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Flashback
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It was just another evening.
Alex had taken a temporary job in the outer districts—manual labor to scrape together food for him and Lily. They had just managed to pay the rent.
Lily stayed home, as usual, preparing dinner.
That's when the sky tore open.
An Abyss Gate.
It wasn't supposed to happen there. Not in their district. Not so close to the capital.
But it did.
The crack split the sky above their neighborhood. Abyssal energy spilled out like ink in water. Monstrous entities surged forth. The chaos was instantaneous.
In the confusion, a Corruption Lich slipped through.
It was hunting mana-rich targets. Lily was unawakened, but her mana core—though small—was unnaturally pure.
It attacked.
Her screams echoed through the collapsing building.
She should have died that day.
But the city's awakeners responded quickly.
A squad of master rank hunters descended from the skies, battling the swarm of corruption and sealing the gate.
Lily was found, barely alive, her body writhing with black veins of Abyssal corruption.
She was taken to the hospital immediately.
By the time Alex returned home, there was nothing left but ashes and the shattered remains of their old life.
---
( The present )
He remembered now.
The horror. The rage. The helplessness.
And the guilt.
"I wasn't there when she needed me ."
The hallway outside Lily's hospital room was quiet—eerily so. The soft hum of mana-laced lighting above flickered in steady rhythm, the walls adorned with holographic medical diagrams and floating healing sigils. But to Alex Dragonheart, everything felt still, like the world had stopped moving.
He leaned against the wall just beside the door, his eyes shut, breath shallow.
"She smiled for me... even now," he whispered, swallowing a lump in his throat.
Seeing Lily like that—frail, pale, her silver hair now thin and brittle, her green sapphire-like eyes dimmer than before—had torn into him like a jagged blade. Yet, she had smiled. Cracked a joke. Pretended she wasn't in pain.
He clenched his fists.
"I'm so useless…"
As he walked away from the room and down the corridor, his mind spun through the fragmented memories of the game. The game that brought him here.
The storyline he had once played through casually for entertainment, now turned into his grim, unforgiving reality.
He walked slowly in the hospital, the artificial lights above flickering in and out, casting elongated shadows on the marble floor.
With each step, his thoughts spiraled deeper into hopelessness.
This isn't fair...
Once outside, the cold evening air of Avaloria slapped him back into focus. His hand trembled slightly as he placed it against his chest.
He could feel the beating of his heart. Fast. Uneasy.
His mind went back to the game.
There was a cure for the Abyssal Corruption.
He was sure of it. It had appeared in the second part of the game—a part he had never completed.
A part hidden behind quests, choices, and the progression of the protagonist's journey.
"I... I'm not omniscient," he muttered bitterly. "Just because I know some parts of the game doesn't mean I know everything."
The illusion of having full control over his fate cracked like a mirror under pressure.
Still, he racked his brain. There had to be something. Some clue. Something from the forums, the discussions, even vague mentions from the NPCs—anything!
Then it hit him.
The Tear of Aetheria.
His eyes widened.
A mythical elixir.
A legendary item said to restore corrupted mana, reverse spiritual decay, and even bring someone back from the brink of death.
Hidden deep within the Ruins of Ragna, a place once home to the high elves, now twisted into a nightmarish domain ruled by Abyssal forces.
"The city where magic died..." he whispered.
Ragna had been an infamous high-level zone in the game. Filled with corrupted beasts, mutated monsters, twisted remnants of once-noble elf guardians.
Even endgame players treaded cautiously there.
And Alex?
He was nowhere near strong enough.
The realization hit like a tidal wave.
If he went now, he'd die. Miserably. Without even the chance to scream.
He gritted his teeth.
"Not yet... not yet."
He needed to grow. Advance. Train until his body and soul were weapons. Only then could he even think about entering that cursed land.
He let out a long breath, the fog of it dispersing into the night sky. The streetlights flickered as floating transport pods zipped above him.
"Until I reach Expert Rank... it's suicide."
His goal was clear now. Not just Zenith Academy. Not just survival.
Lily.
She was his reason.
He returned to the hospital front desk, requesting a meeting with Doctor Emma. She arrived within minutes, her sharp grey eyes watching him with the same quiet empathy from earlier.
"Doctor Emma," Alex began, voice steady despite the turmoil within. "Make sure Lily gets the best treatment possible. Don't cut corners. Do whatever it takes."
Emma nodded. "We will. But... advanced mana therapies, core stabilization treatments... they're expensive."
"I know. That's why I'm transferring 200,000 credits. Right now."
Emma blinked in surprise. "That's... generous."
"She's worth more than that," Alex said simply.
With a quick tap on his EtherPad, the transaction was complete. His account balance dropped, but he felt lighter.
Money meant nothing if it couldn't protect those he loved.
As he walked away from the hospital this time, the burden on his shoulders remained—but it had transformed. From grief to purpose.
Avaloria's skyline stretched before him, lit with neon magic and starlight.
Then a notification chimed on his EtherPad.
[Zenith Academy Entrance Exam Begins in: 40 Days]
A smirk curled on Alex's lips. Not out of arrogance, but determination.
"Time to start training."