Dimension System: SSS Rank Talent Awakening

Chapter 76 The Guilt



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After the chaos of the training camp, the surviving students were brought to the academy's healing center.

The facility was expansive, its walls lined with healing crystals that emitted a soft, calming glow.

The faint hum of magic filled the air as healers worked tirelessly, tending to wounds both visible and invisible.

Dabi sat quietly in the corner, his gaze distant and clouded, his shoulders slumped under the weight of recent events.

For him, the room felt heavy with more than just the scent of herbs and potions; it held the memories of his first battle and, more profoundly, his first kill.

He hadn't expected this. Not the way the life had drained from Malakar's eyes, nor the way his own heart had ached with the act.

His blade piercing Malakar's heart was a moment frozen in his mind, playing over and over with haunting clarity.

As much as he tried to brush it off, convincing himself that Malakar had deserved it, the weight of taking another life bore down on him.

He'd trained for this, yes, but no amount of preparation had ever conveyed the reality of this choice.

The other students in the healing center were lying on beds, their bodies bearing various injuries from the intense training exercise.

Some were crying softly, others lay in shock, staring blankly at the ceiling as healers worked on them.

The atmosphere was thick with a mix of pain, relief, and an unspoken bond each of them having survived something that had tested them beyond anything they had ever faced.

Despite his own inner turmoil, Dabi felt a flicker of solidarity with them; they had all survived together, but each bore different scars.

As he rose to check on Zen, his friend who had barely made it through the ordeal, Dabi's body was stiff, his limbs weighed down not only by fatigue but by the emotional weight he carried.

Zen lay on a cot nearby, pale and bruised, his breathing labored but steady.

His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, each one seemingly taking every ounce of strength left in him.

Seeing him alive sparked a small sense of relief in Dabi's heart, though it did little to ease the turmoil still raging inside him.

He hadn't been able to save everyone, but at least he hadn't lost Zen.

Without a word to his siblings that evening, Dabi returned home. Mira and Eli were waiting for him, their young faces lighting up with relief when they saw him walk through the door.

They had no idea what he had been through; to them, he was simply returning from a rigorous training camp.

Dabi couldn't bring himself to tell them about the horrors he had faced or the life he had taken.

He knew they were too young to bear the weight of such knowledge, and he wanted to shield them from the darkness he now carried.

They deserved to remain innocent for a while longer, untouched by the harsh realities of his world.

The next morning, Dabi received the news that Elena's funeral would take place later that day.

Elena, a fellow student who had fallen in battle, had been a kind and determined soul, always quick to encourage those around her.

Her absence left an aching void that echoed through the academy.

As Dabi dressed for the service, he felt the pang of guilt tighten around his heart, sharper than any weapon he had wielded.

How many more friends would he lose in this relentless pursuit of strength and survival?

The funeral was a solemn affair. The entire academy gathered, students and teachers alike, all dressed in muted colors as they paid their respects.

Elena's family had been invited, and her parents, both visibly grief-stricken, stood by her casket. Dabi saw the tears in their eyes and felt the rawness of their pain.

He wished he could console them, to tell them that Elena had been brave, that she had fought valiantly.

But the words caught in his throat, the silence filling the space where comfort should have been.

The academy made gestures to aid the survivors, offering rare potions that could regenerate missing limbs for those who had lost parts of themselves during Malakar's attack.

Dabi watched as a few students went up to accept the aid, some missing arms, others bearing deep scars.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

It was a reminder of the tangible cost of battle. Magic could mend the body, but there was no spell strong enough to erase the grief etched into the hearts of Elena's loved ones.

For Dabi, the knowledge that no amount of power could bring Elena back left him with a bitter aftertaste, a sense of helplessness that gnawed at him.

The days that followed felt like an eternity. For Dabi, time seemed to freeze.

Every moment was consumed by the memory of that single act, his mind replaying it in an endless loop.

He tried to reason with himself, reminding himself that Malakar had been a monster, someone who had caused pain and chaos.

But no matter how much he justified his actions, the guilt clung to him like a shadow.

It was not the act of killing that haunted him it was the loss of his own innocence, the realization that he had crossed a line he could never uncross.

Three days after the funeral, Dabi found himself standing before the headmaster's office.

He had been summoned for a debrief, but he knew there would be more to this conversation.

The headmaster had a way of seeing into the depths of people's souls, of understanding the burdens they carried.

As he entered, he felt the weight of his actions pressing down on him even harder, each step feeling like he was dragging chains behind him.

The headmaster's office was quiet, filled with soft sunlight that filtered through the large windows, casting a warm glow on the bookshelves that lined the walls.

The headmaster sat behind his desk, his expression compassionate yet firm, as though he had seen this struggle countless times before in others.

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