The spring wind blew with a cold touch, carrying dust particles and rustling the treetops. I could feel its exact trail as it brushed against my skin. It's perfect.

  A few miles from here there must be some huge cherry trees. I can't see them, but I can smell them. The scent mixes with everything else, bringing with it the damp aroma of freshly watered wheat fields.

  I stayed there, under the tree, letting the sunlight filter through the branches. It wasn't a sun that burned or gave off heat; it gave me a gentle warmth, the kind that makes you want to take a nap. I felt the weight of my body against the ground and didn't feel like opening my eyes at all. Everything was perfect.

  When was the last time I felt like this? As if nothing mattered, with no worries and no one or nothing forcing me to move. Just me and my silent thoughts.

  "Kairo," said a voice.

  It's a voice I know well, I've heard it a thousand times and never grown tired of it, but today it felt different, as if it were coming from far away.

  When I opened my eyes, there she was. The wind was blowing hard, blowing her blonde hair like a golden flag in the sun. Her blue eyes were so deep that I could get lost in them with just one look; eyes that capture you and don't let you look anywhere else. I felt that a guy like me didn't deserve such a perfect gaze staring back at me.

  She brought her hand to her ear to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was a single, slow gesture, one of those she makes without thinking, but it highlighted her beauty and delicacy. Seeing her standing there, with the evening light silhouetting her figure and the glow of her skin, made her seem otherworldly.

  It wasn't just that she was beautiful; her presence made the world seem to stop around her. The sound of the wind and the color of the countryside faded into the background when she was near. To me, she wasn't just a girl, she was the true meaning of perfection personified. She is perfect.

  "S-Sheila..." I managed to say, my voice sounding more shaky than I expected.

  Yes, that was her, Sheila Grims.

  At that moment, I felt my heart pounding in my chest, as if it wanted to escape. My cheeks were burning, and I was sure my face was as red as a tomato. But it didn't matter; today was the day. I had been rehearsing this moment in my head for years, going over every word and every gesture. Everything had to be perfect.

  I jumped to my feet, brushing the dust off my pants and trying to smooth out the wrinkles in my clothes. I wanted to look impeccable, even though it was impossible. Unlike Sheila, I had to get ready; she is naturally perfect.

  "Well, here I am, Kairo," she said, closing the distance between us.

  "Y-yes, thank you for coming. How... how have you been?" I asked her.

  Sheila smiled subtly and looked at me with a mixture of amusement and doubt.

  "Kairo, we saw each other this morning and you already asked me that. I'm here because you said you had something important to tell me."

  "You're right. Something important, yes..." I repeated like an idiot.

  My legs were shaking stupidly and I felt nauseous. I was extremely nervous, no matter how many times I had practiced in front of the mirror; when the moment of truth arrived, I got a lump in my throat and couldn't get the words out, nor could I think clearly.

  "The truth is, Kairo," she continued, lowering her voice a little, "I want to tell you something too."

  Her too? Could it be... NO! No way. She would never see me that way, not someone like me. But wouldn't that mean my efforts were in vain?

  NO! I couldn't hesitate now. It was now or never.

  "Okay, who's going first?" I said, reaching into my pocket.

  My fingers brushed against the fabric of the red bracelet I had bought a while ago with my savings. I squeezed the gift tightly, feeling the sweat on my palm.

  "Okay, I'll go first," Sheila said, breaking the silence.

  Her lips moved slowly, as if she were choosing the words she was going to use.

  "Kairo, I..."

  "No! Wait," I interrupted her abruptly, letting out the breath I had been holding. I felt a stupid impulse, a mixture of fear and adrenaline that prevented me from listening to her first. I had been preparing for this for a long time. I want her to listen to me.

  "Let's say it at the same time," I suggested.

  Sheila looked at me confused, but ended up agreeing with a slight nod.

  "On three..." I whispered. One... two...

  three.

  "Marry me!" I blurted out, pulling the gift out of my pocket.

  At the same time, her voice hit me like nothing else in this world.

  "I'm getting married."

  The world stopped, the wind, the smell of cherry blossoms, the colors... everything vanished. The blue sky turned gray, and Sheila stood frozen like a statue, her lips parted.

  Reality shattered into a thousand pieces like a mirror, and suddenly I found myself on the ground. I was kneeling, my hands over my eyes, crying like the last time. I tried to hide my tears, but they kept flowing without stopping.

  In front of me, where there had once been a huge wheat field, there was now a black hole covering the rest of the landscape.

  Out of that darkness came a person, walking slowly and calmly. He had my face, my body, my clothes; he was me. Behind him there was nothing, just an infinite void with an endless sea of stars.

  "I see... so this was the event that changed you," he said. His voice was identical to mine.

  "Who are you?" I asked.

  "I am you," he replied. He moved a little closer and continued, "I saw what happened to you. I saw that you haven't improved at all in fencing, that your father despises you, and that your mother is destitute. I've seen it all."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "How do you know all that?" I said, trying to find answers. But my mind was not clear, nothing made sense. Is all this real?

  He didn't answer my question. He began to walk in circles around me, looking down with contempt.

  "Now I ask you, Kairo... Don't you want to change? Don't you want to try to achieve everything you desire? Don't you want to stop being the loser who cries on the floor?"

  With each question, I became more and more lost. What do I want? Obviously, I want all of that. It's my greatest desire. Every night I go to bed thinking about what I would do if I won the tournament.

  He stopped in front of me and crouched down a little to be at my height.

  "I can give you all that. At a low cost, of course."

  "What... what would the cost be?" I asked.

  "You'll find out after you accept the deal," he murmured, extending his hand toward me. "Do you accept? Yes or no?"

  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  ***

  "AHHH!" I jumped up, my heart racing, desperately searching for an exit with my eyes.

  I was back in the sword room. The coldness of the dojo and the smell of sweat brought me back to reality; apparently, it had all been a dream. It had been a long time since I had thought about what happened between me and Sheila that day, and even longer since I had dreamed about it so vividly.

  "Kairo! What happened to you? Are you okay?" My teacher quickly approached me, breaking character.

  "Yes... everything's fine, I just had a strange dream," I replied.

  How was it? What happened in that dream?" he insisted. He asked me with an unusual desperation.

  "Well... a guy who looked like me said he would give me power if I accepted a deal."

  As soon as I finished the sentence, the teacher jumped to his feet and put his hand to his mouth. His look of surprise was impossible to ignore; he was pale. This confirmed what I already believed, something was wrong. He never lost his composure, but now he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

  "Tell me, Kairo... Did you accept?" he murmured.

  "No... I don't know. For some reason, I don't remember what happened after that."

  I sat on the floor. I had read stories about people who ended up possessed by versions of themselves, people who changed personality overnight or began to have memories of lives they never lived.

  These were rare cases, legends you could count on one hand, so I shouldn't worry... but the fact that I had seen myself in that void made my hair stand on end.

  "Let's hope you turned down the offer," said the master. "You'd better go home and rest, Kairo. Get ready for the tournament in three days."

  "Master, I already know why and for whom I'm fighting," I said.

  The teacher looked at me without saying a word, waiting for me to speak first. "I'm fighting for Sheila, for myself, and because I feel that no one deserves this."

  A small smile appeared on the master's face and he nodded his head. I think he feels proud.

  I got up and gathered my things. Just before leaving the dojo, I stopped and turned around. I needed to know.

  "Master... hypothetically speaking, what would have happened if I had accepted?"

  The master remained silent, staring at the wall covered with swords. He took a full moment before answering.

  "A curse would fall upon you."

  ***

  I left the dojo with my head spinning. It was already nighttime and the streets were completely dark and empty. Mirea is a very lively city during the day, but when night falls, it becomes very quiet; everyone has a habit of locking themselves in their homes early.

  I walked home using the usual shortcuts, but I couldn't get the master's face out of my mind. A curse?

  Actually, it's not that unusual. I myself carry a low-level curse that causes my mana to recover a little slower than a normal person's, but in exchange I gain superior physical strength. It's a basic pact, but it helps me. Curses are the price you pay for making a pact with a demon or some otherworldly being. Depending on the benefits you receive, the higher the price you pay. Simple, right?

  But that's only one of the prices. The other is the destinations, which I would say are the worst you can get, since you can't negotiate or reject them. Once you close the deal, your life changes forever.

  There was a well-known case in our city of a man who murdered his entire family, children, parents, grandparents, even his wife, because of a destiny pact. He couldn't do anything about it. Once he fulfilled his destiny, he realized what he had done and ended up taking his own life.

  A pact of destiny is basically an inevitable change in your future, an event that will happen no matter what, and you can only watch as it unfolds before your eyes without being able to do anything to prevent it.

  And finally, there is the goal. This one doesn't need much explanation. They give you a goal that you must achieve in order to keep the skill or power they gave you, and if you don't achieve it, the demon takes your body and comes back to life with your name and memories.

  Knowing that these things happen every day is what makes me uncomfortable about my situation. The way my teacher looks at me makes it seem like something out of the ordinary.

  "Well, I hope everything turns out okay," I said to myself.

  It's not as if my life is worth much compared to the people he tried to help. If I had to cut short my life to save the people I love, I would do so without hesitation.

  I shrugged before turning the last corner and braced myself mentally. It was time to face the stares of the servants and guards at the house.

  The Grims' house is almost an entire district, a square divided into six blocks, one at each corner and two on the sides. In the center is the main mansion where my father, Mr. William Grims, lives.

  The concubines live in the outer blocks. My mother is number four, and her building is right on one of the sides.

  I expected the usual: the two bored guards at the door, and further inside, my mother waiting for me in her room. But when I turned the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. What I saw turned my stomach.

  My mother was lying on the floor, one hand on her cheek as if she had just been hit. She was wearing her concubine's dress, but even from behind I could tell she was shaking, crying.

  And there, in front of her, was he. The man she despised most in this world. William Grims stood there watching her with a coldness that was disgusting. Behind him, another woman hid in the shadows of her cloak with a smirk on her face as if she were enjoying the show.

  "Get out!" he shouted, his voice reaching me as if it had cut through the air. "I no longer need mediocre concubines who are incapable of giving me a strong and talented son."

  I stood frozen a few feet away, listening to those words that broke me even more. Maybe in another life, in another place, everything would have been different. Why me?

  Seeing my mother at that graduation ceremony made me understand everything. I kept walking forward thinking that I was the only one suffering. I convinced myself that no matter how long it took, someday I would be able to help them.

  But I was wrong, I don't have time. All this is William Grims' fault, what does my weakness matter? My lack of talent gives him no right to treat us like trash, to hit my mother or remove us from his life as if we were nothing. That's why, at that moment, I realized I needed to change, to stop being who I had been until now.

  I'm not going to wait for fate to decide for me or for my father to validate me. I will seek my own validation, surround myself with people who support me, and change this shit once and for all.

  I won't let my weakness take control of me and tell me what to do.

  I swear on my name, Sairo Blade. I will change this shit and make my old man regret it.