Chapter 234: Ren’s Choice

Trembling lips, unable to endure any longer, formed the forbidden name.

“Ren.”

Lightning-like light flashed through Verdi’s eyes as he spoke the boy’s true name.

At the very end, shouldn’t a person at least hear their own name spoken?

Verdi understood perfectly what the taboo meant, but this was not magic that could be broken so easily.

At least, that was what he believed.

Though whether reason came first, or his feelings toward Ren, even he could no longer tell.

“I’ll make sure to tell them.”

Looking into those dampened eyes, Verdi tightened his grip.

There was no hesitation.

He would part the soft flesh and sever the artery in a single stroke. Before pain could even register, consciousness would fade first.

In your final moment, I hope what you remember is not pain, but your name.

Verdi prayed sincerely.

“Now it’s time to forget everything.”

The orb shook violently, on the verge of shattering. There was no more time to delay.

The instant his sword thrust forward in accordance with his conviction—

A shrill ringing burst into existence.

Piiiiiiiiiiing—.

A metallic sound scraped against the inside of his ears.

At the end of that nauseating sensation, like insects crawling beneath his skin, a voice spoke.

The voice issued its command with perfect calm.

Return.

It was also a voice he had heard once before.

Verdi quietly drew in a breath.

He could not simply leave.

Breaking the taboo had been an expression of respect toward Ren. But Verdi had no intention of abandoning his mission. Conviction was not something that could be folded away so easily, nor something that should be discarded so lightly. This was not personal emotion. Verdi had devoted himself to the kingdom long ago.

So long ago he could no longer remember when.

Power writhed from within his body.

The shadows spreading beneath his feet surged and formed countless daggers. Without a sound, they shot toward Ren.

SHHHHK.

Hundreds of daggers tore through the air, all aimed at a single target.

Ren’s throat.

CLAAANG.

CLANG.

CLAAANG.

But not one of the daggers managed to touch even the tip of Ren’s hair before crashing uselessly to the floor.

“I suspected you were no ordinary being.”

Verdi was not surprised. Giselle had warned him beforehand about an “interferer.”

And Verdi already knew the person who had interfered in the forest was the same one.

Someone who wielded extraordinary power.

Someone unafraid of the Hero’s authority.

Verdi had already guessed the interferer was not human.

But what he had to do remained unchanged. Even if he had to burn away every last fragment of power left in his body, he would still take Ren’s life.

Verdi’s eyes turned black, and his body swelled as though it would burst apart. Darkness swallowed the entire cabin, and within the silent space, no sound could be heard. Even the strange voice telling him to return vanished without a trace. In a place without light, shadows could not exist.

Only darkness remained, engulfing the entire cabin.

And that darkness itself tightened around Ren’s breathing.

An invisible hand wrapped around Ren’s throat and squeezed.

Pearl-like tears gathered within his teal eyes.

Wrapped in darkness, Verdi watched him.

Unable to distinguish anything in the pitch-black space, Ren’s gaze searched vaguely through one corner of the darkness while awkwardly rolling a name through his mind—a name that would soon disappear again.

Thank you.

For telling me my name.

Verdi’s entire body shook violently.

Ren’s voice pierced straight into his mind.

It was not that he had heard an actual voice. The message itself had been conveyed directly.

When stars were close enough, they could communicate with one another.

And the message sent by a young star whose power had not even awakened yet was enough to completely shake Verdi apart.

Verdi knew.

If only a few more seconds passed like this, Ren’s breathing would stop completely.

And once a life had completely ended, no magic, authority, or great power could ever reverse it. Not even an omnipotent god could revive the dead.

That was the law of this world.

And in just a few more seconds—

If Verdi simply remained still and did nothing—

But in that fleeting instant.

For the briefest moment, Verdi’s conviction wavered.

The darkness he had constructed thinned, and through the opening, a massive hand shot forward, seized Verdi by the back of the neck, and hurled him away.

———!

No explosion sounded.

Yet the cabin wall collapsed entirely.

Verdi lost consciousness in a single blow. As he lay there barely blinking, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the ruined wall.

No.

Verdi’s description was wrong.

He could not be called “human.”

He looked like something crafted carefully by a god’s own hands. Less a human being than a masterpiece. A being who seemed woven from moonlight and carved from night itself had merely borrowed human form.

The figure gazed silently at Verdi.

He looked like someone who could casually reach out and crush Verdi’s heart in his hand.

But instead, he merely passed by him.

Even the wind and darkness themselves seemed to part to make way for him.

Approaching the bed, the man effortlessly lifted Ren into his arms.

With nothing more than a touch, the blood running down Ren’s throat stopped flowing. Carrying Ren in his arms, the man turned around.

Without making a single footstep, he approached Verdi, who could do nothing but weakly blink.

The man moved his hand.

The orb hidden inside Verdi’s coat was pulled out as though attached to invisible strings. It moved according to the man’s gesture. The light trapped inside it hurled itself fiercely toward Ren.

Cracks spread across the orb as though it were about to shatter.

The dark blue eyes watching those fractures were cold.

“Ren.”

“.......”

Only ragged breathing came from Ren. And yet somehow, he had not lost consciousness.

“That is your name.”

“.......”

Ren nodded weakly. Tears filled both eyes completely. Were they merely instinctive tears? What was so special about a name that hearing it sent ripples through his heart?

A single tear fell with a soft drip, spreading outward like a half-circle inside his chest.

But hearing his name did not restore anything.

Within memories painted over entirely in white, he could not find a single recollection connected to Ren.

And then a question surfaced.

Was it really alright for him to keep living like this?

What would happen to that person’s conviction? To the kingdom’s mission?

What would happen to the man called Verdi?

“Do you want to reclaim your name?”

Who are you, that you saved me?

Though confusion filled him, Ren’s eyes remained clear.

His voice would not come out. But somehow, Ren felt certain both men could read his thoughts.

I don’t know. I was prepared for this.

Shouldn’t I just let things follow their natural course?

If something like fate really exists.

Verdi’s face went blank.

The man’s expression hardened slightly as well. He looked at Ren as though looking upon something lacking. A massive bruise shaped like a handprint was rising along Ren’s neck.

And yet there was no resentment or pain in Ren’s eyes.

“Make a choice solely for yourself. Once you choose, there is no turning back.”

The voice was emotionless.

Yet for some reason, Ren thought the voice sounded very warm.

He was a stranger. It was the first time hearing that voice.

And still, Ren found the man strangely familiar.

I must have seen him somewhere before.

The man’s eyes seemed to curve faintly for an instant. His hand brushed over Ren’s neck once more.

“Ah......”

Ren fumbled at his throat.

His voice came out without pain. It sounded rough, as though he had slept for a very long time, but speaking itself was no longer difficult. Looking at the man with slight wonder, Ren turned toward Verdi, who still lay collapsed against the ruined wall.

“Um... are you alright?”

“.......”

Verdi twitched silently.

Of all things to ask in this situation. To ask that of the person who had just tried to kill him.

The boy truly was hopeless.

“Ren.”

“Ah, right. I understand.”

Ren frowned faintly.

The man had not said much, but Ren understood what he meant.

He was telling him to decide quickly.

Did he want to reclaim his name?

Honestly, he did not know.

The journey here had been strange, but it had also been peaceful. Continuing to live this way would not necessarily be bad.

And if it was for the sake of the kingdom.

If it was the duty of people called stars, then perhaps fulfilling that duty would not be so terrible.

“Once it breaks, there’s no turning back.”

Following the man’s gaze, Ren looked at the floating orb.

The light bursting from it as though lunging toward him was beautiful.

It felt strangely familiar.

Small cracks spread across the orb, growing faster and faster.

And once those cracks completely spread, the orb would shatter—

And whatever was inside it would rush toward Ren.

“That’s a frightening thing to say.”

But it was only natural.

After all, wasn’t the past something that could never truly be reversed?

“I want to see a bonfire.”

“.......”

A quiet gaze brushed against his cheek.

“No... maybe I want to see snow. No. I want to see starlight.”

Ren wanted to see something he missed.

But he could no longer remember what it was he longed for.

“Ah......”

Only then did Ren realize it.

If he did not reclaim his name, he would spend the rest of his life trapped inside this feeling of déjà vu.

Even the things he missed would vanish completely.

Without even retaining a single fragment of loneliness, he would forget everything forever.

And he would never even realize he had forgotten.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

Ren spoke softly.

“If possible... could you let me die?”

“Absolutely not.”

The man answered calmly.

“I will not allow it.”

Ren gave an awkward smile.

If it had been that kind of death, perhaps he could have accepted it.

But if it was not—

If this man who had appeared by tearing through the darkness intended to save him—

His vision blurred with tears.

He understood.

He understood that Verdi speaking his name had been a taboo.

And he understood how precious that feeling was too.

Had his name really been something worth speaking aloud?

Something worth changing a decision for, even in a single fleeting moment?

The violently shaking orb cracked further with a sharp crumbling sound as fractures spread across its entire surface.

And at that exact moment, Ren’s lips parted.