This World Needs a Hero

Chapter 335: Side Story (9)

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Side Story 9 - The End of Dawn (Final)

I live because I was born.

I was born because I wanted to live.

In the case of a doppelgänger, the latter was closer to the truth.

For that reason, Zero created me using the essence of the completely unknown being, Possero.

Even Possero, who lived such a wretched life, longed for life, and that’s why I could be granted existence.

Then what about me?

How much do I desire life?

‘I must go back.’

I opened my eyes in a space of nothingness, devoid of any light or sound.

Zero called this place the "in-between."

It was where the soul stays until the body is reconstructed to return.

‘I… must go back.’

Everything was ambiguous.

I couldn’t tell if I was floating, where I was going, or if I was even moving at all.

I didn’t know if time was passing either.

With no distinction between day and night, my sense of time had faded.

It would be hard to tell if a day, a week, or even a year passed.

The thought that my time here might have only been a fleeting moment sent shivers down my spine.

But what scared me even more was that this waiting had no end.

"You must approach them, and they must pull you in. Constantly... without giving up."

I advanced.

Now that I had started down this path, there was no hesitation.

I moved forward, recalling the brightest moments of my life.

I trust that they, too, would pull me back.

But being alone in a space of nothingness, as Zero had said, was close to punishment.

My consciousness began to fade.

I frequently forgot who I was and why I was here.

Faces, voices from my memories—ones I believed I’d never forget—began to fade like old paintings.

It felt like trying to carve a giant mountain with a dull pickaxe.

‘This isn’t right…’

Just as I was about to lose my sense of purpose and direction, not even knowing what I was waiting for—

"Waah-!!!"

The loud cry of a baby sharply awakened my dimming consciousness.

I opened my eyes wide.

What on earth was a baby’s cry doing in this space of nothingness?

But it wasn’t an illusion.

"Waah-!"

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

"...Evergreen? Luke?"

It felt like I was watching them through a translucent veil.

A room bathed in warm sunlight.

The two of them were looking at twins lying on the bed.

Evergreen gently stroked one of the babies’ hair, and Luke chuckled softly.

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I stared blankly at the two newborns, their skin still wrinkled, as if in a daze.

"Should we go with the names we decided on?"

"Ethan and Yuri… I like them."

After a brief pause, Luke continued.

"Actually, I wanted to name one after the professor."

"But he never told us his name in the end."

"It might have turned out to be something really strange, though."

"That’s impossible. I bet the professor’s name is cool too."

The two chuckled and then leaned against each other.

"I’ve imagined what his reaction would be if we handed him our children."

"He’d pretend to be stern but secretly dote on them when no one’s watching, don’t you think?"

"That’s exactly what I think."

"Isn’t it?"

I stared blankly at them.

The peaceful faces of the sleeping twins and my now grown-up students.

Zero’s words flashed through my mind again.

"You must approach them, and they must pull you in. Constantly... without giving up."

Could it be...?

Just as I began to form a hypothesis, Evergreen and Luke’s figures blurred.

I was left alone again in the empty space.

But it was different this time.

"I must go back."

The sense of purpose I had forgotten burned brightly once again.

An inexplicable power lifted me up.

I began to move.

The "crossing" between this space and reality continued.

"I thought you’d never get married, but this is a blessing for the family."

"Father!"

"I’m just joking."

I even witnessed Gerald and Karen’s wedding.

I watched, astonished, as they kissed.

‘Gerald… what kind of dirt do you have on her?’

I laughed as I watched the guests enjoy the wedding, their faces all familiar.

To my surprise, the Emperor herself officiated the ceremony.

Karen, who came from a commoner background, looked like she might faint at any moment, but she calmed down when Gerald held her hand tightly.

As Euphemia bestowed her blessings on them, she whispered:

"If he could see you now, he would have been so happy."

At her words, Gerald burst into tears without resistance, and Karen, startled, tried to comfort him.

The children’s laughter echoed around me.

I couldn’t help but laugh along with them.

"...Is life treating you well over there?"

I even met Euphemia.

"How dare you."

She sat alone on the terrace of the imperial palace, gazing at the city lights below like stars.

"You left me to deal with all the trouble and just disappeared."

She raised her glass, as if I were sitting in front of her.

...Whenever the strength within me waned, numerous intersections with reality would appear before my eyes.

"To paint a good picture, you must have affection for your subject."

"Yes!"

"Alright then, try again."

I saw Leciel, who had become a wandering painter, diligently teaching others how to paint, though there was a sadness in her expression as she set down her brush.

"Yaaawn!"

I even saw Cuculli, lying alone on a giant iceberg, grilling fish, and staring up at the sky as if lost in thought.

"...How should I interpret this part?"

Ban was buried in a mountain of history books at the library.

"I wonder how the professor would have explained this."

His initial simplicity stood out more than the valor he had shown on the battlefield.

Next was Nyhill.

"Thanks to you, I can walk again. Thank you. Truly, thank you."

"...No, it’s nothing."

She had become a skilled prosthetic maker, receiving gratitude from a customer.

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Her once short hair now reached past her waist.

It was a moment that made me truly feel the passage of time.

…And so, days, weeks, maybe even months or years passed.

The intersections with reality appeared at unpredictable intervals.

At some point, I became certain.

‘So, it’s possible for a crossroads to appear when they strongly desire me.’

As time passed, I became able to exert a small amount of physical force.

I could even take out a cloak from the supply room and cover them with it.

“……”

…Zero seemed to think that if I faced these scenes, I would surely be in agony.

He wasn't wrong.

No matter how much I shouted, no matter how much I called out, they couldn’t see me.

They couldn’t even notice my existence.

Once the scene of happiness was over, I would be thrown back into a void, walking an endless path with no knowledge of how much time remained.

Zero’s low voice echoed in my ears.

“You could end up in a world where everyone has forgotten you.”

If more time passed like this, I might truly end up crashing into a world where no one remembered me, just as Zero feared.

Clench—

I tightly clenched my fists.

‘…It’s okay.’

I reassured myself.

Of course, it was painful and frightening.

The loneliness I felt was like the never-ending moments when I was locked up in an isolated barn in the past.

“But still…”

It didn’t matter what kind of suffering awaited me.

Good stories are always filled with unexpected pain and sadness.

We must endure them and move forward in order to witness the ending.

It was the biggest lesson I learned from my past life.

A resolution I had proudly shared with the children.

“I’m coming to see you.”

I ran.

Towards them, who were hundreds, thousands… no, perhaps an immeasurable distance away, too vast for human words to describe.

At some point, I began to hear voices that I shouldn’t have been able to hear.

They must have been figments of my imagination.

“You fool, still as stubborn as ever, not taking care of yourself. This time, live for yourself a little.”

A gruff but warm voice.

{Yahoo! Dopple, keep running! Run and seize what you deserve! You’re worthy of it!}

A kind voice that always cheered me on.

“…I told you, if it were you, you could finish the race.”

My eternal hero was with me too.

“When have you ever seen me say something wrong?”

Soon, they all shouted in unison:

““Go, Auro!””

It felt as if I had wings on my back.

My body felt light.

I couldn’t see anything, but the sensation of flying was the only way to describe the refreshing feeling I had.

I forgot my labored breathing and just kept moving my feet.

And then, before my eyes, a brilliant light appeared.

There was no need to look back anymore.

I leapt forward.

* * *

I stared blankly ahead.

“Ah…”

The sun was gently rising above the horizon.

The sea shimmered beautifully, as if filled with gold.

The waves that had been cloaked in darkness slowly took on a soft purple hue, then quickly turned into shades of orange.

‘…Sunrise?’

The clouds surrounding the rising sun were tinted with a rosy hue, creating a watercolor-like scene between the sky and the sea.

It felt as if the world was being born anew.

The magnificent view would continue until the sun fully rose.

“……”

…And I knew this place.

The 50th sector of the Demon Realm.

A land of death once blanketed in overwhelming demonic energy now had faint light seeping in.

I stood still until the brilliant sun fully rose above the horizon.

Until the sharp morning sunlight chased away the cool air and erased the last shadow on the ground.

“……”

Thus, the dawn finally came to an end.

I stood there, gripped by an indescribable emotion.

A gentle breeze lightly brushed past my ear… and with it, a playful voice.

“What are you staring at so wistfully? You can see it again tomorrow, can’t you?”

The moment I heard her voice, it felt as if no time had passed at all since the past.

I slowly turned around.

“Welcome back, sleepyhead.”

“……”

“They’ve all been waiting for you for so long.”

Despite standing with my back to the sun, why did it feel so dazzling?

I met the eyes of each and every one of the many faces surrounding me.

Without words, the warmth in their gazes was clear.

‘Welcome back.’

Yes.

The first thing to say, after all, must be this.

A short phrase, but one that held so much, fitting to mark the end of a long journey.

“I’m home.”

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