I Refuse the Tragic Ending

Morning sunlight poured through the towering stained glass windows of Astral Dominion Academy.

The rays illuminated marble corridors lined with statues of legendary heroes and infamous villains.

Some depicted figures who had saved entire kingdoms. Others honored conquerors whose names still inspired fear centuries after their deaths.

Astral Dominion Academy never cared whether someone pursued justice or domination.

Only strength mattered.

The academy’s creed was carved into the entrance hall in enormous golden letters.

Power Decides Truth.

Kael had read those words countless times while playing Eclipse Hearts. Back then, they had simply been part of the game’s atmosphere. A cool piece of worldbuilding. Something players would screenshot because it looked impressive. Seeing those words in person was different. The enormous letters were enchanted. A faint pressure radiated from them, heavy enough to make ordinary people instinctively straighten their backs.

Kael stared at them for several seconds.

”...Okay.”

He slowly looked around.

”This definitely wasn’t this intimidating on my monitor.”

A student passing nearby glanced at him strangely. Kael ignored him. He still found it difficult to process.

He had spent hundreds of hours looking at this academy through a screen. He knew the layout. He knew which buildings contained hidden events. He even knew which professors were secretly important.

But knowing something from a game and actually standing inside it were two completely different experiences.

It was like the difference between watching a documentary about the ocean and suddenly being thrown into the middle of it.

”Yeah...”

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

”This is definitely real.”

Students continuously passed through the hallway. Some wore the white and blue uniforms of the Hero Department. Others dressed in black and crimson, identifying themselves as members of the Villain Department.

Despite belonging to opposing factions, there was no shouting or fighting. Anyone who started an unauthorized battle inside the academy would immediately be punished by the disciplinary committee.

Ironically, heroes and villains attended the same classes.

They learned from the same professors, trained in the same arenas, and ate in the same cafeteria. Their only real difference was ideology. Once they graduated, many of them would eventually stand on opposite sides of the battlefield.

Kael continued walking while organizing the mountain of memories inside his head.

The original Kael Grayford had lived a miserable life. His father, Duke Roland Grayford, was one of the Hero Alliance’s greatest financiers.

Although he possessed considerable political influence, the Grayford bloodline had gradually weakened over generations. Kael had inherited that weakness. His Hero Core had awakened at only Rank F. Among noble families, that was considered disgraceful.

His father never abandoned him, but the disappointment was impossible to hide. His mother had passed away several years ago. His elder sister rarely visited because she served on the northern frontier. His younger brother, meanwhile, was exceptionally talented and constantly overshadowed him.

At family gatherings, Kael had become little more than an embarrassment.

The academy wasn’t much kinder. Every practical examination reminded him how powerless he was. Every duel ended in humiliation. And every ranking announcement pushed him further down. Eventually, many students had stopped treating him as a rival. He simply wasn’t worth their attention anymore.

Kael released a quiet breath.

”Well...”

He looked at his hands.

”Can’t say I got the premium starting package.”

A student nearby glanced at him.

Kael continued walking.

”Rank F Hero Core. No bloodline. Terrible reputation. Family disappointment.”

He paused.

”Yep. The game really did decide to throw me into hard mode.”

Two students passing behind him exchanged glances.

”Did he hit his head yesterday?”

”I think he finally lost it.”

”Poor guy.”

Kael heard them. He chose not to respond. There was no point. Besides, their judgment wasn’t important. What mattered was the situation. He had something none of them possessed.

Knowledge.

Not complete knowledge. But enough to make himself gets the upperhand. He had played Eclipse Hearts for thousands of hours. He knew the major storylines, important characters, hidden dungeons, future disasters, powerful artifacts, and several secrets that the game didn’t reveal until much later.

The weakest starting character could become one of the strongest. That was one of the game’s recurring themes.

Kael smiled faintly.

”Usually, the terrible starting stats are where the fun begins.”

He immediately stopped smiling.

”...Assuming I don’t get killed before reaching the interesting part.”

That was the problem. This wasn’t a game. There was no save button. No respawn. No loading an earlier file after making a stupid decision. If he died here, that was it. Kael’s expression became serious.

”Right. No more thinking like a player.”

He quietly corrected himself.

”I’m the one inside the game now.”

His footsteps suddenly stopped.

”...Actually, no.”

He frowned.

”Calling it a game is already wrong.”

He had remembered something important. His memories weren’t perfect. He remembered every major event, every heroine, every major dungeon, and every hidden boss.

But minor details were already becoming blurry: the names of ordinary NPCs, small conversations, random side quests, and the exact sequence of minor events.

He couldn’t possibly remember everything.

Even someone who loved the game couldn’t memorize every line of dialogue after hundreds of hours. His greatest advantage wasn’t omniscience. It was foresight. And that was enough.

At least for now.

”...I just need to know which things actually matter.”

The first bell echoed throughout the academy. Students began entering enormous lecture halls capable of seating several hundred people.

Kael found his assigned seat near the back. Exactly where the original Kael always sat. The front rows belonged almost entirely to elite students.

Leon Valcrest occupied the center.

Beside him sat Seraphina Eversnow.

Several seats away lounged Lilith Thorne, balancing her chair on two legs while casually twirling a pen.

Kael recognized all three immediately. They were some of the game’s major route characters. The original protagonist would eventually become acquainted with them.

Friendship.

Trust.

Romance.

Different choices would unlock different routes.

Kael quietly observed them.

Then he looked away.

”Nope.”

He leaned back in his chair.

”Not getting involved yet.”

He had played enough visual novels to know that walking directly toward the main cast during the opening Chapters was rarely a good idea.

Especially when he currently had the reputation of a useless noble.

”Step one is fixing myself.”

He rested his chin on his hand.

”Step two is staying alive.”

A brief pause.

”Step three...”

He glanced toward Leon.

”...is figuring out whether the protagonist is actually here.”

If the original protagonist existed, things could become complicated.

If he didn’t...

Kael wasn’t sure whether that was better or worse.

”Class.”

A deep voice immediately silenced the room.

The instructor entered.

A tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a black military coat decorated with countless battle medals.

Professor Magnus.

Former Hero Commander.

Level Eighty-Six in the game.

One of the academy’s strongest professors. Even in old age, he possessed enough power to eliminate an entire army by himself.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

”Still terrifying.”

He had seen Magnus fight during the game’s later Chapters. Watching the man destroy an army had been impressive. Seeing him standing only a few meters away was significantly less entertaining.

Professor Magnus swept his gaze across the classroom.

”Today we begin with an announcement.”

The room immediately became quiet.

”Three weeks from today, the academy will conduct its annual Wilderness Survival Examination.”

Whispers spread throughout the classroom.

Kael’s expression changed.

”...Already?”

He sat up slightly.

”So it’s about to start.”

The Wilderness Survival Examination was the first major story event in Eclipse Hearts.

Students entered the Emerald Forest surrounding the academy. Officially, it was a survival training exercise. Unofficially, it introduced the first hidden dungeon.

The Moonlit Catacombs.

Kael’s fingers tapped against his desk. He remembered it clearly. Only a handful of players discovered the dungeon during their first playthrough. Inside was a legendary treasure.

The Lunar Sigil.

Most players ignored the relic because its description looked almost useless. It wasn’t until much later in the game that players discovered its true purpose.

The Lunar Sigil was one of seven ancient keys capable of unlocking the hidden final scenario. And there was another important detail. Nobody obtained it during the academy examination. The relic remained buried underground for years.

Kael slowly smiled.

”Well...”

His eyes gleamed.

”Looks like I found my first quest.”

Professor Magnus continued.

”The examination will be conducted in groups of four. Team assignments will be announced next week.”

Immediately, students began discussing possible teammates.

Kael remained silent.

He already knew who his original teammates would be. Three background characters. None of them were particularly important to the main story.

In fact, all three would eventually die during the terrorist attack several months later. The game barely acknowledged their deaths. They were just background characters.

Kael lowered his eyes.

”...Not this time.”

He remembered their names, their faces, and their roles. This time, they weren’t disposable NPCs.

They were people.

And if he had the ability to change their fate, he would.

”Let’s see if I can break that event before it happens.”

...

Classes ended around noon.

Students headed toward cafeterias, libraries, training grounds, or dormitories.

Kael instead walked toward one of the academy’s oldest buildings.

The Grand Library.

Unlike the noisy training arenas, the library remained almost completely silent. Towering bookshelves stretched upward for dozens of meters. Ancient tomes floated through the air using magic. Librarian spirits quietly organized books without human assistance.

The scent of parchment filled the air.

Kael smiled.

”This place hasn’t changed.”

Then he paused.

”Well...”

He looked at the enormous library.

”Technically, I guess I have.”

He climbed to the third floor.

Then the fifth.

Finally, he reached the restricted historical section. Few students came here. History wasn’t nearly as popular as combat training. Kael stopped before Shelf Seventy-Three. He pulled three specific books.

One.

Five.

Two.

Exactly that order.

A faint clicking sound echoed. The bookshelf slowly shifted sideways. A narrow passage appeared.

Kael stared at it.

”...Still works.”

He couldn’t help smiling.

”There really was no patch.”

He stepped inside. The hidden chamber wasn’t large. Only one stone pedestal occupied the center. Resting upon it was a weathered notebook. The diary of Professor Aldren. One of the academy’s founders. Most historians believed the notebook contained priceless historical records.

They were wrong.

Instead, it described breathing techniques developed before the Hero Core system existed.

Ancient Body Refinement.

A cultivation method abandoned centuries ago. Modern society relied almost entirely upon Hero Cores and Villain Cores. Physical refinement had gradually disappeared. Most scholars dismissed the notebook as outdated nonsense.

They were wrong.

Players eventually discovered that combining Body Refinement with Hero Core cultivation created incredible synergy. Unfortunately, that discovery occurred late in the game’s timeline.

Kael carefully picked up the notebook. Then he examined its worn cover.

”...And nobody knows what this thing really is.”

A grin slowly appeared on his face.

”Sometimes being a nerd pays off.”

When he turned toward the exit, footsteps echoed outside.

Kael froze.

”You’re kidding.”

He immediately extinguished the magical lantern. Darkness swallowed the room. The hidden entrance remained slightly open. Through the narrow gap, he saw a familiar figure.

Long silver hair.

Calm blue eyes.

Seraphina Eversnow.

Kael’s eyebrows rose.

”...Seriously?”

She slowly walked through the historical section while carrying several books.

Kael frowned.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. In the original story, Seraphina rarely visited this area.

Was his presence already changing events?

Not sure.

Seraphina stopped before the same bookshelf. Kael’s heart tightened. For one terrifying second, he thought she had discovered the hidden entrance. Instead, she simply reached for a history book.

She took it. Then quietly walked away.

Kael waited for five seconds.

Then Ten.

Then twenty.

Only after her footsteps completely disappeared did he finally release his breath.

”...That was way too close.”

He leaned against the wall. His expression gradually became serious.

”Is the story diverging this early?”

The game had been predictable because the player followed predetermined conditions. Reality didn’t have that luxury. People could make decisions the game never accounted for. Events could happen earlier. Characters could meet when they weren’t supposed to.

And small changes could eventually become massive ones.

Kael looked down at the notebook in his hands.

”Knowing the future is useful.”

His fingers tightened around it.

”But it isn’t a walkthrough anymore.”

He stepped out of the hidden chamber.

The path ahead was no longer the same one he remembered from Eclipse Hearts. That realization should have frightened him.

Instead, Kael smiled.

A genuine smile.

”Good.”

He looked toward the library windows. Sunlight illuminated the academy grounds below.

”I’m not here to replay the same event anyway.”

He took a slow breath.

”I’ve already lived once.”

His expression became calm.

”I don’t want to spend my second life following somebody else’s storyline.”

There was no need to become the protagonist. There was no need to steal someone else’s destiny. And there was certainly no reason to recreate the same tragedies simply because the game had originally written them that way.

Kael looked down at the notebook.

He wasn’t interested in controlling everyone’s lives. He simply wanted to create a future where the people around him didn’t have to die just because they were labeled as background characters. A future where his family didn’t have to watch another son throw his life away. A future where the academy’s students could graduate without being dragged into every catastrophe waiting for them. And a future where the people he cared about could simply... Live.

Kael chuckled quietly.

”Maybe that’s a little ambitious.”

He looked toward the sky.

”But if I’m going to start over, I might as well aim high.”

His eyes shone with quiet determination.

”I’m going to make a future worth living in.”

For a moment, Kael stood silently beneath the afternoon sunlight.

Then he smiled.

”And preferably one where I don’t have to deal with a ridiculous death flag every other week.”

Far above the academy, dark clouds slowly gathered.

No one noticed.

The students continued with their ordinary lives, unaware that something terrible was approaching.

The world had already begun moving toward its first catastrophe. And this time, there was no player sitting behind a screen. There was only Kael.

Holding the ancient notebook tightly against his chest, Kael stepped out of the hidden chamber. His path toward changing fate would finally begin.