Episode 2
A heavy, harsh thudding vibrated up from the ground into my body.
It was as if even the earth itself recoiled in horror at my pain—mournful, full of regret.
My brothers’ overlapping reactions, colored in shock and disbelief, came into view.
That shift sparked the faintest glimmer of hope in me.
So… you *do* feel something.
Maybe you don’t see my death as completely meaningless after all.
“…Tanie!”
The eyes I had always longed for were, at last, focused entirely on me.
For a brief moment, a foolish hope lifted its head again.
Even if it was fake, I wanted them to acknowledge me.
I wanted them to say I mattered. That they truly cared, deep down.
That they loved me, even if they never said it.
If only they could grieve, just a little—tell me not to die.
If I could believe I meant something to them, that I wasn’t just empty existence—
Then maybe… I could close my eyes without regret.
**”Your Grace!”**
But the moment I heard that voice, I knew my wish was destined to crumble.
**Pionia.**
Pionia Phoenix.
The House of Phoenix and our Dragonia were such bitter enemies that we claimed coexistence was impossible.
Lady Pionia was the golden jewel of that house.
Even our most battle-hardened warriors would snarl at the mere sight of her.
But—
**”Pionia!”**
Now, they embraced her.
As she appeared on the distant ridge, sunlight glowing behind her pale pink silhouette—
the faces of my family, always frowning at me, lit up like sunrise.
Of course they did.
Unlike me, Pionia Phoenix was a true saintess—born with the power of real purification.
While I barely managed to absorb my brothers’ backlash and collapse,
she cleansed them with ease.
The real one vs. the fake.
The genuine vs. the replacement.
Maybe that’s why—
Why their faces always tightened when they looked at me, but softened when they looked at her.
And this time was no different.
The gazes once turned to me shifted instantly to her.
Father said something, and my brothers rushed to greet her.
The family I had loved and yearned for gave their hearts to someone else.
As if I’d never existed.
The hand I had stretched out toward them dropped limply into the snow.
Moments later, my body followed, falling to the frozen earth.
The cold shattered whatever hope had clung to me.
Once again, even in the face of death, I had been cast aside.
Tears slid down my burning cheeks, turning icy against my skin.
Looking back, it was obvious.
Why wouldn’t they value the real thing over a dying imitation?
*I knew that.*
And still—I hoped. I dared to dream again.
I laughed bitterly at myself.
*Pathetic…*
Maybe it *was* my fault I ended up like this.
Who could ever love someone this pitiful?
Even I didn’t care for myself.
I gave everything to people who didn’t love me—treated myself like nothing.
So who would’ve ever seen me as anything more?
Maybe because I’d given up on everything,
my body rapidly stiffened, growing colder by the second.
**”—Partanie!”**
For a second, I felt someone’s arms around me.
But that had to be a hallucination.
My body had long since gone numb.
*No, no, no…*
**”Bring Lady Pionia Phoenix!”**
**”Wake up, Partanie! You can’t die like this!”**
*Why… why would they bring her here?*
Someone’s figure entered my blurred vision.
Voices screamed—
Wind howled, lashing snow across my face and ears, numbing all sound and sensation.
Thank goodness.
If not, I might have believed it.
Maybe they *did* hold me at the end.
Maybe they *were* filled with regret.
Such delusions born from my desperate longing to be loved.
To be needed.
To matter.
I clung to those scraps until the very end.
And with my last breath—I laughed.
Then closed my eyes, praying to never see them again.
…
Suddenly, memories of a past life surged through me.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
**“Team Leader Yeon? What’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”**
*Ah… no, I’m fine.*
I answered as calmly as I could.
But my heart thudded violently beneath my skin.
Why had the memory of dying on that snowy mountain come back so vividly?
I touched my hand to my chest with a slight tremble.
**“Fine? You look like your face turned violet! Hah!”**
*…Ha.*
I gave a hollow chuckle at my boss’s teasing.
**Yeon Boram.**
My new name in this life.
Elegant, but much more literal than ‘Partanie,’ the name I had in my previous life.
My hair, my eyes—they were all violet-colored.
*I’ve reincarnated, so why does everything still feel the same…?*
I laughed again, soullessly.
*Must be fatigue.*
**“Yeah, well, Team Leader Yeon’s been through a lot. That healing work wasn’t easy.
Anyway, the performance is done, and this area’s cleared, so—”**
**“AAAH!!”**
A sudden scream rang out.
I instinctively whipped my head toward it.
A man clutched his abdomen, blood pouring down his torso.
*What the—?!*
I thought all injured parties had been treated.
But without hesitation, I ran toward him.
**“Calm down! Please—!”**
The nearby medics tried to soothe him, but he seemed completely out of his mind.
He couldn’t hear a thing.
Someone tried to approach him and got attacked in return.
The team panicked.
**“Stop him!”**
I shouted immediately.
From my fingertips, a golden light flared into the air.
Like ropes binding a limb, the man’s thrashing movements were restrained.
**“Clear the area!”**
I reached him first and gave the order.
The medics carefully laid him down and cleared space for treatment.
I examined the wound and called out:
**“Disinfectant and gauze! Anesthetic and a recovery potion!”**
**“R-Right away!”**
**“We’re closing the wound now, team lead!”**
While the others moved with urgency, I focused on my part.
When I began disinfecting and sealing the wound, the man cried out again.
**“Aaah! Aagh!!”**
**“Please hold still. I’m a healer. I’m trying to help you.”**
**“Let go of me—”**
**“Sssh. Don’t tense your abs. If you move wrong, your organs might spill out.”**
At my warning, the man froze.
Moments later, the anesthetic took effect, and he slowly quieted down.
The magic binding him released and returned to my fingers.
Finally, I moved on to the real treatment.
The messy wound, like a beast had torn at his gut, was sealed and healed with magic.
**“Seriously…”**
My head felt light from accumulated fatigue.
Too much mana drained.
Still, my hands moved with practiced ease.
And at last, the emergency was resolved.
**“It’s done.”**
**“Th-Thank you… wait, but I’m still in pain. Are you sure it’s finished?”**
**“Yes, the treatment’s over. But you should remain admitted for observation, just in case.”**
**“What? Aren’t you a healer? Just finish healing me now!”**
…
*Another one of those patients, huh.*
I forced a wry smile.
My team, though, looked grim.
In this world where dungeons and awakenings had flipped society, people with powers were called “Hunters.”
Among them, healers—those with restorative powers—could cure even diseases modern medicine couldn’t touch.
But those were rare.
And yet, most people still expected miracles from us.
They resented us when we didn’t meet those expectations.
**”Are you holding back your magic on purpose or something?!”**
**”I’m still in pain! Can’t you just use more magic or whatever?!”**
**“Natural healing is just as important. That aside—how exactly did you get injured?”**
The man clicked his tongue and glanced aside.
There, drenched in blood, lay a book.
A strange book, unlike anything from our world.
Its cover bore markings that didn’t resemble any known language.
**”…A dungeon artifact.”**
It seemed the man had tried to steal it and got hurt in the process.
**“Y-You… you tried to smuggle out a dungeon item?! Hand it over!”**
My boss shouted in outrage, face red.
The man stammered, trying to explain—but before he could activate any power, he was restrained.
I stepped back slightly, then approached the strange book.
It looked like a book, but one that could bite through someone’s stomach.
**…?**
Just moments ago, it had looked old and torn.
Now, it was smooth. Clear. Almost glowing.
*Is it just my imagination?*
As I stared at it, the book suddenly snapped open on its own.
A blinding light poured out.
**“Team Leader Yeon!”**
**“Team Lead—don’t—!”**
That was the last thing I heard.
…Ugh.
*What was that just now\…?*
I slowly opened my eyes.
The light, the book—they were gone.
But glowing letters hovered before me.
**Welcome back.**
*Back…?*
Before I could even ask—
**“You idiot. What are you sitting there for like a lump?”**
A scolding voice, completely at odds with the welcoming message, snapped at me.
To be continued…
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