"...Kai..."
The voice echoed once more.
Closer.
Desperate.
"...Wake up..."
Kai stood beneath the frozen night sky.
The city remained unchanged.
Warm lanterns swayed gently.
Children laugh.
Merchants greet passing customers.
Music drifted through the square.
Everything...
Everything was exactly as Kai wished for.
"..."
"...It's fake."
The words escaped Kai's lips like a confession.
"No."
Raze answered softly.
Raze voice carried none of its usual teasing.
Only warmth.
"You've just had a bad dream."
Raze stepped beside Kai.
"No more Nightmares."
"No more blood."
"No more waking up wondering if today is your last."
"You can finally rest."
Kai's fingers trembled.
"...Rest..."
"How long had it been since I truly rested?"
Kai couldn't remember.
Every day had been another fight.
Another corpse.
Another impossible choice.
Every sunrise meant surviving.
Every sunset meant mourning.
"I'm..."
Kai lowered his head.
"I'm tired."
Kai's voice cracked.
"So... so tired."
"I don't want to fight anymore."
Silence lingered.
Raze smiled sadly.
"I know."
"So stay."
"You don't have to fight anymore."
The words pierced deeper than any blade.
Kai looked around.
The little girl still smiled at him.
The baker waved from across the street.
The old painter quietly worked beside the fountain.
People laughed.
People lived.
"This..."
"This was everything I wished for."
"A peaceful world."
"A normal morning."
"A tomorrow."
Kai chest tightened painfully.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"I wanted this..."
Kai voice barely escaped.
"I wanted everyone..."
"...to survive."
"I wanted a world where we could laugh again."
Kai's knees weakened.
"I wanted..."
"...you."
A long silence followed.
Then—
"...Kai..."
The voice returned.
This time...
It wasn't the illusion.
It came from somewhere beyond it.
"...Wake up..."
A violent headache exploded inside Kai's mind.
Fragments of reality tore through the dream.
A ruined street.
Black fog.
A burning chain.
White flames.
A giant hand descending.
Blood.
So much blood.
Kai staggered backward.
"No..."
The illusion trembled.
The lanterns flickered.
The buildings rippled like reflections disturbed by the rain.
The laughter echoed...
Then repeated.
Again.
Again.
Like broken memories trying to imitate life.
Kai covered his ears.
"Stop..."
"I don't want to lose this..."
The System suddenly appeared before him.
Mental Stability Lv.2 → Lv.5 New
Repeated exposure to overwhelming mental corruption has tempered your mind.
Each illusion resisted, strengthens your ability to distinguish truth from deception.
The mind that refuses to surrender cannot be so easily broken.
Kai stared at the words.
"..."
Another notification appeared.
White Flame Lv.1 → Lv.3 New
White Flame does not grow from victory.
It grows from resolve.
The courage to stand again...
To continue living...
Even after losing everything...
It feeds an eternal flame.
White flames flickered around Kai's hands.
They were warm.
Real.
Unlike everything else.
"...Kai."
Raze called his name.
Kai slowly looked up.
Raze was smiling.
Not the empty smile.
Not the perfect smile.
The real one.
The smile Kai had always known.
"...Looks like..."
"...you figured it out."
Kai's vision blurred.
"...Raze..."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"I don't want to leave."
"I know."
"It hurts."
"I know."
"I'm scared."
"I know."
Kai bit his lip until it bled.
"I don't want this to disappear."
Raze walked forward.
Then gently placed a hand on Kai's shoulder.
"You know..."
"I was never this good at giving speeches."
Kai laughed through his tears.
"...Yeah."
"You suck at them."
"There it is."
Raze chuckled.
"That's the Kai I know."
"Straight forward."
"Has confidence with his decision."
"We only know half a day, why so emotional?"
Kai raised his arm and punched lightly to Raze.
"Shut up."
Silence settled between them.
Comfortable.
Just like old friends.
Raze looked toward the peaceful city.
"It really is beautiful."
"It is."
"Shame it isn't real."
Kai closed his eyes.
Another tear fell.
"...Yeah."
Kai finally accepted it.
This wasn't a future.
It was a farewell.
A kindness.
One last chance to say goodbye.
Kai took a slow breath.
Then looked at his best friend.
"...Thank you."
"For staying with me."
Raze smiled wider than ever.
"No."
"Thank you."
"For surviving."
Raze stepped back.
His body slowly dissolved into countless particles of white light.
The city began disappearing with him.
Buildings crumbled into glowing dust.
The people faded peacefully.
No screams.
No fear.
Only smiles.
The little girl waved one last time.
The baker bowed.
The old painter placed his brush down.
One by one...
Everyone vanished.
Only Raze remained.
He raised a hand.
Still smiling.
"Live long enough..."
"...for both of us."
Kai nodded.
"I will."
Raze smiled.
Then disappeared.
The illusion shattered.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Like glass breaking across the heavens.
Everything collapsed into darkness.
"KAI!!!"
The voice roared.
Reality slammed back into Kai.
The ruined city.
The choking black fog.
The Nightmare.
Its enormous hand was already descending.
Only inches from crushing Kai's skull.
Kai's eyes snapped open.
White flames erupted.
Not as flickering embers—
But as a blazing inferno.
Every link of the chain ignited.
The fire roared with a brilliance that pushed back the surrounding darkness.
BOOM!
Kai raised his arm.
The burning chain met the descending hand.
The impact shattered the street beneath Kai.
Concrete exploded.
Shockwaves ripped through the fog.
Yet Kai remained standing.
Not a single step backward.
The Corrupt Walker's smile disappeared.
For the first time...
It looked surprised.
White flame crawled across Kai's arms.
Kai slowly lifted his head.
His eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
Kai's voice was calm.
Steady.
Absolute.
"I mourned the life I wanted."
"Now..."
Kai tightened his grip.
White flames surged higher.
"...I'll fight for the life I had."
To be continue...