SLASH!
A blade of light tore through my abdomen.
I gasped, blood bubbling in my throat.
My body felt weightless, my sword slipping from trembling fingers.
(So this is death…? Just like that…?)
The world around me blurred.
The crumbling castle walls, the screams of my dying comrades, and the man standing over me with bloodstained hands—they all faded into a sea of red.
I, Elysia Valen, proud swordswoman of the Hero Party, died alongside my companions… before we even reached the Demon King's throne room.
And the one who killed me wasn't a demon or monster.
It was—him.
A fellow human.
A former classmate.
"Why…?"
I croaked, voice barely audible over the fire and destruction.
"Why… you…?"
The Hero's party was humanity's last hope. The strongest, the chosen one destined to save the world.
But we were slaughtered by one man.
One human!
If he had fought beside us instead of siding with the Demon King… we would have won.
He tilted his head like I had made a rhetorical question whose answer is obvious.
The same boy I remembered from the academy—just… hollowed out.
"Haha… the protagonist party is dead. Now… will the story change? Or will it crumble? Haha…"
The man laughed hysterically.
Not joyfully, not cruelly—just a broken, pained laugh that didn't belong in his mouth.
I never got an answer to my question. Just that eerie laughter, echoing long after I collapsed.
Then—darkness.
(If there's a god out there… if I could have a second chance—)
(If I could go back in the past, I swear… I'll kill you!)
***
Thud!
"Hah… Hah… Hah…"
I jolted upright in bed, choking on air.
My heart pounded like it wanted to escape my chest.
My hands trembled, searching for the fatal wound—
Nothing. No blood. No pain!
I quickly glanced around, searching for any sign of that man—or anyone who might've healed me.
But with a wound like that… not even a saintess could've saved me.
"Wasn't I killed?"
I clearly remembered that my party was wiped out and I, the last standing member, was also killed in the end.
But what greeted me were just soft sheets.
"Huh?"
The ceiling above me wasn't made of crumbling stone or smoke—it was smooth, pale wood.
It was a ceiling I knew all too well—familiar. The same one I'd stared at countless times while daydreaming, worrying, hoping.
Yes… this was my room's ceiling!
I sat up slowly, my breath caught in my throat.
My eyes scanned the room, taking in every detail.
The wooden dresser with its slightly crooked drawer.
The little shelf lined with dusty storybooks.
The chipped corner of my desk where I once accidentally dropped my sword during practice.
Everything was just… as it had been.
Before the war between demons and humans.
Before the bloodshed.
Before the pain.
I was back. Back in my old room, in the time before it all began.
(A dream?)
I blinked, stunned.
At first, it was easy to assume that everything I was seeing was just a dream before death took me.
But the sensations felt too real—the vividness of it all didn't match what I'd expect from a dream.
(Could this be real, then?)
I questioned, almost hoping it was true.
My childhood room, filled with old books and trinkets, sun spilling across the polished floor.
The floral curtains fluttered from the morning breeze.
No battlefield. No ruins.
Just… my home.
My fingers reached for the edge of the quilt, gripping tight.
"Elysia! Breakfast's ready!"
A familiar voice called from downstairs.
"Sheesh! Are you still sleeping? You'll be late for your first day if you don't wake up now!"
I froze.
That voice—
"Mom?"
Thud!
I leapt out of bed and flung open the door, nearly stumbling down the stairs.
In the kitchen, my mother was humming softly, placing warm bread on the table. And by the window, with a steaming mug of tea, sat—
"Dad…"
He looked up from the paper and smiled.
"There's my girl. You look terrible—what happened? Did you have a nightmare or something?"
Dad asked worriedly.
My breath hitched.
My parents. Alive. Smiling. Still here.
(Even if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up!)
Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them.
"I… I missed you!"
They both blinked, surprised by my sudden outburst.
"What's gotten into you this morning, sweetheart?"
Mom asked worriedly.
I shook my head and rushed forward, pulling her into a hug.
She gasped, startled.
"Elysia? What on earth—?"
"You're alive!"
I whispered.
She laughed nervously.
"I hope so. Otherwise, I won't be here cooking breakfast."
I clung to her a second longer before letting go and turning to Dad.
"I love you!"
He was surprised by his daughter's sudden change.
He looked at his wife, who also shook her head, unsure what had caused Elysia to react so dramatically when just yesterday, she had been perfectly fine.
Though both were worried, neither showed it too openly. He replied with a smile.
"I love you too, pumpkin. But… shouldn't you be getting ready?"
I stood there for a moment longer, my chest tight, heart hammering with emotions I didn't know how to untangle.
Grief. Relief. Disbelief. Hope!
I had seen them die with my own eyes.
Their bloodied faces, the house turned to ash—it was all seared into my memory like a nightmare I never woke from.
And yet… here they were.
"Elysia?"
My dad asked again, gently.
"I…"
I took a shaky breath.
"I'll get ready now!"
"Don't forget to eat something!"
My mom called after me, but I was already halfway up the stairs.
I could feel the awful expression on my face, and I knew I had to stop before I made them worry any further.
Back in my room, I closed the door softly behind me and leaned against it, my legs trembling.
My eyes scanned everything—the bookshelf filled with my old adventure novels, the cracked frame of a childhood drawing, the familiar scent of lavender soap and old paper.
Nothing had changed.
I moved to the mirror. My reflection stared back.
A face free of scars. No callouses from years of war. No burn marks or old wounds. Just… a teenage girl.
I touched my cheek, still damp with tears.
My hands slowly lowered to the uniform laid out neatly on the side table—the navy blue jacket with gold trim, the pleated black skirt, the white shirt perfectly pressed.
The emblem of Arcadia Academy stitched in silver thread on the chest.
Today was the day.
The day it all began.
Arcadia Academy—where the brightest of our generation were trained to become knights, mages, strategists.
Where I met them all.
Jin, the sharp-tongued rogue who always had my back.
Cecilia… my best friend. The first to die!
Edwin… the leader, the one hailed as Hero by everyone.
This was real.
I had gone back five years.
I didn't know why or how, but fate had given me another chance.
To prevent that awful future from coming to pass.
To destroy that culprit.
This time, I wouldn't be helpless.
This time... I would rewrite everything.
With one last glance in the mirror, I wiped my face, squared my shoulders, and picked up the Arcadia uniform.
"This time, I will save everyone!"