[Death count: 30.]
His breath hitched. "Th… thirty?!"
He staggered back, nearly tripping over broken glass. His chest rose and fell in sharp, shallow bursts, each inhale scraping his lungs raw. "No… no, that… It doesn't add up. That's—"
His voice cracked. "I've only died six times. Six! First, the doppelganger. Then those four cursed deaths in the reject quest. And… and when I fell from the building's rooftop."
His nails dug into his palm until his knuckles whitened. "That's six. Six. Not thirty! And the first death you're hiding from me."
[Correction: You are right.]
Elian froze. His mouth twitched into a bitter grin. "Finally. You admit it. Now tell me, do I have more deaths that you hid from me? And you better start talking."
The next lines made his heart sink even deeper.
[The other deaths were not from the past. They occurred… during your punishment.]
His knees buckled. "During… punishment?"
[Every strike of the Tormentor's scythe ended you. You lost, died, thirty times in that void before you claimed victory in its wager.]
Elian clutched his temples, the memory clawing back—the glint of the scythe, the endless tearing of flesh, that endless reset. His throat tightened, panic rising like a black tide.
"Stop. Stop!" he shouted, voice raw. His ragged scream echoed through the broken apartments. "I don't want to remember that thing. Don't put it back in my head!"
The System fell silent. Then, after a while, it responded. [Understood.]
Elian breathed hard, wiping sweat off his brow. His voice trembled lower. "But… you said before. My first death wasn't my first. You said… two deaths. And the Tormentor called me rejected. So what the hell did you mean back then?" He clutched his head. This all don't make sense anymore.
If my first death wasn't the first… Then how did i really die? Does that mean I have the resurrection skill long before all these? How did I get this skill then? Argh. My head hurts.
But then, his system's loud ding echoed in his head. [Information restricted.]
"Restricted?" Elian's teeth ground together. "You're hiding it again. You're always hiding it! Damn it, System, tell me the truth!"
[For your sake. Certain information cannot be revealed until conditions are met.]
His laugh came out strangled. He turned his head away, eyes darting up at the sky. The purple eye, Kykloi, shifted with a wet squelch, its slit iris twitching at him like a noose waiting to tighten. Elian exhaled through his teeth. "So I can't even trust you, huh…"
[I apologize.]
[When you complete what you are meant to do, access will be granted. For now, all I can say is…]
[I am sorry.]
[I had no control of the events back then… and now. Please do bear for a while.]
His shoulders dropped. His throat ached with a sigh, the fight draining out of him. "…Fine. Nothing I can do, right? Nothing but to move forward."
His gaze caught on something jutting out of rubble nearby. His lips parted in disbelief. "My stick…"
Elian rushed toward it, picking it up with trembling fingers. The wood was chipped, splintered, dented on both edges, chewed almost in half—useless by anyone else's standard. But Elian held it close like it was gold.
A wild grin spread across his face, his eyes blurring with sudden tears as he held the stick close to his cheeks, cradling it like a baby. "I'm glad that I found you."
But then, a thought crossed his mind. He came out to look for Rin, didn't he?
And the fastest crazy way to look for her was to possibly scream her name as fast as he could… running around the street like an headless chicken.
And the worst thing that could happen was if he attracted lurking monsters. But if Rin was nearby… it's worth a try.
"Rin…"
Elian's voice broke into a scream, ragged. He ran, stumbling through debris, waving the crooked stick in his hand.
"Rin! I'll find you."
"Rin! Where are you?! Rin!!!"
His cry tore through the neighborhood. He sprinted blindly, shoving aside rubble, peering into every shadow. His lungs burned. His legs threatened to give, but he didn't stop.
How long had he been running?
For about thirty minutes?
"Rin!" His voice cracked higher, desperate, as he slammed right into something solid. His face smacked into a chest.
A chest harder than stone.
He tripped, his but hard against the ground. Wincing as he rubbed his temple, his head tilted upward. "Ah! I'm sorry. But you also should have—"
When his vision cleared, to see the man he had bumped into, his heart sank. Pupil constricting even against the dull light.
Elian gritted his teeth, his hands clenched tightly as a man's glare burned down at him—beautiful, furious, sharp enough to pierce through him.
Aven.
That fucking bastard.
The assumed world's hero Elian never heard of. His 'owner'. Urgh, disgusting.
He sure does have many names.
And maybe Aven felt the same. The dumb glitch in our world. The [pawn] class with a defect. A total idiot.
Abruptly, Aven's palm curled into a fist as he grabbed Elian by the collar and yanked him upright like a scolded child.
"Elian," Aven muttered, lips twisting into something cruel. "What a pleasant surprise. I've been looking for you—to fix the mess you made."
Elian's teeth clenched as he scowled back, stick shaking in his grip.
Aven's grin stretched wide, mocking. His gaze dropped to the battered stick in Elian's hand. "That... stick again? You're still dragging that humble junk around? Urgh. Anyway. Just follow me. We're going to the Black Guild to check you out."
Elian growled, "Laugh all you want. I'm going to find my sister. I'm not following you to any fucking place!"
"Are you freaking supid?" Aven spat. He gestured up, his eyes flicking toward the sky. The massive purple eye, Kykloi, still loomed above.
Elian's eyes traced the dark sky, he jolted as Kykloi sqinted its massive eye at him before turning away.
Ah, so as in the new 'Watcher', it's the new Sun above the sky? No matter how we run. The Sun still followed.
Makes sense.
Aven's voice snapped him back. "You're screaming her name in the middle of this? Do you want to be erased that badly? That thing hates noise."
Another soft voice cut through. "Queen, what's the holdup?"
Elian stiffened as Sun peeked from the shadows, his bright grin stretching the moment his gaze fell on Elian. He swirled toward him with a dancer's steps, pale arms outstretched as though greeting a long-lost treasure as he pushed Aven away.
"My pawn! My found pawn!" Sun's hand grasped Elian's wrist, spinning him once like they were in some twisted waltz.
"Moon," Sun called loudly.
And just like that—Moon was there. Appearing behind Sun, her presence startled even Aven. His eyes widened a fraction. She hadn't been with them. She shouldn't have been there.
But she was.
Has she been here all along? If Aven remembered correctly, Moon's ability was invisibility?
Was it?
Something feels… out of place.
His throat tightened before he forced the thought away.
Moon squealed, leaping onto Elian with zero hesitation. She pinched his cheeks, her mismatched eyes sparkling. "So cute! I could eat you alive!"
Elian's face burned red as he flailed. "Get off me!"
"Awwn~ But I've missed you! After Sun ditched me to help you, my mind never stopped spiraling to see you once more…" she grinned widly. "We can have a bit of fun while we're at it!"
Aven just watched them, a small smile crept on his face.
Elian still tried escaping from their grasp. He grimaced from their touch, goosebumps rising. They're White pieces. They're bad. They are the reason for my pain. I hate their existence. They are the reason I died. I hate them. I really do.
They are...
Those words kept echoing in his head. He tried pushing them off, but his hands failed him, falling to his sides.
But why are their touch so soft and warm like Milo's?
I…
But suddenly, both twins froze. Their eyes dulled, their smiles faltering in eerie unison.
"Huh?" Moon whispered, pulling back from the warm embrace. "Pawn's… already claimed?"
Sun's mismatched eyes narrowed, shimmering with hurt. He flicked his hand, summoning a quick scan.
Above Elian's head, his system glowed faintly. Although now, it had yellow highlights.
[Claimed Pawn.]
Oh so now, every one can view my system?
Suckerbot! Why are you so quiet now, huh?!
[I am just enjoying the show.]
Urgh.
The twins' gazes hardened, something sour twisting in their stares.
And that's when Aven chuckled. His grin sharpened. Slowly, his hand brushed against Elian's blue screen, forcefully turning it purple.
He viewed his system, checking on his claimed possession as a form to flaunt their stolen toy.
[Pieces claimed: 1]
[Claimed pieces dead: 0?]
[Current status: …]
[Current claimed piece(s) status: Undead Pawn.]
Aven's grin faltered. His eyes widened.
He shoved the twins aside, dragging Elian up again. But this time, Elian slapped his hand away. The sharp crack of flesh against flesh echoed.
Aven flinched. His gaze narrowed, a flicker of shock flashing across his face. Elian stood taller than before, his aura heavier, his defiance sharper.
"That reminds me…Where did you disappear to, Elian?" Aven asked, voice lower. His eyes narrowed into slits. "Ah. I see. When you fell from the building… you didn't survive, did you?"
Elian's throat dried, his palms became sweaty. But then, he rolled his eyes, muscles relaxed.
Why should I even keep up with this shit?
"Maybe that pool of blood was yours." Aven leaned closer, his breath hot, his smile deadly. "So tell me. Why does your status say Undead Pawn? Do you have a hidden skill you've been keeping from me?"
"Or in fact, you're not even human in the first place."