I found myself once again sitting around a campfire, but this time in a cave. There was only one other person with me, a girl wearing black robes and a witch hat. She sat across from me, gazing into the fire. It dawned on me that I was in a dream, much like this morning, but it felt different now. It felt more like a vision.

As I contemplated the nature of my experience, the girl suddenly looked up and addressed me, "Hey Wren, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but you don't really talk about your previous summoning. Is there a reason for that?"

I remained silent, unsure of how to respond. Sensing my hesitation, she quickly added, "Ah, I see. I won't pry then. I'll ask another question instead. That god... Why did he refer to you as a 'Calamity'?"

I lowered my gaze to the floor and replied, "...It's related to my previous summoning."

"Oh... sorry..."

I felt my hands trembling, the weight of my past actions weighing heavily on my shoulders. "I... I did a lot of things. Things that I shouldn't have done. And there were many things I should've done but didn't."

The girl offered reassurance, waving her hands and saying, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No... It's fine. It's time for me to accept what I've done," I replied, my voice tinged with a mix of guilt and regret.

There was a moment of silence, and then I continued, "I was weak. My weakness caused countless people to die..."

The girl remained quiet, her expression hidden by the lighting. Emboldened by her presence, I continued to open up, "Because I was weak. Because I was selfish. Because... because I couldn't keep even one promise that I made. Because of my incompetence, I didn't even realize my own shortcomings until it was too late. And as a result, more people died, until eventually, I brought destruction upon an entire world. So the title of 'calamity' is very fitting for someone like me."

Her understanding gaze gave me a glimmer of hope, but the fear of her reaction still lingered within me. The silence stretched on until she spoke again.

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"That's not all of it, right? There's more to the story, isn't there?"

I hesitated for a moment before responding, "Yes, there is more. But it's irrelevant. All that matters is the end of the story."

"That's not true! You're not that kind of person! You're not some harbinger of destruction! I know it! So how could you just accept being called a 'Calamity'?" The girl's voice rose as she stood up, tears streaming down her face.

Her words caught me off guard, and anger surged within me. "What would you know about me? You've only known me for three weeks, and you think you know everything about me?!"

"No... No, I don't know everything about you. In fact, I know very little," she responded, her voice trembling. "But the little that I do know is enough for me to understand that you can't be that kind of person."

Caught between conflicting emotions, I struggled to find words. She continued, her voice filled with compassion, "I know that although you appear cold to your allies, deep down, you care very much about them. I know that even though you pretend to show no mercy to your enemies, you try to give them as many chances to surrender as you can. I know that being summoned again must bring back painful memories, yet you hide it all under that expressionless face. Why can’t you see that you aren’t a monster?"

Her understanding touched me deeply, but I couldn't shake the weight of my past. Faces of the fallen flashed through my mind, their lifeless eyes and the bloodshed. In a fit of despair, I began laughing.

"What's so funny?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Why? Why does everyone who hears this story always ask that same question?" I laughed bitterly. "Of all people, I thought maybe you could understand. But it seems I was wrong. I should've never shared any of this with you. I should've known you would react like everyone else."

She reached out to me, attempting to bridge the growing divide. "Wren, I won't push you away. I'd never reject you for what you've done."

"Push me away? That's where you're wrong. I was never afraid of you pushing me away. In fact, it would've been better if you had, princess," I retorted, feeling a mix of pain and frustration. "I had my doubts that you, like everyone else, would try to forgive me. To console me. To tell me that I did my best and that it wasn't my fault."

Her words carried a sense of wisdom, and I felt a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. "Time heals all wounds, Wren, but only if you let it. Stop living in the past."

Countless faces flashed through my mind, and I questioned whether I deserved a happy life. But her words struck a chord within me. "Wren, losing others is not life's deepest sorrow. The greatest tragedy is letting their demise linger within us."

As her words resonated within me, another face overlapped with hers—Clara's face. She had said something similar once. There was truth in those words but they do not apply in this situation.

Yes, the dead may reside within me, but it is precisely because of their lingering presence that they remain vividly alive, defying true death. If the price of keeping them alive means enduring a great tragedy, then I'll bear the greatest tragedy of them all.

The school bell snapped me back to reality, and I realized I had fallen asleep in class. I began packing my belongings, determined to reflect on what I had seen later. But for now, there were more pressing questions that needed answers.