CHAPTER 8: RECALIBRATED

The moonlight covered the peaceful riverbank.

Nick’s broken body lay at the foot of the cliff, half buried in the mud. Each faint wave from the shore crept closer to wash over his arm... his leg... his face.

Slowly, the current began to pull him toward the river.

His body twitched once—barely.

A ragged groan escaped his lips, but no sound followed.

His throat had already been crushed by an iron pipe.

The only groans left were in his head.

Silent screams bouncing inside his aching skull.

『It hurts...』

That was the only thing he could think.

Every breath came out as a shallow rattle.

It was like air passing through broken glass.

Blood leaked from the side of his mouth and trailed down his cheek to mix with the muddy water.

He blinked weakly and his vision dulled.

The night sky above looked warped and distant, as if even the stars didn’t want to look at him.

『Is this really it...?』

He stared down at the wet, filthy ground.

A dying ant crawled near his hand as it struggled to move one of its crushed legs.

He let out a soundless laugh.

『Heh... guess that’s me, huh? We’re actually the same, little guy. Just another insect. A nobody.』

His thoughts drifted like mist.

『I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t hurt anyone. I wasn’t cruel. I... just tried to live with what I was given. An ugly face. A boring life. No one ever wanted me around, and somehow... I got used to it.』

It hurt, but he truly did.

He could feel the warmth in his chest fading away.

『And now... I just die like this? Alone in the dirt?』

His eyes blurred again.

Tears pooled in his eyes as the world turned gray.

『Life really isn’t fair...』

He tried to move, but only a few fingers twitched weakly.

Every muscle screamed.

He felt so heavy... so tired.

『It’s fine. No one would care anyway. Okay... maybe that’s a little harsh to Mom. She’d feel like a shit mother if she saw me like this... and I’m just gonna be that ungrateful kid who committed suicide without considering how my hardworking mother would feel.』

He coughed painfully.

『They’ll be like why didn’t he ask for help... my whole life has been a cry for help!』

The waves splashed gently against his hand.

His body was sliding closer to the river now.

『Still though... maybe it’s better this way. I won’t have to pretend anymore.』

He closed his eyes, and the image of a smiling Merlin sifted into his mind.

『I wish I at least got to tell you goodbye...』

His breathing stopped.

His body went still.

Dead.

[Host’s Earthworld body has ceased vital function!]

[Initiating emergency protocol...]

[Downloading Body Data from Phantasia...]

A glowing blue panel lit up the darkness of Nick’s fading consciousness.

[Processing...]

[Reconstructing skeletal structure...]

[Rebinding muscle tissue...]

[Installing mana pathways...]

[Generating cardiovascular matrix...]

[Reinfusing neural currents...]

[Cellular regeneration: 76%... 88%... 100%]

[Hair growth: complete.]

[Fingernail synthesis: complete.]

[Mana core: successfully integrated.]

The blue light pulsed once more, like a heartbeat.

[Rebirth sequence complete.]

And then—everything went dark again.

–

–

–

The Next Morning

Jace Walker lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling.

His eyes were red, bloodshot, and so dry they stung every time he blinked.

He hadn’t slept. Not for a second.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Nick’s face.

The blood, the bruises, the way his body crumpled after the final hit.

The alarm blared suddenly beside him.

BEEP—BEEP—BEE—

Jace jolted, grabbed the baseball bat leaning by the bed, and smashed the alarm clock into the wall.

The sound stopped.

He stood there, panting hard.

Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stared at the shattered plastic and blinking red numbers.

"God... damn it..." he whispered.

He ran his hands over his face and sat still for a long time.

No thoughts. Just guilt. Heavy, suffocating guilt.

Eventually, he got up.

The morning went by in a blur.

It was mostly suffocating thoughts and paranoia as he got ready for the day.

He brushed his teeth, washed his face, buttoned his shirt.

But no matter what he did, he couldn’t forget the pain he inflicted on Nick.

『I swear... I didn’t...』

He could still hear it. The weak, desperate tone.

He squeezed his toothbrush until it cracked.

"Why did I do that?"

His chest rose and fell painfully.

"What the hell was I even thinking...?"

He looked at himself in the mirror.

The young man staring back wasn’t the confident smug captain everyone admired.

His eyes looked hollow and haunted.

"Did I hate him that much?"

He rinsed his mouth, but the taste of mint didn’t help the nausea twisting in his gut.

"Nick wasn’t handsome, or smart, or rich. He couldn’t even talk back properly. So why..."

He trembled like a feverish dog.

"Why did I feel so mad just looking at him?"

He put on his school uniform in silence.

Downstairs, his mom had made breakfast, but even the smell of food made him sick.

He poked the eggs on his plate.

His reflection stared back from the glass of orange juice.

"I killed him because I wanted to feel... what? Strong? Right? Superior?"

He laughed bitterly.

"That’s pathetic."

The clock ticked. The silence pressed against his ears.

Then he took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the door.

The moment he stepped outside, he froze.

Susan was standing there.

She waved and smiled like every other day.

"Morning, Jace!"

She giggled softly and flashed him a dorky grin.

So beautiful to look at.

For a split second, he forgot to breathe.

Then it hit him. That smile.

That was the reason he hated Nick so much.

Nick was her childhood friend, so he had shared more memories with her than Jace ever did.

The thought always bothered him.

What annoyed him even more was how Nick always acted like he wasn’t attracted to Susan at all.

But then again... maybe Nick really wasn’t.

Was Jace just overthinking everything?

『Would she still smile like that if she knew?』

He tried to open his mouth but felt choked.

『If she knew her childhood friend was lying at the bottom of a cliff right now... would she hate me?』

His heart pounded painfully.

Before he could say anything, Susan walked up and wrapped her arms around his.

"The driver’s already here! We’re gonna be late."

Jace forced a smile.

It was tight, but he managed it.

"Yeah... right. Let’s go."

–

–

–

It was already past noon.

One of the classrooms were especially noisy.

"Everyone, please—! Settle down already!"

Miss Adeline clapped her hands.

Nobody listened.

Some of the girls were huddled near the windows and others were whispering and giggling.

The boys were tossing paper balls and snacks across the room.

It was chaos. Typical after-lunch energy.

Then, the door slid open.

Jace Walker stepped in with his usual swagger.

His golden-brown hair caught the light just enough to make half the girls swoon instantly.

"Kyaaa, it’s Jace!"

"Did you see that smile?"

"He looks so cool in that jacket!"

"Ugh, Susan’s so lucky I swear—"

Even Miss Adeline’s scolding tone softened as she turned toward him with a teasing smirk.

"Oh, good of you to join us, Mr. Walker. Try not to cause a riot next time."

Jace just chuckled. "No promises, ma’am."

He walked through the aisle slowly to soak in the attention without even meaning to. A few girls fluttered their lashes, one brushed her hair back too obviously, and another actually dropped her pen just to see if he’d pick it up.

He didn’t.

His eyes were fixed on one person.

Susan Fox.

She sat quietly by the window where she stared at her phone with a worried face.

Still, she managed to look elegant.

Her thumb kept tapping the same call button repeatedly.

Jace came up behind her quietly.

"Hey, babe..."

He leaned down to kiss her neck.

A faint blush rose on her skin, but she didn’t respond.

Instead, her eyes stayed glued to her phone screen.

The call was still ringing.

"Hey..."

Jace tried again as he forced an awkward smile.

"You ignoring me now?"

No reply.

He glanced at her phone and froze.

The call history showed the same name, over and over again.

[Nick Aarden – 15 missed calls...]

His smile faded.

"You’ve been calling him all morning?"

Susan didn’t look up.

"I haven’t seen him today... I’m really worried..."

Jace’s jaw tightened.

"He’s fine. Probably just acting depressed again to get your attention."

That made her snap her head up.

"Don’t say that."

He frowned.

"What? It’s true. You know how he is. Always playing the quiet victim thing so people pity him."

Susan’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"That’s not fair at all. Nick’s been through a lot. Maybe he just needs someone to check on him instead of judging him all the time."

Jace scoffed and tried to touch her hand, but she gently pushed him away.

"Not in class."

He felt his chest burn.

"Right. Nick’s more important right now, huh?"

Before she could answer, Miss Adeline finally snapped.

"Alright, that’s enough flirting and bickering! Everyone back to your seats, class starts now!"

Jace sighed and dropped into his chair beside Susan.

He was trying so hard to hide his disgust.

『That bastard’s better off dead...』

The room started to quiet down—

Until the door slid open again.

The noise died instantly.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

A tall young man stepped inside.

He wasn’t wearing the school uniform.

Just a white dress shirt and black dress pants.

His messy black hair shimmered slightly in the light to frame a sharp, model-tier jawline.

And his deep blue eyes looked like carved gemstones under sunlight.

For a second, the entire class forgot how to breathe.

"Who’s that?"

"He’s... he’s insanely handsome..."

"Holy crap, is he a new transfer student?"

"He’s so tall..."

"Look at his hair, it’s like—so soft..."

"Kyaaaaa!!! He’s gorgeous!!"

Even Miss Adeline blinked twice.

『Jeez, he’s an absolute hunk...』

Her strawberry lips parted slightly before she coughed and straightened her glasses.

"A... AHEM... excuse me, young man? This is a private class, you can’t just—"

The stranger didn’t answer.

He simply walked past everyone silently.

Every girl’s head turned as he moved.

Susan tilted her head at him. "No way, is that...?"

He made his way to the back row and sat down in one of the empty desks.

No, not empty.

That was Nick Aarden’s seat.

"Ah—wait!"

One of the girls jumped up and ran toward him and grabbed his arm shyly.

"Y-you shouldn’t sit there! That’s the fat guy’s seat!"

Another girl joined in.

"Yeah, it belongs to that loser who always stares out the window—Nick or something."

More voices joined the chorus—

"He can sit next to me!"

"No, next to me!"

"Oh my god, look at those eyes, he’s like a movie star!"

The entire room was melting into chaos again.

Miss Adeline sighed.

She was half blushing, half trying to act professional.

"Alright, alright! Everyone calm down! We don’t even know who this young man is yet—"

Then the stranger finally stood up.

He looked at her with calm, sharp eyes that somehow made her heartbeat stutter.

"Oh, it’s me, Miss Adeline..."

His voice easily made everyone shut up.

Adeline had been trying to do that from the moment classes resumed and she’d failed.

He cluelessly pointed at himself.

"Nick Aarden."

Every head snapped toward him.

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!?"