I feel like I'm already dead. Is this the end?

The heaviest fate for those without purpose is to turn into ashes.

"Big brother!"

"I'm tired. I just want to accompany my little sister now. That's my goal. Besides that, I have no regrets..."

"It's not true!"

My sister shouted and punched me angrily.

"You've never been taken care of your whole life, right? You've always endured my temper since we were young, you've never accepted the love and affection of our parents. That's the kind of big brother you are!"

Two tears slid down from under her bangs.

"That's the kind of big brother you are. You would risk your life to protect me, even when I got lost in the forest, you never cared about the danger of being eaten by wolves or bears and came to find me."

"..."

I realized that I was so important to my sister, but now I'm too injured to stay here any longer.

Hoo hoo hoo!

The person carrying me seemed to be gasping heavily, they must be exhausted from carrying me for so long.

We've only encountered the first enemy, and we almost lost our lives. We can't guarantee that we'll stay intact in the next battle. We should just be grateful if we can survive!

After the battle with the werewolf leader, almost all of us have lost our fighting ability. Especially me and Lan, who had the most serious injuries from facing it head-on!

Lan was carried by Chiyori on her back. Due to completely depleting her energy, she is now half-dead.

Not only that, even her delicate and smooth female skin has become uneven due to the loss of energy.

At first glance, she looks like a fifty-year-old grandmother!

"Big brother, you'll be fine. I can share my energy with you!"

"Is that possible...?"

I hesitated. I didn't expect Nana to be able to share her energy with me. But is it really worth it?

"But... what about that girl named Lan..."

"What about her?"

"She..."

"Well, she's not going to make it. She has completely depleted her energy, and even the gods probably can't save her now."

Hordos, who carried me here, attempted to transfer some energy into Lan's body but there was no response.

"What?!"

Yukari rushed to the man's side and stared at him angrily.

"She's our captain, how can you say she's beyond saving!"

She couldn't accept this reality. Finally, they guessed their new comrade's whereabouts, and now she's gone...

In response, he could only shake his head and helplessly wave his hand.

"Let's see this young man instead... Hmm."

Hordos transferred some test energy into my body and raised an eyebrow.

"He still has some life force left, perhaps there's still hope."

"What do we need to do then?"

Chiyori stepped forward decisively, hoping that they could contribute their part.

But it wasn't as simple as they thought. Hordos took off his hat, sighed, and shook his head.

"It depends on whether he can make it through on his own. All we can do..."

As soon as he mentioned that Yukari and the others had something they could do, they approached eagerly, urging him to continue.

"What can we do? Don't keep us in suspense, tell us!"

"Well... one word, wait!"

"What did you say?!"

I grabbed my sister's shoulders, unable to believe what I heard.

"Are you saying... Lanjie... Lanjie will die?!"

"Please calm down, brother. She's already dead, and I can't provide life force to two people at the same time."

"Can't provide for two people?"

My sister's words immediately reminded me.

"Nana, are you saying that you can also give life force to..."

"That's enough!!"

My sister's angry voice interrupted me, but she quickly apologized.

"Brother, sometimes you need to think about yourself. It's okay to be selfish, even if it means being burdened with sins. At least this once..."

"Nana!"

I walked in front of my sister and gently stroked her hair.

At the same time, I told her my thoughts.

"I have already carried too much guilt. If Lanjie will disappear from my side, I would rather exchange it with my own life. Only then can I find some peace in my heart."

My sister looked at me with worry, hoping that I would take back what I said earlier.

And I am someone who sticks to their decisions, she understood that I wouldn't change my mind.

But this time, she pleaded with me in a pleading tone.

"I beg you, brother. You should think carefully, is everything you've done worth it?"

"Yes."

"...Alright... Fine, I will save her!"

"Nana, thank you for understanding."

My sister, with a face flushed like a ball, finally followed my plan. Before leaving, she left instructions that belonged to our family.

"Promise me that you will live your best!"

"Yes, I will do my best."

I replaced farewell with a smile, and tears shimmered in my sister's eyes. She then said with a smile.

"Then I'll do my best too..."

My sister and I hooked our little fingers, just like when we were children.

"A pinky promise. Whoever breaks it will be a big liar burned by fire!"

"Hey, burning by fire? I don't remember this part."

Why did my sister's attitude suddenly become so strange? I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

She looked up, bid me goodbye with a gentle smile.

"Sorry, but I have already been burned by fire."

Mischievously, she showed me a big smile, revealing her pristine white teeth.

This cheerful and relieved smile made me a little confused, so I foolishly asked her.

"What... What are you talking about? I don't understand."

"Well, even though we are no longer in this world and even though I am already dead, I still care about you, brother. My existence is the reason for you to keep living!"

She put her hands behind her back as if she had predicted everything, and explained everything to me.

"Brother, since you are willing to strive for one person, it proves that you have already found..."

Before she could finish her words, a powerful force began to sweep behind her. She gradually disintegrated into countless particles and was gradually sucked into the bottomless pit.

"Brother, it's happening so fast... It seems like the time to say goodbye has come."

"Stop saying silly things, Nana!!"

I rushed towards her, but I was blocked by an invisible wall of air.

"You have found your new family. If you were to die, they would definitely be heartbroken, so...”

No matter how hard I hit that wall, I just couldn't break it!

Finally, my sister gradually turned into a stream of stars and was blown far away by a black hole.

I know that place, it's a paradise I can never reach.

"Keep on living with effort!"

At this moment, countless memories of my sister began to fade away in my mind.

"Paroni, look! It's a butterfly!"

My sister, wearing a blue and white dress, frolicked among the flowers, making even this older brother feel proud.

Every time someone praised me for having a lively and lovely sister, I felt a sense of pride.

The next scene was when my sister was in her teens.

"Paroni, you should leave quickly..."

"Why am I being asked to leave right after coming home?"

"Well, my friends are coming, and do you really want them to know that my older brother is an average-looking, poorly behaved guy?"

At that time, the girl had already grown into a slim and attractive beauty.

She was popular and respected at school, but there was one thing she didn't want to admit - that she had a useless brother!

"Alright, alright, my friends are coming!"

Before I had a chance to praise my sister, who was dressed up and radiant, she immediately kicked me out of the house.

I was very sad at that time because my sister and I were gradually growing apart.

Fifteen years old, that was the last time I saw my sister, as a big fire engulfed my home, along with the beautiful hills and forests.

Although it was a terrible thing, I no longer felt unbearable pain.

"What is this...?"

In the blink of an eye, I found myself lying in a familiar dorm room, where the computer and dressing table were so familiar.

In addition, a pure and beautiful red-haired girl was nestled beside me in my bed.

"Who are you?"

The girl's appearance was very beautiful, and I felt an inexplicable familiarity, but when I tried to remember her face, my head started to throb!

But only for a brief moment... a very brief moment.

In the blink of an eye, the girl's features, her rosy long hair, and her ruby-like eyes disappeared without a trace.

What remained was only emptiness, as if she had never been a part of my life.

"Where is my past...?"

Carefully, I tried to recall my past memories, as if I was trying to catch the butterflies dancing in the flowers... Oops, it seemed like I was foolishly staring at them.

As soon as I entered the house, I was greeted by...?

"Paroni... Paroni, are you listening to me?"

My mom urged me with a ladle in her hand.

"Hurry up and come have dinner. Your dad and I are going on a business trip. Can you handle being alone?"

"Hehe, I'm already an adult, a very grown-up person!"

While slapping my own chest, I confidently told them.

"Don't worry, I can handle it by myself!"

"Is that so? I feel relieved hearing that. See you in five days then."

After saying goodbye to my mom, I had dinner alone, feeling somewhat surprised, and then, out of habit, I made a very basic mistake of not cleaning up my dishes and utensils!

While I was washing the dishes, I accidentally poured enough dish soap for two people.

"Oops, what a waste!"

I quickly rinsed off the excess dish soap, but my mind couldn't stop pondering.

What's going on? I feel like the silence in the house is a bit too much.

Usually at a time like this...

I wondered, and glanced over at the neighboring table. What could happen at this moment?

"Um, maybe I'm being paranoid, or..."

As I finished arranging the utensils, I walked alone up the stairs to the second floor until the room directly facing me came into view.

"Or perhaps, there used to be something amazing in this house?"