I don't want to ...

  Evan was now eighteen years old, and Aemeath was ten. On a normal holiday, Evan and his parents had come to the temple to pray. Aemeath had gone to the school to fetch some books she'd forgotten there the day before and was supposed to join them later. On this fine day, when there didn't seem to be any problems, the most brutal incident occurred.

  There were suddenly noises from outside the temple, and people started rushing inside. Evan and his parents looked at each other in confusion and approached a thin, middle-aged man who had just entered and was panting heavily.

  "What happened?" Evan asked in a concerned voice.

  The man, finally looking at Evan and his family, replied with ragged breaths, "Suddenly many people appeared out of thin air and started attacking everyone. Several people died and many were injured. Now everyone is running toward either the garrison or the Cathedral."

  Hearing this, the only thought in Evan's mind was Aemeath. He looked at his father, who shared the same thought. Evan tightly gripped his hand. "Take care of Mom. I'll go look for Aemeath."

  Seeing his parents about to object, Evan lightly hit his father on the back of the head, and he collapsed unconscious. Then, without letting his mother speak a word, he sprinted out of the Cathedral.

  Exiting the barrier that had appeared around the Cathedral, he was horrified. He knew what was happening and had been preparing for it for quite some time. But he hadn't imagined the scale would be this big. The streets were littered with debris, and injured people swarmed toward the Cathedral in droves.

  Just as he was about to move toward the school, he felt a soul-crushing pressure on his body. It felt as if a heavy mountain was pressing down on him. He barely managed to gaze up and saw the source of the pressure: a single man wearing a silver mask, with a metallic left arm and a large red sword on his back. Soon, Lyria Pierre Luciana also appeared, and both of them disappeared into the void. The pressure on him was also lifted. That man hadn't even tried, just his presence was enough to exert pressure that could kill a normal person. But Evan quickly shook his head and cleared all those useless thoughts. Looking at the right direction he started sprinting towards the school.

  For the past few years, he had been training his body since it was the only thing he could do. The port was a gathering place for many different kinds of people: fallen knights, thieves with broken hands, disgraced aristocrats, and more. He learned from them and consumed knowledge like water, not knowing when he would need it. Because of this, he was physically fit and strong, able to handle Awakeners even if they appeared suddenly, just like now.

  Just as he took a turn at a corner, an Awakener jumped at him. He was wearing black clothes and had a weird symbol on his forehead. Evan sidestepped and struck him with his fist. The next moment, the assailant was sprawled on the road, his mouth foaming. There were several such incidents by the time Evan reached the school. He again felt it was a good idea he hadn't brought his father; spells sometimes appeared out of nowhere, and he was only able to dodge them due to his quick reflexes.

  Reaching the school, the door was broken, and screams were coming from inside. Several Awakeners stood guard in front of the door to prevent anyone from escaping. Evan quickly opened the bag he always carried and took out the scrolls he had prepared. The Awakeners noticed Evan, but it was already too late. Evan tore the scrolls, and several spells of different colors were hurled toward them. Although all the spells were only low ranked, they had been buffed by Lyria's elemental energy and were therefore much stronger than typical Awakener spells. Soon, the spells engulfed the Awakeners, leaving behind only charred corpses. Evan picked up a sword dropped by one of them and headed inside the building.

  There was blood in several places along the stairs. Aemeath's classroom was on the third floor, and he rushed toward it. Whenever someone tried to block him, he cut them down without a second thought. It was not the first time he had killed someone in this life. And instead of remorse, he felt only the urgent need to reach his sister.

  As he neared her classroom, he heard a shrill voice from inside. He threw open the door and saw a man holding a charred corpse in his hand. His mind went completely blank.

  "Brother!"

  Just then, he heard his sister's voice from the front of the classroom. He saw her crawling under the teacher's desk. The Awakener also noticed her, but just as he was about to move, his head was impaled by the sword Evan threw.

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  Going near the corpse, Evan retrieved the sword and beckoned to Aemeath. Though Evan had just killed someone in front of her, Aemeath felt no fear. She had seen the worry in her brother's eyes when he entered the classroom. Moving out from behind the desk she quickly went close to him. Holding her hand with his bloodied ones, Evan made his way out of the building. Since he had killed all the people who had previously blocked him, there were corpses here and there on the stairs. Looking at them, Aemeath's face went pale, but she continued walking briskly alongside her brother.

  Because it was a holiday, there were very few people at the school, and the deafening silence suggested no one else was alive. When they reached the ground floor, two more Awakeners stood beside the charred corpses. Not giving them a chance, Evan took out and tore several scrolls, sending them to join their companions. Looking at Aemeath's dumbfounded expression, he took a few scrolls from his pouch and handed them to her. "Just tear them when your life is in danger." Aemeath could only nod, her brain struggling to keep up.

  Then both siblings made their way toward the Cathedral. The golden barrier surrounding it was visible throughout the city and acted as a beacon for the people. The siblings met several others along the way. They helped when it was easy but never went out of their way, mindful of their own safety. Soon, a small group of people, both young and old, had formed around them. Whenever someone tried to ambush them, either Evan handled them, or Aemeath tore a scroll and sent out spells.

  Soon, they were very close to the barrier, only about a hundred meters away. But feeling a slight palpitation in his mind Evan suddenly looked back. About a hundred meters behind them, a man had appeared. Evan tore his remaining scrolls and fired the spells at the man. Instead of dodging, the man took the spells head-on and came out unscathed. Looking at his smiling face, Evan felt as if he had hit a steel wall. The distance of a hundred meters felt both very small and as large as a chasm. The man was most likely a Paragon and would catch up to them before they reached the barrier.

  Making calculations in his mind, Evan finally decided to be selfish. Patting Aemeath's head, he said in a serious voice, "Run to the barrier. I'll follow soon."

  Aemeath felt something off about her brother's words and wanted to say something, but he simply pushed her from behind. "You've seen me take care of several of them. Just go ahead. I'll follow you after I've taken care of him."

  Even after his logical explanation, Aemeath still felt something was wrong in her heart, but she decided to listen. Her brother was strong and could take care of himself, she would just be a hindrance.

  Watching Aemeath's back as she ran with the others, there was only one thought in Evan's mind:

  I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

  The man started running toward him, his speed increasing.

  I don't want to die. I don't want to die.

  Then, as the man neared him, without thinking, Evan took out a scroll from inside his pocket and tore it.

  The next moment, the man was upon him and threw a punch. In the next instant, a head flew up, separated from its body.

  After reaching inside the barrier, Aemeath looked back and saw her brother smiling at her. The man was gone. Just as she felt relief, she saw her brother's hand. Where is her brother's hand? And why are light particles forming around her brother?

  Soon, in front of her, her brother began to dissolve into light particles.

  Evan had once asked Lyria, "How can I deal with a Paragon?"

  "You can't. Just accept your death."

  "What if I stake my life on it?"

  Hearing him, Lyria had taken a scroll, drawn a new spell, and handed it over. "If you use it, you die, but you can have power similar to mine for a single instant." Looking at her face, he had wondered if it was a joke or if she seriously wanted him dead.

  Looking at Aemeath, who now had tears streaming down her face, Evan mouthed two words: I'm sorry.

  Aemeath, who wanted to rush to her brother, was held back by several Priestesses. They knew what was happening and didn't want the little girl to face danger by going out. Her struggle grew more intense, but she was still held back.

  Looking at the sky, which had cracked in several places, Evan simply smiled. There was no pain, no fear, only peace. Just before his sight completely disappeared, he saw Lyria Pierre Luciana appear in the sky. It meant everyone was safe, for now.

  He saw a cyan light at the end of his vision. And then he fell into an eternal slumber.

  Watching the particles completely disappear and a shining cyan string vanish, Aemeath's mind went blank. Amidst all the sorrow and rage, she felt as if a lock had broken. The heat that she always felt was growing more and more and engulfing her. And she did not stop it like she always did. Her vision was filled with a bright golden light.

  Soon she felt a sensation of weightlessness and a feeling of floating in the air, and all her sorrow and hatred amplified it until she felt she had reached her limit. Finally exhausted, she closed her eyes.

  Lyria took care of this aftermath and started searching for Evan and, not sensing her specially made scroll, realized he must have used it and died, leading to Aemeath's current state. She picked up the unconscious girl and went inside the Cathedral. "Take care of the rest," she ordered the priests and Priestesses who were still standing.

  Evan felt he was in a very deep sleep. He had felt like this before but couldn't recall where. Suddenly, a voice woke him from his stupor.

  "Brother, wake up! Mother is calling for you. It's already late in the evening."

  An unfamiliar yet familiar voice. He suddenly felt a slight pain in his arms. Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar tree. And a small girl standing under it, glaring at him.