" he asked again.
The elf glanced at him.
"I guess those are questions you should really ask yourself."
Sean stared at her blankly.
His mind refused to process what had happened.
The nurse closed her book and stood up.
"Although it’s a bit disgraceful that you were defeated by an underclassman, at the very least you can celebrate being alive."
She walked closer.
"But the trauma that’s going to last..."
The elf stopped beside his bed.
"Raise your right hand."
Sean obeyed.
The arm moved normally.
No pain.
No missing limb.
Nothing.
The nurse nodded.
"Your hands seems to be functioning properly given your peculiar encounter. We were honestly surprised."
Sean remained silent.
"Well, it’s not like the school particularly cares especially about weaklings."
The nurse turned and walked away.
The door closed.
Sean slowly grabbed his head.
His breathing became uneven.
"What is going on?"
He looked at his hands again.
"I’m dead."
His voice trembled.
"He killed me."
Sean shook his head.
"I’m dead."
He laughed nervously.
"He killed me."
Again.
And again.
And again.
The words repeated like a broken mantra.
Then suddenly he stopped.
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"What if I kill him first?"
"Since he didn’t kill me this time I don’t plan on giving him an opportunity to do so, I’ll kill him first", Sean muttered with a deranged smile.
The smile widened.
"I will kill him before he kills me?"
Sean got out of bed.
The room felt suffocating.
He needed air.
He needed to think.
He needed to stop remembering Kael’s eyes.
It was already dark outside.
The crescent moon hung above the academy.
Silver light illuminated the pathways connecting the various buildings.
Sean slowly walked toward the First Year Dormitory.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
He imagined cutting Kael down.
Imagined watching him bleed.
Imagined proving that he wasn’t weak.
Then another memory surfaced.
Lilith.
Sean immediately stopped walking.
His face paled.
His confidence vanished.
Lilith’s warning echoed inside his head.
Stay away from Kael and the first year domitory.
Or I’ll kill you myself.
Sean shuddered.
He knew she wasn’t joking.
The two of them had been trained under the Velvet Gang.
He knew exactly what kind of person she was.
Most people saw a beautiful girl.
Sean saw a monster wearing a cute smile.
He had watched her complete missions.
Watched her torture enemies.
Watched her kill people without changing expressions.
Compared to Kael, Lilith terrified him far more.
His determination weakened.
Slowly, Sean turned around.
"I should just focus on my mission."
He began walking toward his own dormitory.
That was the logical choice.
The smart choice.
Then another memory appeared.
Kael’s voice.
You told me to stay away from my lover.
Sean clenched his fist.
His knuckles turned white.
"Kael Draven."
His voice dripped with hatred.
"How dare that bastard call Lilith his lover?"
The anger returned.
Not enough to overpower his fear.
But enough to keep burning inside him.
Step after step.
’I’ll find an opportunity to take you out myself’, Sean thought while still walking.
Sean eventually reached the Second Year Dormitory.
He entered the building.
Took the elevator.
Walked down the hallway.
Unlocked his room.
Then collapsed onto his bed.
His eyes slowly closed.
He just wanted the day to end.
"Good evening, Sean."
A melodic voice echoed through the darkness.
Sean froze.
His eyes snapped open.
Every muscle in his body tensed.
Slowly, he sat up.
A figure stood in the corner of the room.
The darkness seemed to gather around her.
Pinkish-red eyes glowed softly.
"Lilith."
Sean’s voice shook.
"What are you doing here?"
Then a ridiculous thought crossed his mind.
Is she here for me?
A foolish grin started forming.
It disappeared almost immediately.
Because Lilith was smiling.
And Sean knew that smile.
It was never a good sign.
"Sean."
She took a step forward.
"Sean."
Another step.
"Sean."
Her voice sounded almost playful.
Yet Sean felt colder with every word.
"I gave you two simple instructions."
Lilith continued walking around him.
"And you ignored both of them."
Sean swallowed.
His throat felt dry.
"Now Kael is in the infirmary."
Her eyes glowed brighter.
"And after a little investigation, I discovered that you fought him."
Sean forced himself to stand.
"What do you mean instructions?"
A trace of courage appeared.
"You’re at a lower rank than me inside the Velvet Gang."
The words came out.
Immediately he regretted them.
Silence.
Lilith didn’t respond.
She simply kept walking.
Sean’s confidence disappeared.
His breathing became heavier.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
Yet his legs remained rooted to the floor.
"I really hope your rank can save you."
Lilith smiled.
The smile never reached her eyes.
"We’re both members of the Velvet Gang."
Sean backed away.
"We’re both on a mission."
Another step.
"You can’t just kill me."
His voice cracked.
"You can’t."
Lilith stopped.
Then vanished.
Sean’s pupils contracted.
A heartbeat later—
She appeared behind him.
His heart nearly exploded.
Sean tried to run.
His body obeyed.
For exactly one step.
Then something felt wrong.
He stumbled.
Fell.
Crashed into the floor.
Confused, he looked backward.
Blood covered the ground.
His legs were still standing where he had been.
For a moment his brain refused to understand what he was seeing.
Then the pain arrived.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Sean screamed.
Lilith calmly watched him.
Her skin had already begun turning crimson.
The transformation made her look less human.
More demonic.
More terrifying.
"Please."
Sean crawled backwards.
"Please."
Tears formed in his eyes.
"I’ll do anything."
His gaze landed on the device in her hand.
The concealment artifact.
The same one she had shown Kael.
The realization hit him.
Nobody would come.
Nobody would hear him.
Nobody would save him.
"Oh Sean."
Lilith tilted her head.
"You seem to have a little problem with your legs."
Sean continued crawling.
"This is a dream."
His voice trembled.
"This has to be a dream."
He had seen Lilith kill people before.
Many times.
But something felt different tonight.
She wasn’t simply eliminating a target.
She was enjoying it.
That realization frightened him more than anything else.
"You aren’t really going to kill me, right?"
Sean desperately asked.
"Just because I approached Kael?"
"We trained together."
His voice broke.
"We spent years together in the Velvet Gang."
"You can’t throw all that away because of one person."
Lilith stopped.
For a brief moment, Sean thought he had succeeded.
Then she smiled.
A genuine smile.
And somehow that was worse.
"You still don’t understand."
Her voice was soft.
"Kael is mine."
Sean froze.
"He will always be mine."
Lilith hugged herself.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"I’m willing to give him everything."
"My body."
"My soul."
"My everything."
Her breathing became uneven.
"I’ll never allow people like you near him."
"Before his pure heart becomes corrupted by this world."
Lilith suddenly looked away.
As if remembering something.
"Oh Kael..."
Her expression softened.
"His touch."
Her voice became quieter.
"His kiss."
A smile appeared.
"Everything about him is perfect."
Sean stared in horror.
They’re both insane.
The thought surfaced instantly.
Lilith looked back at him.
The warmth disappeared from her face.
"And after all that."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You put him in the hospital."
Sean’s eyes widened.
Wait.
That wasn’t—
He wasn’t—
Before he could explain—
Lilith moved.
A flash.
A stab.
Sean looked down.
A blade protruded from his chest.
Blood spilled onto the floor.
His body trembled.
"Kael is mine."
Lilith twisted the blade.
Sean collapsed.
As darkness consumed his vision, another memory surfaced.
Kael’s voice.
Lilith is mine.
For the first time in his life, Sean agreed with something.
They’re both crazy.
His consciousness faded.
The world turned black.
Lilith stood over Sean’s corpse.
The room became silent.
The blood slowly spread across the floor.
She stared at him for several seconds.
Then turned away.
"Good bye, Sean."
Without another glance, she left the room.
