15 didn't make it in time to see her one last time. She left me no final words. Nothing but the deed to the house and a bank card holding her life savings. They sat on the living room coffee table, a quiet, simple statement. This is all I have to give you. Take care of yourself. I felt like my soul had been ripped from my body. I moved through the world in a daze, too numb for grief. But the tears wouldn't stop falling, a silent, endless stream. They flowed until I had no strength left, until I collapsed beside her empty wheelchair and the world went dark. Mrs. Peterson and Leo handled the funeral arrangements. Or rather, Leo handled everything. If Mrs. Peterson 13/17 hadn't physically held me back, I would have climbed into my mother's coffin and let them bury me with her. [Warning! Warning! Mission time remaining: one day!] [Host must complete the mission immediately, or the mission will be declared a failure!] My head snapped up. Julian was standing a short distance away, watching me silently. In his hand, he held a silver pistol. The sky was overcast, and a damp, heavy wind whipped at the hem of his black coat. Pinned to his lapel was a single white rose, as if in mourning. We stared at each other across the graveyard for a long time. I saw his face grow even paler, his eyes filled with a strange mix of sorrow and guilt. His lips trembled as he whispered, "...I'm sorry." He raised his arm, leveling the dark barrel of the gun at my heart. Then- THWACK. A dull thud. Julian crumpled to the ground. The gun flew from his hand and landed in the grass. A momen later, it was picked up by another hand-a larger hand, strong and capable. Leo stood there, holding the pistol in one hand and leaning on a dirt-caked shovel with the other. "What is this, a movie?" he said, exasperated. "You really think no one else is around?" 11 He muttered to himself as he dialed 911, one foot still on the shovel that was pinning the unconscious Juli an to the ground. The scene was so absurd it was almost funny. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. I turned back to the fire pit and continued to feed it paper money for the dead. A soft breeze rustled through the trees. The flames in the basin leaped up, swirling into a brilliant vortex of light. It danced for a moment, spinning once, twice, as if reluctant to leave. Then the wind died down, carrying the last of the ashes away with it. As the day ended and night fell, I thought I heard the faint, distant sound of the system announcing Julian's mission failure. The divorce went through without a hitch. With Leo's testimony and the undeniable evidence of the baseme- nt prison, Julian was charged with spousal abuse and attempted murder. His company declared bankruptcy, his assets were frozen, and the illegal firearm possession was added to the list of charges. It was as if his protagonist halo had truly vanished. This time, Lana ignored his pleas for help. Zack, far from helping, turned on him, providing the court with even more evidence of his financial crimes. 11/13 Overnight, Julian went from a celebrated golden boy to a despised, criminal monster. I watched him at the trial, saw his dazed expression morph into one of tearful, pathetic begging when the sentence was read. I suddenly realized that without his so-called halo, this was all he ever was: a weak pitiful man. With his numerous crimes, he was sentenced to death. Before the end, he begged to see me one last time. I was curious to hear his final words, so I went. When he saw me, his eyes lit up as if I were his last hope. He was a wreck-unshaven, with dark circles unde his eyes, a crazed look on his face. He scrambled to the glass partition, his voice a desperate hiss. "There": still a chance... I still have a chance... Monica, help me. The system will give me another chance, if you jus help me..." "Listen to me! I've cleared so many worlds! I've been an emperor, a god... If you help me, I can take you t any of them! You can have anything you want! You love me, don't you? Please, just help me!" The mysterious system still unnerved me. "How am I supposed to help you?" I asked cautiously. He pressed his face against the glass, his eyes wild. "My protagonist halo is gone, but you can find this worl 's new male lead! If you can seduce him, bring him to me, I can steal his luck!" I was almost impressed. With his mask completely off, his shamelessness was truly boundless. I let out a cold laugh and turned to leave. Julian tried to climb the partition, clawing at the glass before the guards pulled him back. "Monica! Monica!" he screamed, his voice cracking. "Monica!!" "You! You said you would stay with me forever!" I stopped for a moment, my back to him. But only for a moment. Then I kept walking, without looking back. Seeing me leave, Julian finally broke. He slumped back in his chair, muttering, "It's not fair... It's not fair..." "System, you lied to me! You said this was an easy mission! Why did it turn out like this?!" "...How could anyone in the world willingly die for someone else?! You were lying to me!" "I want to file a complaint... Give me another chance... I want a do-over..." His desperate cries faded behind me, becoming as distant as my dark, painful past life. A life that now felt like nothing more than a long, faraway dream. A dream from which I had finally woken up, to a world full of light. He would never know. I really had died for him once. He just wasn't worthy. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!