Chapter 4: Chaewon
Amid memories of the second Gate, Ace clung to the moments when he had held her. He cradled her after they cleared the Gate, held her in bed, and finally gripped her corpse after she fell in the third Gate.
Those scenes stamped his first life with purpose. He once again saw that she, along with others, had shown him there was more to living than survival. A flood of feelings rushed in, yet the one that should fit—love—never surfaced.
[Second Flaw: As an A‑Ranker, Ace Avalanche shall be romantically detached.]
Because of the flaw, the memories shifted. They no longer moved him. Instead, sorrow he couldn’t name slammed into him like an avalanche. He stared into the woman’s eyes and startled her.
We’re back to being strangers. I just confused her, maybe even scared her. The past is the past. I know she and her father will survive the first Gate, and that I can trust them. I’m curious... can a weak human like me change her future?
Instead of feeling protective, Ace wondered if saving her in the second Gate could bend fate. Many theories insisted the future was fixed. Those fated to die would still die.
I came back to fix my life. If she survives, this sorrow should fade. I don’t want regrets. So all I need to do is keep grinding my skills.
"Yeah. I wanna learn some martial arts," Ace said. "Let me use your equipment and your experience. If it helps, I’ll join your dojo."
"Wonderful! Did you bring a change of clothes?" the woman asked.
"Yeah," Ace replied.