Still in Emilia's room, Levi sat on the floor with his head bowed down as Emilia's words replayed in his head.

  He had been there, pondering for half an hour but found no counter arguments.

  Maybe she was right. It might have been a brutal truth, but in the end, it was still the truth.

  "I haven't actually achieved anything big, except overthink what the system is." He sighed. "Maybe I—"

  His voice broke halfway. He tried his best to fight back the tears that were welling up in him—like he had been doing for the past half hour. But just like bag getting pumped with gas, he was reaching his burst limit.

  Suddenly he noticed a dark fog form around him and rised his head up. A few feet away from him, Zenon manifested, slowly emerging from the shadows like he was a limb simply stripping itself away from the darkness.

  "Amazing." Levi let out a dry laughter and shifted his gaze back to the ground. "It's just one cool trick after the others with you guys."

  Zenon stood for a second, watching Levi. The mental exhaustion in his voice was palpable even though Levi had tried hiding it.

  "Moving through shadows is one of the perks my ability grants me," Zenon finally said, smiling slightly as he moved closer to Levi.

  The room remained silent. Levi didn't respond. He knew why Zenon was there, but It seemed more like he was waiting for Zenon to leave, rather than console him.

  "It's actually hard to believe you guys are brother and sister," Levi let out a wry chuckle. "Only resemblance you guys have is that you're insanely strong."

  "I appreciate it but there's no need to do what you're doing right now, I'm fine," Levi continued. "Just... Leave..."

  Zenon simply stood staring at him. He was asking him to leave and saying he was fine. He hid his face but he couldn't hide the teardrops hitting the floor.

  Zenon watched the small droplets fall from Levi’s chin to the polished floor. One after another, each making a faint ticking sound in the quiet room.

  For a while, he said nothing.

  Instead, he moved closer and leaned his shoulder against the wall a few steps away from Levi. The shadows around him rippled faintly before settling again.

  “Strength is a funny thing,” Zenon said at last. "People think strength is supposed to make life easier.” His lips curved into a faint gentle smile. “That once you have it… the world's problems just bend out of your way.”

  He let out a quiet breath.

  “But the opposite usually happens.”

  His gaze shifted to the window, where the dim evening light barely seeped through the curtains.

  “The moment people realize you're strong… expectations start piling up.” He lifted one hand like he was stacking invisible weights on his palm. "Responsibility, pressure, fear of failure...” He closed his fingers slowly, as if crushing the invisible pile.

  “And suddenly the very thing that was supposed to free you becomes the cage you're trapped in.”

  Levi’s shoulders twitched slightly, but he still didn’t look up.

  Zenon tilted his head, studying him. “So what exactly is strength?” he continued quietly.

  He pushed himself off the wall and walked slowly across the room.

  “Is it the ability to split a mountain in half?” he asked, gesturing vaguely with one hand. “To burn cities… to crush armies… to turn a planet into dust without breaking a sweat?”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Or…” Zenon crouched slightly, resting his forearms on his knees.

  “Is it the ability to step on a nail… feel the pain… and still not be afraid to walk barefoot again the next day?”

  Levi’s fingers tightened slightly against the floor, a faint physical response that didn't go unnoticed.

  “Or maybe it’s the ability to fall flat on your face in front of everyone… and still stand back up knowing they’re all watching.”

  Zenon straightened slowly.

  “Or maybe,” he added after a small pause, “it’s being thrown into a situation you know is far beyond what you can handle… and still finding some tiny piece of control to hold onto.”

  The room went quiet again.

  Zenon waited to see if Levi would say anything, but he still kept his head bowed.

  “I saw the whole thing,” he continued. “Through Lian’s memories.”

  “Out of all the students there…” he said slowly, “…you were the one who showed actual strength to me.”

  Levi stayed motionless for several seconds after Zenon finished speaking.

  “…Do you know why I said no that day?” He finally began to give his response.

  Zenon’s brow lifted slightly but he didn’t interrupt.

  “Why I asked you guys to just send me home… without even thinking about it.”

  Levi drew a shaky breath in and exhaled heavily. His shoulders trembled slightly before he continued.

  “It was because I was scared.” The words slipped out quietly at first.

  Then his fingers curled into the floor.

  “I was fucking scared of all of it.” His voice cracked openly now, the strain impossible to hide. “I already knew where it was going,” he muttered, shaking his head slowly.

  "But I was still so fucking scared."

  “What if I couldn’t keep up?” he asked, voice tightening. “What if I took it all on… and then I failed?”

  Levi lifted his head slowly, revealing his face completely covered with tears.

  “What if Kyle and Violet died because of me?”

  “That’s why I ran,” Levi whispered, his shoulders slumping again.

  “That’s… that’s why I chose to run like I always have my whole life."

  Zenon watched quietly.

  Levi hadn’t explained it outright, but he didn’t need to. The way his voice trembled, the way the tears kept falling — it was clear this pain ran far deeper than the present moment. Like pain stemming from reopened scars.

  “But deep down…” Levi continued softly, dragging a hand across his face, “…I knew running wouldn’t work this time.”

  He exhaled slowly.

  “And I decided I was tired of it.”

  "When I finally decided to take control of my own life.” He swallowed. "I freaking failed."

  “When I chose to protect what I care about with my own hands, innocent people suffered because of it."

  “I thought I finally had what it takes. I thought I could stand up… and burn down anything trying to destroy what I care about.”

  “And you can," Zenon chimed in immediately.

  But the response he received came so quickly it made Levi’s head snap up.

  “How?!” Levi barked, the frustration exploding out of him. “Can't you see?! I can’t! I fucking can’t!”

  He pushed himself halfway upright, his hands shaking.

  “I couldn’t even beat one of those masked guys on my own!” he shouted, voice echoing off the walls. “Not one!”

  The anger drained from his face just as quickly as it appeared.

  His shoulders sagged again.

  “Emilia was right,” he muttered bitterly. “Maybe I just wasn’t born to be a fighter.”

  His gaze drifted back to the floor.

  “Maybe it’d be better if I just gave it all up.” His voice came out as a tired whisper. “Sacrifice my life… pass the power to someone who can actually use it.”

  "Not like me being alive is really worth much now."

  “Besides, running away is what I do best anyway.”

  Zenon studied him quietly. Almost every word Levi had spoken were hollow statements to him.

  Because despite not being intentional, they were lies the boy was forcing himself to believe.

  He didn't know the right words to use at the moment, but he knew one thing; Levi needed a push forward.

  Suddenly and slowly, he extended a hand in form of a fist.

  Levi blinked, confused by this gesture

  “Reinhart left something behind,” Zenon said calmly. "A message.”

  “In Lian’s memories.”

  “He looked at you,” Zenon continued quietly, “right before everything ended.”

  “And do you know what he said?” A small smile appeared on Zenon’s face.

  “‘He’s going to be one impressive man.’”

  Zenon’s fingers spread out into an open palm.

  “Levi Starfall,” he said. “I’m holding my hand out right now… as a representative of the world.”

  Levi looked at the offered hand, his vision blurring again with warm tears.

  “The world is asking you for help.”

  Zenon’s eyes locked onto Levi’s. “So what will you do?”

  “Will you turn your back on it?” he paused briefly “Or will you burn down everything that threatens it?”

  Zenon's gaze darkened, taking a more serious expression which opposed his usual calmness.

  “Will you become the future my friend believed you would be?”