I walked toward Midori to ask what the hell was going on. But every step of mine felt like I was walking on cracked ice over a fast flowing river, shaky and out of place. I barely made it before my legs gave out, and I crashed down in front of her, dropping to my knees.

  “S-stop… it…” Midori wheezed, struggling to breathe.

  I tried to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Turns out the old man had told me how to start this thing, but very kindly forgot to explain how to stop it. I panicked and turned to ask him, only to see he had already passed out, lying cold on the ground. Then something warm ran down from my nose. The last thing I saw was blood hitting the floor… and then everything went black.

  ?

  A warm, gentle pressure covered my hand. After what felt like forever, I could feel my fingers again and moved them slowly. I tried to open my eyes, but they refused. Soon the pain rushed, all my bones and muscles ached. And it felt like the world’s heaviest ox had sat on my chest.

  “He is.. moving! Hey, can you hear me?” I heard Midori’s voice faintly.

  I finally managed to open my eyes, waited until the blur faded, and then turned toward the voice. I was lying in a bed with Midori sitting next to me. She was clutching my hand to her chest and rubbing it, her eyes wet with tears. I lifted my head, then slowly pushed myself up to sit.

  “Morning—”

  

  “You idiot!” she yelled, her palm cracking against my face.

  I didn't see it coming. I blinked, still confused, and before I could ask, she grabbed me and pulled me into a tight hug. I mean, really tight. My ribs complained, loudly, and my already aching body sent a clear message of protest. I even felt a slight cracking sound in my chest.

  “Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!” she scolded me between sobs, her voice shaking. “Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought… you’d never wake up!”

  “I don’t understand what you’re talking about… and stop it, you’re hurting me!”

  “Oh, sorry,” she said, letting go and cupping my face in her hands. Tears streamed down, but a relieved smile spread across her face. After wiping her eyes, she added, “Anyway, you’re awake now, and that’s what matters.”

  “Mind telling me why you are acting like I just woke up from a hundred year nap?”

  “Because you did!” she snapped. “It has been three days since you collapsed!”

  “...What? Three full days?!”

  “Yes. You passed out that day and didn't wake up no matter what we tried,” she sniffed. “You scared me half to death.” She tapped my head to make sure the point landed.

  Apparently, almost dying comes with a free scolding. I forced my brain to remember what happened last. Bits and pieces floated up. The old man was showing me some skill that I couldn't remember the name anymore. Then things went bad… very bad. And yeah, I passed out. But what bothered me was not me, it was the old man who looked one breath away from dropping dead.

  “Wait… the old man? Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. You could say he took a quick trip to the other world, but he’s tough. He didn’t look like the type to stay at death’s door for long.”

  “Good, and... you?”

  “I’m fine, so don’t worry. It was just… if I hadn’t burned almost all my mana on teleporting that day, it wouldn’t have hit me this hard. But you passed out at the right moment. Once you did, the mana drain stopped.”

  I felt a bit calmer, but something dark still crawled in my chest. So that was how great power felt. I was scared of what I had done, and worse, of what I might do next. And there was guilt too. Even if things ended all well, I realized I could have killed both of them. Maybe even myself.

  “Uh, I’m so sorry. This was completely my fault. I was so sure I’d fail again that I went all out. And yeah, the old man told me how to start it, but—”

  “Shh. It’s fine. No one is blaming you. It was an accident, and no one got hurt… well, at least we all are safe now.”

  She stood up, poured me a glass of water, and handed it over. I drank it, asked for another, then another. I was gulping it down like an elephant that had just found a pond in a desert.

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  “I should go tell the others,” she said while walking toward the door. “You must be very hungry too.”

  Once she left, I got up and I walked towards the window. It seemed like the sun hadn’t risen yet. Three days of sleep had me drained. Soon, the old man barreled in, followed by Midori and a young woman carrying a tray of food. I started eating as he bombarded me with questions.

  “Are you alright, young lord? You’re not hurt, are you? I… I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Punish me however you wish.” He kept muttering, slapping his knees and scolding himself.

  “No, really, it’s fine. I should be the one saying sorry. I think I overdid it.”

  “No, no, not at all, young lord. This isn’t your fault,” he said quickly. “It never should have happened that way in the first place.”

  “…What?”

  “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “Even the old Demon Lord couldn't pull that much mana at once. You are different, young lord, you have no source which means no limit. If you hadn't passed out, you would have kept draining it till forever, or your death. And I…” he flinched. “In my infinite wisdom, I forgot to tell you how to stop.”

  “Wait…” I almost choked on the food. I barely swallowed, “what do you mean I could’ve died?”

  “It’s how your domain works, young lord,” he said. “Our previous lord used this power to draw mana from around him when his source ran low. But you don’t have that. So you just keep pulling, without stopping.”

  He paused for a moment, then added, “From what I understand, without a place to store it, the mana just piles up around you and crushes you under its own pressure.”

  My eyes went wide. So that was it… every ache, every scream from my bones and muscles. I had basically thrown myself into a mana trash compactor and somehow walked away alive. I turned to Midori, she looked just as tensed. This was clearly something none of us had ever seen, and judging by their expressions, they really wished they never had.

  “I guess I shouldn’t use this thing at all,” I thought aloud.

  “Oh no, that won’t be needed, young lord,” the old man said, “as long as you stop it before it's too late… What happened was because you didn't stop—”

  “Right. That too,” I cut in. “So how do I stop it? A magic word I’m going to say? Or some deep focus again?”

  “Ah,” he looked away. “It’s actually very simple,” he said, voice shrinking. “You just… want it to stop.”

  “What the…?!” I shot back, my face heating up. “You mean I could’ve just said stop? Or even thought it? That’s it?!”

  “Y-yes… I think,” he muttered.

  I spun around, looking at Midori, then back at the old man. Something inside me just snapped. Anger erupted, rushing up my chest, and my thoughts vanished. Next thing I knew, I had him by the throat and pinned to the wall.

  “Do you even hear yourself, huh?!” I literally roared. “I was out for three days. Everything hurts. I almost killed the only person I trust in this world. I might have even killed myself!”

  His face went pale, eyes wide, hands clawing at my arm. I didn’t care. I wasn’t there anymore. Midori rushed in, trying to pull me back, but somehow I felt stronger than usual.

  “If it was that easy, why the hell didn’t you say it sooner, you useless idiot?!” I snarled, slamming his head into the wall.

  Midori finally shoved me back with all her strength, just before the old man passed out. He slipped from my grip, hit the floor hard, and started coughing and gasping. I spun toward her, ready to snap and ask why she even stopped me.

  

  “Enough!” she screamed.

  I froze. Rage surged again, and my hand went up on instinct, ready to hit back, ready to return the insult.

  “How dare you—”

  She caught my wrist in mid-air, pulled me close, and held me in a sudden, tight hug.

  “I said stop,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please…”

  Her warm hug and shaky sobs hit the fire inside me like heavy rain. My anger eased, and I slowly came back to myself. When it faded, a deep regret filled my chest.

  “I’m so sorry… I don’t understand what happened to me,” I muttered, wanting to sink into the ground from shame.

  Once she was sure I had finally calmed down, she let go. I rushed to the old man without losing a single second, who was still on his knees, staring at me with a mix of fear and guilt. I dropped down in front of him and pressed my head to the floor, bowing as deeply as I could.

  “I’m so sorry. That wasn’t me. I swear. I don’t know what came over me, but one thing I know is that I wasn’t myself at the moment!”

  “Cough… I know, my lord,” the old man said weakly. “You were just overcome by rage… what we call the Berserk phase.”

  “The what… phase?”

  I sat there, frozen, unsure how to react. First it was that frightening domain, now this. I had no clue what kind of thing I was turning into, and I definitely wasn't enjoying it. Just as it started to hit me hard, Midori came over and rested her hands on my shoulder.

  “No worries, this happens to all the other demons too,” she said like it was just a mild cold. “You’ll get used to it.”

  The old man nodded, gripping his cane. “Don’t worry, young lord. For now, just rest. You only just woke up, no need to stress yourself.”

  He walked off, leaving me staring at the empty space. My mind went blank and my mood sank. Midori sat behind me, resting her back against mine, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

  "The old man is right.” she said. “Focus on getting better for now. And try not to get angry again… just in case.”

  I was still frozen from the shock. My mind kept replaying what had just happened, and the thought of it happening again scared me to death. That wasn’t me. I was sure of that. But I also wasn’t sure if it had been someone else either.

  “I guess,” I said. “I’m just a stupid mess. This was my fault from the start. I yelled at the old man for nothing. Why didn’t I stop myself back then?”

  "You know there’s no point thinking about that now."

  "Yeah," I muttered, still unable to forgive myself.

  I got up and went to the bed, pulling the blanket tight over me. I wasn't sleepy at all. I had slept for days already. I just wanted to close my eyes and forget what happened. Or, to be honest, I didn't want anyone to see my stupid red face.

  I hadn’t meant to sleep, but I did. I woke up groggy to the sound of a crowd outside. I slipped out of bed and looked around. Midori was by the window, watching with interest. I joined her. The yard in front of the mansion was packed with demons, loud and restless. I couldn’t tell what they wanted, only that the noise made me tense.