There are many ways to die in Eclipsia.
But few are as creative as "explode by stepping on an inverted summoning rune."
I knew it because I saw it.
Not in the present… but in that flicker of moons.
That strange anomaly now living in my eyes: the shadows of possible futures.
And if I wanted to stop being a nameless number, I had to start by changing the script.
---
The ritual was scheduled for the next morning.
The Merchant's acolytes carved blood circles into black stone, humming in a language that sounded like a badly dubbed commercial.
—"Don't touch the inner runes," they warned. "Or your soul will be recycled."
I nodded, obedient.
And waited until no one was looking.
Then I did what any passive-aggressive office worker would do: I sabotaged it silently.
I moved a line.
Just a tiny stroke.
But enough to make the circle summon something very different from what was planned.
---
At dawn, all of us "extras" were lined up like unwilling spectators.
The Merchant looked radiant, adorned with rings made of human fingernails.
—"Today we receive a new Hero of Light!" he announced theatrically. "One with a legendary sword and the charisma of a bargain-bin protagonist!"
The circle glowed.
And then… he appeared.
A blond guy in white armor, perfect smile, and eyes that screamed "I'm invincible because the plot says so."
—"My name is Alaric!" he said, raising his sword while shining for reasons that defied physics. "I'm here to eradicate darkness!"
I held back my laugh.
Because the exact moment he stepped out of the circle…
The fake rune activated.
—"Eh?"
That was all he said before his body inflated like a helium balloon and burst into a confetti of bones and molten armor.
Silence.
Then, somewhere nearby, the cauldron whispered:
—"Oh. Haute cuisine."
---
The Merchant didn't speak for several minutes.
His eyes dripped more oil than usual.
Finally, he cleared his throat.
—"...Magical accident.
That was… a magical accident."
And we all pretended it was.
Because no one wants to know what happens when the owner starts suspecting things.
That night, we ate soup flavored like "defeated justice."
And for the first time, some extras looked at me differently.
Like I wasn't just another corpse on delay.
---
I wasn't strong.
I wasn't special.
I didn't even know how to use magic.
But I had something neither heroes nor villains could predict:
A grudge with a to-do list.
And as the three moons rose again in the sky, I felt something inside me respond to their shadows.
As if they were inviting me to keep watching futures.
And ruin them all.