CHAPTER 26 — WILL

# THE FALLEN LIGHT — SEASON I

## CHAPTER 26 — WILL

When the third lap began, nobody was talking. The first seventy kilometers had changed everyone. The soles of their feet were already torn to shreds. Fifteen kilograms of stone weighed on their shoulders. Olsen's aura was still burning the air. The crimson ground fatigued their eyes. And upon the sand... Thousands of tiny lives were moving about.

Percy was not running at the front of the group. He was running in their midst. He was constantly looking around him. To his front. To his rear. To his right. To his left.

As Theodore's foot was coming down, Percy shouted.

"WATCH OUT!"

Theodore instinctively pulled his foot to the side. Beneath his foot was a small scorpion. The scorpion quickly scurried into the sand. Theodore stared at it for a few seconds. Then at Percy.

Percy kept on running. A minute later, Nathaniel stumbled. Percy immediately caught his arm.

"Balance."

Nathaniel:

"I'm fine."

Percy:

"You're not."

Nathaniel regulated his breathing. Percy stayed by his side without letting go. Nathaniel found his rhythm once more. Only then did Percy pull away.

Marcus's bag slipped down. Percy adjusted its strap while running. Sophia began to fall behind. Percy dropped back beside her.

"Match your breathing with mine."

Sophia listened to Percy's rhythm. Three steps. Inhale. Three steps. Inhale.

After a short while, she recovered herself. Percy moved forward again.

A scorpion in front of Adrian attacked. Adrian raised his foot. Crushing it would have been so much easier.

Percy shouted from a distance.

"RIGHT!"

Adrian leaped to the right. The scorpion escaped. Adrian escaped as well.

Percy nodded.

"Keep going."

Holar was watching everything from afar. Eleanor stood silently beside him. Olsen's fire aura never waned. Galahad's eyes never left Percy.

Eleanor finally spoke.

"He is suffering more than anyone."

Holar did not answer. Eleanor continued.

"He is running more than anyone."

"He is carrying more weight than anyone."

"Yet he is still watching over everyone."

Olsen tracked Percy's movements.

"He doesn't miss a single student."

Galahad nodded.

"Because he no longer sees them as students."

Eleanor looked at him.

"What does he see?"

Galahad's answer came immediately.

"His responsibility."

Holar's gaze softened. Just then, Percy fell. His knee slammed into the sand. His palms were shredded.

Clara immediately tried to turn back. Percy held up his hand.

"Keep going."

Clara didn't stop. But her eyes remained fixed on Percy. Percy got to his feet. Blood was dripping from his palms.

He looked down at the scorpion nearby. As he fell, he had nearly stepped right on it. The scorpion was still alive. Percy smiled. Then he ran again.

Holar saw this. He said nothing for a long while. Then he spoke very quietly.

"He looked at it before his own pain."

Olsen:

"At the scorpion."

Holar nodded. Eleanor watched Percy. The expression on her face had completely changed.

"Because he truly believes what he said."

Galahad answered.

"That is the most dangerous thing about Percy."

Olsen turned to Galahad.

"Why is it dangerous?"

Galahad:

"Because he isn't acting."

"He does the exact same thing when nobody is watching."

Holar didn't take his eyes off Percy.

"Good."

Eleanor looked at him. Holar said it again.

"Very good."

The third lap ended. Percy did not stop. While the others rested for a few minutes... Percy stepped back onto the course. Arthur raised his head.

"Where is he going?"

William answered.

"To his own lap."

Clara watched Percy distance himself.

"Which one?"

William calculated.

"His fifth."

Arthur's face changed. Percy kept on running. The fourth lap began. This time, the group was different. Nobody was running alone.

Daniel stayed beside Marcus. Marcus checked Theodore's tempo. William counted Nathaniel's steps. Charlotte tracked Sophia's breathing. Elias adjusted Lucas's bag. Adrian stayed alongside Ethan. Noah constantly checked on those falling behind. Arthur moved among everyone. And Clara was searching for Percy.

Percy passed them. He was on his sixth lap. He passed by the group as he ran.

"YOU'RE DOING GREAT!"

Then he pulled ahead. Arthur looked after him.

"How is he still running?"

Nobody could answer. In the middle of the fourth lap... Lucas stumbled. Elias caught his arm immediately.

"Give me your bag."

Lucas:

"No."

Elias:

"For five kilometers."

Lucas looked at him. Elias extended his hand.

"You can take it back later."

Lucas removed some stones from his bag. Elias added them to his own. Percy saw this from a distance. He said nothing. He merely smiled.

Olsen had seen it as well.

"He is allowing them to help each other."

Galahad:

"He never forbade it."

Olsen:

"But he didn't tell them either."

Galahad nodded.

"Because he wanted them to discover it themselves."

Eleanor took a deep breath.

"Carrying each other."

Holar corrected her.

"Carrying each other's burdens."

Eleanor looked at him. This time, she didn't throw a retort. Because Holar was right.

The fourth lap was completed. One hundred forty kilometers. Percy began his ninth lap. He was leaving blood behind even as he walked.

Clara saw this. But Percy didn't show it to anyone. When the fifth lap began... Everyone entered the sand once more.

This time, the pain arrived immediately. Muscles could not recover. Feet no longer responded. Shoulders trembled constantly.

Tears were coming from Sophia's eyes. Yet she kept running.

Theodore gritted his teeth. Daniel's breathing was broken. Arthur's arm was still swollen. Clara's feet were covered in blood. William's face had gone pale.

Percy passed them once more. Tenth lap.

However, this time he stopped. He returned to the starting area. He raised his hand.

"EVERYONE MAY STOP."

Everyone looked at him. Percy turned around.

Five large wagons were approaching. Upon the wagons stood bottles. Thousands of bottles.

William's eyes widened.

"Healing potions."

Arthur looked at Percy.

"You..."

Clara's mouth remained open.

"THEY WERE HERE THE WHOLE TIME?!"

Percy:

"Yes."

Charlotte:

"WE'VE BEEN RUNNING FOR FIVE LAPS!"

Daniel:

"YOU'RE GIVING THEM TO US NOW?!"

Marcus:

"I CAN'T FEEL MY FEET."

Theodore:

"WERE THESE HERE FROM THE START?"

Nathaniel:

"There are five thousand of them."

Elias:

"SO THEY WERE WATCHING US?!"

Lucas:

"I died three times."

Sophia:

"I am still dead."

Noah:

"Percy, are you serious?"

Adrian:

"You need to explain this."

Ethan:

"WHAT AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO SAY TO YOU ANYMORE?!"

Percy took one of the bottles. He opened the cap.

"Everyone."

Everyone fell silent. Percy drank the potion. His wounds began to close up.

"Nobody is going to hand you a potion while you are dying."

Everyone looked at him.

"Monsters will not give you time."

"Enemies will not take a break."

"Nobody will give a damn about your pain."

Percy set down the empty bottle.

"Now you know the value of a potion."

He pointed to the wagons.

"Drink."

Then he shouted.

"AND DON'T FUCK UP AGAIN!"

Everyone ran toward the bottles. Percy shouted once more.

"OR YOU WON'T GET ANOTHER!"

Arthur looked over as he drank from the bottle.

"I HATE YOU."

Percy:

"Drink."

Clara finished the potion. The wounds on her feet closed. The ache in her muscles vanished. Her breath fully recovered.

In an instant... They were all healthy again. Sophia looked down at her feet.

"This is unbelievable."

William rotated his shoulder.

"Complete recovery."

Percy:

"Yes."

Ethan reached for a second bottle. Percy slapped his hand.

"One bottle."

Ethan:

"I tried my luck."

Percy:

"Five minutes."

"Then we continue."

Nobody objected. Five minutes later... Sixteen people were running once again. The fifth lap was complete. Percy finished his twelfth lap.

The sixth lap began. Now, a different class was running. They were not the students from the first lap. When Sophia stumbled, Charlotte caught her. When Charlotte grew tired, Sophia supported her.

When Daniel's bag grew heavy, Marcus took it. When Marcus struggled, Daniel took it back. When Theodore accelerated, William warned him. When William grew tired, Theodore dropped the tempo. Nathaniel was constantly checking the ground.

"Scorpions on the left."

Noah guided the group to the right.

"This way."

Elias checked on those at the back. Lucas wasn't talking anymore, but he didn't let anyone stay behind alone. Adrian ran beside Ethan. Ethan wasn't complaining this time.

Arthur fell behind Clara. His breathing was broken. The stone bag was crushing his shoulder.

Clara noticed this. She came up beside him.

Arthur:

"I'm fine."

Clara:

"No you're not."

Arthur looked at her. He recognized that sentence. Clara reached for his bag.

Arthur:

"Hey."

Clara pulled out several stones. She put them into her own bag.

Arthur:

"Is that allowed?"

Percy looked over as he passed them. Clara pointed to Percy.

"President?"

Percy slowed down. He looked at Arthur's bag. He looked at Clara's heavier bag.

Then he smiled.

"Of course."

Percy raised his voice.

"EVERYONE!"

Everyone looked at him.

"We can help each other!"

"We can get out of here as one!"

"The rules never forbade it!"

Daniel looked at Marcus. Marcus smiled. William had already understood this long ago.

Percy kept on running.

After a while... Nathaniel's breathing grew heavy. Percy came up beside him.

Nathaniel:

"I'm fine."

Percy:

"Liar."

He took stones from Nathaniel's bag. He placed them into his own. Percy's load became twenty kilograms.

Then Noah struggled. Percy took stones from him too. Twenty-four kilograms.

Adrian's knees trembled. Percy took three more kilograms. Twenty-seven.

Sophia slowed down. Percy caught up to her.

"Hand them over."

Sophia:

"I can carry them."

Percy:

"I know."

He extended his hand.

"But you don't have to carry them alone."

Sophia handed over a few stones. Thirty-one kilograms.

Galahad was watching this from a distance. The expression on his face was no longer serious. It was emotional.

Eleanor noticed this.

"What is it?"

Galahad waited before answering.

"I taught him about leadership."

Percy was lifting another student up. Galahad continued.

"But I didn't teach him this."

Eleanor looked at Percy.

"What?"

Galahad:

"Carrying their loads himself."

Holar remained silent for a long time. Then he spoke.

"Because he didn't misunderstand leadership."

Olsen looked at him.

Holar:

"He didn't think standing at the front meant authority."

"He didn't think staying behind meant weakness."

"He didn't think giving orders meant superiority."

Percy shouted again in the distance.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"WATCH OUT, NATHANIEL!"

Nathaniel pulled his foot back. A scorpion escaped.

Percy:

"KEEP GOING!"

Holar's eyes had filled with tears. Eleanor saw this. But she said nothing.

Holar didn't hide it either.

"I told him to stay a child."

Percy was continuing to run.

Holar:

"Because he had time to grow up."

Eleanor listened quietly. Holar's voice slowed.

"But some things..."

"...he learns without me teaching him."

Eleanor touched his arm.

"You gave him the foundation."

Holar looked at her. Eleanor smiled.

"He is building the rest himself."

Olsen didn't take her eyes off Percy.

"He's seven years old."

Galahad:

"Yes."

Olsen:

"This child is seven years old."

Galahad nodded.

"It's easy to forget."

Olsen, for the first time, wasn't watching Percy as a teacher. Nor was she watching him as a student. She was watching the beginning of something.

The sixth lap drew near its end. Percy completed his fourteenth lap. Without stopping, he started again.

Clara saw this.

"HE'S GOING FOR FIFTEEN."

Arthur looked at Percy.

"How?"

William couldn't answer. Because there was no logical answer.

Percy's body was wearing out. But his will... Seemed entirely immune to exhaustion.

The sixth lap was complete. Two hundred ten kilometers.

They were preparing for the seventh lap. Percy... Was completing his sixteenth lap. Five hundred sixty kilometers.

He crossed the starting line. This time, everyone looked at him.

Percy's breathing was completely ragged. His legs were shaking. The bag on his shoulder... Was thirty-nine kilograms.

Nobody had realized when it increased. Because Percy... Had taken a little bit of weight from everyone.

Arthur was looking at him. Clara was looking at him. Charlotte. William. Daniel. Marcus. Theodore. Nathaniel. Elias. Lucas. Sophia. Noah. Adrian. Ethan.

They were all looking at Percy. Nathaniel finally bowed his head.

"I don't want to admit it."

Nobody spoke. Nathaniel looked at Percy once more.

"I don't want to say it either."

Percy raised an eyebrow. Nathaniel took a deep breath.

"But that son of a bitch..."

Olsen:

"Nathaniel."

Nathaniel didn't stop at all.

"...is our leader."

Percy's expression changed.

Nathaniel:

"Our president."

Then he smiled.

"And our best."

Silence.

Daniel nodded. Marcus did too. Theodore looked at Percy.

"The best?"

Nathaniel turned to him.

"Didn't you hear?"

"He got an A+ in every single class."

"He surpassed all of us in fights."

He looked at William.

"He even surpassed William."

William nodded.

"Twice."

Nathaniel looked at Arthur.

"The lesson he gave Arthur..."

Arthur's face changed. Nathaniel continued.

"...won't be forgotten in this school for three eras."

Arthur lowered his eyes to the ground. That arena came back to his mind. Clara's blood. Percy's fist. **[Absolute Cancel]**. Then... **[Absolute Heal]**. And the hand Percy extended. *Be my rival. Not a parasite.*

Arthur felt a lump in his throat. Percy noticed this. He walked over to him.

Arthur didn't raise his head. Percy touched his shoulder.

"It's in the past."

Arthur:

"What I did isn't in the past."

Percy:

"No."

Arthur finally looked at him.

Percy:

"But you are changing."

Arthur went quiet.

Percy:

"I see it."

Clara came beside them as well. Arthur looked at her. Clara said nothing. She simply took a few stones from his bag.

Arthur:

"Again?"

Clara:

"Yes."

Arthur:

"Why?"

Clara:

"Because you are going to keep running."

Arthur closed his eyes. He nodded.

"Alright."

Percy looked at his class. Everyone was exhausted. But nobody had left.

Percy took a deep breath.

"I am going to ask you a question."

Everyone turned to him. Percy pointed to Nathaniel.

"Think of the day Nathaniel dies in the future."

Nathaniel's face changed. Percy continued.

"Do you want to hear his last words?"

Nobody answered.

"Do you want to explain to his child how he died?"

Nathaniel was staring at Percy now.

"Do you want to see Arthur die?"

Arthur raised his head.

"Clara?"

Clara's hand clenched.

"Charlotte?"

William looked at him.

"William?"

Charlotte's face changed.

"Daniel?"

"Marcus?"

"Theodore?"

"Elias?"

"Lucas?"

"Sophia?"

"Noah?"

"Adrian?"

"Ethan?"

Percy looked at all of them.

"I don't."

His voice was no longer shouting.

"I don't want to hear any of your last words."

"I don't want to go to any of your families."

"I don't want to tell them that I failed."

Percy adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

"That is why..."

His voice rose once more.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT PAIN ON THAT DAY..."

"...DON'T GET YOUR SOLES FUCKED UP!"

"RUN, DAMN IT!"

There was no smile on anyone's face. But everyone straightened up.

Percy:

"Pain is you."

"You are pain."

"Yet pain does not define you."

Percy slammed his fist against his chest.

"YOUR WILL DEFINES YOU!"

Arthur's gaze hardened. Clara straightened up. William lifted his bag.

Percy:

"When you truly decide on something..."

"...nothing can stop you."

He paused for a second.

"For example..."

Clara's eyes narrowed.

Percy:

"Clara Leyvar."

Clara:

"Yes, Mr. President?"

Percy looked at her. Then he suddenly extended his hand.

"Fuck the president."

Clara's eyes widened.

Percy:

"I missed holding your hand, damn it."

Clara burst into laughter. Percy ran toward her. Clara extended her hand. Their hands joined once more.

The tension broke for the first time. Even Arthur laughed. Charlotte shook her head. Nathaniel suppressed a chuckle.

Ethan:

"Do the romance later."

Percy looked at him.

"Fourteen laps."

Ethan:

"I'M QUIET."

But the laughter was short-lived. Percy grew serious once more.

"Seventh lap."

Everyone walked to the starting line. This time... The stones were distributed differently. The stronger carried more. Those struggling carried less. Nobody argued about it.

Percy was carrying thirty-nine kilograms. Clara wasn't letting go of his hand. Arthur stood beside them. William was a bit behind. Daniel and Marcus were ready. Theodore looked at Nathaniel. Elias stood beside Lucas. Charlotte squeezed Sophia's hand. Noah nodded to Adrian. Ethan took a deep breath.

Percy looked out at the sand ahead. Thousands of scorpions were still there. Not a single one had been killed.

Six laps. Two hundred ten kilometers. Not a single life had been crushed.

Holar noticed this.

"Six laps."

Eleanor looked at him. Holar's voice trembled.

"They didn't kill even one."

Olsen looked at the field as well. Scorpions were still moving in the sand.

"At first, I found this ridiculous."

Galahad looked at her. Olsen continued.

"It was already hard enough for the kids to protect themselves."

"And he asked them to protect the scorpions too."

Eleanor:

"I was scared as well."

Galahad was surprised. Eleanor didn't hide it.

"I thought Percy was going too far."

Holar listened silently.

Eleanor:

"Then I watched the first lap."

"I watched the second."

"The third."

"Every single time..."

"...Percy looked at someone else first."

Eleanor turned her eyes back to Percy.

"First at his friend."

"Then at the scorpion."

"And lastly at himself."

Olsen slowly exhaled.

"We explain this in teaching."

Holar looked at her.

Olsen:

"We say life is valuable."

"We write it on the chalkboard."

"We make the kids memorize it."

"Then we test them on it."

Olsen pointed to Percy.

"He makes them live it."

Galahad's eyes were on Percy.

"In the midst of pain."

Olsen nodded.

"That is the difference."

Holar took a deep breath.

"Percy understood something early on."

Eleanor:

"What?"

Holar waited before answering.

"Being strong..."

"...does not make protecting easier."

"Sometimes it makes it harder."

Olsen looked at him.

Holar:

"Because killing becomes easier."

Galahad's face changed. He understood that sentence. Holar continued.

"One day, they will be very strong."

"Small lives will stand before them."

"On that day..."

"...not using their power may be harder."

Holar pointed to the scorpions.

"Percy is teaching this today."

"Just because you can..."

"...does not mean you should."

Tears welled in Eleanor's eyes. Percy was talking to Clara in the distance. He was seven years old. He was so small. His feet had begun to bleed again. Yet he was carrying thirty-nine kilograms. And he was still looking after everyone else.

Eleanor spoke very quietly.

"I want to protect him."

Holar looked at her.

Eleanor:

"Right now, I want to go and stop him."

"I want to give him a potion."

"I want to put him in bed."

"But if I do..."

"...I will be telling him that I don't trust him."

Holar's voice softened.

"I want the same thing."

Eleanor looked at him. For the first time, both of them were in the exact same place.

Holar:

"But today..."

"...he does not need us to protect him."

Percy checked Ethan from afar. Then Sophia. Then Nathaniel. Then the scorpions.

Holar smiled.

"Today, he is the one protecting."

Galahad closed his eyes. He remembered his own family. His mother. His father. His sibling. Then Percy. He remembered the sentence Percy had spoken. *Not by losing one another.*

Galahad opened his eyes.

"I wish..."

His voice trailed off. Eleanor looked at him. Galahad couldn't continue. Holar understood what he meant. He placed his hand on Galahad's shoulder. He said nothing. Galahad didn't want him to either.

After a while, Olsen spoke.

"What will these children become in the future?"

Holar looked at the running group. He didn't know the answer. But he was certain of one thing.

"They will be better than today."

Galahad raised his head. Percy was waiting at the starting line. Everyone was ready. Percy raised his hand.

"Seventh lap."

Clara squeezed his hand. Arthur adjusted his bag. Nathaniel raised his head. Fifteen people looked at Percy.

This time... Nobody was looking at him just as a president. Nobody was seeing a tournament winner. Nobody was thinking of a hundred percent affinity. Nobody was thinking of Core levels.

Standing before them... Was someone who suffered alongside them. Someone who carried their loads. Someone who lifted them when they fell. Someone who protected even tiny lives.

Just as Nathaniel had said... That son of a bitch... Was truly their leader.

Percy brought his hand down.

"RUN!"

Sixteen people moved together. And upon the sand... Thousands of scorpions began to clear from their path.

Nobody yet understood the significance of this. Not even Percy.

But when the final lap came... The lives they had protected... Would remember them.

END OF EPISODE