Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine-Chapter 236 - 235- Hurt

Because of that, they had to start thinking about the worst things the Gods might do to keep Alex from reaching the trials.

Alex slowed down, his steps halting.

"Do you have something in mind?" he asked.

Edric gave a firm nod. "Just a thought... What if they were somehow convinced you were no longer a threat?"

Alex caught on immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"You mean... faking my death?"

Edric nodded again.

"If they believe you're dead, and you go into hiding for the next eight months, they'll never know you're still alive. It would end everything before it starts."

He paused for a second, then added,

"And besides, the Curse watches over the lower realm. If any immortal being tries to sneak down here, you'll know right away. You'll have time to react."

Alex crossed his arms, thinking it through.

"I mostly train with the Soulless anyway — the ones summoned by the Curse. I don't need to travel across the world. As long as the world believes I'm dead... that should be enough to make those bastards let their guard down."

Eldorin, who could whisper the truth to his followers, would play a big part in spreading the news.

Once the world accepted Alex's death as fact... those Gods would have no reason to come after him or the people he cared about.

"So," Edric asked quietly, "are we doing this?"

Alex gave a small nod.

"Yeah... but don't tell the others. They'll never agree to it."

....

And that led to the scene now unfolding in front of him.

Sarah, Rebecca, and Celestria sat frozen, their faces pale, their eyes red and puffy.

They stared at Alex — not just with anger, but with the kind of hurt that cut deeper than any blade.

"As I said," Alex spoke quietly, "it was necessary."

He didn't flinch under their gaze. He didn't apologize.

But deep inside... seeing their tears, feeling the silent ache they carried — it twisted something in him.

"Why?" Rebecca whispered, her voice cracking as she wiped the tears staining her cheeks.

"Why didn't you trust us enough... at least to hint about your plan?"

Alex looked at them — three people who had given him everything.

He closed his eyes briefly, taking in a breath before answering,

"Because I knew you wouldn't let me do it. It was risky... too risky."

The words hung heavy in the air.

All three of them flinched as if the weight of his confession struck their hearts directly.

Sarah suddenly straightened, her eyes going wide in horror.

"You didn't..." she whispered.

Before he could react, she rushed to him, grabbing his wrist tightly, almost desperately.

Her fingers skimmed over his skin — searching, sensing, begging to be wrong.

And then her hands froze.

Her breath hitched sharply.

"Your soul..." she whispered in disbelief. "A fragment... it's missing."

Her voice trembled, so soft it barely reached his ears.

Alex gave a small, helpless laugh.

"I... allowed the corrosion to take a part of it," he admitted.

[More like he let that part of his soul take the entire damage. Once it shattered, I simply consumed it.]

The Curse clarified, almost nonchalantly — but there was nothing casual about the silence that followed.

The girls stared at him — as if seeing him break in slow motion.

Hurting the soul was forbidden for a reason.

It was a pain that didn't heal. Trauma that never faded.

People who suffered soul damage often lost their magic, their sanity, and their very will to live.

And yet... Alex stood there, shoulders steady, lips curved in a faint smile — pretending it was nothing.

"Alex..." Sarah whispered brokenly, her hand rising to cup his cheek with a trembling touch.

"Doesn't it... hurt?"

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Rebecca and Celestria closed the distance too, reaching out to him as if afraid he might crumble if they let him go.

Alex shook his head slightly. "Not that m—"

"Don't lie to us," Rebecca cut in, her voice cracking, her hands clutching his tightly.

"We're not strangers, Alex... Please. Don't lie to us."

Alex met their eyes — saw the fear, the heartbreak, the raw desperation they couldn't hide — and felt something inside him shatter a little more.

He looked away, his voice a low murmur,

"...Yeah. It hurt."

He swallowed, forcing the words out.

"It felt like... my body was burning from the inside. Like every bone was breaking and healing... again and again... every single second. I thought it would never end. But now... it's better. I promise."

The lie was obvious — and it hurt them more than anything.

Their hearts twisted painfully.

The battles they had fought, the horrors they had faced — none of it compared to what they felt right now.

Because Alex always bore the worst parts alone.

Because no matter how strong he was, no matter how much he smiled —

It was always he who paid the price.

And it was always him who ended up bleeding in the end.

"Come on, you all. I didn't go through all that to see you cry. Come here." He collected his girls in a warm hug, pulling them closer and feeling his aching body receiving some much-needed relief.

.....

Amanda and Edric were in the same room as Natasha and Alice.

The latter two were sleeping. Natasha has recovered but still needs a few hours of rest.

After seeing the monster fighting with Edric and Celestria and easily swatting them away as if they were flies, Amanda understood why Natasha was in tatters.

"How do you feel now?" Looking at her beloved whose head was wrapped in bandages, she asked in a soft tone.

"Just the headache ...are you okay?" Edric asked as remained lying down on the bed.

Amanda nodded, "I just used a little too much of Soul Energy...it went below the lower limit."

Edric frowned in concern.

Having one's SE below the lower limit means they would continue to grow weaker with time.

Seeing the panic in his eyes, Amanda assured him, "Rebecca shared some of her Soul Energy with me through a mock battle. Don't worry."

Edric heaved a sigh, "But still, get yourself checked by your elder sister."

Amanda nodded, and suddenly, the person Edric mentioned, appeared in the room with three other people.

"How are you, mate?" Alex asked with a grin seeing the bandages wrapped around his head.

"You barely survived and are now laughing at me..." Edric chuckled.

They all sat down on the bed parallel to the one on which Edric was lying down.

Alex took a chair and looked at the duo before saying, "Well, everything went according to the plan. As per what the Curse said, Solaris must have already believed in my death."

Edric exhaled a sigh of relief. The others also felt quite relieved at that. The greatest threat who has been actively sending people after Alex was Solaris. And if he gets fooled, half of their concern would vanish.

"However, what about the other God? The one influencing people?" Amanda asked. She was concerned about them since they were huge in numbers and anyone could be influenced by the Gods.

That's why, "I have a plan in mind. You all just need to announce to the world that I died."

Edric's brows elevated, "And how will we do that?"

Alex shrugged, "Simple~just arrange a funeral."

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A/N:- I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter. We are advancing towards the end.