Chapter 4: Metamorphosis
The sun bore down like an accusation. The air was still, heavy with heat and unspoken tension.
Kintaro stood alone in the clearing, sweat trailing down his temple, fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned bone white.
"F-fuck… fuck… FUUUCK!"
He screamed at the sky, middle finger thrust upward as though trying to stab the heavens themselves.
"This goddamn world!"
His chest heaved. Rage cracked his voice. Spit clung to his lips.
The others stood frozen—uncertain, silent. None of them had ever seen Kintaro like this.
Then—
Pat.
A pale, lifeless hand landed on his shoulder. Kintaro flinched.
It was Hiro.
His neck twisted at an unnatural angle. His eyes were blank—staring somewhere past the sun.
"How long will you keep sacrificing us…?"
His voice was hoarse, like gravel and wind scraping bone.
Kintaro stumbled back. His throat clenched. His breath caught.
How the hell did he know? How does he know I've been letting them die… again… and again…
Suddenly—
Darkness.
The sky blackened without warning. A crescent moon replaced the sun like a blade drawn across the heavens. Cold, blue-tinted shadows spilled across the ground.
Kintaro didn't stop to think. He just ran. Ran blindly. Eyes stinging. Chest pounding.
And then—
He died.
Death Count: 3
"Ahh—my head…!"
Uyeda Amaya's memory surged forth.
He had once dreamed of becoming like his father—a legendary international boxing champion.
But that dream was shattered the day the media labeled his father a drug addict.
False accusations. Ruined legacy.
They lost everything. Home. Honor. Hope.
Uyeda remembered clutching his father's broken hand the night before he vanished.
His knuckles were cracked. His eyes no longer held fire—only shame.
In the next life, Kintaro died.
Again.
This time, because he took the left path. They fell into a deep pit.
Death Count: 4
"O-ohh… god—achhh!"
Another scream. Another rush of memories.
Daisuke's life flickered into view.
His father has died . Raised behind the scent of broth and steam.
His mother ran a ramen stall—tiny, always warm, always busy.
He loved her food. Loved the way she said his name while handing him a bowl.
But the stall didn't last.
The local thugs broke tables, smashed bowls, hurled insults.
He begged them to stop.
They laughed.
His mother cried silently that night—thinking he didn't hear.
After that, kintaro Starting the next life. Then—
He died.
Again...
And again...
Ripped apart by cannibals.
Death Count: 5
Pain again. But heavier this time. Deeper.
Arata's memory bled in.
He had always been the good son. Quiet, diligent. Top of his class.
He remembered laughter around a small table. His little sister dancing with ribbons.
Until—
Until she fell. A stair. A scream. A silence.
She never woke up.
He swore he'd become a doctor. Swore he'd wake her himself.
That promise kept him going…
Until now.
Death Count: 6
And then—
Everything reset. The world returned to normal like his first life.
Sayuri's eyes narrowed.
"We need to stay calm. Think. There has to be a way out."
Her voice was measured, deliberate.
Uyeda—former delinquent, infamous rival to Kintaro—rolled his sleeves with a growl.
"Hey! Kintaro!"
His voice was thunder.
"I still haven't forgotten what you did to me yesterday! Get over here!"
He stomped forward like a boulder rolling downhill.
Sayuri stepped between them.
"This isn't the time! Look around you—we're trapped in a cursed forest, not a schoolyard!"
Then—
A voice.
Not one of theirs.
It echoed directly inside their heads.
Heavy. Hollow. Watching.
"Welcome."
"This world demands your obedience. You will follow the path. You will not deviate. You will not escape."
"Turn back—and you will be devoured by the maze. Move forward—and you may yet find what you seek."
Daisuke lost it.
"Screw this! I'm done! I'm not dying again!"
He bolted—into the woods, away from the path.
Branches tore at his arms. His breath burned.
He thought he was free.
But the forest mocked him.
Every turn brought him back to the same path. Over and over.
Until he collapsed in front of the group, panting, trembling.
"P-please… don't let me die…"
Kintaro stepped forward. His eyes were different now. Darker. Older.
"We move. Now."
Sayuri gave him a look. Calculating.
"You're... different."
"The fog is thickening" Kintaro muttered. "Just follow me."
As the sky darkened, Emiko wrinkled her nose. "Ugh. This place reeks of dirt. And fear."
Sayuri halted. "Are you serious right now?"
Emiko flipped her hair. "What? I'm just—"
"Complaining. As usual. Maybe try contributing?"
They found a split in the path.
Two roads.
A crooked signpost stood at the fork. Its letters warped and weathered:
> "Where shadows walk, the truth hides. One path lies. One path binds. But only minds unclouded shall find the sign."
Kintaro didn't hesitate. "We go right."
Sayuri snapped, "What? Are you crazy? You're just guessing!"
"Arata," Kintaro said. "Figure it out."
Arata blinked. "M-me?"
He stepped forward, squinting. The fake sun in the sky cast light only to the right.
The left path was swamped in shadow.
He whispered, "No shadows... clarity... That's the clue."
He pointed. "Right."
Kintaro smirked. "Told you."
Sayuri scoffed. "Lucky guess."
They took the right path.
As dusk fell, a cabin appeared up ahead.
Kintaro suddenly barked, "STOP."
The group froze.
"We are not going inside," he said firmly.
Emiko glared. "What are you talking about? Are you trying to kill us?"
"You hate us, don't you?" Hiro shouted. "You always have!"
"Bastard! Why should we trust you?" Emiko snapped.
"Because you'll die if you go in," Kintaro roared. "I've seen it!"
The group turned on him. Even Uyeda backed away.
"You've always been the problem, Kintaro," Hiro shouted. "Always dragging us into your mess!"
Kintaro stood frozen.
Alone.
KLAK.
"AHHH!"
His pinky snapped backward. Bone. Flesh. Crack.
"NOW DO YOU BELIEVE ME?! HUH?!"
KLAK.
Another finger. Twisted. Mangled.
"I KNOW THE FUTURE! DAMN IT, I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOU!"
Sayuri raised a hand. "Kintaro... stop."
Silence.
They all looked at him. Bleeding. Broken.
"We may have gone too far," Hiro whispered.
"Fine," he said. "We'll trust you. On one condition. Apologize."
Kintaro's lips trembled. Then—
"I'm... sorry."
They nodded.
They walked away from the cabin.
A long pause.
Then—
"Alright. We follow you," Sayuri said.
Midnight. The moon hovered above them like a silent judge.
Kintaro led them to a clearing behind a tree when he fell asleep under it. A small tent. A patch of safety.
"We'll sleep here. No monsters. No cannibals. I remember. From before."
The group paused.
Sayuri smiled faintly. "You've changed."
They sat in a loose circle by the fire. Silence hung like fog.
Daisuke broke it first. "How did you know… about the hut?"
Kintaro was wrapping his broken finger in cloth, jaw clenched.
He didn't look up. "The voice. The one that welcomed us… it came back. Whispered things. Warnings."
Emiko raised an eyebrow. "You mean that creepy 'Welcome to this world' voice?"
Sayuri frowned. "It spoke to you again? Why you?"
"I didn't ask," Kintaro muttered. "I just listened."
Uyeda crossed his arms. "So now you're the chosen one?"
"No," Kintaro lied smoothly. "Just lucky. Or unlucky. Doesn't matter."
Hiro leaned forward. "Then what now?"
Kintaro looked at his bleeding hand. "We stick together. Follow the path. Don't take the easy way."
Emiko scoffed. "Tch. Convenient, isn't it? Now you know everything and we just follow."
Kintaro's voice dropped. "I don't know everything."
"But you know more than us," Sayuri said sharply. "So start acting like a leader… or don't speak at all."
Kintaro gave a dry chuckle. "Fine by me."
The fire crackled. No one spoke for a while.
Then quietly—Arata: "...You really think we'll make it?"
Kintaro didn't answer.
He just tightened the bandage around his hand.
And stared into the dark.
One by one, they fell asleep beneath a fractured sky.
Kintaro stayed up. Watching. Guarding.
This time, he would not let them die.
Not again.