The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse
Chapter 297: Ch 296: You know what to do - Part 2

Chapter 297: Ch 296: You know what to do - Part 2

In a quiet room down the hall, Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, head down.

The message from the system still hovered in his peripheral vision.

One wish. Any wish.

He didn’t care about the prize.

He didn’t care about the competition.

All he cared about was seeing her again.

Selene.

He didn’t care if she yelled at him or cursed him or told him to go away.

He just wanted to look her in the eyes.

And finally ask her the question that had haunted him every night since she disappeared.

Why did you leave us behind?

He clenched his fists.

’This time, I’m not letting you run.’

Ethan sat in the dim room, the system interface glowing in front of him, illuminating the bitter expression etched across his face.

His eyes scanned the announcement again—one wish, any wish—and a hollow feeling settled in his chest.

It should have been exciting. A chance to change everything.

But all he could think about was how many times he had already failed.

He’d failed to protect the Vale estate.

Failed to stop Selene from leaving.

Failed to understand her in time, or maybe even love her the way she needed.

And now, with the tournament looming and her trail cold once again, he had a gut-wrenching feeling—

That this would be the last time he’d ever get to see her.

His heart stuttered at the thought. The breath caught in his throat.

’Calm down.’

He told himself.

But his instincts screamed otherwise.

They told him to move. To act. To not let this chance slip away.

He buried his face in his hands, but the buzzing in his head wouldn’t quiet.

Then, from deep within his mind, a memory surfaced—one he hadn’t thought about in a long time.

The smell of salt in the air. The hum of magic.

The golden light filtering through the trees of his old home, before the fall. Before the war. Before everything had gone to hell.

"No. That place is gone."

Ethan muttered. He clenched his jaw.

But the memory clung to him like a ghost.

And then, for the first time in a long time, he heard his own voice—not the cold, mechanical one shaped by grief and duty, but the real Ethan. The one he had buried.

"You promised you’d do your best."

Ethan opened his eyes.

He bit down on his lip, hard, until it bled.

And then he stood.

He moved to his desk, scribbled a note—just a few words telling the others he’d return in a week—and slipped it under the door to Orion’s room. No explanations. No goodbyes.

He didn’t want them to try and stop him.

Then he made his way toward the outskirts of the city, where the threads of reality had always felt... thinner.

Where he could still feel the echoes of his world’s energy bleeding through the cracks.

The air trembled as he arrived. Static danced over his skin, biting and sharp.

He reached out, fingers trembling, and pressed them against the rippling space.

The barrier pulsed.

It fought him at first, as if recognizing that going through meant something permanent. Irreversible.

If he crossed now, he might not come back.

Ethan exhaled a shaky breath.

But he didn’t stop.

He pushed forward, forcing the world to bend around him, carving a path through dimensions with sheer will.

And then—darkness.

When he stepped through the veil, the other side hit him like a punch to the chest.

The sky was black. Not with night, but with ruin.

His home—what used to be lush forests, brilliant cities, and sunlit lakes—was now nothing but ash and fractured stone. Dead magic lingered in the air like smoke, stale and hollow.

Ethan’s boots crunched over broken glass and burnt soil.

He didn’t say anything at first. He didn’t know what to say.

But as he looked out over the wreckage of his world, guilt coiled in his chest.

"...I’m sorry.|"

He whispered.

No answer came.

He hadn’t expected one.

Still, he walked forward, eyes fixed on the shattered remains of what once stood at the heart of it all—the castle. The beacon of their world. Now reduced to debris and dust.

It looked... smaller than he remembered.

Each step forward felt heavier than the last.

And then, just as he crossed a broken archway and stepped into what used to be the main courtyard, a familiar presence rose from the dust.

A flicker.

A mirage.

A woman with red hair stood before him, barely solid, her eyes filled with rage and sorrow.

"You dare return?"

Her voice rang through the emptiness.

Ethan froze.

"After all this time?"

The mirage narrowed her eyes.

"You let us die. You let this place die. And now you come crawling back?"

He didn’t respond at first. Her presence hit too close, stirred too much.

She was just a projection—a leftover piece of memory. But her words sliced deep.

"I had no choice. I tried to survive. I tried to fight back. But the system was stronger. I was—"

Ethan said, his voice low.

"We all tried to fight back. And you still turned your back."

The red-haired ghost cut in.

He staggered, her words weighing on his chest.

But then, with effort, he took another step forward.

"I know. I know I don’t deserve to be back."

He whispered.

The ghost didn’t fade. If anything, her eyes burned brighter.

"But I’m not here to make things right. I’m here to get stronger. To stop this from happening again. To protect what’s left."

Ethan said.

A silence passed between them.

And then the mirage turned her back on him.

"Then prove it."

She said, before fading into mist.

Ethan closed his eyes.

And walked into the ruins of the castle.

Ready to face the past—so he could protect the future.

The mirage extended her hand toward Ethan, her form shimmering like a flame dancing in the wind.

Her expression was softer now—almost mournful.

"Stay. This world has suffered too long. It needs someone to guard it, someone strong enough to protect what’s left. Become its guardian. Forever."

She said.

Ethan stared at her, unmoving. Her words echoed through the hollow ruins, full of weight and desperation.

For a moment, he saw what she saw—a chance at redemption, a life dedicated to rebuilding the place he once called home.

But the moment passed quickly.

He shook his head and stepped back.

"That’s a foolish offer. I’ve already found my place. I’m not staying here."

He said, voice steady.

The mirage’s hand trembled before dropping to her side. Her gentle expression shattered like glass.

"You won’t return?"

She asked, voice brittle.

"I can’t. I made a promise. I’m not done with that world yet. Once I get what I need from here, I’m leaving. For good."

Ethan replied.

The mirage’s eyes darkened. Her grief twisted into rage.

"Then I cannot allow that."

She snapped her fingers.

In an instant, the sky cracked.

The ground beneath Ethan’s feet lurched violently as the air rippled with raw magic. The ruins began to shift, stone groaning as if awakened from slumber.

Walls rose around him. Pillars bent and twisted, carving new corridors in the earth. Trees that had long since withered grew anew, tall and thick, their roots slithering across the ground like snakes.

The portal behind him flickered once, then sealed shut with a final, echoing thud.

Ethan spun around, eyes wide.

"What the hell—?"

The mirage floated above the center of the forming labyrinth, her arms stretched as if conducting the entire world.

"You will remain here. This world gave you everything. You don’t get to leave it behind."

She said coldly.

"This isn’t justice! This is a trap!"

Ethan shouted.

"It is a test. If you wish to return to the world you claim to belong to... find me again. Prove to me that you are worth saving."

Her voice carried from everywhere and nowhere.

And then she vanished, melting into the endless maze of roots and shadow.

Ethan cursed under his breath.

"Damn it!"

He lunged toward where she had stood only moments ago, but there was nothing left—just twisted trees and ancient stone walls that hadn’t been there minutes earlier.

He tried the portal again, but it had sealed completely. Not even a flicker of energy remained.

Trapped.

The realization hit him like a weight on his chest.

Ethan paced in a circle, scanning the area.

He was standing in the middle of what now looked like an overgrown temple, vines curling up cracked statues, pillars leaning in every direction.

Beyond that, winding paths stretched into dense, mist-covered forest.

No path was clear. No direction made sense.

But he didn’t stop moving.

"Fine. You want me to play your game? I’ll play it. But I’m not staying here."

He muttered to himself.

He clenched his fists, the glow of his system barely illuminating the shifting maze.

"I’ll find you. And when I do, you’re going to listen—whether you want to or not."

The trees groaned as if in answer, the wind whispering through the leaves like a warning.

But Ethan didn’t turn back.

He chose the narrowest path ahead and stepped into the dark.

Because no matter what this world threw at him, he was going to find his way out.