He could kill me—or everyone I cared about—
At any moment.
"Farewell, Frey Starlight.
I look forward to your next act."
Like he was bidding goodbye to a pet ..
A toy he could break whenever he felt like it.
Then the pressure lifted.
Color returned to the world.
Ada's red eyes faded back to black.
She gasped and clutched her neck in confusion, just realizing the pain.
She looked at me ..bewildered, not understanding what had just happened.
"Frey?"
She called my name.
But I had already collapsed.
Face down on the ground, my entire body trembling.
Agaroth…
I clenched my fists until blood ran between my fingers.
How could I forget?
That cursed being…
The Demon King possessed power beyond imagining…
And among them, one ability stood above the rest ..
That damned Possession.
The ability to take over the body of anyone not in a certain level …
A level no human on this planet had ever reached.
In other words…
Agaroth could take control of anyone he wanted.
Whenever he wanted.
Without effort.
He really could kill everyone I care about—
Without even lifting a finger.
"Frey?! What's wrong?!"
Ada grabbed me, panicked by my condition.
But I couldn't speak.
Not a word.
What… was I supposed to do now?
I wondered.
Why are these overwhelmingly powerful entities so interested in me?
What do they see in me?
I barely managed to survive against that thing inside Sansa ..
and that was just a fragment of the power from the third upper rank demon .
Facing the real thing? It's unthinkable.
What do they believe I'm capable of?
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!!!"
I slammed my fists into the ground, nearly losing my mind.
What do they want from me?
Why me?
Why now?
Just when I was getting close…
Just when I thought I'd found it…
Why now?!
Should I cry?
Should I laugh?
What am I supposed to do when the most powerful being in the world holds a blade to my throat?
I can't even imagine defeating him in my wildest dreams ..
So how am I supposed to stand against him in the nightmare that is reality?
I cursed violently ..
Then smashed my head into the ground in helpless frustration.
Ada tried to comfort me, but it was no use.
There's nothing I can do.
Not against him.
Not when the opponent is Agaroth.
With dead eyes, I stared at the floor.
He knows me too well.
He knows I crave death.
That's why he never threatens to kill me ..
He threatens the people around me.
Before I realized it, I found myself laughing ..
A hollow, broken laugh that echoed in that ruined room.
"It's pointless…"
This is the end.
That's what I thought ..
Until a notification suddenly flashed in front of my eyes.
The system had opened on its own, glowing red with urgent text I'd never seen before.
And when I read the first two words ..I blinked in disbelief.
"Emergency Mission."
I'd never seen anything like it.
So far, I'd only received side missions… main missions…
And one final mission.
But never an emergency.
The system felt like it was about to explode in my face.
And it all happened as a direct response to Agaroth's sudden appearance ..
As if even the one behind this damned system hadn't anticipated it.
So now, here it was.
Issuing me a quest.
---
Emergency mission: Return to the Shadow Sect
Requirement: Bring enough power with you.
Reward: None.
Penalty: Death of Ada Starlight, Danzo, Sansa, and all main characters.
Time Limit: 3 days.
---
A cursed quest, forcing me to return to the Shadow Sect…
I laughed like a madman when I read those terms.
Especially the penalty.
They all know now ..
That threatening my death isn't enough anymore.
They've all started using the people around me to move me like a puppet.
Agaroth.
The Engineer.
I'm just a piece on the board.
A toy they push around however they please.
Sometimes I feel like bashing my head into a wall ..
Just trying to understand why they're so obsessed with me.
Agaroth barged in uninvited.
And even the Engineer—who supposedly knew my every step—didn't see it coming.
That's why he scrambled to issue this mission .
I gently pushed Ada aside and crawled back against the wall, eyes staring at the ceiling.
I could feel a hundred threads pulling at my limbs, binding me, controlling me.
I had no strength left to resist them.
I didn't even have a choice.
Agaroth wants a good performance.
The Engineer wants me back in the Shadow Sect.
But what did I want?
It doesn't matter.
I have no choice but to comply .
To walk the path that others have drawn for me.
Even if I don't understand where it leads.
I'll keep moving forward.
I'll keep fighting.
To the very end.
...
...
...
It had been a full day since Agaroth's earth-shattering appearance—
when he used my sister's body like a disposable puppet, a tool meant only to be wielded against me.
He dragged me back to reality the hard way, reminding me that I had no right to the peaceful life I foolishly thought I could reach.
From the very beginning, I was meant to run ..
Stumble blindly along a thorn-covered path I didn't even choose.
The most ironic part?
I don't understand any of it.
I don't know why I'm here in the future,
nor how the novel I once wrote became reality.
I've been thrown into darkness ...blinded, cut off from every answer.
And so, like a blind man, I had no choice but to follow the emergency mission the system issued me…
Until I find the truth I'm seeking.
That night…
I left the Starlight household after reassuring Ada that everything was fine.
When I hugged my only sister .. my last remaining family ..
I realized just how delicate she was.
So fragile.
Just a small bundle of flesh that could so easily be snuffed out.
No matter how hard I tried to sound convincing,
I knew Ada didn't believe me.
Not after watching me fall apart less than 24 hours ago.
But even she gave up questioning me when I fell silent.
I could tell she blamed herself.
I didn't want her to carry thoughts like that…
But I was already burdened with too much pain to carry anyone else's.
After pressing one final kiss to Ada's forehead,
I left the Starlight estate with bitterness clinging to my tongue.
It hurt.
It really did ..
To tell the person I loved most that "everything's fine" when I knew damn well it wasn't.
My next destination was the temple.
I had to prepare for the quest.
I needed to fulfill one of its key conditions:
'Requirement: Bring enough power with you'
This was the first time the system ever required me to seek outside help to complete a mission.
It meant one thing:
I wouldn't be going alone this time.
As soon as I read that line, I thought about recruiting the strongest people I knew ..
Oliver Khan, maybe even Carmen Starlight…
But neither was an option.
Oliver was too close to the Emperor; I couldn't count on him to accompany me.
Carmen, I needed her to stay behind with Ada ..to protect her.
As for others like Phoenix, or even my sword teacher Melina…
I didn't trust them enough to take them to a place like the Shadow Sect.
That left me with very few options.
Once I reached the temple,
I entered my room and sat down on the edge of the bed ..
Leaving the door wide open…
Waiting for my guests to arrive.