Demon King Lucarius — the evil of this world, responsible for the death of thousands, both human and demon alike — now lays defeated. I stood above his body, pain coursing through every inch of me as I felt his heart finally stop beating beneath my sword.
However, something felt... off.
Despite the overwhelming odds at the start, the battle shifted in our favor too suddenly, too easily. But the thought quickly passed.
To my left, Mike, my childhood friend and the party's tank, sat on the ground, his shield cracked nearly beyond use. Beside him knelt Lia, our cleric... and my lover, tending to his wounds.
I exhaled deeply, exhaustion and relief hitting me all at once. Slowly, I pulled my sword from the Demon King's corpse. Finally — after all these years of training, sacrifice, and struggle — we did it. We had saved the world. We had put an end to Lucarius' tyranny.
I couldn't help but smile, warmth blooming in my chest. We had won. We had survived.
Letting out a joyful laugh, I climbed down from the demon's massive body and walked toward my friends.
"We did it!" I said with a bright smile. They returned it with their own.
"Yes, we're the heroes who saved the world," Mike said.
As I glanced back at the demon king's corpse, memories surged — the journey, the sacrifices, the friends we lost, the brutal training we endured. Still... a strange unease lingered.
"We may have won... But I can't help but feel something is off—"
Before I could finish, a sharp pain exploded in my back. I looked down — a dagger had pierced through my stomach.
"M-Mike?"
I turned my head slightly, seeing the familiar hand that held the hilt — Mike's. He had stabbed me, a wicked grin across his face.
"Guess I'm the sole king now, Teiko," he said.
Suddenly, it hit me — the King's words from the beginning of our quest: "Whoever slays the Demon King shall become the next ruler."
I collapsed to the ground, choking on blood. Struggling to breathe, I look up.
"L-Lia... Heal me... Please..."
But she only stared down at me with disgust... and pity.
"This... This is for the best." Her voice trembled, but her hands never moved to cast a spell.
I groaned in agony, my strength fading. Mike's arm wrapped around Lia's waist as he pulled her closer... intimately.
'What... What the fuck is this?...' my mind reeled.
The pain was too much. I couldn't speak anymore — only low groans escaped my lips.
'Not good...' I thought, as darkness crept into the edge of my vision.
The last thing I saw was Mike and Lia sharing a pleased, victorious kiss... as I died at their feet.
As anger swells in my mind, pain tears my heart apart, and melancholy floods my soul... I feel death creeping in.
This cold, frozen floor will become my grave.
My blood pools beneath me as my vision blurs. My breath falters until everything fades.
Silence. Darkness. Emptiness.
And then—a voice.
Faint at first, like a whisper carried by the wind. Sweet, like a mother to a child.
"Such an end is unworthy of a hero like you."
I looked up, startled — the pain in my body had vanished. The weight, the blood, the agony... gone.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't think. All I could do was listen.
Then, from the shadows of the void, came a figure — cloaked in black, its presence heavy and ancient, yet strangely serene.
"Hello, Hero Teiko."
The figure raised its head, revealing nothing beneath its hood but a glimmer of infinite darkness.
"I am the Reaper. Death itself."
The words echoed without sound — not heard, but felt, deep within my soul.
"You have been betrayed. Slain. Forgotten by the world you saved. But your story... it does not have to end here."
He looked down at me before showing his skulled hand. With a gentle motion of his hand, he made me float above the ground before looking at me, looking straight into my soul.
"I can feel it. Anger, resentment, sadness, and a deep feeling of betrayal."
He let me land on my own two feet. Then he opened his hand again, showing a light in this darkness.
"I cannot bring back your life, which was atrociously taken. But I can send you forward to the future."
In the light, a panorama of shifting landscapes unfolded — lush valleys, peaceful towns, and above all… a throne room.There, I saw them.Lia and Mike, crowned in gold and dressed in royal finery, sitting side by side — King and Queen of the realm we fought to save.
"Ten years after thy betrayal," Death said solemnly, his voice low and bitter."A world where thy name has been erased. Where thou hast been forgotten. And where Mike and Lia rule through lies, their crowns forged in deceit and murder."
I felt my jaw clench, a chill creeping into my limbs. Anger mixed with sorrow — betrayal, fresh all over again.
Then, the vision shifted.
A young man appeared — no more than eighteen. Dark hair, green eyes. He laughed under the sun, working the fields with strong arms and an honest smile.His world was small. But it was whole.
"In a body not your own," Death continued. "That of a nobody. A farmer's son. No fate written in stars. No hero's burden. Just a quiet life, forgotten by the world."
And then, more images appeared in the light — a kind mother, a strong, smiling father, and a little sister who danced barefoot in the grass.
My hands clenched.
"You're wrong," I said quietly.
Death tilted his head, surprised.
"He is not a nobody. He is not insignificant. He is loved. By his family, by those around him. That life... has meaning. I can't steal it. Not even for revenge. " My voice trembled with disbelief as I stared into the darkness that was Death's face.
"Why him, of all people?" I asked.
Death regarded me in silence before slowly answering.
"Because... he bears your name. That is all. No deeper fate. No cosmic tie. Just... a name."
I looked up at him, troubled. A sense of morality still burned within me, even now.
"Still... I cannot take a life that belongs to someone else," I said firmly.
Death nodded, as if expecting nothing less.
"The contrary would have surprised me, oh noble hero."
He raised his hand again, and the light receded into shadow.
"But I cannot let your soul disappear, either. The gates of the Pantheon..."
He paused.
"Are closed to you."
He swept his arm outward, revealing a radiant realm in the distance — a land bathed in golden light. I saw the spirits of heroes there, laughing, resting, embraced by their loved ones. Peace. Fulfillment and an eternal reward.
But the gates remained locked to me.
"The Pantheon is for those who pass in peace. Who leave this world fulfilled, with no hatred in their hearts. You, Teiko... are not such a soul."
His voice grew softer.
"You carry pain. Bitterness. A wound that festers beneath your righteousness."
And just like that, the vision faded. Darkness returned.
"Now, only nothingness awaits you."
I looked down, silent, heavy with the weight of it all. Then, in a quiet voice, I asked:
"Is it... is it alright for a hero to be selfish?"
My voice trembled. Doubt curled around my words like smoke. Death stayed silent for a moment, then slowly raised his hand, revealing the light once more.
"The question... it does vary. But as for me? I see no wrong in this," Death said with a light tone, as if he understood why one would accept such a bargain.
I took a deep breath before acquiescing. "Then... may I request something?" I asked, setting my resolve. "When that vengeance is done... may that poor boy have his body back? His life back?" I pleaded.
Death nodded.
"Surely, if that be thy wish."
I sighed, sadness and acceptance mingling in my chest, then looked up with quiet resolve. "Then I accept, Death. And once all is over... may that boy reclaim his life."
Death gave a final, solemn nod — and the darkness began to shift. He then let float a ring, suspended in the void, etched with a symbol of a skull.
"Very well. Once all is over, use this ring to call upon me. Then, that innocent boy shall regain his body."
Death's tone grew heavy, as if weighed by something deeper.
"As for thee... only thy choices shall determine whether the gates of the Pantheon open — or if naught shall change, and darkness await."
The surrounding void began to tear apart, as if crumbling under its own weight — the end of one world, the beginning of another.
"Good luck, oh Hero. I bid thee farewell... until we meet again."
And then, darkness consumed my sight. Numbness. Silence. Then—
A soft layer beneath me. The chirping of birds. A gentle breeze brushing against my skin. Warmth. Life.
"Big brother! Stop sleeping! We've got work to do!"
A sweet voice called out.
I groaned softly, eyes fluttering open to golden light. Above me stretched a clear sky. My hand rose to shield my vision — a new hand. A young one.
The scent of fresh crops filled my lungs. I blinked, heart pounding.
It… wasn't a dream.
"Well… I'll be damned," I muttered, staring at my new body, this unfamiliar world — and the life that I had borrowed.