An Extra’s POV

At first, his steps were hurried.

He walked as though he was running—fast, and far away from the room he proceeded out of.

However, after creating some distance between himself and the door, Adonis slowed down. His legs slowly moved, as his golden hair bathed in the late evening glow.

Classes in the Academy ended pretty late; into the evening, for that matter. Thanks to escorting Rey to his room, and having the discussion he had with him, more time had passed than he initially realized.

Not only did this mean he was behind schedule in training, but it also meant he had completely disrupted his detailed plan for success.

Though, at the moment, none of that seemed to matter.

This was why he finally slowed down while walking—why he could feel each step getting heavier as he struggled to properly breathe while his racing heart nearly drove him mad.

He felt like tearing his chest apart due to how fast his heart was beating. His brain pounded too, causing him to enter a state of emotional pain, all of which he did his best to suppress as he marched forward—one step at a time.

"Haa… haaa…" Misty breaths leaked from both his nostrils and lips as he felt the coolness of the evening wash over him.

'... I'm sorry, Rey, Lucielle… everyone.'

His thoughts rang through, yet he didn't like that fact. He didn't like how attached he still was, despite how resolved he was to march forward.

'Seeing you today, Rey… talking to you… I-I nearly wavered. But… this has to be done. No, I should be even more determined to make it work because of you.' Despite these thoughts flowing in his head, Adonis still had the same pounding feeling in his chest.

It didn't want to stop.

'This reminds me of old times. Me, you, and her… we're back here—the Dragon Continent.'

this fate? A twist of destiny perhaps?

certain about one thing, though: the fact that he wouldn't let anything deter

he

****************

[Several Months Ago]

his bloodshot eyes swollen due to the tears he had shed all day and night, Adonis yelled in

his face as

following the days after the Dragon attack on the Capital, and the death of

to the overwhelming appearance of Dragons… all

wasn't strong enough to save his friends, and he wasn't strong enough to protect the Capital. It was all his fault that

upon thousands perished as a result

Rey sacrificed their lives for you… everyone

already told him not to blame

Warrior—as well as everyone in the Royal Estate—praised him for his valor

that he did the best he could,

… But he couldn't.

shake off the expression on everyone's face

forward with it,

had nightmares of the incident. Worse still, he dreamt of

left us compared to before. If it's like

meant

this was what Lucielle

Effect…'

past, and now everyone was suffering

many thoughts ran in Adonis' mind at that moment, until he realized the terrible truth about himself—and the current state

be a repeat of