"I was always empty from inside, easy to trust, and can be influenced by anyone. I am a coward who ran away from his problems, but right now. No one is influencing me; this feeling of helping someone is my own," Ito muttered.
"Rushed footsteps echoed through the dense veil of black smoke."
"Ito let out a deafening shout, drawing the hollow beasts' attention away from Sara and the others."
"Why are you here?! Run, Ito! They'll kill you!'' Sara saying
Ito's breath hitched, legs frozen as the beasts closed in — claws scraping dirt, fangs flashing in the dim light.
A sudden blur slammed into him from behind. He crashed to the ground, rolling hard as a snarl tore through the air where he had just stood.
Coughing through the dust, he looked up. A figure stood between him and the beasts.
"T-The First Squad Captain Zeth...?" Hyman's voice cracked, eyes wide with disbelief. "Those white hairs and crimson eyes, no doubt, but why is he here ?"
The others stared in stunned silence, mouths half open as if words had been knocked clean out of them.
Amid the awe and shock, a pained groan interrupted the tension.
"Ugh... can someone tell the world to stop spinning?" Ito mumbled, still flat on the ground, arms splayed awkwardly as he blinked at the sky. "Or at least help me up?"
"I didn't see what happened…but the second hollow beast attacked the captain, his
hand cut off," Zaydan muttered.
What just happened, vice captain? Sara
"I think… it was probably the Zone Technique of captain Zeth." Hyman telling three of them.
The beast attacked again with her other hand, but the result was the same: It was slowly being crushed by an invisible force.
One by one, the beasts began to get crushed.
They saw it as an opportunity to escape, but Ito stood up and started running toward the hollow tree to rescue the students. The wipes also began to move and tried to attack them again.
"Expanding his lung... inhaling through his mouth," Zeth said, leaving them surprised. Zone—kneel down, and what they saw next was a sudden burst in the sky, forming a layer that covered half of the planet.
"What happened now?"
All those beasts and hollow trees were crushed to the ground in seconds.
"Hurry….before that tree grows again."
Now is the chance: I have to hurry.
"What happened? Why are you just standing there? Hurry!"
"Zaydan, they are already…."
Already What: What are you trying to say ito.
"They are already hollow."
A sudden silence fell on all of them. Ito started to clench his fist tightly with a turmoil voice "I'm sorry, this is all my fault: If….If I just made it in time, if I was not this hopeless.
"Stop blaming yourself; it was not your fault."
Sara is right. We did what we could.
But still, if I just tried harder
"If you have time to regret, then run; that thing is growing again.
Sara held Ito's hand, and they all started to run.
"Every time you try to grow, I will crush…. you empty piece of shit."
Before getting crushed again, Tree charged his whip. Ito barely had any time to glance up before a sudden force pierced into his heart.
Blood starts to flow out of Ito's body: "What happened. I can't hear what they are saying. Why is everything blurry? My body is feeling numb….Am I….going to…die?
"KEHAHAHA! Where I'm right now, "KEHAHAHA! Who is laughing?.
"Huh…Why am I so high up? What is this place? Am I dead? "KEHAHAHA!
"KEHAHAHA! Hey, weird laugh, can you tell me where I'm right now?
A sudden interrupt—(Moshi Moshi) hello —Hey, I just hear Captain Zeth's voice But I can't see anyone here? This whole place is blank!
"KEHAHAHA! Are you just gonna laugh all day? "Weird, he is not responding and why? I couldn't move my body.
"Huh, why I'm falli…"At the same time, Ito opened eyes.
Sound of chains "So you finally decided to wake up," Ito slowly lifting his eyelids."I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Velthorn Blake, and I'm the chief executive of the Supreme Knights of this kingdom, Yonor.
Sir, are they all fine? "What a weird boy, worrying about others before himself."
Are you talking about your friends? Sara and Zaydan both are good, and because of you kids bravery, there was not much battle causality, leaving three students who are all getting treatment and will be in good shape soon.
Ito asks with fear in his voice, "Can you tell me those three names?"
"What will you do?"
Ito have no answer for that "very well, Those three was Marco Galdius, Barame Winton and your classmate Mary Elpar.
Ito down his hade with a regretful expression on his face!
"Are you feeling guilty for their death?"
Ye…Yes!
Velthorn's voice was full of warmth and encouragement. " Listen, a knight must protect others; it's his/her duty and responsibility. There will also a time come when you aren't strong enough to protect others, but that does not mean everything ends there. As long as you live, there will always be despair and hope, people will come and go. If you want to keep protecting, then become strong and don't let failure stop you. If there is no one, then become strong for yourself.
Ito's eyes were wide open like a cloud full of questions inside his brain was answered, but still there was one remaining.
"Chief executive, sir."
"Just call me Sir Velthorn."
"Ok.'' So, Sir Velthorn, why am I in prison and chained?
"Oh, you didn't notice yet." "What?" That black aura surrounding your body.
"Which aura are you talking about, sir?"
"Are you sure you can't see it?" "Yes." "So he can't see it yet, then how—
After asking, he was confused, as if something was not right. "I know it's painful to remember, but do you recall what happened before you lost consciousness?"
"Yes, I did remember something so fast pierce through my heart. It was feel like. I almost died."
"Do you think a normal human could have survived that attack?"
"That means you already died once, Ito."
"Ah...!"
Back in time, twenty-four hours after Ito's death!
"Can we do nothing, Vice Captain Hyman?"
"Captain Zeth, can't you do something with your zone power to save that kid?" With hope in their eyes, they stared at Zeth.
"If I could, I would have done it already." He stopped breathing, meaning that healing could do nothing here.
Suddenly, a black aura began to envelop his entire body.
"Three of you, stand back! He's going to become a Hollow!"
"No, I will not," Sara protested.
"This isn't the time for an argument, girl—" he interrupted. "Wait, if he's becoming a Hollow, then why hasn't that tree grown back yet? What is happening?"
"Ba-dump... Ba-dump..." His heart started to beat again, accompanied by slow, steady breaths, and the black aura disappeared. All of them stood in shock at what they had just witnessed.
To present.
"So I died already, but I'm not feeling anything different from before."
"Did you see something when you were unconscious or anything like that?"
Ito tried to recall everything that had happened so far. "No—nothing at all."
"Well, there are many questions I want to ask you, but not now." "Wait, can you tell me one last thing?"
"Yes."
"Are you really from this world?"