Chapter 103: The Man Who Couldn’t Save Everyone 2

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: The Man Who Couldn’t Save Everyone 2

Felix looked at the screen. Then he looked at Seraphina’s name, still active on the call.

A mischievous idea popped into his head. It was probably a terrible idea, but it was way too funny to pass up.

Without saying a word, he tapped the screen, merged the two calls together, and acted completely normal.

"Sorry about that," he said to Seraphina. "What were you saying?"

"I’m serious, Felix. You need real food and high-grade mana herbs, not junk."

Right on cue, Liora’s cheerful voice cut into the call, totally clueless. "Felix! You didn’t pick up at first, so I thought maybe you were still stuck at the Association, or asleep, or—"

Silence fell over the line.

Then, Seraphina’s voice came through, flat as ice: "...Liora?"

"Seraphina?!" Liora squeaked, her voice jumping an octave. "Wait—why are you—is this—Felix, what did you do?!"

Felix leaned back on the cushions, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

"Felix," Seraphina said, sounding like an angry teacher.

"In my defense," he wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye, "you both called at the exact same time. I just solved the problem."

"You didn’t warn either of us!"

"Where’s the fun in that?"

"This isn’t funny," Seraphina insisted, though she didn’t sound completely mad.

"It’s a little funny," Liora mumbled.

Felix grinned at the ceiling. "Well, since you’re both here, how was everyone’s day?"

"Fine," Seraphina said.

"Good," Liora repeated right after her.

"Amazing," Felix teased. "I truly brought two great conversationalists together tonight."

Neither of them laughed.

Felix sank deeper into the sofa. "Fine, I’ll go first. I’m home, I ordered dinner, and I’ve spent the last ten minutes doing absolutely nothing. It’s great."

"You need to rest," Seraphina said.

"You need to eat!" Liora chimed in right on top of her.

Both girls stopped talking.

Felix looked at his phone, thoroughly amused. This is going to be fun.

"I can do both," he said smoothly. "I’m a very talented guy."

"That wasn’t a joke, Felix," Seraphina said softly.

"I know."

"Then don’t laugh it off." Her tone turned serious, and it made the smile fade from his face. On the other end, Liora went quiet too.

Felix sat up a little straighter. "Alright, no more jokes."

"I promise I won’t do something crazy on purpose without a good reason," he answered honestly. "But if something like yesterday happens again... I can’t just stand there and do nothing while people are dying."

Neither girl replied right away. They clearly didn’t like hearing it, but they knew it was the truth.

"That’s just the job," he added, keeping his voice gentle.

"I know," Seraphina said quietly after a moment.

"I just don’t want you to get hurt."

"I’ll remember that, Sera."

There was a short pause. Then, Liora’s voice came through, hesitant. "Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"Were there... a lot of injured people?"

The whole mood in the room changed. Felix looked out the dark window at the bright city lights below. He thought about all the hospital beds still full of bloody bandages.

"Yeah," he said, not trying to hide it. "More than a hundred hurt hunters came through my ward alone. A lot more across the whole area."

Liora’s breath hitched. "Did you save them?"

"Most of them." He paused. "Not all of them."

The phone stayed dead silent. Felix could have made a quick joke to lighten the mood, but he didn’t. Some things were too serious for that.

"There were people I couldn’t reach in time," he said softly. "Some were already dead before I even stepped up to them. I gave it everything I had. Sometimes, that still isn’t enough."

The only sound in his apartment was the low hum of the air vent.

Then Seraphina spoke up. "You shouldn’t blame yourself for the ones you couldn’t save."

Felix looked down at the screen.

"You went there to help," she said in her calm, direct way. "You saved everyone you could reach. The fact that some didn’t make it doesn’t take away what you did for the rest." She wasn’t someone who knew how to give sweet comfort, but he could hear how hard she was trying.

"Thanks, Sera."

A moment later, Liora whispered, "You still saved people, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then... that’s a good thing," she said, her voice small but firm. "It’s awful that some died. But the ones you fixed get to go home. They get to see their families."

Felix closed his eyes. "You’re right."

Liora’s simple words helped clear his head. He couldn’t fix the past. He could only take care of right now.

"Thank you, Liora."

"You’re welcome," she muttered, sounding a little shy. Then she added, "So... make sure you eat your food."

Felix chuckled. "There it is."

"She’s right about eating, though," Seraphina put in quietly.

Felix stared at the phone. "Oh, great. You two are teaming up against me now?"

Felix said, laughing when both went quiet.

"So," Felix said, "why did you two call me in the first place, before I solved your timing problem?"

"I wanted to check on you," Seraphina answered simply.

"I wanted to tell you I finally beat that hard boss!" Liora announced proudly.

Felix blinked. "The one you said was totally broken and unfair?"

"It was unfair!"

"And yet you won."

"Because I practiced and got better!"

"Sure." He rolled his ryes.

"Felix."

He laughed out loud. "I’m kidding. Good job. I know you were stuck on that fight for days."

"Thanks," she mumbled, happy.

Seraphina listened quietly. Felix could easily imagine her sitting in her room, holding the phone, her silver hair over her shoulders, listening to them bicker.

"So," Felix teased, "are you finally ready to let me win a race in that driving game?"

"No," Liora said right away.

"Not even once?"

"You’ve never beaten me fairly, and you’re not starting now."

"I totally beat you that one time!"

"You cheated!"

Seraphina finally piped up. "What kind of game is this?"

"A racing game," Liora explained. "Felix is terrible at it."

"I am not terrible."

"You drove into the exact same wall four times in a row last week!"

"The wall moved, okay?"

Seraphina went quiet for a second, then asked in a deadpan, serious voice: "How does one crash into a wall that does not move?"

"See?!" Liora laughed, delighted. "That’s what I’ve been saying!"

Felix dramatically held his chest. "Sera, you’re supposed to be on my side."

"I am merely asking for facts."

"You two are completely bullying me."

"We are not working together," Seraphina said.

"We definitely are right now," Liora said at the same time.

Felix groaned, and for the next ten minutes, both girls teamed up to roast his terrible gaming skills.

Liora brought up the evidence, and Seraphina asked dry, serious questions that left him with zero excuses. Every defense he tried to make fell completely flat.

Finally, Felix threatened to hang up on both of them.

"You won’t," Liora challenged.

"Try me."

"If you hang up, you won’t get a rematch tomorrow."

"...That is pure blackmail."

"And yet you continue talking to us," Seraphina pointed out softly. There was a quiet trace of warmth in her voice.

Felix smiled at the ceiling. "Yeah. I guess I do."

DING-DONG.

"My food is here," Felix said.

"Finally," Seraphina replied.

"Eat slowly, okay?" Liora added.

Felix got up, grabbed his food from the delivery guy, thanked him, and sat back down on the sofa with the warm paper bag in his lap.

"Yes, yes. I’ll chew my food properly."

He opened the box, grabbed his fork, and looked at the phone on the table. Both girls were still there. One was making sure he actually fed himself, and the other had stayed on the line long after getting her answer, neither of them asking for anything.

They just wanted to make sure he was safe.

Felix took his first bite of food. "You know, for two people who accidentally ended up on the same call, you’re both surprisingly nice company tonight."

"Hm," Seraphina hummed through the speaker.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Liora muttered.

"I know," Felix said, his smile soft and warm.

"And I appreciate it."

The food was hot. The room was cozy. The quiet sound of their voices came through the speaker as Liora started rambling about her next video game mission while Seraphina occasionally asked a sharp question that made her trip over her words.

Felix couldn’t save every person in the world. He couldn’t stop the next gate from opening, and he couldn’t promise that he’d never bleed again.

But when the day was done, he could come home. He could pick up the phone. And he could listen.

He was home, warm and safe, and he wasn’t alone.

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