Ren stood in the middle of the garden, staring at what was once a lively field of flowers and vines. Now, every stem, leaf, and petal had turned brittle and gray. The air carried a faint, dead scent of sap and wilted life. The soil beneath his feet felt hollow, drained.

He raised his right hand and stared at it for a long moment. His fingers trembled slightly feeling something.

"…This must be my doing," he muttered, his voice quiet, almost surprised. "All the plants… they're dead."

A faint green light shimmered over his palm — soft at first, then rippling faintly through his veins. It wasn't painful, rather it felt comforting. Lines of emerald energy pulsed beneath his skin like living roots, weaving through muscle and bone.

A translucent window appeared before him:

Healing Grace – [Level 1]

*A forbidden healing system that operates on one absolute law: "Nothing is healed without cost." The user can sacrifice any living or non-living entity possessing vitality or energy—from plants to humans—to generate a healing surge proportional to the life force consumed. The sacrifice disintegrates into green particles, reconstructing the target's body on a cellular level.*

Ren's breath came out excited. He looked around at the countless lifeless plants and whispered, "So it really was me… this power killed them."

He clenched his hand into a fist. The green glow vanished. Yet inside, he could feel something new — a calm, vigorous strength, as though every inch of his body had been remade overnight.

"I feel… new," he murmured. "No pain. No fatigue. Like I've been reborn."

He recalled how shattered he'd been yesterday, both body and mind because of all the synthetic drugs that had been injected into him. But now, not even the dull ache in his chest remained. His skin was smooth, scars gone, nerves sharp.

Even his dick which had darkened veins was healed as it kept the size, but started to look more healthy.

For a moment, he allowed himself a small, proud smile. Then, inevitably, his thoughts drifted to Misa who is responsible for this power.

This morning had been… different.

Normally, she'd greet him with a gentle kiss on the forehead and a pat before rushing off to work. But today?

Ren rubbed his neck, embarrassed at the memory.

She hadn't just kissed him. She'd hugged him — tightly, almost possessively — burying her face into his shoulder, breathing in his scent like she was trying to memorize it.

And in front of Hiyori, no less.

Ren sighed. "She really didn't hold back…"

He remembered the way Misa's fingers had wandered behind him, shamelessly groping his ass while Hiyori looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor.

"Even Hiyori looked uncomfortable," he muttered, rubbing his face. "But Misa didn't seem to care at all."

The image made him chuckle, though unease lingered in his chest wondering what would happen to her personality.

Also deep down, he knew there was something else about her — something powerful.

Ever since last night, her presence felt heavier, sharper, almost simillar to what he feels when he meets Xinyue..

Ren glanced at his glowing hand again. "This skill… soshe had something like this but neither Kyouka or Hiyori knew about it."

He whispered to himself, "It might even be more useful than what I got from Meiling."

He paused, eyes softening. "She really is someone special, huh?"

A quiet promise formed in his mind, simple, unshakable.

"I'll find out her secret," he said softly. "No matter what. Because… she's already an irreplaceable part of my life."

The wind brushed his hair, scattering a few dried petals around his feet.

Just then, the door behind him creaked open.

"Ren," came a familiar voice.

He turned around to see Hiyori stepping into the garden. She was wearing a loose shirt and shorts, her pink hair slightly messy, eyes worried.

"You shouldn't be out here," she muttered, folding her arms. .

Ren smiled faintly. "I was just thinking."

"Thinking while standing in a graveyard of plants?" she asked dryly. "Mother said gardners will come to fix this... you should come inside."

Ren chuckled. "You're right. Guess I needed a change of scenery."

Hiyori stepped closer, frowning as she looked at the lifeless garden. "Ren… what do you think happened to our garden?"

He hesitated, then nodded. "Who knows what happen in this city anymore Hiyori? We should be ready for things that a more weird than this.."

Hiyori bit her lip, unsure how to respond. "That's… terrifying."

"Yeah." He looked up at the sky. "But it's also kind of exciting don't you think? To not have a single dull moment in our lives/."

She frowned deeper. "You always say scary things so calmly."

Ren smiled, but his eyes were distant.

After a moment, he turned to her. "Hey, didn't the academy start already? Aren't you going to go?"

Hiyori shook her head immediately. "No. I'm taking a few more days off."

"Why?"

She hesitated, then looked down. "Because I can't leave you alone right now."

Ren blinked, surprised. "You're worrying too much."

"I'm not!" she snapped. Then softer, "After what happened… I just can't."

Ren sighed and looked at her face. There was guilt there — heavy, lingering guilt. He knew exactly where it came from.

She still blamed herself for not being there when he was kidnapped.

"Hiyori," he said gently, "you're not responsible for me."

She looked up at him, startled.

He smiled a little. "I told Kyouka the same thing. None of you are responsible for me. I'm the only one who's supposed to protect myself."

She clenched her fists. "But you—"

He interrupted her softly. "We come into this world alone, and we leave it alone. If I keep depending on someone to save me, I'll never get stronger. I'll just end up being a loser."

The words hung heavy in the air.

Hiyori looked down again, biting her lip hard. "You sound like you've already decided something."

Ren exhaled slowly, looking toward the horizon. "Yeah. I think I'm going to quit the academy."

Her head shot up. "What?"

"I want to join Dungeon Expeditions instead. Go straight into the field."

Hiyori didn't look as surprised as he expected. She stayed quiet for a while before muttering, "I knew you'd say that one day."

Ren chuckled. "You don't sound very shocked."

"I'm not," she said softly. "Because I… I'll be awakened soon too. I want to follow you."

Ren turned to her, surprised.

She continued, eyes glinting with quiet resolve. "When that happens, I'll become strong enough to protect you — no, to save you next time."

Ren smiled faintly. "You really don't have to."

"I want to!" she said, her voice cracking a little. "You always act like you're fine, but you don't know how scared I was when you were gone."

Ren blinked. Then he laughed softly and reached out, tapping her forehead. "You really are a crybaby sometimes, you know that?"

She puffed her cheeks. "I'm not."

He grinned. "And you're adorable when you're mad."

That earned him a light punch on the shoulder.

But the moment didn't last. Hiyori's tone grew serious again. "Ren, you can't just quit the academy like that. You need to graduate if you want to join a guild."

Ren smiled mysteriously. "Who said anything about joining a guild?"

Her brows furrowed. "Then what are you—"

He cut her off with a shrug. "I'll be working with Luxy."

Hiyori froze. "So… what Mother said was true? You actually want to go with that solo hunter thing?"

"That's right," he said simply.

"Why?"

Ren smiled faintly, his eyes drifting as if recalling a memory. "Because she saved me. And because she knows more about dungeons than anyone else I've met. She's the best person to learn from — and she doesn't belong to any guild that wants to use me as their 'breeding horse.'"

Hiyori flinched at the crude term. "You really think she's better than being in a guild?"

"Yeah. She's free. Wild. She lives her own way."

For a while, Hiyori didn't say anything. Then, quietly, she asked, "Do you… love her?"

Ren blinked, then burst out laughing. "Hell no."

She was surprised. "That was fast."

"Well," Ren said, scratching his head, "she's special, sure. But love? No way. I don't think I could ever love a woman like that."

He remembered the last time he saw Luxy, sitting on her couch, chips scattered around, yelling insults at a bunch of people online while playing some competitive shooter game.

"Trust me," he said with a smirk. "She's not exactly romantic material."

Hiyori giggled despite herself. "It looks like you really are friends with her."

"I am," Ren admitted, chuckling. "She saved me after all."

For a few seconds, both of them stood quietly under the morning sun.

The lifeless garden looked less frightening now, just another reminder that life and death were two sides of the same coin.

Hiyori looked up at him again. "Ren… promise me something."

"What is it?"

"When you go with her… don't ever do anything dangerous that will get you in trouble."

He looked at her, seeing the tremor in her eyes. Then he smiled softly. "I can't promise that. But I can promise I'll always come back."

She frowned. "That's basically the same thing."

"Not really," he said with a grin. "It just means I'm a survivour."

She punched him lightly again, then sighed. "You're impossible."

He laughed quietly, turning back toward the dead garden. His eyes glowed faintly green for a moment as he muttered, "I'm not really, it's this world that keep throwing impossible things at me."

The wind rustled through the dry leaves, and for a fleeting second, one small sprout of green peeked through the soil showing not everything was dead.

Ren smiled faintly muttering to himself. "Guess I'll have to learn how to control this powertoo."

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