CHAPTER 60: CAN YOU HELP ME?

With a pounding heart, I watch my sister’s face drain of all color. Our eyes lock, trembling. Crimson meets crimson—and she no longer looks anything like the cute little girl I once knew. No... in this moment, she feels like a stranger. An alien.

"Quill?" she asks nervously, fingers twirling a strand of her white hair. "W-what are you doing here? It’s late... shouldn’t we go to bed?" She doesn’t wait for my answer, hurrying off to her corner without another glance, as if I hadn’t overheard her just a moment ago.

I watch as she hides beneath her thin, worn blanket, the fabric so short it barely covers her feet. For some reason, my chest feels heavy, as if my heart has had enough of this charade. And yet... I can’t seem to force myself to confront her about it.

The words she said keep replaying in my head. I also know she isn’t asleep, because her story flickers across my system screen like stolen thoughts.

{Lia’s heart trembled after realizing her brother had overheard her. She struggled to believe it—how was he home now, when last time he always came back much later? It didn’t make sense. NPCs were supposed to follow patterns, loops on repeat. But this game... it was different. Was that why? She thought gloomily. I heard NPCs here could think for themselves, with advanced AI simulating emotions... but still, can it really be this different? She risked a glance at Quill, standing there, staring at her—and her heart froze. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her brother. The whole world seemed to shift the moment his skin was replaced by that... weird cosplay, or whatever it was, she thought.}

I... I can’t believe this. She isn’t my little sister after all. I mean, she never truly was—but she is to me. And I can’t just abandon her, even now.

But still... what the hell?!

I storm out of the house. The sun is sinking low, the sky painted warm and comforting—but somehow it feels eerie too.

I know what I am. Just a fictional character who stumbled into powers he was never meant to possess. But to think this world is some kind of game? That my "sister" is really someone from another world...

Then that means Glorius and his whole party are too... right?

And then... Anna?

Will all of them know my secret now?

Sorry... readers... I have to take a break from all of this. I can’t just keep pushing forward on the same timeline. They’ll come for me again—next time more careful. Or... maybe they’ll just avoid me completely. Still, I can’t imagine Glorius sitting still after hearing about a power that can erase anything from existence with just a flick of a quill.

Ahh... damn it all.

What do I even do now?

I drop down under a tall tree, eyes drifting to the sky. The burning sun sinks lower, and hour after hour I sit there, lost in thought, until the stars slowly replace the day. It’s a beautiful night, I must admit.

Today was supposed to be the day Powder and I began our journey. I should be at his house right now, repeating everything. But... is that right? Should I drag him back into this again? Maybe I should let him live the simple life he was meant to live. After all...

The image burns in my mind—Powder staring at me with those eyes screaming for help. Eyes that never wanted to kill, but were forced to. And all because of me. Because of my choices.

And Roxy... her death tore something out of me too. To watch the woman who loved me more than life itself slowly fade away—I don’t even know how to describe it. All I can say is, in that moment, I wanted to burn the entire world.

And Amara... death itself, ripped apart because of me. What a joke, huh?

...Not funny at all, after all.

I look up at the endless sky above... You’re watching me, right? Can you help me? Tell me what I should do now?

I know it sounds weak coming from me, but I’m honestly lost. And I never even got the chance to complete that reader quest with you—crafting armor worthy of protecting my friends.

You know... if things really do rewind, if I get another chance, I promise this: I’ll forge life-saving armor for all of them. No matter what, I’ll make sure they can never die—no matter who attacks, no matter what comes.

Is that too much?Maybe I shouldn’t decide who lives or dies. Maybe that’s the natural order, the flow I’m not meant to touch.

But... I can’t bring myself to see them die again. I can’t bear to watch them suffer. That’s not what my journey is supposed to be about.

Slowly, my eyes grow heavy, my eyelids sinking lower and lower. I’m so tired... I think to myself, feeling the weight of everything that’s happened over the past week. So little time has passed on this adventure, and yet it feels like a lifetime—especially with them...

A tear slips down my cheek. It’s salty, warm... but more than that, it carries the weight of my heart. At least, I think it does...

Moments later, the drowsiness wins, and I drift away into the dreamland.

I dream of that day. The death on their faces is carved deep into my mind, etched so clear I can’t look away. My heart races, and I feel like apologizing to them, over and over. But no matter how many times I say it in the dream, it’s never enough.

"You let me die, my Quill..."

"No, Roxy, I—"

"I thought you were my best friend. So why? Why did you force me to take the kill, Quill?"

"Powder, I didn’t think that—"

"I loved you. I followed you here. But you watched me die... I gave my powers away for you. Why, Quill?"

"Amara... please, forgive me—"

"Quill," Anna’s voice comes, but it sounds different. There’s no resentment in it.

"Anna, I’m sorry—"

"Quill!" It comes again, louder this time. I spin around, but she isn’t here. She isn’t in my dream at all.

"QUILL! WAKE UP!"

A sharp sting blooms across my cheek, and my eyes snap open. The morning sun burns gold above me, and strands of golden hair fall into my vision. White-as-snow eyes gaze down at me, a smile tugging at her lips.

"A-Anna...?"

"Good morning. Now tell me, Quill, my love—what the hell did you do to turn time back?"