The Survival of the Third-rate Villain

Just a few minutes after getting discharged from the hospital—

Tap—

"I'm home."

Raye arrived at the cabin, stopping at the entrance.

And there—

-Hm?

-Meep?!

He was greeted by Zephyrus and Pyro.

-MEEEEEEP!!!

FWOOSH—!

Pyro shot toward him—

PASH!!

Burying his tiny fire face into Raye's left cheek.

-MEEP!!!

He chirped excitedly, his flames flapping nonstop.

And seeing him like that—

"Haha... I'm happy to be back too."

Raye chuckled, lifting his hand to gently pat Pyro's small, warm body.

Fwish~

-How's your condition?

Zephyrus then flew beside him and asked that, his tone was calm but there's a hint of concern.

"Hmm?"

Raye turned to him.

And with an awkward smile—

"I'm all good now."

He declared that with confidence.

-Mhm... That's good.

Zephyrus replied casually, acting as if it wasn't a big deal.

Though in reality...

He was relieved.

Happy.

Raye knew this, so quietly—

"..."

He just smiled.

Then, at that moment—

"Hi guys, I'm also here... Hehe..."

Jerusha appeared behind Raye!

She had been following Raye, making sure he was okay.

'I would've told her before that I could handle this on my own… but now, I don't mind her company at all.'

Raye thought, a small grin forming on his lips.

-Meep!

Pyro chirped, greeting Jerusha with excitement.

-Hello.

Zephyrus simply followed, waving his right wing at her.

And then—

"Let's go inside now. I have some roasted chickens from Kyle."

Raye suddenly announced that, raising a bag in his hand.

And after hearing his words—

-Meep!

-I'll clean the table.

FWOOSH—

Pyro and Zephyrus immediately zipped inside to prepare.

"I'll help them."

Jerusha then said with a smile.

And with bright eyes—

Tap- tap- tap—

She followed after the two.

Raye watched the three of them go, chuckling softly.

"Guess everyone's hungry."

He mumbled.

And with that—

Tap—

He stepped inside the cabin.

Though, as soon as he entered—

"..."

He stopped.

He was frozen in his place.

His feet just barely crossed the door.

Then silently—

Fwish~

Raye's gaze drifted around.

The cabin was just as he remembered.

Untouched. Unchanged.

'Hmm… those guys must've been taking care of this place.'

He thought, pertaining to Devin and the others.

"..."

The inside of the cabin was spotless.

"Hah..."

A soft laugh escaped Raye's lips.

But then—

"..."

His smile faded slightly.

His gaze lowered to the wooden floor.

"...I'm home... I'll be waiting for you..."

His voice was weak, almost a whisper.

A quiet promise.

He was talking about Old Man Rey.

Raye wanted him to recover quickly and return—so they could go back to their normal lives.

But he shook the thought away.

Fwip—

Lifting his head, his expression returned to normal.

And as if nothing had happened—

"..."

Tap— tap— tap—

He started walking again, following Jerusha and the others inside.

...

...

*****

Nom- nom- nom—

Chomp!

GULP—

The sound of crunching filled the cabin as Raye bit into a juicy roasted chicken leg.

And across from him—

"Hmmn?! Shoo gooshd...!!"

Jerusha took a bite as well, her eyes lighting up at the taste.

-Meep! Meep!

-This is really good.

nom- nom- nom-

Pyro and Zephyrus happily munched on their own smaller portions, their bodies shaking slightly.

The warmth of the meal, the laughter, and the chatter made the atmosphere feel light.

They talked about random things—

Jerusha mentioned how the academy had been quiet lately after the invasion.

Zephyrus told a funny story about how Pyro got stuck inside a bag of flour at Kyle's shop.

Pyro, of course, squeaked in protest, making Jerusha and Raye giggle.

Raye mostly listened, a small smile on his face.

This...

It felt peaceful.

And as they ate, talked, and laughed—

Time passed quickly.

And before they knew it—

...

...

"...I should get going now."

Jerusha suddenly said that.

The four of them had already finished eating lunch just a few tens of minutes ago.

"Hm?"

Raye blinked.

"Already?"

He asked.

He hadn't realized how much time had passed.

And at his question—

"Mhm."

Jerusha nodded.

"I still have things to do back at my dorm."

She said.

And without further ado—

She stood up and started preparing to leave.

-Meep…

Pyro made a small, sad noise, looking up at Jerusha.

-You're leaving?

Zephyrus asked, tilting his head.

Jerusha smiled at them.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

She declared.

Fwish-

Then she turned to Raye.

"You better not pass out while I'm gone, okay?"

Jerusha said.

"Haha... I won't."

Raye replied with a chuckle.

And seeing him smile like that—

"Good."

Jerusha nodded, satisfied.

Then—

Tap- tap- tap—

She walked toward the door.

Fwip-

Raye stood up too, following her.

Zephyrus and Pyro followed after.

And when they reached the entrance—

"..."

Jerusha turned back to him, hesitating for a second.

Then—

She smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Raye."

Jerusha muttered.

Raye looked at her.

"...Yeah. See you tomorrow."

And with that—

Thud—

The door closed behind her.

Raye stood there for a moment, staring at the door.

Then—

"Haaaa..."

With a small exhale—

Tap-

He turned around and started walking back back inside.

Fwip—

Raye slowly looked around the cabin.

"..."

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The space that once felt small and cozy… now felt strangely big.

With just him, Pyro, and Zephyrus here—

It felt... empty.

Raye clicked his tongue.

'Damn it…'

He cursed out.

Raye misses the Old Man.

After waking up days ago—

He was greeted by Jerusha.

Then the next day, his friends came to visit him.

These had made him forget.

Forget the silence.

Forget the loneliness.

And now, with everyone gone—

They all came rushing back.

"Fuuuu..."

Raye let out a slow breath.

Then—

He shook his head.

'No time for this.'

He thought.

His eyes sharpened.

He was done sitting around.

If there was one thing he realized while lying in that hospital bed—

It was that he hated being powerless.

The demons were still out there.

The old man was still unconscious.

And Raye… he still had a long way to go.

Clench—

He clenched his fists.

'I need to get stronger.'

He proclaimed in his head.

Then at that moment—

-Meep?

Pyro tilted his head, noticing the change in Raye's expression.

-What's wrong?

Zephyrus asked, his eyes narrowing.

Raye exhaled.

Then—

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Nothing."

He turned toward them, eyes blazing with determination.

"But starting today… training resumes."

...

*****

The next day, in the northern forest...

Fwoosh—!

Raye took a deep breath.

Then—

BAM—!

He launched himself into a sprint.

Tap— Tap— Tap— Tap—

His feet barely touched the ground as he sped through the dense forest, weaving between trees like a shadow. His movements were fluid, precise—almost unnatural.

Fwip—!

A sharp turn.

Bang—!

He kicked off a thick branch, soaring high before landing effortlessly on another.

Breathe in… Breathe out.

His body was still recovering, but he wasn't about to take it easy.

He had lost too much time.

His body had gotten sluggish. His battle instincts dulled. His balance wasn't as sharp as before.

He needed to fix all of that.

Now.

THUMP—!

He suddenly stopped on the highest tree branch, standing perfectly still despite the height.

Balance... check.

Then—

CRACK—!

He slammed his foot down, breaking the branch he stood on—

And as he fell—

Fwip—!

He twisted his body mid-air, rotating swiftly—

And with perfect timing—

BOOM—!

He landed on the ground.

Smooth. Controlled. Not a single misstep.

Raye grinned.

'Not bad.'

But he wasn't done yet.

Whoosh—!

A gust of wind rushed past as he immediately dropped to the ground, entering a low stance.

Push-ups.

One hand.

Then—

BOOM—!

He pushed off the ground with so much force that his entire body lifted into the air.

Then—

SLAM—!

He switched hands mid-air and caught himself, continuing the reps.

One... Two... Three...

His muscles burned, but it wasn't enough to stop him.

Next—

BOOM—!

He launched himself off the ground with a push-up so strong it sent him flipping backward.

Mid-air, he straightened his body—

And—

CRASH—!

Landed with a roll.

He immediately broke into a sprint again.

Tap— Tap— Tap—

Next test—battle sense.

Raye's eyes sharpened.

He needed to regain his instincts.

So—

He closed his eyes.

Darkness.

Only his senses to rely on now.

Fwoosh—

A rustling in the trees—!

BAM—!

Raye moved before thinking, dodging a falling branch just in time.

His body was remembering.

The movements. The danger. The flow of battle.

Yes.

He was getting back into it.

Little by little.

And with every moment, every motion—

Raye's grin widened.

'This is more like it.'

Fwoosh—!

He dashed forward, his body moving on pure instinct.

BAM—!

His foot slammed into a thick tree trunk, sending cracks running through it as he flipped backward, twisting mid-air before landing effortlessly.

His breathing was steady.

His muscles burned, but it was a good burn.

He was getting back into rhythm.

And just as he was about to continue—

Tap— Tap—

"Huh...?"

Raye felt a presence.

Someone was approaching.

Fwish—!

Raye's sharp gaze flickered toward the source—

The leaves rustled, and then—

"Raye!"

Jerusha emerged from the trees.

She had rushed to find him.

Raye blinked.

"Jerusha? You're early."

Raye straightened up, wiping a bit of sweat off his forehead.

Jerusha stepped closer, hands on her mouth.

"You—"

She pointed at him, her expression shocked.

"Do you ever take a break? You were discharged just yesterday, and you're already pushing yourself this hard?"

She said.

"I don't have time to take it easy."

Raye replied with a smirk.

Jerusha sighed.

"You're seriously impossible..."

But then—

Her expression turned serious.

"Anyway, I came here because the headmaster is calling for you."

Then she declared that.

"Huh?"

Raye's smirk faded.

"The headmaster?"

Jerusha nodded.

"Yeah, he said it's important."

Raye's eyes narrowed slightly.

If the headmaster was calling for him right after he got discharged…

Then this wasn't just some casual meeting.

Something was up.

"...Alright."

He exhaled, rolling his shoulders.

"I'll go see him now."

Raye muttered.