I'm Still Alive
Chapter 5

Both of us immediately became alert—the explosion just now was anything but normal.

Then suddenly, Ariel raised her hand into the air. A dark orb appeared, glowing and lighting up the entire room. From within it, something long and sharp slowly emerged.

The light faded, and the orb shrank and vanished.

The chandelier’s light reflected off the object—it was a wooden staff with a small blue orb embedded at the top.

Ariel then pulled a small notebook from inside her shirt and handed it to me.

“Don’t let this out of your sight... Keep it close to you...” – Ariel said quietly, her face serious.

I opened the notebook, and the sound of flipping pages echoed throughout the room.

Each page was filled with dense writing—notes about things I couldn’t yet understand.

I closed the book and continued watching the door. Heavy footsteps echoed from the front hall.

We fortified ourselves in the dining room.
Both Ariel and I were tense. We hid on either side of the large wooden doors, our eyes locked on them.

I kept scanning the room and noticed a few large cabinets farther back.
I whispered to Ariel and pointed toward them.

She seemed to understand, nodded, and we quickly moved.

We each hid in one of the four cabinets, holding our breath.

Sweat soaked through my shirt, but I barely noticed—
Because right after, the dining room doors were kicked open.

If I hadn’t noticed and told Ariel earlier, that door might’ve crushed us by now.

A group of people stormed in, searching for any sign of life inside the smoke-filled room.

They began wrecking everything, trying to find survivors.

The sound of destruction filled the space. Luckily, the cabinet I hid in had a small gap—just enough for me to peek outside but not be seen.

But then... something even more terrifying appeared.

From within the smoke, a tall figure slowly emerged.
His footsteps echoed ominously, freezing the entire atmosphere.

He was one of them—
But something about him was terrifying.
My arms and legs went weak.

He wasn’t entirely human.
On his head were two beast-like ears.

A beastman?
That was my guess, based on memories of movies I’d seen before.

He said nothing, but every motion he made radiated danger.
As he walked through the wreckage, he casually kicked aside wooden planks.
The crunch of debris beneath his boots echoed like thunder in my chest.

Suddenly, he stopped.
His ears twitched—as if he’d sensed something.

He raised his hand and pointed toward one of the cabinets.

Of course—
I had hidden in the one furthest out, making it the most obvious target.

When our eyes met, my heart pounded in my ears.

I looked around in panic inside the cramped cabinet.
But in the process, I accidentally made a small noise.

The beastman approached, hefting a massive axe.

He raised it high, aiming a powerful swing at the cabinet where I was hiding.

The shadow of the axe passed across my face—
I sat frozen inside, feeling utterly helpless.

He swung.

Just then, Ariel burst out from the adjacent cabinet—
She kicked the axe away and tackled the man to the ground, freezing him instantly with magic.

“Who are you?! What do you want?!” – Ariel shouted, shielding the cabinet with her body.
Her voice trembled, her eyes filled with fear—but also burning rage.

I snapped back to awareness. I wanted to jump out and help—
But again, my body wouldn’t move.

My muscles tensed and locked up.

I could see Ariel’s legs shaking.
She was trying so hard to hide her fear, just to protect me.

That made me feel furious… and helpless.

---

From Ariel’s perspective

What the hell am I doing?!
It’s only been three days...
Just three days—
And here I am, throwing myself in the way to protect a boy I’ve only just met.

Am I insane?

My mind was suddenly filled with images of Lus.
Especially that moment when he threw himself in harm’s way to save me and Liliana.

If Liliana had been in my place, would he have done the same?

The image of Lus’s leg, turned pale after the poison, flashed in my mind.

His words echoed in my ears.
All the memories I had of him in these few days came rushing back.

And then, that smile of his… right before he passed out in that alley…

A fire ignited in my heart—
Blazing hot, surging through my body.

It screamed inside me—
My mind went blank.
And then I made my decision.

“If any of you even lay a finger on Lus…
You’ll have to step over my dead body!!” – I roared, eyes burning with determination.

Every emotion, every reason—
All condensed into one purpose:

Save Lus.

The beastman nearby seemed surprised and whispered something to one of his men.
Then he suddenly pulled a cloth over his face.

I hadn’t realized something terrifying was happening right behind me—
To the very person I was trying to protect.

A nightmare was awakening.

I raised my hand and screamed:

“From the depths of the Frostbird’s heart… I summon—!”

A magic circle appeared before my hand—
But then… it shattered.

No way…
Magic nullification?

I turned around slowly—
And what I saw made my blood run cold.

I instinctively dropped to the ground, eyes shut tight.

---

Back to Lus

Still struggling inside the cabinet—
I noticed something critical.

The staff Ariel gave me was glowing.
The orb at the top now shined black.

A black light shot from the orb and struck my forehead.

Instantly, I lost control of my limbs—
My brain was overwhelmed by something monstrous.

It felt like something disgusting was being poured into me…
And something else inside me was disappearing.

I wanted to scream from the pain—
But I couldn’t make a sound.

Outside, Ariel was fighting off fear for both of us.
She kept her eyes on the intruders, especially the silent beastman.

She hesitated…
Then launched a preemptive strike.
Her eyes glowed blue.

“From the depths of the Frostbird’s heart… I summon—?!”

A magic circle formed—
And again, it shattered.

The others laughed.
Only the beastman seemed shaken—
He quickly covered his eyes with a cloak.

Ariel sensed something…
She fell to the ground and shut her eyes tightly.

A creaking noise echoed.

From the cabinet behind Ariel, a figure stepped out.

Though it looked human—
Its face was horrifying.

Blood flowed from both eyes, streaming down its cheeks and dripping onto the floor.

Its ears and nose bled as well.
Its lips were sealed shut.

Its glowing eyes burned with murderous energy, heating the entire room.

No one else—

It was me.
Lus Boreas.

Though I could see everything,
I couldn’t control my body.

My arms and legs moved on their own.

My vision was tinted red,
And my eyes ached—
So badly it felt like they would burst from their sockets.

And they bled.

It wasn’t pain anymore—
What I felt was pure helplessness… despair.

Tears mixed with blood ran down my cheeks,
Pooling at my feet.

I opened my mouth, but couldn’t speak—
Only mouthing the words silently.

The beastman began muttering something.
A blue glow surrounded him—
But it shattered too.

He pulled back his cloak,
Revealing his eyes.

“Tsk...” – he clicked his tongue, then drew his sword and raised a hand to shield one eye.

I remained silent,
Then turned—
Toward Ariel, who now trembled in fear.

She dragged herself backward, pressing against the wall, legs shaking.

Her breathing was shallow,
Sweat soaked her body.

Those beautiful green eyes…
Now filled with terror.

Cornered in the room,
She looked at me—completely hopeless.

I wanted to scream at her: “Don’t be afraid!”
But my body wouldn’t respond.

In a flash, I was beside her,
My hand reached out toward her.

My consciousness was fading—
Replaced by a dark presence invading my mind.

I was breaking under the pain—
Eyes, ears, nose, brain…
All screaming at once.

And then—

From somewhere—
A figure shot toward me at lightning speed,
A blade aimed at my back,
Screaming—

“GAAAHHH!!!”