A ripple split the dark night sky, purple swirl of light appeared through the tear, warping the air until it cracked open, creating a portal.
Elian was spat out from it. He slammed onto a cracked pavement with a wet thud, blood slicking his clothes as if he'd been dredged from a slaughterhouse.
His lungs burned, chest heaving loudly as he took in huge breaths of the smoky tainted air, he coughed.
Quickly, he scrambled up, inspecting his body, his gaze lingered on his legs, dragging back to his arms.
His body was whole. Although his clothes were ripped, his long sleeve black shirt— now rested armless, his skin bare, he was whole. Even when he looked like he just got out from wrestling a hungry tiger.
There wasn't even a trace of the dismantling he faced, that had carved him apart in the forgotten tomb.
He winced at that remembrance of the Tormentor.
Eventually, his System ding loudly.
[Punishment Ended.]
[You have somehow survived the Tormentor's wrath.]
[You have merged back with your body.]
The floating screen flickered blue before vanishing, leaving only the quiet pulse of the city around him.
Elian scoffed loudly, finally pushing himself upright, His knuckles tightened against his knees, breathing shallow. He flexed his fingers, joint rotating as he stretched, taking a look around his environment.
Ah, that's right. I'm back where it started. His eyes darted to the metallic rusting rod that had once pierced through him, gazing down to the dried pool of blood— his dried up pool of blood.
He grimaced, flinching, before his demeanor returned back to the silence.
Will things ever be okay after all these?
[Well, you look fine to me.]
Elian's jaw locked. His eyes, shadowed under the dented streetlight, narrowed. "Oh now you're back to your sentient self? Why were you silent during… it?"
The system remained quiet, but the silence stretched long enough for him to know that suckerbot was hiding something away from him.
It finally responded, [I have no idea what you are talking about. The system had no access to help the player during punishment.]
Elian almost laughed. He rested a hand on one side of his hips, the other hand pointing at the System's floating message as if he was scolding a child with raging hormones.
"If you think gaslighting me would make me think you're not lying through your teeth right now, then you must be—"
[But I don't have any teeth.]
"Oh for goodness sake! I don't care! Stop acting like you don't know what happened back there. Everything just— I cannot act like I am okay…" his voice drooped. Shoulders slumped, he sighed heavily as he sat carelessly on a rubble.
He sighed again, raking his hair with his fingers. Whispering now to himself, he let out a soft cry. "I am not okay… I miss mum, Milo, Rin… and yet, no matter how hard I seem to try. I can't hold onto any of them."
[I am sorry.]
Elian swatted his hand lazily at the System's message. "No, it's fine. It's not your fault anyway. All I need is your help," he abruptly stood up with sheer determination, "I will find my sister and have my revenge on the dustwalkers who… who…" his head dropped, staring blankly at the ground, droplet of tears coaxing the cracked pavement.
"... Who took my happiness away from me."
[Yes, you must. I shall assist to my best.]
Elian sneered, smearing off his tears with the back of his palm. "Stop acting like an AI bot with stupid precautions, suckerbot."
[Screw your ass then.]
His lips tugged upward, smiling back at the system, but before he could ready a comeback response, he felt a presence dwelled on him. It pressed against his chest, as if someone was watching his every move.
He tilted his head towards the sky, the heat spreading to his cheeks. Above, a giant purple eye stared back at him. its iris collapsed into a single thread, before it enlarged itself, making squelching sounds that made his stomach twist and churn.
Its eyelids narrowed, squirming at elian, then turning away, swallowing the space in the dark sky.
Elian cringed hard, goosebumps rushed to his skin. "What the actual shit is that?"
The system chimed in, the blue tainted screen flickering to life as it blocked his view.
[Meet 'Kykloi', the new watcher of this Verse.]
[Do not anger it.]
[Well, what'd you know, a constellation added their pet for expansion. It should have come sooner.]
Elian staggered back in surprise. What do you mean pet?! That thing is scary!
[Constellations and their fragments sometimes raise creatures as extensions of themselves. Kykloi here, is an extension of the constellation 'Eye Of The Board'. It is good.]
He raised a brow, "how good?"
[Good enough to delete non cooperative pieces. Information restricted.]
Elian blinked, a bit confused. He looked up at the wriggly eye above the sky, tilting his head sideways to catch another glimpse of the twisted iris.
In a span of minutes, he felt the air shift behind him, his eyes darted to the side, catching a shadow beneath the broken buildings. His muscles tensed, shoulders locked as he took a quick spin around.
Suddenly, he yelped out loud as a soft pair of hands clasped tightly against his mouth. He got dragged to a secluded space, his feet grazing the floor. The body heat of his 'kidnapper' spread through his back. His breathing got ragged as his back pressed more tightly on the other person's soft chest.
Wait.
So-soft?
He tried escaping out of the kidnapper's grasp, his hands flailing at his sides, muffled voice screaming in the air.
"Shut it, will you. Don't attract that thing."
His body stiffened. I knew it. My kidnapper is a female.
But what jolted him was how a bit familiar that voice was. That cold, harsh degrading tone that's also surprisingly calm.
Was it Jun?
The crazy lady who wanted to claim me? Aven's rival or something?
However, her grip loosened, and Elian stumbled forward, his lips smearing against a dust in the dim shop he'd been forcefully dragged into.
He whirled around, eyes narrowing into a glare.
Jun stood there, she wore a casual blue jeans, brown hoods drawn to cover her hair, her breathing steady but sharp, like she'd sprinted through the night without once faltering.
"You're loud," she muttered, brushing back her fringe. "Too loud for someone who just survived that… thing."
Elian spat dust. "J-jun? The white piece crazy lady who almost killed me?"
Jun's face constricted, viewing Elian's torn clothes. Her face dropped, voice low. "Oh. It's you. The dumb pawn who got himself caught between my strings." Her eyes narrowed, as she took a closer step to him.
"I thought you were dead."
He took a step back away from her. "Well, I wasn't."
"How very surprising," Jun flatly said, tilting her head toward the ceiling. The distant surreal of Kykloi still made the glass tremble faintly.
Her tone shifted lower."Listen. You'll stay with me for now. There's a safehouse beneath this shop. I managed to save a few of the citizens. White and Black pieces. Don't ask me why. Just follow me, if you want to be safe." She almost sneered at the word.
Elian straightened, his hand hovering near his hip like he wanted to argue. Because… Why would she do that? But instead, he muttered to himself.
...If there's a chance my sister's among them, then I'll come with. I need to find her no matter what.
Elian nodded, following Jun's step as she pushed out a shop's huge cabinet with one of her white strings, revealing a hole large enough for both of them to walk through without straining any bones.
They both walked into the hole, the deep end lit up, blinding Elian's eyes. He winced, his pupils constricting before the sharp lights dimmed.
He found himself in another larger room. Filled with people of different kinds. He scanned all the strange faces, heart hammering as he frantically searched for Rin.
But when he couldn't see her. His heart sank, almost losing his grip on reality. But he adapted again, clenching his fist as he maintained an emotionless face.
Rin isn't here either.
His hands were sweaty, unclenching his trembling hand under the intense pressure.
Jun's gaze lingered on him. "Why aren't you coming in? Don't you worry. This place has enough security for three days. No carnivorous flower blooms sprouts here. And the people are nice."
However, Elian took a step back. He shook his head, taking two more steps back and immediately running off and out of the tunnel.
Jun's loud voice calling him back now sounded distant in his ears. His heart, hammering to his ribs, drumming loudly in his head as he quickened his pace.
He finally got out of the shop, dropping to his knees, chest heaving, the cold night breeze engulfed him, entering his lungs. He looked back, sighing a breath of relief because no one seemed to follow him outside.
It was a death wish anyway. I just can't sit still while my sister is somewhere out there.
But something struck his mind once more. Something he missed a while back.
Suckerbot. I remember it now.
[What is it? Today's your birthday?]
Why… What did you say when I got my first skill?
[I don't recall.]
He walked towards a broken building apartment, the glass shattering against his steps. His fingers trembled against a small rubble.
Well, I remember. I remember now. You said I had two deaths. My death count read 1 when you gave me the quest to die a hero reject.
"The Tormentor also called me a rejected," he muttered more to himself, whispering.
"Now, I'm wondering how I got this skill in the first place. And how I got a sponsor without even knowing I had one."
"Suckerbot… why aren't you responding?"
[I am….still here.]
Elian's voice went lower, "my first death wasn't my first death, was it?"
[Information restricted.]
His anger fueled. "What'd you mean, restricted?! Suckerbot! How many deaths do I have now?! Tell me!"
The System got silent for a while, then the blue screen hovered right above his head.
[Death count: 30.]
Elian froze, his stomach plunged low. His eyes shifted back and forth, not believing what was shown to him.
Th… thirty?!