Arjun's POV
The green mangoes were sweet and sour, their juice dripping down our fingers as we sat under the tree, pretending things were normal.
Vhim was grinning like an idiot, munching with childlike excitement. His lips were sticky. His eyes carefree.
But me?
I wasn't tasting anything anymore.
My senses were loud. Alert. Every noise in the wind, every shift in expression from Manglu… I was watching it all.
Something was wrong.
I couldn't sit any longer.
I slowly stood up.
Vhim glanced at me, mid-bite, and tilted his head like he just remembered something.
"Manglu, where's your lil' bro?" he asked.
Manglu, who had been silent all this time, replied smoothly, "He's ill. Sleeping in his room probably."
Ill?
No sounds came from the house. No cough. No movement. Just silence.
"I almost forgot," I said, testing the waters. "Today's the day to go to the orphanage."
Manglu's gaze shifted—just a little—but enough to catch it.
"But… isn't it four days later?" he asked.
"It was," I replied. "But Grandpa told us this morning—we're going today."
Manglu blinked once. "Can I come with you guys?"
Before I could say anything, Vhim jumped in. "Why not?! Let's go together!"
I wanted to speak.
I wanted to say no.
But I stopped myself.
If he really is the one… then keeping him close might be the only way to find out.
I kept silent.
In my head, everything was screaming.
We need help. We need power. But Vhim hasn't fully awakened yet. And me? I'm still too weak to protect anyone.
If Manglu is the demon… then we're walking with death itself.
---
One Hour Later
We reached the orphanage.
But what we saw made everything freeze.
Villagers stood around, whispering, glancing at each other with grim expressions.
No one dared to raise their voice.
Something… terrible had happened.
I grabbed a passing uncle by the shoulder. "What happened?"
He didn't answer at first. Just looked at me with wide, hollow eyes. Then muttered, "The boy… he came to say goodbye. But… what he saw…"
A few more moments of eavesdropping, and the full picture fell together like a dark puzzle:
A boy, preparing to leave for the Knight Exams, decided to visit the orphanage as a farewell gesture. He had awakened his rare soul nature recently—a B-rank spirit called "Care First Shield", a soul that protects those who cannot protect themselves.
No one usually visited the orphanage.
But this boy… he had a kind heart.
He thought, maybe just once, he could encourage those less fortunate.
But what he saw…
Was horror.
He found the guardian dead.
And the children missing.
Blood on the floor.
He followed the trails in panic—racing through the forest.
All the way to that cave.
And he found what we found.
Ten children. Motionless. Cold.
He ran back. Told everyone.
That's why the crowd was here.
That's why everyone was whispering.
That's why the orphanage felt like a grave.
I glanced beside me.
Vhim looked pale again.
Manglu stood a little behind, unreadable.
I kept my expression calm. But inside?
Everything was falling apart.
.
.
.
We were there… when they gathered the small bodies.
Laid them out gently.
Wrapped them in white cloths, one by one.
And dug the graves with hands that trembled.
The villagers lit the incense. Some whispered prayers.
Others just stared in silence, like the world had stopped.
Vhim stood beside me.
He didn't say a word.
His eyes, for a second, looked empty. Like someone had scooped the light out of them.
And then the tears came. Quiet at first. Then steady. They didn't stop. Not even when his shoulders began to shake.
He was biting his lips. Hugging himself.
I reached out and pulled him in.
I held him tight.
Because truth is—I couldn't hold it in either.
Tears welled up, burning, falling.
This pain… it wasn't just about the children.
It was about us.
We played with them. We chased fireflies with them. We dreamed silly dreams under these trees.
They admired us. Looked up to us. Believed in us.
We were the ones.
And now… they were gone.
---
Manglu was there too.
Standing a bit apart.
I looked at him once, just once—and in that second, I thought I saw it.
Anger.
No… not just anger.
Suppressed rage. A flicker in his eyes.
But the next second?
It was gone.
Back to cold. Back to empty.
Like he didn't feel a damn thing.
But he came here often. I remembered that.
He played with them too sometimes. Gave them fruits.
So why? Why then?
Why now?
---
I looked up at the sky.
The smoke of the funeral fire rising slowly.
And I hated it.
I hated all of it.
Not because of the demon.
Not even because of the deaths.
But because… I wrote this.
I created this path. I imagined this pain.
Not to hurt anyone, but to change Vhim.
To awaken his inheritance. To force his eyes open to the past.
But now? Now it felt wrong.
Wrong in a way I couldn't put into words.
I closed my eyes and the tears came again.
But this time, it wasn't for the boys.
It was for me.
For the shame that clung to my soul like rot.
For the regrets I couldn't wash away.
I was a loser back then. Running from life.
And even now…
Even now, I'm still the same.
.
.
Third Person POV
The night had fallen over the village, but its warmth was gone.
The day had left behind a silence that no one wanted to break, not even the insects. The funeral was over. The bodies had been burned. Ashes to ashes. Smoke had risen into the sky, but the weight in Arjun's heart stayed behind.
He and Vhim had returned home quietly.
Dinner was quiet. The food had no taste. No one said much. Even Vhim, who usually mumbled nonsense between bites, barely touched his plate.
Afterward, they both went to bed. Not because they were tired, but because they didn't know what else to do.
Today was a disaster.
Today reminded Arjun once again how powerless he was.
He laid down, trying to force sleep.
But the faces came—those boys, those girls, who had once laughed and ran with them. Faces full of joy now frozen in death. And in his ears, he could almost hear their giggles, their dreams, their promises.
And then—Vhim's voice broke the silence.
"Arjun," he said quietly, "I think that boy who came to say farewell has something to do with it."
Arjun blinked, startled. "What are you talking about? He just came to say goodbye."
"But…" Vhim replied, "he's never gone to the orphanage before. Right?"
Arjun sat up.
How did the boy know the way to the cave?
"…Maybe someone told him," Arjun muttered, though even he didn't sound convinced. "We're missing details. We can't assume yet. Let's sleep. Tomorrow we'll go around the village and ask. That boy is still in the village, right?"
Vhim shook his head. "No. He left right after the funeral."
Arjun sighed. "Alright. Sleep, then."
The room fell quiet again.
But Arjun didn't close his eyes.
Instead, his thoughts spiraled—messy, bitter.
This world's power system…
If only I could change it. If only I had made it more logical. Something better. Not this broken thing where strength doesn't come to those who need it most.
His grip on the blanket tightened.
If I had something… anything… that could alter the story and this reality right now…
He whispered, barely audible, "If I had something that can alter the reality and the story right now…"
He didn't know…
But something heard him.
---
[Loser's Lie Activated.]
[Loser's Wish Created.] (Can be used once a year.)
[Wish: Alter the Power System.]
[Granted.]