"What does magic mean to you?"
"Power. Pure power—the power to forge a new era for myself."
"And what does magic look like to you?"
"Lightning."
"Then, what kind of magic do you wish to pursue?"
"I want to become lightning itself, as fast as lightning, so I can seize every fleeting moment. The unpredictable lightning flashed across a thousand miles at the speed of light. It may just be a small spark, but I hope that small spark will light up my future."
"…Seize every moment. That's such a naïve thought."
"Yeah, I am that kind of naïve person."
The world around Bell changed completely.
A huge black dragon stood right in front of him. Its large, dark wings could be seen torn apart, and the black smoke from its body spread out in every direction, quickly surrounding Bell.
Even when faced with such a terrifying scene, Bell didn't take a single step back.
The sound of Bell gritting his teeth echoed from his mouth. He wasn't refusing to retreat, it was that he couldn't retreat.
Behind him was an endless abyss, and there was no way for him to retreat from the very beginning.
This was his destiny.
This was his choice!
The enormous dragon's eyes locked onto Bell, gritting his teeth and holding firm.
The dragon wasn't afraid of any human's challenge, and giving humans the chance to challenge it was part of its fate.
The dragon didn't look down on any human who could face it directly. The great heroes of humanity had each left a permanent mark on its body, and its wounds were a recognition of those heroes.
"Try to fight me, hero of mankind!"
These words rang loudly in Bell's ears, and they felt so strange. The black dragon, a symbol of "evil," actually spoke such words.
Bell didn't have time to ponder the deeper meaning behind those words. He wasn't particularly didn't fully understand the significance of the black dragon's existence.
However, Bell knew this trap would lead to his death, and he had no choice but to face it.
"Zzzt!"
Suddenly, a blue lightning crackled across the surface of Bell's skin.
In the next moment, Bell's entire body was shimmering with blue and white lightning, and the pressure weighing on him suddenly decreased.
The steps he couldn't take before now moved forward, and then his body transformed into a flash of lightning as he rushed toward the black dragon.
"I will fight you!"
Bell knew he could never become a hero and was just an ordinary person.
This was everything he had once imagined, but it had all turned into a rather unappealing yet clichéd story.
Bell, who was good at hiding his feelings, couldn't help but grin widely.
Suddenly, Bell stomped hard on the ground and jumped high, swinging his fist like an idiot charging straight at the black dragon's mouth.
"You are the death of me. That's why I have to fight you and kill you with my own hands!"
There was no other reason. It was simply because the black dragon was in his way, blocking him from moving forward.
Bell didn't care about any other reasons.
Saving the world?
That was too big a reason, and it wasn't the kind of reason that suited him.
An ordinary person doesn't need big reasons—just one is enough.
The moment Bell's fist touched the black dragon's mouth, everything started to fade into nothingness.
The two consciousnesses that had met returned to their respective bodies.
...
"!?"
Bell suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air as the lack of oxygen caused him to inhale deeply.
The black dragon he had just seen and the voice of the black dragon he had heard didn't feel fake at all.
Then, was the so-called "counterpart" just now real?
"No, it can't be."
"The real Bell Cranel would never have such thoughts like that. Failure is never allowed, and the person standing in that position wouldn't allow failure."
That's right. Bell didn't acknowledge that those people were versions of himself or Bell Cranel. At least, Bell didn't think that a naïve, good person would easily give up.
"Is it guidance?"
Bell wasn't sure what exactly it was.
It had happened too fast, and his mind wasn't processing quickly enough. However, he was certain that it wasn't something the black dragon had done.
The words spoken by the black dragon clearly didn't align with something that petty.
Even though he didn't understand what was happening, Bell admitted that he was just someone from another world.
It didn't matter to him whether or not he was a counterpart.
The important thing was that his task remained the same. He needed to take on the fate that this identity was meant to bear, and it was a fate he couldn't escape.
After taking a deep breath, Bell's brain, which had been overwhelmed with blood flow, gradually calmed down.
"My brain really isn't suited for thinking about these complicated problems."
Once again, Bell felt despair in his own mind. He was great at daydreaming, but he could never quite wrap his head around them when it came to thinking things through.
After a bit of thought, Bell decided that whether it was real, fake, or even just a fantasy, it was better to write it down first to avoid forgetting it later.
After jotting down some simple notes, Bell lay back down on the bed. The recent experience had left him mentally exhausted.
Even though he had just woken up, reading the Spell Tome made him feel sleepy again.
He relaxed his limbs on the bed, but then his foot bumped into something hard. Bell sat up and saw the Spell Tome lying beside him.
Then, he opened it.
"The text has disappeared. It looks like it's no longer useful."
After stuffing the Spell Tome into his dimensional storage, Bell lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes.