Reika couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. The peaceful, bustling village was now turned into a sea of flames. The fiery flames engulfed everything in their path, leaving nothing to spare. Even at a distance, Silas, Soru, and Reika felt the intense heat. Screams of agony, crying, and voices shouting for help echoed around. Reika couldn't utter any words due to the extreme shock.

     Soru saw the enormous monster that's been rampaging in the village from a distance.

      Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind. He remembered what the old man, Silas, told them.

     "Mitsuha-san, look over there."

     Reika heard Soru's voice and turned around. She saw that Soru was pointing in a certain direction and followed it with her eyes. There, he saw a huge creature hovering above the sky.

     That creature... Isn't that...!?

     Reika noticed that the creature's physique was massive, with wings that spanned several meters. It looks like a serpent, with a crested head and enormous claws. Its large, bulky scales are maroon in color.

     There's no mistaking it... That was definitely the Wildfire Dragon "Veylir" that the old man Silas was talking about...!

     Reika saw Silas running towards the gate. She realized what the old man was trying to do and decided to follow him.

     "Shin-kun, come with me! We must help the village people!"

     Without complaints, Soru followed them in silence.

     Surrounded by unfamiliar words mixed with ringing noises of crying and shouting, they managed to reach the center of the village. There, Reika saw Silas helping the people escape from the burning houses. She looked around and saw a child struggling to follow her family. She ran to the child immediately and helped her.

     Soru saw several men trying to save their burning houses by splashing water on them. He approached them casually. While walking towards them, he heard the old man shouting in the distance. He briefly stopped and listened.

     "Those who can walk properly, help the other villagers who are still trapped in their houses! Those who are injured, gather them at the center of the village!" Silas shouted.

     Even though Soru didn't understand what the old man shouted because of the language barrier, he knew the intentions behind it: save the villagers. He went to one of the men who tried to subdue the flames and tapped his shoulder. The village man stopped and got annoyed.

     "What do y-"

     Without saying an single word, Soru raised his right hand and pointed it to a burning house. In a second, the flame that engulfed the entire house was gone. And not just one, but all the fire that combusted every object within the village vanished in an instant.

     The village men who witnessed the miracle were left speechless. Even Reika witnessed what Soru did there and his involvement in the sudden disappearance of the flames. At that moment, Reika finally answered his suspicions.

     I knew it... You were the one who saved us from danger back then!

     After the sudden disappearance of the flames, the scorching heat followed, and the temperature began to drop. The crackling sound can't be heard anymore, but they can still hear the faint sobbing and cries from the villagers.

     Their attention shifted when the dragon roared louder. The village people, including Silas and Reika, looked up into the sky. They noticed that the Wildfire Dragon Veylir was burning!

     Its entire body was set ablaze by the flame for unknown reasons. But despite being burned alive, to their surprise, the dragon was completely fine, showing no signs of discomfort at all.

     The dragon flew higher in the sky, until the entire village could see him clearly. Everyone witnessed his majestic form, like a phoenix burning above the sky. With a single flap of its wings, the flame that engulfed its body vanished into thin air.

     The entire village fell silent after witnessing a dreadful scene. The silence was broken when the dragon roared once again.

     ROOOOAAAAARRR!!

     The villagers covered their ears immediately, fearing that the loud roar might damage their eardrums. After the horrifying roar, the dragon lifted its head above the sky and opened its huge mouth. 

     A huge fireball slowly materialized within, and the entire village noticed a sudden rise in temperature. The fireball shone brighter above the sky, overlapping the sun's brightness. The temperature continued to rise exponentially, so high that the puddles started to evaporate. Witnessing such a horrifying situation, the entire village felt scared and began to tremble in fear. Without having a clear chance of surviving in this predicament, they closed their eyes and hugged their loved ones. The tears that came from their eyes started to evaporate as soon as they dropped to the ground.

     Soru saw the dragon slowly build up and unleash a fierce attack. The fireball reached a certain point and stopped growing.

     "It's over for us..." One of the village men murmured.

     In a split second, the gigantic fireball that materialized in the dragon's mouth vanished. The entire village witnessed it, as if it never existed in the first place. After a moment, the villagers were surprised that the dragon's body was engulfed in flames once more.

     Enraged by the confusing situation, the dragon roared louder.

     ROOOOAAAARRR!

     Despite being burned alive for the second time, the flame didn't damage its thick scales or penetrate its soft skin. To expel the flames from its body, the dragon flapped its two wings. The flames that covered its body vanished again. Witnessing such an event, the villagers began to worry.

     "The flames... The dragon was still alive even after being burned twice!"

     The villagers noticed that the dragon began to behave strangely. It flapped its wings violently and flew further up into the sky. The image of the dragon was getting smaller and smaller, and it completely vanished in the clouds. The villagers fell silent, fearing what the dragon might do next.

     "M-Mom... Will that monster ever come back...?" The child uttered while trembling in fear.

     The kid's mother hugged her child and tried to calm her down.

     "Hush... Everything's going to be alright..."

     A minute had passed, but there are no signs of the dragon coming back. The entire village felt relieved, as if a huge thorn had been plucked from their skin.

     "Thank the heavens! The dragon never came back!"

     "Probably the dragon felt scared when it got burned twice for unknown reasons!"

     Their short-lived joy lasted until they heard a loud bang above the sky.

     BOOOOM!!

     Everyone looked above and saw that the sky became clear all of a sudden. The thick clouds that once scattered were pushed outward, forming a circle in the sky. In the center, they saw a strange object casting a shadow on the sun.

     As the strange object drew closer, its figure became clear, and the villagers finally figured out what it was. It was the dragon they feared, approaching them at incredible speed.

     "It... It's...!"

     The reason they heard a loud boom is due to the dragon breaking the sound barrier with its speed of descent. Combined with the force of acceleration due to gravity, the dragon gained a speed that exceeded the speed of sound, approaching the speed beyond Mach 1.

     "That's... That's the dragon!"

     At that moment, the entire village thought one thing as they watched the dragon descend from the sky: they had to run as far away as they could.

     Their muscles began to move involuntarily. Their natural instinct, the act of fleeing from danger, flooded their minds. Without hesitation, they ran away from the village. Others picked up their children in a hurry and ran as fast as they could. Everyone was panicking, and surviving was their priority.

     Despite the crowds fleeing in fear, there was only one man who stood his ground, not budging in the slightest. It was Soru.

     In the distance, Reika saw him standing still. He has no intention of running away. 

     What the hell is that idiot doing at a time like this!?

     Soru, still staring at the dragon above, squinted his eyes in order to see the dragon clearly. He then moved his hand and covered his eyes slightly. His fingers acted as a shield to keep the rays of the sun from blinding him while letting some of the light enter his vision.

     "Stay put."

     Suddenly, the sky shone bright. It was quick, yet the entire village noticed it. Those who were directly staring at the sky covered their eyes, fearing that the light might blind them.

     Although it was a fleeting moment, those who witnessed it with their own eyes saw it clearly. The dragon, which vigorously descended from the sky, shone like a white mass of light. It was so bright that the brightness emerged from its body outshone the sun. As if a second sun descended from the sky, shining on the afternoon sky with its blinding light.

     After the strange light was gone, everyone witnessed black matter falling from the sky while leaving a trail of smoke behind. It was followed by a small tremor, shaking the ground as the black matter finally landed on the surface.

     THUD!!

     The entire village tried to approach the strange object that fell from the sky, but Soru stopped them from doing so.

     Soru closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again. He moved his body aside, indicating that the villagers could finally see it.

     Upon having a closer look, they were surprised at what they saw. The black matter that fell from the sky was the dragon's corpse.

     The color of the dragon's body turned black, like charcoal. It was burned to a crisp, with all of its scales lost and turned into dust.

      While they were fussing over the dragon's corpse, others were busy with the aftermath of the fire. They could still smell the burned wood and organic materials. Although it seems like everything was burned to the ground, it was partially devastated thanks to Soru's ability to stop the fire.

     They noticed that there were some parts of the wood and objects that were intact, as they had been partially burned out by the dragon's breath.

     Despite his heroic deeds in saving those houses from being burned further, it was too late to save all of them. There were a few of them who died in the disaster. Those people are those who were buried alive by the debris and those who didn't make it and were caught in flames.

     Children who saw the dead bodies cried out in fear and immediately ran towards their parents and siblings.

     There are unlucky children whose parents died in the disaster. They sat on the ground where the bodies of their burned parents or siblings lay and cried at the top of their lungs. And those parents whose child or partner died cried in agony.

     "My child... You're still young... Why did you leave Mama and Papa so early... Sniff"

     "UWAAAHHH!! Papa... Please don't leave me..."

      Silas ordered those who were still capable to find all the dead bodies and gather them at the center of the village. The villagers immediately followed the old man and began to gather them one by one. After a while, all the bodies were laid out in the middle of the village. 

      A total of five bodies were brutally burned to death and buried alive. 11 were injured due to the slight burns they received or being caught by the falling debris but rescued earlier. No one was found missing. Those villagers who lost their loved ones gathered around their deceased ones. They mourned, while others condemned themselves because they couldn't do anything to save them.

     Amidst the devastating scene, a certain man who was lying beside his family's dead bodies stood up and picked up his hatchet. Everyone who saw him was shocked by his action.

     "My family was killed all of a sudden... All because I was busy helping others escape from the disaster... If I saved them first instead of others, then I...!"

     The man raised his rusty sword and pointed the tip of the blade at his chest. Reika saw it from afar and was surprised at what she saw. 

     That man—isn't that the one who guards the entrance gate...?

     Although she couldn't understand what the guard was saying, she could see the emotion in his eyes, filled with sorrow and regret. She also saw a dead body of a young kid and a woman on his feet, which confirms her speculation.

     "IT'S BETTER IF I'LL FOLLOW THEM THAN LETTING MYSELF DROWN IN DESPAIR IN THIS FORSAKEN WORLD!!"

     He was about to pierce his chest, but one of the village men saved him from taking his own life by holding his hand, preventing the blade from stabbing his chest. The other men grabbed the hatchet and threw it away from the guard.

     While the guard was busy struggling with the village men's grip, he was surprised when someone punched him in the face. Blood gushed out from his mouth, drooping all the way down on his chin. When he looked around, he saw the old man, Silas, standing in front of him with an angry look on his face.

     "Are you out of your mind? Do you think ending your own life will spare you from misery?"

     The guard pushed the village men away from him. He then wiped the blood with his hand.

     "What do you think your wife and your daughter would say if they knew that you tried to end your life?"

     "Don't you dare...!?"

     The guard stopped when he saw both familiar figures behind the old man. They stare at him with a worried look on their faces.

     "M...Mathilda? Emilia..?"

     The guard blinked once, but the figures vanished after he opened his eyes.

     He was left speechless and began to fall to his knees. Tears came rolling from his eyes, and he sobbed quietly.

     "I'm sorry... Mathilda, Emilia. I have failed you both as a husband and a father..."

     The villagers gathered around the guard, checking his current condition. They comforted him, along with Silas.

     Reika, who saw the entire commotion, lowered her head in silence. She remembered the villagers who died in the accident.

     I couldn't do anything to save them all...

     Reika glanced at the families who had lost loved ones. She saw how devastated they were, helplessly crying for someone who wouldn't come back again.

     During the time that I fell from the rooftop by accident, the thought of dying didn't even cross my mind. As if... I was laughing at the face of death...

     Reika released a deep sigh.

     Maybe this is a reminder that death is always around us. That the hands of eternal slumber will extend their arms anytime, dragging us to the end of our lives...

     In this second life, I swear I will cherish it!

     While Reika was busy with her thoughts, she was distracted when she saw Soru heading outside the village through the entrance. Driven by her curiosity, she followed him.

     ...

     Soru was following the path that led to where they had come before. Midway, he stopped when he saw the sun as it slowly met the horizon in the west. Seeing such a spectacle, Soru quietly stared at the scenery as he listened to the rustling sounds of the wheat being blown by the gentle wind. It was indeed beautiful, along with the birds that were hovering above his head and the red-orange light that dyed the entire sky.

      While he was enjoying the view, he heard someone's footsteps drawing closer to him. Soru turned his head to his right and saw Reika approaching him.

     When Reika finally reached where Soru was standing, she stood still beside him. A gentle afternoon wind passed over her, blowing her hair slightly above her shoulders.

     While following him earlier, she was hesitating to confront Soru by asking him the truth about his identity.

     Should I ask him if he knew everything from the start...? But... What if I was wrong all along? That would be embarrassing!

     Reika stood rigidly and thought about the situation carefully. Soru stared at her, wondering what Reika was doing.

     Reika, just think about it! Every situation that you have encountered so far is filled with danger and shock. I mean, you encountered those monsters; they even tried to kill both of you! And yet... He's still unbothered by all of those life-and-death situations...

     Seeing Soru walking towards the unburnt wheath field, her face turned serious.

     Now that I'm standing in front of him, there's no time for hesitation. I must unveil his true identity, right here, right now!

     "I...!"

     Reika stopped when she noticed him moving his body in order to face her. She saw Soru's empty eyes staring at her coldly. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, and the muscles of his face were all relaxed.

     Those eyes... 

     Reika lowered her head and talked in a soft voice.

     "There are families who have lost their loved ones because of the dragon's rampage..."

     Soru didn't utter a single word and just listened to her in silence.

      "I have a suspicion that you're the one who saved me when we were falling from the sky, and those monsters who tried to attack us, I have a hunch that you used some strange methods to deal with them... Luckily, every questions that kept piling up in my mind was answered when you used it once more, extinguishing the flames that burned the houses and possibly killing the dragon with it..."

     Reika raised her head. Tears came out from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks slowly.

     "If you have such methods, why didn't you use them earlier to save those people from their demise?"

     While crying, Reika glanced at him, trying to see his response. However, his face didn't show any sign of guilt or sadness. She clenched her fists while trembling in anger.

     "You... What kind of person are you? Are you pretending not to care at all? "

     Reika raised her hand, aiming it at Soru's face. Witnessing such a seemingly heartless response, Reika misunderstood it, and her sadness turned into resentment and anger.

     "With those eyes of yours, it reflects how heartless you truly are!"

     Reika slapped him right in the face. Upon reaching contact, Reika immediately felt a sharp and tingling sensation on her left cheek. Her head shifted slightly to her left, as if an unseen entity had slapped her.

     "You... You even used it on me!"

     Reika immediately touched the cheek that tingled in pain with her left hand. She was shocked at first, but it changed quickly, and she turned her head towards him furiously. She noticed that Soru was still standing, unbothered by what she had done to him. The force she applied with her hand was heavy, but Soru didn't feel any pain or discomfort from it.

     Staring at her with his cold gaze, he grabbed her right hand and tried to shove it away, but Reika resisted and pulled her hand from his grip. She then wiped her tears with her hands.

     Soru turned around and glanced at the wheat fields, gracefully swaying in the gentle breeze. 

     "I couldn't understand the reason why humans could feel emotion in the first place..."

     Reika was confused when Soru started talking nonsensically in the middle of their quarrel.

     "What the hell are you talking about-"

     "When I was young, those who took care of me said that they never saw me cry even once. They were confused, because a child should be crying and throwing tantrums every time they were being scolded, but I wasn't."

     "As I grew older, I saw different kinds of emotions. I witnessed a child crying because he lost his toy, a mother smiling while carrying her child, and a dog wagging its tail while looking at its owner. Somehow, I wished that I wanted to feel all of it... "

      Soru raised his right hand and stared. 

     "I tried every means in order to feel it even once, trying to be what a normal human should feel. But I can't..."

     Reika, still listening to his monologue, noticed that the words he spoke didn't carry any weight at all. Reika should feel empathy for him, but instead she felt nothing at all. To her, it was all empty, devoid of any emotions to carry the weight of his words.

     Even the way he talks seems flat and hollow. With that tone, there's no one who'd believe your story at all...

     "There was a time that anime became popular all over Japan. I was curious at first, trying to understand why it caused such a hype among other people..."

     "Someone introduced me to One Piece, saying that it was one of the most popular anime series worldwide. So I gave it a try and was fascinated at how they exerted their emotion on each of the characters in the series. They were laughing, crying, and even their furious looks were authentic. Even the way they talk seems authentic to me."

     "That's why I watched several anime like Bleach, Naruto, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Overlord, and many other genres, in order to see how diversified the emotions of the characters were portraying. There's also a character from this anime titled One Punch Man that had the same situation as me, but he could still feel an emotion in a dire situation, unlike me, who didn't have any at all..."

          While he was talking earlier, Reika observed quietly. While listening, she realized something on him.

     His words seem unconvincing! But... There's a side of me that believes all his seemingly nonsensical claims are true.

     Reika glanced at him once more. She looked directly into his empty, grayish eyes.

     Although we only knew each other hours ago, I know that he's a straightforward person. Perhaps... Believing him might be the best thing to do...

     While Reika was staring at him, a thought popped into her mind. She opened her mouth.

     "Although I knew you possessed a mysterious superpower... or something, I want to know the truth coming from you."

     Soru turned around and faced her. Without uttering a single word, his gaze tells her that she was right. Reika smiled at her in response.

     "Knowing that you're the one who saved me multiple times, I am ashamed of my rude behavior earlier. I'm sorry... "

     In front of Soru, Reika slowly bowed to him. Seeing how sincere she was, Soru tapped her shoulder, indicating that what she had done before had been forgiven by him. 

     Reika raised her body and saw him standing still while retracting his hand from her shoulders.

     "I know that saying sorry isn't enough to show my sincerity. So as an apology, I will help you with that problem of yours."

     Soru was wondering what she was talking about and fell into silence.

     "So, how's that sound?" Reika asked him.

     "What's the problem that you're talking about?" Soru asks in confusion.

     Upon hearing him, Reika showed a disappointed response.

     Just how dense can this idiot be?

    "You know, the lack-of-emotions whatchamacallit..?"

     After he heard her, Soru finally understood what she meant.

     "I will help you find your own emotions in exchange for saving my ass multiple times. Although, I don't understand why you were born that way. Is it a mental illness or some sort?"

     Soru thought of everything he could remember regarding his condition. He remembered the time that her mother and he once visited a doctor.

     "The doctor told me that I have a similar case of schizoid personality disorder. But he told me that it was severe, and it had no cure so far."

     Reika was surprised by what she heard and slapped her face.

     Then what I am doing was impossible in the first place!

     Reika stared at him and got worried. She scratched her cheek with his finger shyly.

     "W-Well... Perhaps a miracle would happen? Who knows?"

     Soru noticed that the sun slowly sets in the west. He walked away, heading towards the village while leaving her behind. 

     "It's getting dark. Let's go back to the village."

     Reika looked up at the sky, and the night was slowly approaching, revealing the stars one by one. She immediately dashed, trying to catch his pace.

     "W-Wait up for me!" 

     Without turning back, Soru slowed down his pace. Reika finally caught up with his pace, and they walked slowly towards the village.

     "By the way, what did you do to the dragon earlier?" Reika asked him.

     "I used the sun to kill it," he abruptly answered.

     Reika was confused.

     "How did you do it? Burned the dragon to death using the sun? HAHAHAHA-"

     "Yes." Soru answered.

     I was right!?

     "Thanks to the sun's nuclear fusion, I used it to inflict damage on the dragon, thus killing it with ease."

     Reika was confused at how he did it, but she remembered what nuclear fusion was in their chemistry class.

     Reika was left speechless. Unbelievable as it may be, she believed him with no hesitation.

     Although what he did was truly out-of-the-box, the fact that he possesses such mysterious power means that he could perform such absurdity...

     Reika saw the village entrance as they drew closer. She halted while Soru continued walking.

     "Shin-kun!"

     Soru also stopped when he heard her calling his name. He didn't turn his head around, but Reika still talked to him without a complaint.

     "From now on, you will call me by my first name, Reika."

     Soru didn't utter any words. Without receiving a response on the other end, Reika added a request.

     "Can I also... Call you by your first name...?"

     Still, Soru didn't respond at all. Reika wondered why Soru didn't answer her and wasn't moving an inch from where he was standing.

     Is he hesitating?

     Over time, her anxiety grew. Reika couldn't take it anymore and realized what she had done. She covered her face shyly, embarrassed by her strange request.

    What if he was weirded out by it? Was I forcing myself to him? Gosh, I am screwed...

     Suddenly, Reika heard a short reply from him.

     "Okay. " 

     After he replied, he continued walking his way towards the village. Reika was stunned after she heard his answer.

     Did he just... Agreed?

     After a second, Reika giggled softly while staring at him walking towards the entrance. Then, she realized that Soru left her behind again, and got irritated by it.

     This idiot...!

     "Hey! Wait for me!"

     Reika immediately ran in order catch his pace. After a moment, she finally caught up and and walked along with him. 

     Upon reaching the village entrance, they saw the old man Silas standing at the gate. Sillas approached them with a worried look.

     "Mister Soru, Miss Reika, where have you been all along? I've been looking for you this entire time... "

     Reika got embarrassed and scratched her head.

     "I'm sorry we've got you worried... We were just outside the village, getting some air... "

     The old man breathed deep and moved his body beside them. He waved his hand, indicating that they are welcomed in the village.

     "After all this incident, I know you're hungry, just as we are. Come with me, I'll get you some dinner to eat."

     Silas walked ahead of them. Both of them followed him, heading to the spot where the villagers are gathered to eat. 

      Reika looked around, and heard the villagers talking on a language she dind't understood. She ignored them and continue to follow them. 

     While walking, she was distracted when she heard something. Among many mouths uttering a language native to the continent, she heard something that piqued her attention. It was echoing in her ears, like someone was calling her from afar.

     Come here...