Chapter 30 – Reverse by Death…? Nope, I Pass.
The sun bathed the academy in a golden light as Andrew and Mario made their way back to their shared dorm building, freshly returned from the royal capital. The sounds of students practicing spells and swords echoed faintly across the courtyard. Everything felt… normal again.
Which was exactly why it felt so strange.
"So…" Mario glanced at Andrew sideways as they walked. "That time reverse thing—you made that up, didn't you? Just like when you faked that flaming phoenix spell in the mines and scared off the goblins?"
Andrew chuckled but didn't answer right away.
"I wish I did," he said at last, his voice oddly serious. "But no. It's real."
Mario stopped. "Wait, what?"
Andrew turned, his tone casual. "I got it after that battle with the one-eyed titan, remember? The one that predicted my every move."
Mario blinked. "Yeah. You never told me what happened after that fight. You said you found some kind of weird… floating message?"
Andrew nodded. "No description. Just said: Skill obtained: Time Reset. I thought it was broken or bugged or something. I even left it unused. But after that, I noticed… weird things. Like déjà vu. Or knowing where an ambush would be before it happened."
Mario's mouth hung open. "That's terrifying."
Caroline's voice cut through the silence as she joined them from behind, arms crossed, brow raised. "You know… this reminds me of something."
"Oh boy," Andrew said. "Here we go."
"I watched an anime before we were summoned here," she continued. "It was called Re:Zero. The main character had an ability—every time he died, he returned to a set point in time. He had to die again and again to get it right."
Mario raised an eyebrow. "Like a game checkpoint?"
"Exactly," Caroline said. "He suffered a lot. But he changed the future every time."
Andrew blinked, face pale. "Wait, by dying?"
Caroline nodded. "Yup. So maybe it's the same for you!"
Andrew stared at her. "You want to try?"
Caroline, completely serious: "Sure."
"…Wait, what do you mean 'sure'?" Andrew took a step back. "If I die and it's not the same thing—I'm dead. Like no coming back, game over, thanks for playing. Goodbye academy. Goodbye Mario. Goodbye snacks. Goodbye soft beds. Goodbye Caroline's hair when she falls asleep in my lap—wait I didn't say that out loud."
Caroline blinked.
Mario: "…You totally did."
Andrew, deadpan: "I regret many things. This is one of them."
Caroline tilted her head, smirking. "So? Want me to stab you a little? Just a small experiment."
Andrew backed up again, hands raised. "Nope. Nope. We are not doing the Re:Zero Challenge. This is not that kind of anime!"
Mario wiped a tear from his eye, laughing. "This is exactly like the good old days."
Andrew sighed dramatically. "Back when my biggest problem was goblins, not marriage proposals, time-warping skills, and potential stabby girlfriends."
Caroline put her hands on her hips. "I'm not stabby."
Mario and Andrew both stared at her.
"…Okay, maybe a little," she muttered.
Just then, a notification dinged softly in Andrew's interface. He glanced at it and frowned.
"Royal Command: Report to the Headmaster's Office – Immediately."
He groaned. "Can't even enjoy being alive for five minutes."
Mario clapped him on the back. "Hey, look on the bright side. At least you're not dead!"
Andrew: "…Yet."