Consequence

Everything turned pitch black. No one could see anything. Then a sudden flash of light pierced through the darkness.

When everything revealed itself, Alexander had also returned to the mirror-like plane. The plane where the pink-haired lady showed up before.

Alexander was relieved by the sight of his youthful body. He felt trapped in the body of Captain Daniels, a gruff, middle-aged man.

After touching every inch of his youthful body, he noticed the presence of another. It was the pink-haired lady. She was sitting comfortably on her decrepit wooden chair.

Rather than a happy reunion, the pink-haired lady scowled at Alexander. No wonder, since he failed his first-ever mission. The crucial task of "Protect the Children".

"But I saved four!" Alexander was getting anxious and blurted out an error.

The pink-haired lady's veins popped and were visible. "Four?! You're saying that's enough?!" she shouted out.

"You didn't specify a number!" Alexander blurted out, digging his grave deeper.

Her rage soon turned into sadness, with a touch of sorrow. Alexander's heart sank, and he sat himself down on the ground. The guilt was still lingering.

He knew what he had done. The severity of his failure, along with ruining the innocent lives of children he was entrusted to protect.

The pink-haired lady's voice turned soft. "This was supposed to be an easy task, Alexander," said the pink-haired lady with disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Alexander apologized as he looked down at his reflection, showing his misery.

"The survival of those children lay on you," the pink-haired lady said with her finger pointed at Alexander.

"What was I supposed to do, then?" Alexander asked.

"Sacrifice yourself," replied the pink-haired lady.

"What?" Alexander looked confused.

"If you had picked up the barrels instead of leaving them alone, the damage wouldn't have been as bad," the pink-haired lady explained.

"But the crew?" Alexander asked.

"I would've interfered if you decided to sacrifice yourself; that includes others near you," replied the pink-haired lady.

Alexander was baffled by the pieces of information he had just received. Ashamed of himself, his head hung even lower.

"I'm sorry," he continued apologizing.

The lady's response was mild. "It's fine. No one would expect that they'd have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good," she said with a breath of relief.

"Success can make others boastful, and mistakes can make others grow," she said.

"It is how we can utilize our mistakes and use them as a tool for growth," she continued.

Alexander's determination surged from deep below him. He would not let his failure define him.

The lady's eyes softened, and a faint smile touched her lips. "That's it," she said.

"You're destined for greatness, Alexander. But remember that strength alone isn't enough to tackle your hurdles," she reminded him.

"Compassion and wisdom are equally important," she added.

As Alexander stood in the stagnant water of the mirror plane, he felt a renewed sense of purpose.

Although his guilt still lingered, his sense of commitment overtook the place where it was. Commitment to avoid his past mistakes. He took a deep breath, ready to face the incoming challenges.

However, even with the sight of Alexander picking himself back up, the lady's eyes turned to pity.

"Alexander," called out the lady.

"Yeah?" Alexander responded.

"While I do believe in second chances, your failure cannot go unpunished," the lady said in a somber tone.

A sudden chill ran down Alexander's spine. For a moment, he thought his failure would go unpunished.

"What do you deem fit?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Among the various things I'm able to take, there's something noticeable: your mastery. Amid the others, this was ranked as the highest value," she said.

"W-What is it?" he stuttered.

"Journalism," she replied.

"N-No! Please!" he begged.

"You need to pay as you have taken my children," the lady remarked.

Alexander fell into a panic attack. He begged her not to extract his skill. That skill is what made him money. The thought of losing it was intense.

With eyes filled with anguish, he pleaded, "Please, there has to be another way."

"Penalties aren't supposed to be easy, Alexander," she said, her face softening.

Soon after, a soft, gentle pink emanated from her palm. As she raised her hand, Alexander felt a rush of stamina leave his body.

When the lady touched his forehead, Alexander could feel his muscles weaken and his mind grow foggy.

The extraction process was both mentally and physically draining. He crinkled his teeth and tried to cry the pain away. When the process was over, he felt lost.

Filled with empathy and a shred of wisdom, the lady said, "This is your punishment, Alexander. But it can also be an opportunity.

Frozen in place, he felt the loss of his weight and his failure, along with the loss of his journalism skills. Whatever just happened changed him forever.

Then, with just a snap of her fingers, Alexander's mind turned blank and he found himself on his familiar bed. He was teleported away from the mirrored water realm and back into his room.

Fearing that this might be a trap, he looked around the room to find anything out of place. He tried to make sense of what had just happened.

As he looked around, he found nothing amiss. Exhausted from all the searching, he laid back down on his bed.

While he lay down on the bed, his mind was filled with a whirlwind of emotions. He knew that whatever just happened was only the beginning.

He thought that the pink-haired lady would willy-nilly teleport him whenever she wanted. Along with making him do her bidding through missions.

Time passed, and he still couldn't shake the feeling of absence. It felt like there was a hole through him, making him vulnerable.

His room was lathered in the soft, gentle light emanating from the lamps. His memories of the gear world and the pink-haired lady, along with the mirrored water realm, lingered.

More time passed, and the room remained at a standstill. The noiseless room allowed him to shut his eyes, even if it was only for a while.