'None of those would kill,' Camera muttered internally.
'But he felt all of them.'
From behind, the soft, broken voice of the old woman reached out.
[Lance… please… stop… this.]
Her hand barely lifted from her lap. Her eyes, blurred with tears, could no longer fully focus. But her voice —
soft, pleading — cut through the tension like a whisper in thunder.
But Lance didn't stop.
[NO, Grandma…] he hissed,
[IF FOOLS LIKE HIM ARE ALWAYS LET THROUGH, THEY'LL ALWAYS STEP ON US! I NEED TO KILL HIM!!!]
With a raw, untrained cry, Lance charged.
His sword came down with rage, not precision.
But TIS…
TIS simply shifted one foot to the side.
Effortlessly. Smoothly.
The blade missed by inches — as if it had never had a chance.
Lance stumbled forward, nearly tripping on his own momentum, gasping in fury and disbelief.
TIS didn't move to counter.
Didn't lift a hand.
Didn't even blink.
[DAMN YOU!!!]
Lance screamed — a desperate roar that cracked the night air like thunder.
He raised his hand, bloodied fingers forming a broken sigil as he began to chant — the words coming fast, slurred, unstable.
A faint light gathered.
A weak, trembling beam shot toward TIS.
It barely held together midair.
TIS simply sidestepped it, his body gliding like water.
Before the light even faded, he was already beside Lance —
and struck him once more.
Not with the blade.
The sword was still closed.
It was a blunt impact — fast, clean, aimed at his gut.
[GAHHH… FUUUCCKKKKK!!!]
Lance doubled over, falling to one knee, coughing violently.
[JUST WHERE THE F*** ARE MY POWERS?!?!]
Behind him, the old woman trembled.
[Lance… please… stop…]
She tried to crawl forward, hand reaching —
but her body refused to follow.
Her legs had given out, drained from dragging Lance through the city earlier.
She could only watch.
Lance clenched the grass with shaking hands, tears mixing with dirt on his face.
[THOSE SCOUNDRELS…] he spat.
[THEY TOOK ALL OUR POWERS—THEY EVEN…]
His voice cracked.
[They even… killed… mom… and… dad...]
Silence.
TIS didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
He simply stared.
A pillar of stillness in the chaos.
Lance looked up, eyes bloodshot, wild with pain.
[I won't… I WON'T FORGIVE THEM!] he screamed.
[I'LL KILL ALL OF THEM!!!]
He stumbled to his feet, swaying.
[SO WHAT IF I'M COCKY, HUH?!?]
His voice echoed into the trees.
Broken.
Defiant.
Alone.
[I… DON'T HAVE any… anything left…]
Lance's voice trembled, each word clawing its way out.
[Except her… and my SHITTY, F***ING WEAK SELF…]
His shoulders sagged.
[No one… no one ever trusted me…]
TIS, still unmoving, finally opened his mouth.
"Why don't you try to change your—"
[F***ING ATTITUDE?!?]
Lance snapped before the words even finished.
[DO YOU THINK I NEVER TRIED THAT, HUH?!]
His eyes burned — not with power, but shame.
[GUESS WHAT…
THEY LAUGHED AT ME.]
His breath hitched.
[They even forced me to say my family was gone… I… I can't…]
He dropped his sword, breath heaving.
[i… never had… friends…]
TIS didn't hesitate.
He moved — in an instant — forward.
Fast. Controlled.
His sword rose again, swift as lightning.
Camera's lens widened.
The grandma's eyes trembled — but her voice failed.
And Lance — broken, hopeless — didn't even flinch.
But then—
Thud.
A small pair of feet landed between them.
A young girl, maybe no older than 14, from the village.
Her sandals were crooked. Her feet trembled like twigs in wind.
But she stood.
Right between TIS's sword and Lance's body.
Her arms didn't rise.
Her voice didn't shout.
But her eyes — locked onto the blade — were still.
Afraid.
But steady.
TIS froze mid-swing.
The edge of the blade sat inches from her forehead.
Behind them, the old woman — watching, wide-eyed — could no longer speak.
She just covered her mouth with a shaking hand.
TIS froze mid-swing.
The girl, tiny and trembling, stood between him and Lance —
and finally, with all her courage clenched in her voice, she shouted:
[...I… I don't know what YOU GOT with Mr. Annoying,]
[BUT DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM!]
Lance's head twitched toward her.
[You… who…] he whispered, eyes glassy.
TIS dropped the sword.
The dull clatter rang across the field.
Everyone froze.
The girl's chest rose and fell rapidly as she gathered her next breath.
[Mr. Annoying may be irritating, and always have a bad attitude… but…]
Her voice cracked.
[He's the one who helped us!]
Then—
Soft footsteps.
A figure emerged from the trees — robed, calm, with a presence like evening rain after a wildfire.
A young woman, clad in nun-like robes, stepped forward.
Her eyes scanned the scene quickly — the tension, the sword on the ground, the old grandmother collapsed, and the girl standing alone.
Then she gasped softly and spoke, not to TIS, not to Lance —
but to the girl in front.
[Jade… oh dear, where have you been?]
She rushed forward a few steps —
then stopped, noticing the old woman and the chaos she'd just walked into.
[What…] she whispered, [what happened here…?]
[Jade… YOU… WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!]
Lance's voice cracked as he stumbled back half a step, still holding his side.
His shock wasn't from fear — but disbelief.
Like watching the one person you thought you understood stand on the opposite side.
Jade turned her head with a frown, both hands still clenched at her sides.
[What do you mean, you Annoying Mister... I'm trying to save you here.]
Lance grit his teeth.
[He's from the BURJWAG Family! THE ONE THAT—]
[SO WHAT if he's from them???] Jade snapped, her voice sharp, loud, louder than she'd ever spoken before.
The wind stilled.
Lance stood frozen.
As if that sentence alone knocked the balance out of his world.
He looked down — the sword in his hand suddenly felt heavier.
Meanwhile, TIS, silent through it all, walked forward calmly.
He reached down and picked up his sword —
but didn't swing it.
He simply looked toward the old woman.
She had been slowly helped up by the nun, who now supported her carefully, both hands steady around the old woman's back.
Their eyes met — TIS and the grandmother.
Not a word spoken.
Just a still moment.
A weight neither of them shared aloud.
[Jade…]
Her voice trembled, but her eyes never wavered. She stared straight at TIS, her small hands clenched with conviction.
[Annoying Mr… I know that I too am afraid of people like them… like the monsters that destroyed our village… but…]
She stepped forward, still looking at TIS vigorously.
[You said it yourself, right?]
Her eyes shimmered with memory, with belief.
[That being weak will only hinder others… therefore, being strong is the only way to protect the weak!]
The words echoed like thunder through the clearing.
Lance stood motionless, breath caught.
His lips parted, but no sound came.
Those were his words.
His.
Spoken once to a scared girl — and now returned to him like a lifeline.
Suddenly—
TIS finally spoke.
"...I'm not from the Burjwag family."
[What??] Lance snapped, eyes wide.
TIS turned to face him fully.
"Lance, right?" he said, voice calm.
"You may think that you've lost everything in life — your powers, your pride, your dignity.
And you may think you have no friends in life..."
He slowly slid his sword back into the clip on his waist. The metal clicked softly.
"...But you must not forget..."
TIS's voice deepened just slightly — not louder, but heavier.
"...There are people who care for you.
People who would throw their bodies into danger to help you.
Be it your family… or someone you helped."
Lance looked around.
To Jade — still trembling, but fierce.
To the nun — holding his grandmother upright.
To his grandmother — her tearful, exhausted eyes staring straight into his.
He couldn't speak.
He didn't need to.
TIS took one final step forward.
"Lance Arvignar…
You are not alone."
At that moment —
Lance finally broke.
The fury, the sorrow, the weight he had carried for too long — all of it spilled out.
He cried.
Loud. Ugly. Childlike.
The sword dropped from his hands with a dull thud, forgotten.
His legs gave out — and he dropped to his knees in the grass, sobbing like the world had just let him breathe for the first time.
Jade didn't hesitate.
She ran to him — wrapped her arms around him tight, even though her body was still shaking.
The nun knelt beside them, holding both of them with one arm, and supporting the grandmother with the other.
They all leaned in — a small huddle of broken people, mended by the warmth of each other.
And in the background…
TIS turned and walked away.
Quietly.
Toward the edge of the woods, where the faintest shimmer of a rift still lingered.
Camera hovered nearby, now fully powered up.
'The heck was that?' it asked, trying to sound neutral… but failing.
TIS smiled faintly, his eyes soft and oddly distant.
"Sorry, Camera. I didn't wake you up..."
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"You missed the build-up before this… heheheh. I thought it might disturb you."
Camera clicked.
'Of course it wouldn't… TIS, even if it's not the Hidden Route… just wake me up, okay?
There are stories I want to record too, you know.'
TIS stopped walking.
Turned slightly.
"Okay, sorry…"
He looked back at the forest behind them — the faint glow of the people still huddled together in the field.
"...But still," he added, his smile turning lopsided and warm,
"how did you find me so quickly?"
Camera floated next to him, silent for a moment.
'I don't know…' it admitted.
'When I entered the isekai, I just instinctively went to this place…'
TIS nodded slowly.
"...So… okay then," he muttered.
He stretched his arms once, rubbing his shoulder.
"Let's have breakfast. It's 04:00."
And with that — the portal shimmered open.
The first hint of dawn peeked over the distant hills.
The world was still asleep.
Only the faint sound of seagulls and the rhythmic splash of waves outside the inn filled the silence.
Inside, the kitchen lantern flickered gently as two figures moved quietly through the shadows.
TIS flipped an egg with perfect timing. Camera floated beside the stove, watching.
"Let's just cook some breakfast," TIS said softly, as the scent of garlic and oil filled the air.
"Grandma will wake up at five, right?"
'Yeah, you're right.'
They were making breakfast for four.
TIS diced vegetables while Camera arranged plates on the table with mechanical precision.
Then, as if unable to hold the question anymore, Camera asked:
'So… what exactly happened to Lance?'
TIS didn't answer immediately.
"He was born into the Lion—uh, I forgot the name… Family," he said with a small grin.
"He was rich. A natural genius with magic. Always excelling."
He stirred the pan, letting the sizzling fill the pause.
"One bad thing, though… His parents — the ones he loved — were always too busy.
It started his desire for approval.
His friends praised him.
And slowly, he turned cocky."
Camera hovered lower.
'But… that still doesn't explain—'
"Exactly," TIS nodded.
"Lance kept getting stronger. At one point, he helped his father make a decision that saved their entire estate.
It changed everything.
His parents finally saw him.
Really saw him.
They bonded.
Lance started changing — dropped the cocky act, genuinely helped people.
Even saved the village Jade and the nun lived in."
TIS paused.
"But."
Camera tilted.
'But?'
TIS's voice dropped.
"The Burgjwag family. Their family's oldest enemy.
Unlike the Fisalia or Montelli, Burgjwag played dirty.
They ambushed Lance's house.
On his birthday.
No one was prepared.
And Burgjwag… they came prepared."
Camera's tone dropped.
'Stole Lance's powers first.'
TIS nodded grimly.
"Then… they decimated his entire family.
Took everything.
Lance only managed to save his grandmother."
He stirred the food again, quieter now.
"And from there… he forgot he was once cocky.
Started asking for help.
But the villagers — ones who hated his old self — crushed him with the news.
Tore him down even further."
Camera was silent. Then:
'I see… but still. What made him bully the girl?'
TIS raised an eyebrow.
"Well… remember when you called him the cocky guy? Why did you say that?"
Camera blinked.
'The Route I scanned from the MC showed he bullied the healer girl — with goons.
They only followed him because they got to see someone they hated get bullied.'
TIS exhaled slowly.
"Correct. Guess what…
The healer is from the Burgjwag family."
'Ohh…'
TIS looked down, brow furrowed.
"But… did the Route tell you his backstory?
And… is the HR triggered?"
Camera buzzed low.
'It's a typical locked route.
One of those… can't-be-opened paths.
Usually tied to a character's forgotten past.'
A pause.
'And no. HR wasn't triggered.'
TIS smirked faintly, disappointed.
"No wonder you didn't know...
And darn it."
Another silence passed as the food simmered quietly.
Then Camera said:
'But it is opened now, TIS.'
TIS blinked.
"...Wait. Really?"
Camera's voice was soft now.
'Thanks to you, I guess…'
TIS smiled — a small, tired, but fulfilled kind of smile.
"Thanks to God.
I'm just the way."
Camera hovered a bit closer as TIS plated the last dish.
'How do you know all of that… in just a single night though?'
TIS raised one eyebrow, flipped the pan off the heat with flair, and shrugged.
"I'll just answer it simply."
He turned toward Camera, completely straight-faced.
"By asking the villagers I saw laughed the most when Ryndall attacked Lance..."
He picked up a fork.
"...by stalking that guy after he left the square..."
He walked to the table.
"...by asking Lance's grandmother while pretending to be a wandering storyteller..."
He poured a cup of tea.
"...and by pretending I'm from the Burgjwag family to see who flinched first."
Camera hovered silently for three seconds. Then:
'...You interrogated an entire narrative system in six hours.'
TIS smiled gently and sat down.
"I'm an ass, I know. I still need a wife though."