Aka woke up from a dream where he saw a ghost following him, after feeling something poke him. When he didn't see 29 beside him, he stood up in panic and paranoia — but the moment he stood, he saw her right in front of him and hugged her tightly.
29 was also surprised that morning when she woke up to find Aka hugging her. She assumed he was half-asleep and just hugging her without really thinking. Even though they were friends, lovers, and shared the same bed, Aka normally wasn't very forward — so seeing him act this affectionate caught her off guard. What she didn't know was that this wasn't flirting at all — it was a very primal protective reflex.
Eventually Aka stopped hugging her. The panic and paranoia faded a little, and he sat back down on the stone he called a bed and started talking with 29.
Aka: "I'm sorry… I just haven't been feeling well since yesterday."29: "Why are you apologizing?"Aka: "For hugging you."29: "It's honestly funny that you're apologizing for hugging someone you literally sleep with every night."Aka: "29… how am I supposed to get rid of this feeling? Please help me. Ever since yesterday I haven't felt like myself. It's like the one who died wasn't 71 — it was me. I feel like I've lost myself. What am I going to do?"29: "First, calm down. 71 isn't you. You won fairly — and if you had lost, he would've killed you. There's nothing strange about what happened."Aka: "No. He couldn't have killed me. I have no failures. Even if I lost, he still would've lived. He died because of me."
29 slapped Aka with all her strength. He didn't expect it and went silent in shock, just sitting there dazed. 29 then leaned her head on his back and spoke.
29: "Aka, listen. I really do understand. We all feel this way the first time. But what's done is done — and you can't change it. You also can't afford the ritual needed to bring someone back to life. You just… have to accept it."Aka: "A ritual? What ritual? Are you talking about the ceremony where I got my abilities?"29: "That's not the point. Even if you learned how, you could never afford to resurrect someone. I'm not even sure a king could. So accept it. Besides… there are people who are happy he's dead. For some, you actually did a good thing."Aka: "How can anyone be happy about a death? Who could be glad someone died? People who think like that should be the ones who—"29: "Aka. I was happy he died. Maybe I was the happiest. Because if he hadn't, then you would have — and I want you to live far, far more than him. So do you think I deserve to die too? And didn't you also feel even a bit relieved that you survived, even after killing your opponent?"
This time Aka couldn't say anything. He just fell silent, and slowly his thoughts began to change. When 29 finally saw that he was beginning to accept it, she simply told him she was there for him, and lay beside him on the stone, hugging him.
Inside, Aka was still in turmoil — because the worst part was that 29 was right, yet he still felt wrong. As his thoughts continued, he suddenly realized something he had never truly thought about before:
He hadn't even been awake in this world for a full year. When he first woke up, he remembered nothing except his name and the language he spoke. So why should killing someone automatically feel wrong to him? In the end, 29 really was right — if 71 hadn't died, even if Aka didn't die right then, he would've come dangerously close, and a single mistake could've killed him later.
And besides — he kept saying he "didn't feel like himself"… but who even was he? He hadn't even spent a full year in this fourteen-year-old body. Was it really fair to speak like he fully knew himself?
That realization hit him like a slap. He turned to 29, hugged her tightly again, then stood up and nudged her awake.
Aka: "I don't know if I told you this before… but I only remember the single day before I came here, 29. Other than that, there's nothing."29: "What do you mean?"Aka: "Exactly what I said. One day I woke up, and I didn't know where I was, who I was — nothing. The only things I knew were my name, Aka, and this language. I didn't even test if I could write, but I can read."29: "Can you tell me everything? I really want to know."Aka: "Alright. After I woke up, I went to a village, spoke to a random villager, and he brought me somewhere to perform a ritual. In return… they sent me here."
29 looked heartbroken, and shouted at him for not saying this sooner — then hugged him instead.
29: "Aka, why didn't you tell me? Have you been trying to survive here without knowing anything? Without even knowing what happens after?"Aka: "What does happen? I never even thought about it… what are we training for?"29: "Sigh… Aka. First of all, we're just a small branch of a very famous sect on the Central Continent — the Tai Mountain Division. Anyone who survives here until they're 18 keeps training and goes on missions until they're 20. After that, they either become instructors here… or join the Shadow Unit — the sect's assassination corps. But from what I know, that choice isn't really yours. It's decided from above."Aka: "29… I don't think I can ever repay you for this. Thank you so much."29: "You already paid me — by staying alive. If you want to repay the rest, then keep surviving."Aka: "Um… where did you even learn all this? Is there a library here?"29: "No. There's nothing like that. To learn this much… I had to sleep with an instructor. If I hadn't known these things, I might not have survived."Aka: "29… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up. I will repay you for this someday."29: "It doesn't hurt anymore. And you seem better now. If you really want to pay me back… you can."
29 looked at him with a seductive gaze and hugged him again — and Aka did his best to "pay" her back for the knowledge she had given him. Afterward, they went to the main hall together again, ate, trained in the practice grounds, and finally returned to their room.
Hey, hello again! This chapter was a pretty important lore chapter. If you read it or even just took a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — don't hesitate to leave a comment. I'll probably see it and reply right away. Have a great day