Chapter 1
They say that no one can predict how long a person can live. A student peacefully walking on the street, who has dedicated more than half of his life beneath a pile of books, may become a lifeless body the moment a truck driver makes a small mistake. A gym rat pushing his body to its absolute limit might die from a simple heart attack due to overexertion. So, what's the point of pushing yourself too hard if you die before even enjoying life? But if you follow this theory and stop working hard to enjoy life—and unfortunately don't die—then you're forced to live the rest of your life in struggle because you didn't put in the effort when you should have.
So how should a person live, in a way that they don't have any regrets at the verge of death?
Is it even possible to not have any regrets? The human heart is never satisfied, no matter how much one achieves. It always wants more. Just a little bit more, and then I'll stop—It says.
These thoughts never crossed my mind before. But now that I'm about to die, they've clouded my mind. My throat feels burning hot. I can't feel my hands or feet, and even the sky above is starting to blur.
I have a lot of regrets… and many wishes I couldn't fulfill: I wanted to gift a diamond cymbal to my mother, who always worked so hard for me and my big brother—even without the support of our useless father. I wanted to buy a new smartphone for my brother, who dropped his studies early and started working just to pay my college fees. I wanted to give a single rose to my crush, whom I secretly liked for years.
But I couldn't fulfill even a single wish.
So what happened?
I was just a 21-year-old college student pursuing an engineering degree, and like any other person my age, I hoped to secure a placement in a large company to support my family.
My school days were rather boring because I was an introvert and rarely talked to anyone, but my college life took a total 180. I made friends… or some extrovert just adopted me, I should say. And now I have done things I never thought I would do: night outs with friends, going on trips by bunking classes, and most of all, I even have a crush now.
But there was a problem—I was in my third year, and not even once had I talked to my crush. I just couldn't muster the courage. But that day was different. My friends and I decided to go on a trip to the hills, and guess what? The girlfriend of one of my friends is a friend of my crush—Saya—and she invited her as well. It was my chance to let Saya know about my existence.
The bus stopped, and the other students began getting off. I grabbed my bag and stepped outside as well.
And the moment I set foot on the ground, a hand suddenly grabbed me by the shoulder.
"You are finally here. Have you packed everything, Raj?"
It was Jay's hand. He was the first friend I made in college and one of the reasons I came out of my comfort zone. He had a massive body, brown hair, and was huge like a mountain, almost reaching 200 cm. I shrugged my shoulder, putting his massive hand off my tiny shoulders, and replied,
"Yeah, I have. And don't suddenly put those gorilla hands on me, I almost dislocated my shoulder."
"Go...gorilla? Look at yourself—skeletal!" Jay shouted at me.
"Alright, alright, fight in the car—we're getting late. Raj, take the steering wheel, you're driving today. I'm not in the mood," Leena interrupted before I could throw another insult at Jay.
She was Jay's girlfriend. She was the owner of the car, and she never let us drive, so why was she letting me drive today? The reason was clear as soon as I opened the car door.
On the side of the driver's seat, she was sitting. Yeah, you might have already guessed—my crush Saya was sitting there, and now I was going to drive the car sitting next to her.
I froze for a second there as soon as my eyes fell on her. Her long, straight black hair was braided and peacefully resting on her stomach, all the way from her shoulders to her breast. Some of the hair was covering her face, deliberately left, behaving like a curtain on the window trying to hide the beauty of the moon behind it. Her face was round like a bunny, and she had large, deep black eyes. Only one glimpse of her face was enough to fall in love with her, and a single eye contact could even make the heart stop. She was the woman a man would go to war to protect.
I started the car without saying anything, as if the cat had got my tongue. My hands were a little bit trembling. I was never this nervous before. We began moving, and as I turned the car from the sharp corner to enter the highway, Leena spoke, breaking the awkward silence.
"Hey Saya, this is my friend Raj. He is also an engineering student like you. And Raj, meet Saya."
Saya looked at me, then spoke with a soft voice, smiling.
"Oh, I saw him before. He sits in front of me during exams. Did you notice me as well, Raj?"
"I must be an idiot if I didn't notice a beauty like you sitting behind me," I mumbled.
"You said something?" she asked, looking at me.
"I was saying—yeah, of course I noticed you. Aren't you the ace of our batch, scoring perfect in every subject?" I replied, grinning awkwardly.
"Oh, what are you talking about? I'm not any ace, I'm just trying to do my best, that's all. By the way, which section are you in?" she asked, blushing a little from the sudden compliment.
Goddamn, she is cute! But this is a problem now. How should I answer this question?
Since there were so many students in our college pursuing the same course, students were divided into several sections based on their performance in the entrance exam. Saya, of course, was in Section A—talk about beauty with brains. And well… me?
I was in Section H. Very bottom.
Now now, don't think that it was because I was a loser—it was just because when I gave the entrance exam, I was in depression, so I only attempted a quarter of the paper.
With a little hesitance, I replied, "I'm in Section H."
"Oh… I don't have any friends in that section," she replied.
And of course, it must be true. Who would want to be friends with some loser at the bottom?
Now I know she must be thinking I'm a loser. I should've just lied and said I'm in Section B or C… But I didn't want to start our first conversation with lies.
"So… wanna be friends?"
I turned my face toward her. She was looking at me, slightly tilting her head and smiling beautifully. My heart skipped a beat, and I replied without hesitation,
"I would love to."
"Oy oy! Look at the front while you're driving, bastard! I don't wanna die watching you two flirting with each other!" Jay shouted from behind.
I immediately looked forward, and Saya shouted, blushing, "We are not flirting!!"
The rest of the journey was rather peaceful. Saya guided us on the way up to the hills using GPS, offered me water to drink, or chips to eat. We stopped at various places in between—enjoying the view from the hills, eating noodles at a noodle point, clicking photos—and finally reached the top.
There was a house there, and in front of the house, a small bench was placed. To its right stood a massive tree with a swing chair hanging from it. It was a private property owned by Jay's uncle.
"Behold the beauty of the heavens, peasants! I told my uncle that we were coming, so he asked the servant to clean the room. And there's no one here today, so we can enjoy it all to ourselves. Now, bow down to yours truly for his graciousness! Uwahahahaha!" Jay shouted with pride, spreading his arms.
"Yeah yeah, thanks, Your Majesty. Now come down to earth and take the luggage out of the car," Leena replied, pulling Jay's ear and taking him toward the car.
I went toward the bench to take a look at the scenery, but before I reached there, a loud scream came from the direction of the house. It was Saya's voice.
I turned and ran toward the house, Jay and Leena following right behind me. I entered the house, and in front of me, Saya stood trembling.
"Lo... lo... Look, there is a corpse here."
She pointed toward the corner of a wall.
My eyes widened, and a chill went down my spine as they landed on the horrifying scene in front of me. A man with long black hair was leaning against the wall. His face was a total mess—a cut through one eye, a bleeding nose, and blood dripping from his mouth.
One of his arms was missing, and in his other hand, he held a black sword covered in blood. There were several cuts on his half-naked body, as if they had been made with a knife. The entire floor was covered in blood, and its metallic scent was so strong it felt as if someone were pushing a rod into my nose.
"We-we should call an ambulance," I said, taking the phone out of my pocket with trembling hands. I turned to Saya, covering her eyes so she wouldn't have to witness that horror anymore.
Before I could dial the number, Jay and Leena looked toward me as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes were widened, and their entire bodies were trembling.
"Guys, calm down, don't panic," I said to soothe them. But they slowly pointed their fingers toward me, trying to say something, but could not make a word out due to fear.
Then I realized—they were not pointing their fingers at me but at something behind me.
I slowly turned back and looked.
The man, who was so wounded that we had already thought he was dead, was standing right behind me, looking at us menacingly. He lifted his hand to a 90-degree angle from his body. At that moment, I instinctively moved my hands toward Saya, held her head in my arms, and ducked down as that man swung his sword horizontally. The entire house collapsed with just a single swing of his sword. The debris of the house fell on us, and we were pushed beneath it.
As the dust settled, I found myself on top of Saya, her body covered beneath mine. I sighed in relief—she was safe.
She looked at me, crying, and said, "Your... your hand."
I looked at my hand. My forearm was broken and tilted, lying freely.
The pain hadn't hit me earlier—maybe because I was too focused on her safety—but now, as I looked at my arm, the pain and terror followed.
But I didn't scream. I clenched my teeth, gently touched her head, and said with a smile,
"It's alright. Don't worry."
I didn't have the luxury to look over my wounds; there were other pressing matters. Who was that man? How did he possess such power even with so many wounds? And the most important concern—are Jay and Leena safe?
I got up slowly, removing the debris from my body, and looked ahead. That monster of a man was holding Jay by the neck. Jay was more than twice my weight, and yet that man was holding him in the air with just a single hand—so easily.
I grabbed a brick with all the strength I could muster and threw it at him. The brick landed directly on his head, but he didn't even flinch. He let go of Jay and looked toward me with his terrifying eye.
I ran toward the edge of the hill.
I needed to take that monster away from my friends.That monster slowly followed me with a sword in his hand. Blood was dripping from his shoulder where his arm should be. The man came closer and closer as I slowly stepped backward and reached the edge. He lifted his arm upward, but before he could swing his sword, Saya pierced his injured shoulder with a kitchen knife.
That monster screamed in pain and hit Saya with the hilt of his sword. With just a single hit, he sent her rolling several feet across the ground. His focus was now on Saya, who was a few feet apart from me at the edge of the hill as well. I was terrified—if Saya hadn't distracted him, I would have already died there. He reached her and smiled as he looked at her unconscious body.
BANG!
A loud sound came from the direction of the house, and that monster fell to the ground. Jay was holding a gun in his hand, light smoke rising from its muzzle. He always carried a gun with him for safety purposes whenever we went on a trip. And today, he finally used it for the first time.
"Are—are you alright, Raj?" he asked, breathing heavily.
"I have already called the police, they will be here at any moment. We need to get out of here. This place is giving me chills," Leena spoke, holding her injured head. Blood had already covered half of her face.
I ran toward Saya and put my hand under her head, trying to get her up.
"I am fine, you should look after yourself more," she said, smiling softly.
I sighed in relief, but it was just a momentary relief. A crackling sound of knuckles came from behind me. I looked back—that monster was already standing, even after getting shot right in his head.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
"Die, you motherfucker! Just die already!" Jay shouted, shooting continuously, landing four shots at his head and one on his hand holding the sword. The sword slipped from his hand and fell down the cliff, landing at a small ledge 10–15 feet below, between stones, pointing upward into the sky.
I didn't miss this chance created by Jay. I slammed my hand onto the ground, using it as a pivot and rotating my whole body around, and then swung my leg with full force, landing a kick straight into that monster's gut. His foot pushed backward. There was nothing behind him to land his foot, as he was standing at the cliff. His balance fumbled, and he began to fall from the cliff, but as he was falling, that fucker grabbed my leg and dragged me down with him.
"Nooo, RAJ" Saya shouted, her voice cracking.
I grabbed the cliff with one hand and hung, just barely escaping death, but that monster also survived, grabbing my leg. He began climbing up using my body. Saya moved closer to the cliff and tried to grab my hand to pull me upward. Jay and Leena also arrived to help.
At that moment, I knew—if this monster reached the cliff, all of my friends would die. I smiled at my friends and said,
"Before reaching the top, this was the best day of my life. Thanks for everything. Goodbye, friends."
And I let go of the cliff.
"Noooo!" they shouted. Tears rolled down from their eyes as they watched me falling. I don't know why, but it strangely gave me a feeling of peace.
As I began to fall, I held that monster tightly and landed directly on the sword. It pierced right through both of our chests. Blood came out of my mouth. At least my face was upward.
This was the moment all the theories of life and death came into my mind. I turned my face sideways and looked at the sunset. It was really beautiful. The day was almost at its end, just like my life. The vision slowly began to blur, and I closed my eyes.
Suddenly, a window-like hologram appeared in front of my eyes. I must be seeing things.
"2/3 conditions are fulfilled.
Host should be of %@#*& bloodline – completed Sword of awakening should pierce the heart of host – completed Bath in the Amrita Water – pending."
"Teleporting the user to the location of Amrita Water."
"Error. Amrita Water is not in this world."
"Advanced teleportation is activated."