Of course, despite coming to that conclusion, Lucas couldn't just outright tell Nero about the prophecy.
Part of the reason was that he himself doesn't understand the prophecies of the Three Heroes. And he'd dare not breach what he doesn't understand.
The other part of reason was that Lucas remembered reading a specific rule in Kai's Book of Prophecy.
In it, it was said something along the lines of – Never inform the Heroes about their fates.
…Or something like that.
Truth be told, he doesn't remember the exact words. In fact, now he could barely remember what he ate for breakfast.
So sighing slightly and shaking his head, Lucas spoke up, "Because they recognize you as a threat far more dangerous than anyone in the history of our world, Nero."
Taking a brief pause, Lucas continued.
"You should've already known this, but your need for victory, Nero… It blinds you! You have no self-control! You are one of the future pillars of this world and not some bastard child of a noble anymore! You are something far greater now! You're a future hero!"
Nero shifted uncomfortably, but Lucas did not stop speaking.
"Now, your actions are going to affect the world! Now, you're not only responsible for yourself alone but also for those around you! Yes, I know that isn't something you asked for and I'm sorry but you will have to start acting more responsibly because winning is not always worth it. And sometimes, the cost of victory would be too much than you'd be willing to pay."
Clenching his fists, Lucas continued.
"If you had not prioritized winning during the Mock War and kept your Gift hidden, then the vampires wouldn't have caught the rumors about you. They wouldn't have attacked. So many cadets wouldn't have died and Liz wouldn't have been injured. Nero, I'll be blunt, people died because you short-sightedly prioritized victory over reason. And this won't be the last time if you don't change soon."
Lucas wasn't lying here. In the novel, this wasn't the last time people died because of Nero's obsession with being victorious.
By the end of the Final War, Nero and Quinn were caught in a bloodied conflict. They were archenemies.
This one time in the story, Quinn, knowing Nero's need for proving himself better than everyone else, lured him out of a siege fortress by slaughtering thousands of soldiers.
Since Nero was the only soldier capable of putting an end to the rampage of Perfect Necromancer, he decided to heed Quinn's beckoning.
Even though the army command ordered Nero against going in to fight Quinn, the protagonist disregarded the commands of the higher-ups and heroically went ahead alone to fight the necromancer.
As a result, Nero was led into a trap. Even though he somehow managed to break out of the trap, he was severely weakened as a side effect.
As a result of that, he couldn't fight Quinn at his full potential, and several thousands of people were killed as collateral of their battle.
If not for Nero disobeying the command issued to him, the army could've come up with a proper strategy and avoided possible traps.
But Nero's need to prove himself better than anyone else in the world blinded him and so many people died as a consequence of his direct actions.
And that was one of the many times something like it happened.
Lucas, obviously, didn't want such casualties to occur. He wanted to broaden Nero's perspective and made him put duty over his personal feelings.
Lucas planned to enter army command in the future. He needed perfect soldiers, not some ticking time bombs. Since he wanted to make full use of Nero as the protagonist of this world, he wanted him to be what he was not in the novel…
He wanted him to be at peace with himself and his past.
Words alone might not be enough to change one's mindset – Lucas knew that. But that is under normal circumstances.
When under stress and emotional turmoil, people are in a vulnerable place. That's the right time to break their mental fortitude and have your words leave an impact on them.
People like Nero, who bore deep emotional trauma scars from childhood, tend to have a defensive coping mechanism to protect and keep whatever remaining pieces of sanity intact.
For example, in the case of Nero, his mind deludes him by telling him that whatever happened wasn't his fault.
He would still blame himself for being weak and unable to protect his loved ones, but he would never regret his actions that led to the situation where his loved ones were put in danger because of him.
Because of that, he only focuses on getting stronger instead of confronting his trauma and stabilizing his mental state.
Lucas was surprised Nero didn't break by the end of the Final War with that kind of flawed mentality.
In this reality, however, Lucas didn't want to take any chances. He would rather try to eliminate every problem that might occur in the future now when he could.
That's why, today was the day Lucas was going to reshape Nero's mindset. He was ready to take extreme measures, use even harsher words if he needed to.
Fortunately, it seemed that Nero was not going to push Lucas that far. After a few seconds of gritting silence, Nero's tightly clenched fists quivered and he spoke:
"I… I know I act a little selfish sometimes… I know that! I understand that! But it's not like I do that willingly! If I don't win… If I lose a battle then what would be the point of all the pain I've suffered until now?!"
Tears threatened to well up in Nero's eyes, his voice shaking, yet he clung to his resolve and pressed on, saying:
"This cruel world, Lucas… It just takes and takes whatever the hell it wants from the weak! What would be the point if I let it strip away everything I fought to change about my own weakness? If I fail here… If I fall here, then all the pain I've endured until now would lose its meaning! My pain would become meaningless!"
A vein on Lucas' forehead twitched violently as he continued listening to Nero.
However, strangely irritated by his words, Lucas found himself also feeling a sliver of sympathy for Nero.
He understood Nero's twisted reasoning.
He read Nero's monologues in the novel, but it was only now that he truly knew the turmoil Nero must be feeling inside.
In this new world, for the first time in both his lives, Lucas felt attached to something like never before.
At the start of his transmigration, Lucas was lazy. But over time, as he delved into training, he discovered that he liked growing stronger.
Seeing his own sweat and labor coming into fruition made him feel a sense of accomplishment.
However, after he was defeated by Nero in the final duel of the King's Tournament, Lucas experienced a sentiment he had thought was never going to feel ever.
Dejection and defeat swept over him. Although he didn't show it, he sensed as if his hard work had betrayed him.
Everything he had poured into his training felt futile in that moment of defeat. It was a crushing feeling.
Of course, Lucas' end goal was above merely winning the tournament, which helped him shrug off the weight of defeat.
Nero, however… His entire being hinged on being the best. With his unstable mindset, winning is a matter of life or death for him.
If he were to feel that crushing feeling of defeat, Lucas was sure that Nero would break.
But despite knowing all this, Lucas was irked by Nero's words. Why? He couldn't quite understand it himself.
Finally, gritting his teeth, Lucas couldn't hold back any longer and yelled at Nero:
"Enough! Stop this search for reasons behind your suffering, Nero! Stop seeking validation! You don't need it! You claim the pain and suffering you've endured would lose its meaning? No, you're mistaken! Your entire life, all your experiences, have shaped you into the person you are today! That's all the meaning you need for your pain!"
Lucas paused briefly, then continued as Nero's clenched fists began to tremble even more, his grip faltering.
"Understand this—victory won't validate your suffering! The worth of your pain is what you decide it to be!"
Nero's voice, choked with sobs, resounded in a low tone, "But what if who I am is not enough? What if the worth I assign to my past ends up being less than it deserves?"
"None of us will ever be 'enough,' Nero. It's true for both of us. However, despite that, we should always strive for perfection even when we know how fruitless that pursuit is because when we stop moving forward, we stop living. Know this, Nero, our past pain, however heavy, will be worth it in the end. Trust me."
Lucas paused again before speaking once more.
"I promise you, Nero. Remember my words, a few years from now, you'll look back on this conversation and laugh at how foolish you were."
Finally, tears spilled from Nero's eyes as he cried out, "So, should I give up on seeking revenge for my mother's death?"
"No," Lucas shook his head. "That's what drives you. But don't let vengeance blind you. Keep sight of what truly matters—the people in your life now. Prioritize their safety above all else, because, as I said, your fate is intertwined with theirs. Just remember that your actions, however small, will affect them too."
Nero hiccupped a few times before finally allowing himself to break down.
Observing him sobbing, Lucas stepped closer, also feeling emotional for reasons he couldn't quite understand, and lightly tapped the black-haired young man's shoulders.
"Find peace, Nero. You've been in pain for too long."
