Journey to Become the Zenith

The Hero Who Questioned Destiny

Rika stepped forward despite the force pushing against her.

”Don’t let those words control you!”

But Videl couldn’t hear them properly.

The voices reached her as though coming from the bottom of a deep lake.

Her mind remained trapped inside itself.

She remembered every time she had wanted to become stronger.

Every time she had thought she needed to save someone.

Every time she had believed that she was doing what was right.

If destiny had created those feelings...

Then what remained of her?

The question was unbearable.

Her mana became more violent.

Niklaus finally stopped watching.

He slowly rose from his seat.

His movements were calm.

Almost leisurely.

The contrast between his composure and Videl’s chaos was striking.

Amura noticed him.

”Sir Niklaus...”

Niklaus didn’t answer.

He simply began walking toward Videl.

One step.

Then another.

The turbulent mana struck against him.

His long black hair moved slightly in the pressure.

Yet he continued forward without hesitation.

Videl’s eyes suddenly shifted.

Something instinctive stirred within her.

An approaching presence.

A threat.

Her body reacted before her mind could understand what was happening.

Her fingers tightened.

Her mana gathered around her.

Niklaus came closer.

The moment he entered the range of her uncontrolled aura, Videl’s body moved.

She was about to attack Niklaus unconsciously.

There was no thought behind it.

No deliberate decision.

Her instincts simply reacted.

But before Videl was able to move, Niklaus flicked Videl’s forehead.

Tap.

The gesture was almost ridiculously simple.

Yet the force behind it was precise.

Videl’s head was knocked backward.

Her blonde hair flew behind her as her body staggered.

The chaotic mana surrounding her immediately faltered.

The violent currents that had filled the chamber began to settle.

One wave disappeared.

Then another.

The pressure gradually weakened until the air finally became still.

Videl blinked several times.

Her breathing was heavy.

Her mind slowly returned to the present.

She looked around.

Amura was standing several steps away, still tense.

Rika had one hand pressed against her chest as she caught her breath.

Niklaus stood calmly in front of her.

Videl touched her forehead.

The simple gesture somehow grounded her.

She inhaled deeply.

Then again.

Her breathing slowly became steadier.

The panic had not disappeared.

The questions had not disappeared.

But she could think again.

Videl lowered her gaze.

She had almost attacked the Fourth Hero.

And worse, she hadn’t even realized she was doing it.

A bitter feeling settled inside her chest.

She hated that.

She hated losing control.

She hated that Niklaus had been forced to stop her.

Most of all, she hated the possibility that perhaps there really was something inside her that she didn’t understand.

After a few moments, Videl straightened herself.

She looked toward Niklaus.

Even after being attacked and clearly having a difficult time right now, Videl acted polite in front of him.

”I’m sorry about that, Sir Niklaus, and thank you.”

She bowed her head deeply.

Even after attacking him and clearly having a difficult time right now, Videl still acted politely in front of Niklaus.

Her breathing had finally begun to settle, though her chest still rose and fell a little faster than normal. She kept her head lowered for several seconds, ashamed of what had just happened.

The faint ache on her forehead reminded her how easily she had lost control.

Niklaus, however, didn’t seem offended.

He merely looked at her with his crimson-golden eyes, his long black hair falling loosely around his shoulders. The dragon-like wings behind him remained folded, barely moving as the atmosphere in the chamber gradually returned to normal.

”It’s alright young hero, anyone would react the same way as you if they learn of such a truth.”

His voice carried none of the anger Videl had expected.

Instead, there was something almost sympathetic within it.

Niklaus had seen this reaction before.

Perhaps not from Videl herself, but from people who had suddenly discovered that the world they understood was far smaller than the reality surrounding them.

Videl slowly raised her head.

Niklaus continued.

”I know you really want to know more about those beings that I say are controlling your actions, but before I explain more about that let me tell you the truth I believe in, about what it means to be a hero.”

The words made Videl pause.

She had expected an explanation.

Instead, Niklaus was asking her to look deeper.

Not at the beings controlling destiny.

Not at the strange laws governing heroes.

At herself.

Videl quietly settled down.

The last remnants of her unstable mana were drawn back into her body. She closed her eyes for a moment and carefully regulated her breathing, forcing her spiritual energy to circulate through her body instead of leaking into the surrounding air.

Amura and Rika remained nearby.

Neither spoke.

They could see that their master needed to listen.

Niklaus waited patiently until Videl’s breathing had become steady.

Then he asked a surprisingly simple question.

”Tell me Videl what do you think a hero is?”

Videl froze.

For the first time ever in her life, she hesitated to answer this question.

It was strange.

She had answered it countless times without ever needing to think.

A hero was someone who saved people.

A hero was someone who stood against evil.

A hero was someone who protected the weak.

Those beliefs had always seemed obvious.

But now...

After everything Niklaus had told her, even the simplest answer felt uncertain.

Videl lowered her gaze.

Her fingers slowly tightened.

What if her answer was simply something destiny had placed inside her?

What if even her ideals had been predetermined?

She didn’t know.

For the first time, she genuinely didn’t know.

Videl closed her eyes.

Rather than immediately answering, she searched through her memories.

Not for some grand definition.

For moments.

Real moments.

The frightened faces of people she had protected.

The hands that had reached toward her when everything seemed hopeless.

The relief in someone’s eyes after being rescued.