The Gamer's POV

"My memories are still foggy. The order in which I remember things is random and fragmented. Also, I know I remembered a lot more things after setting eyes on that demon. However, after the fight, it’s almost as if the thin fog returned, obscuring everything once again." Aika trailed off, and her gaze lowered as her brow furrowed in frustration.

She exhaled and tapped the rim of the marble balustrade.

"Yes. What you are probably thinking is true. The human citizens of Xinthrea, those who survived the plague, did so by turning into demons." Aika took another drag. After she exhaled, she sighed deeply.

"I recall that only a few years after I left Xinthrea, I had asked about the state of my former home. That was when I was shown the new Xinthrea. As it turned out, the Chiliarch had found success in his experimentations using the blood of nobles. You see, everyone we left behind in that prison cell was either killed or captured. Those captured had become nothing more than living cattle for his research, my parents included. But more than that, this vile elixir was then given to the last surviving humans in the city."

Her voice cracked and she paused to bite her lip. After a moment, she forced out the words. "They now live on the life they stole from us, from the nobles and magi whose blood bought their survival. Seeing that only made my rage boil over. I had long made it my goal to wipe them off the face of that realm. That’s why, when I saw that demon and his fiend, all I saw was Xinthrea’s sin. And then, I lost control."

She turned to look at Cedric, who was now looking at her. "I get it. I get you are upset. It was dangerous. I know. But..."

"You could have died, Aika." He exhaled, turning fully toward her. "I could have lost you that night. Do you have any idea how terrified I really was?"

Cedric clenched his jaw, and his fists were tightening as a lot of emotions bubbled in his chest.

After he had learned that Aika was engaging in a life-or-death battle, he had gone over there. And as the fight progressed, he had discovered that her opponent was far too dangerous for her to take on alone.

Seeing that, he wanted to jump in to help, but then, Aika had mentally told him to leave this to her. That it was her fight. And so, he had not interfered and had just watched from the sidelines, helpless as it was.

Of course, he trusted her to handle herself. She was a powerful woman who could hold her own, and he trusted that she would actually prevail. But... that didn’t stop his chest from tightening with every blow she took.

The hardest point was when even Gamer Privileges began to urge him to use the Bond Command on her.

Truth be told, this was the first time he was tempted to forcefully use that to call her back to his side, but at the end, he had refused that.

How? How could he do that to her?

...He couldn’t do it.

She wouldn’t forgive him if he did that.

Plus, with her mental state at the time, she would have tried to refuse the order, and that would have caused her pain.

So, no. He chose to never control her against her will.

But then, the sheer terror of almost watching her die, while he had to stay back and watch had left an ache in him that reason couldn’t cure.

That’s why he was upset.

Aika sighed and leaned against the stone, avoiding his eyes. "I needed to see how I fare against one of them. I needed to check my own strength. How can I say I want revenge if I can’t even take on one on my own and have to rely on you to save me?"

Cedric gritted his teeth, taking a step closer to her. "I get it. I get that this is personal. But Aika, he was stronger than you. There’s nothing wrong with relying on me. We are a team here! Rage all you want. But if your rage puts you in danger, I will quell that rage!"

Hearing that, Aika frowned and shot him a sharp look with a brow raised. "Quell it? You think you can just step in and master my anger for me? I am not a child, Cedric! I don’t need you to manage my emotion—"

"I’m not managing your emotions," Cedric interrupted. "I’m keeping you alive!"

Aika scoffed angrily, taking a deliberate step closer to him. "Tell me honestly, Cedric Mortimer. What are you really afraid of? I believe that you must have figured it out by now. Unlike other bonds who are the source of their bearer’s powers, I was just the catalyst. Even without me here, you’d still have your powers. If I die, you won’t lose a single bit of your strength. So if you are worried about your own power, then you can stop worrying!"

"Ha. Haha." Cedric let out a dry, humorless laugh and ran a hand through his hair in pure frustration. "I never knew you could be so damn dense. Don’t tell me... do you really think I’m keeping you alive because of power?"

Aika arched a brow, crossing her arms as she held his gaze. "Are you saying you aren’t?"

"Yes, damn it!" The words tore past his lips before he could stop them. "I love you too much to lose you, Aika!"

Silence fell.

Aika’s eyes widened, and her usual composure cracked to reveal genuine shock.

Cedric closed the remaining distance between them, then locked his gaze onto her surprised eyes. "Do you still not get it? I love you, Aika Soryu. So don’t you ever hold me back from protecting you. Because I refuse to sit by and watch you throw your life away!"

At this moment, his anger seemed to have drained and his voice softened into a quiet, almost desperate whisper. "I won’t survive losing you..."

For a moment after, Aika looked like a statue, caught entirely off guard as the shock rendered her speechless.

Her unfocused eyes searched his face for any sign of a bluff. And then, to Cedric’s surprise, her expression shifted from disbelief to a bold challenge. "Prove it."

"Huh?" He arched a brow.

"I don’t believe you. Prove that you love me. Prove that you care about more than just our Bond. Prove—"

She was still speaking when Cedric reached out and grabbed her cheeks with gentle force, then he pulled her toward him and captured her mouth fiercely with his own.

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