The throne room of Lous had been rebuilt countless times—burned, looted, restored, and gilded again—but never had it looked this empty. Gold filigree peeled from cracked walls, and the chandeliers swayed like pendulums above an executioner's block.
Kai Everain stood before the throne, his debt crystal glowing a deep, throbbing red against his chest. Each pulse synced with his heartbeat—too loud, too heavy. Behind him, Rina clutched her staff, eyes darting between the fading magical seals etched along the floor. Nero the cat spirit crouched on her shoulder, tail flicking nervously.
"Okay," Kai muttered. "Let's recap. We broke into the vault, survived the gold automaton, and found a massive floating ledger that tried to sue me for existing."
Rina glared. "You also shouted 'objection' and set half the room on fire."
Kai shrugged. "It worked."
"Barely!"
Before the argument could spiral, the floor beneath them rippled like water, and a voice—ancient, layered, and bitter—echoed through the chamber.
"You've borrowed much, mortal. Every step you've taken, every spell you've cast, every life you've touched has been paid for in advance."
The air chilled. From the shadows beyond the throne emerged the Debt King, his form shrouded in ragged royal robes, jewels dangling like chains from his wrists. His face was half hidden behind a cracked gold mask, the other half pale and skeletal. The faint clinking of coins accompanied every movement he made.
Kai's usual grin faltered. "So that's him… the Debt King. Great. He looks like he sells haunted mortgages."
"Silence," the king's voice thundered, and every candle in the room extinguished at once. The only light came from Kai's debt crystal—and the eerie glow from the king's crown, a circlet of fractured gemstones that bled shadow.
The Debt King raised a hand, and dozens of spectral coins materialized in the air around him. Each bore the image of a hero—faces of the fallen.
"Do you understand what you've done, Limit Breaker? You borrow power as if it were air. But every breath has a price."
Kai's crystal pulsed violently. For the first time, he felt something pulling back.
Pain lanced through his chest as a projection shimmered into being behind him—a shadowy version of himself, chained and screaming.
Rina gasped. "Kai! Your soul—"
"Yeah, yeah, I see it! He's uglier than I thought."
The shadow twisted, its mouth opening wider than should be possible. It whispered words Kai didn't recognize but understood instinctively. Debt never dies.
The king stepped closer, each stride echoing like a tolling bell. "The debt you carry has reached its limit. Your body is collapsing under the weight of unpaid power. So I will collect what is mine."
For once, Kai didn't have a comeback. His usual smirk was gone, replaced by a quiet fear. He turned to Rina and Nero, forcing a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Looks like I'm out of credit."
Rina's voice trembled. "Then we'll earn it back together—"
But before she could finish, the floor erupted in blinding light. Golden chains shot from the cracks, coiling around Kai's arms and legs, pinning him in midair. His crystal flared, cracking down the center.
Nero leapt forward. "Kai!"
The cat spirit's claws met an invisible barrier, and his voice warped with static. "He's being pulled—!"
The Debt King's mask tilted. "Your power belongs to me now. The interest has come due."
Kai tried to fight it. Tried to push back with every ounce of defiance he had left. But the chains burned hotter the more he struggled. His vision blurred, and through the pain, one thought cut through the noise: If my debt's this high… maybe it means I've done something worth paying for.
He laughed, hoarse but steady. "Fine. Take it. But when I come to collect my interest—don't say I didn't warn you."
The throne room exploded into light.
When the light faded, the throne room was gone.
Kai's feet touched nothing. He was suspended in a void of shimmering debt slips, bills, and gold dust swirling like ash. Fragments of the world hung in slow motion—Rina's horrified face, Nero clawing against the barrier, the Debt King's half-mask gleaming like a moon of judgment.
He tried to move, but his body felt hollow. The red glow of his debt crystal was dim now—flickering like a dying ember. Every pulse echoed in the silence, a reminder that he still existed. Barely.
Then came the whispers.
Borrowed strength. Stolen time. False hero.
They came from the shadows forming beneath him, stretching into endless versions of himself—each one wearing the same cracked grin, the same tired eyes.
Kai grimaced. "Great. A therapy session with my mistakes."
One of the shadows stepped closer. Its face flickered, eyes dark with something deeper than anger—regret.
"You keep pretending debt doesn't matter. You joke about it, fight through it. But every time you take another loan on your life, you lose something real."
Kai crossed his arms, though his voice wavered. "You done? Because I've already got a demon landlord. I don't need a ghost of myself joining the rent committee."
The shadow's grin widened.
"You think you're the only one paying, Kai Everain? Every time you borrow power, it doesn't just take from you. It takes from those tied to your fate."
Suddenly, the void rippled—showing flashes of Rina collapsing after a healing spell, Nero coughing out static sparks, even minor villagers who had once prayed for his help falling into despair when he couldn't return.
Kai's smirk faltered. He tried to speak, but the images wouldn't stop.
"This is the real cost," said the voice of the Debt King, now everywhere at once. "A hero's debt doesn't end with him. It ripples. It consumes."
Kai clenched his fists. "Then fine—put it all on me! I'll carry it!"
"You already do."
The whisper became thunder. The void twisted again, and suddenly Kai was standing in the ruins of his old apartment from Earth—the cracked vending machine toppled beside him, cans scattered across the floor. His reflection stared back from the broken glass: the same boy who'd died chasing spare change.
But this time, the reflection spoke.
"You've always been chasing something you couldn't afford."
He exhaled shakily. "Maybe. But at least I'm not running anymore."
The reflection tilted its head, almost smiling.
"Then prove it. Pay your price. Not in money—but in meaning."
The reflection shattered. The world folded in on itself, and suddenly Kai was falling—through a storm of paper bills, floating contracts, and chains that reached out like hungry hands.
He didn't resist this time. He just fell, arms open.
When he hit the ground, it wasn't stone or gold, but soft earth. He blinked—the air smelled like rain and wild grass. The sound of running water echoed somewhere nearby.
He looked up to see a faint light—flickering lanterns. A campfire.
Rina sat by it, head buried in her arms, while Nero stood beside her, tail drooping.
Kai coughed. "Hey… is this the afterlife or are we camping again?"
Rina looked up, eyes wide and tear-streaked. "Kai—!"
Before he could react, she threw her arms around him. "Don't ever scare me like that again! You—your crystal cracked! I thought—"
He awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to laugh it off, though his voice was softer than usual. "Come on, you know me. Can't die until I've paid off at least half of what I owe."
Nero sighed, hopping onto Kai's knee. "You were gone for six hours. The entire throne collapsed after you vanished. The king's energy… disappeared with you."
Kai blinked. "Wait, so I just… beat the Debt King by getting repo'd?"
Rina gave him a half-hearted glare through her tears. "You nearly died!"
"Yeah, but we won the emotional battle," Kai said, flashing a crooked grin. "And those pay better, right?"
She couldn't help but laugh—barely, shakily. The fire crackled softly as night settled around them.
Kai stared into the flames, feeling the faint ache in his chest. His debt crystal had mended, but the glow was different now—less angry, almost calm. Like it understood something he hadn't before.
Debt isn't just about what's owed. It's about what's worth keeping.
He smiled faintly. "Guess I'm learning, huh?"
Rina tilted her head. "About money?"
"Nah. About life."
Nero groaned. "That's worse."
The group laughed—quietly, but sincerely—as the first light of dawn touched the horizon.
For now, at least, Kai Everain had escaped the grip of the Debt King. But somewhere deep beneath Lous, among the shattered coins and broken chains, a voice still whispered—patient, calculating.
Interest never sleeps.
Morning came reluctantly, dragging its golden light over the forest. Dew clung to the grass, glimmering like the leftover tears of the night before.
Kai sat on a rock near the campfire, flipping through a stack of soggy, half-burned debt slips he'd pulled from his pocket. Most were blank now, the ink dissolved into pale stains. A few, though, shimmered faintly with red script—the last traces of the Debt King's influence.
"Guess even debt demons leave receipts," he muttered.
Rina stirred from her blanket, still wrapped up like a burrito of stress and guilt. "You should be resting, Kai. You nearly burned yourself out."
He smirked. "Can't. My body runs on financial anxiety."
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. "You joke, but it's not funny."
"Sure it is," he said, flicking one of the debt slips into the fire. "It's either laugh about it or cry until I start paying emotional interest."
Nero hopped onto a log, tail flicking in annoyance. "You do realize this isn't normal, right? Heroes don't owe their strength. They're supposed to earn it."
Kai leaned back, resting his arms behind his head. "And I do. I just prefer paying in installments."
The cat stared at him, unimpressed. "You're impossible."
"Yeah," Kai replied, closing his eyes. "But somehow, it's working."
The group sat in silence for a moment—just the sound of the fire and birds breaking through the fog. Despite everything, there was peace here. It felt… rare.
Then Rina glanced at Kai's hand. "Your crystal—it's different."
He looked down. The red core embedded in his palm had faded into a warm amber color, faintly pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
"It's stabilizing," Rina said softly. "Whatever you went through—it balanced you."
Kai chuckled. "So debt therapy is real. Guess I'm cured."
She smacked his shoulder. "I'm serious!"
"I know," he said, rubbing the spot with a grin. "And thanks—for worrying. Both of you."
Rina blushed slightly, looking away. Nero pretended to groom himself, though his tail swished in mild embarrassment.
After a while, Kai stood up and stretched. "Alright, team. Since we technically survived the underworld of unpaid invoices, what's next? A vacation? Dungeon raid? Local discount buffet?"
"None of the above," Rina said, standing as well. "We should report what happened. The Church needs to know the Debt King's influence has resurfaced."
Kai frowned. "You think they'll believe us?"
"Not unless we make them," she said, voice firm.
He shrugged. "Then guess I'll bring the receipts."
Before Nero could deliver another sarcastic jab, a faint rustle came from the treeline. The group tensed immediately—Rina raising a small barrier spell, Kai's hand glowing faintly as he called his credit sigil.
From the fog emerged a lone courier—a young woman in a worn blue uniform, holding a sealed letter bound in gold string. Her eyes looked hollow, and the moment she saw Kai, she stiffened.
"Kai Everain?" she asked, voice trembling.
He blinked. "Uh… yeah?"
She swallowed hard and handed him the letter. "This came for you. Straight from the Capital Treasury."
Kai frowned. "The Treasury? They're still sending mail to broke people?"
Rina gave him a look. "Just open it."
He tore the seal—and instantly regretted it. A burst of magic flared from the envelope, forming a holographic sigil in the air: a crown made of chained coins, glowing faintly red.
"To the debtor known as Kai Everain," a deep voice echoed from the projection. "By surviving the Trial of Interest, you have inherited the balance of the fallen King. All remaining debts—his and yours—are now consolidated under your name."
Kai froze. "Wait… what?"
The sigil pulsed brighter.
"Congratulations, new bearer of the Crown Ledger. Your balance now stands at—"
There was a long pause.
"Infinite."
The hologram vanished. The letter burned itself to ash.
Rina's jaw dropped. "You—you're joking."
Kai stood there, pale, staring at his hands. "So… let me get this straight. I just inherited the world's biggest debt?"
Nero fell over, tail twitching. "You've literally become the new Debt King!"
Kai blinked slowly, voice hollow. "…Does that come with dental?"
Rina groaned. "This isn't funny! That kind of debt—it could collapse nations if mishandled!"
Kai rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that's… a problem for Future Kai."
"Future Kai is you!"
"Exactly. Delegation."
Rina screamed into her cloak.
Nero muttered, "We're doomed," before curling up on the ground.
Kai stared at the ashes drifting from the letter, the humor fading from his eyes. Infinite debt. He'd joke about it now, but something deep inside him knew—it wasn't just money. It was weight. History.
The Debt King hadn't died. He'd just passed the crown.
Kai's hand tightened. His crystal pulsed once more, flickering between amber and red.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Guess it's time to see what it really means to owe the world."
The wind carried his words into the forest, as the last spark of the fire went out.