"Heavenly Blessed Individual... who are you, and how did you end up here?"
Her voice was so soft, so faint, it almost blended with the quiet of the ruined forest.
She leaned her wounded body against his, her weight light — too light. As if her life could fade away at any second. Malik sat there, his back resting against a jagged stone, the two of them cradled by the wreckage of battle. Both of them soaked in blood, their bodies trembling, every breath a struggle.
If it were any other moment... if his mind wasn't buried in this spiral of exhaustion and fear, he might have died from the simple closeness of such a beauty.
But there was no strength left for thoughts like that. Only the dull, numbing ache of reality.
"I'm Malik," he said, his voice almost as broken as his body. "I'm... just a nobody. A talentless individual. I was wandering toward death — that's all — until I heard someone cry for help. I followed the voice here."
As he spoke, his hand pressed against her side, over the worst of her wounds, trying — and failing — to stop the flow of blood.
She didn't understand all his words, but she understood the one that mattered: Malik.
"So that's your name..." she whispered.
A short silence passed between them, broken only by the ragged sound of breathing.
Her gaze drifted downward, settling on the shattered remnants of the sword, still resting in Malik's bloodied hands.
"That sword... where did you get it?"
Malik followed her eyes, and a sad smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh. That..." His voice was hoarse, dry. "A man in white robes — one of your people, I think — handed it to me before he died. He asked me to save the Princess."
His eyes met hers, the question resting there even before he spoke it.
"Are you... her? Are you the Princess?"
The young woman's expression softened at once. A faint, almost weightless smile flickered across her bruised face.
'No wonder... no wonder he risked his life to save me. Twice. Even after I gave him the chance to escape.'
She could hear her own heartbeat — weak and slow, but steady enough to carry one last thought.
'So he heard me. And even one of my clan members placed their final hope in him.'
"What do you think?" she asked, her voice laced with a gentleness that barely hid the weight of her injuries. She winked at him, her voice too soft for the moment, too human for the world that had become nothing but death.
And just like that, the tears Malik had been holding back broke through.
She didn't have to say it. He knew. His guess was right.
She was the Princess. The one he had failed to save. The one who had saved him, instead.
The weight of that truth dug deep into his chest.
He had saved her, but at what cost?
Looking at her now, leaning against him, blood soaking her robes, her breath growing slower and weaker — he couldn't lie to himself.
They weren't getting out of here.
Not both of them.
Soon, her strength would run out. Soon, his own battered body would give in. Whether it was the beasts or the cold or the exhaustion... it wouldn't be long.
His throat tightened, his chest trembled, and the tears came faster.
"I'm sorry, Princess. I'm so, so sorry. I'm too weak."
His voice cracked as the words spilled out. "I'm just a Level 0... I've got nothing. No background, no strength, no luck, no future. I couldn't even save you."
"You're the one who saved me. You're the only reason I'm alive. You were the one who stood up for me, even when I had nothing to offer. I should be the one dying, not you."
His hands trembled as they tightened around her, pulling her closer, as if he could anchor her to life by sheer will alone.
The Princess sat there, stunned by his words. Her heart, weakened as it was, ached in ways she couldn't understand.
No one — not even her own people — had ever said something like that to her.
Not her guards, not her comrades, not her kin.
But this boy — this weak, level-zero mortal — wanted to die for her.
A mortal, so insignificant, but so human.
And then her mind returned to the moment during the battle.
He unleashed the sword's potential. He has no mana. Not a single trace of it. And yet...
Her eyes turned to him, her voice low, thoughtful, almost hesitant.
"Heavenly Blessed Individual... how did you unleash that attack with the sword?"
Malik blinked, caught off guard.
"I... I don't know. I just... pushed my will into it. I wanted to protect you. And the sword responded."
Her body went still.
Her heart skipped.
She slowly, gently pulled herself away from him, her eyes wide, staring at him as if seeing him for the first time.
Malik's heart skipped too. He thought he'd done something wrong.
"I—I didn't mean to offend you! Please forgive me!" His head bowed low, tears still rolling from his eyes, his voice breaking apart.
But the girl wasn't angry.
She was stunned.
She whispered the words to herself, as if trying to believe them.
"He's the one. He's the one..."
Then, her voice steadied, and for the first time she called his name.
"Malik."
His head lifted, his tearful eyes meeting hers.
"Do you know... why I was attacked? Why all my clan members died?"
Malik shook his head, still too lost in confusion and guilt to piece anything together.
The Princess smiled, a sad, tired smile.
And then — without warning — her fingers moved. Slowly, shakily, she pressed them to her own chest.
Malik's heart stopped.
"What are you doing?!" His voice rose in panic as he tried to stop her, but his body was too weak. He couldn't even lift his arm.
She didn't answer.
A few seconds later, her hand pulled away — and in her palm lay a golden stone, glowing faintly, almost pulsing like a heart.
The stone was beautiful. But the cost of holding it... was everything.
"It's because of this," she said softly. "This treasure. It's the reason for all this bloodshed. It's the reason my clan was wiped out."
Her voice grew slower. He could hear the life draining from it, word by word.
"This stone... no one has ever managed to awaken its true power. Not me. Not my people. No one."
Her hand trembled as she held it toward him.
"I'm giving it to you, Malik."
The words felt unreal.
"Why me? You've already lost so much. Why show me this? Why pass it to me? You've made your wounds worse just pulling it out."
But her smile didn't fade. Her gaze never wavered.
"Because I believe in you."
Her fingers loosened, and the golden stone slowly floated toward Malik, carried by a faint light.
"Please accept it, Malik. So that Qing'er... can rest easy."
The moment her name left her lips, Malik's heart clenched.
"Qing'er... I swear, I'll save you. No matter what."
His trembling hand stretched out, catching the golden stone just as her body began to fade.
Her voice — soft, barely more than a whisper — carried the last words to him.
"Qing'er will be waiting."
And then she was gone.
The stone pulsed in his hands, warm and heavy. His mind was empty. His heart — shattered.
And then the system's voice echoed in his head.
---
<
[Congratulations. You have completed the Hidden Quest: The Forbidden Path.]
[Reward Obtained: Qing'er's Heart]
---
His hands trembled.
'This... is her heart.'
The words rang in his head, too loud, too real.
The golden stone slipped from his fingers and hit the ground. He stared at it, his body frozen, his mind numb.
And then, without thinking, he reached for it again.
He held it tight, sitting there in silence, until his body sank lower, folding itself into a lotus position. His hands still gripped the stone. His thoughts were a mess. His heart, heavier than before.
And then — the stone moved on its own.
Before he could react, the golden light rushed forward, piercing through his chest, embedding itself deep inside him.
The scream tore from his throat, sharp, raw, full of pain.
And the world went dark.