Zzzzzz!!
That was the next thing I felt—and heard—just before every nerve in my body went haywire.
The sound wasn't just in my ears; it was inside me, vibrating through bone, echoing behind my eyes.
My body spasmed in endless agony as the static flowed through me unabated.
Every muscle convulsed, skin prickling like molten pins pressed against raw nerves. Sparks of blue light burst across my vision. The air itself seemed to hum, crackling around me as though the world had turned into a live wire.
> (Truth copied — Electric Expulsion)
(Lie copied — Double Edge)
"Hff—b—f-fuck," I grunted through gritted teeth, forcing my still-twitching body to obey. My skin was alive—no, possessed—by the storm running through it.
I slammed a fist to the ground, feeling the grit burn under my palm, and willed myself to stop moving, to anchor down the wild current trying to dance me into pieces. Bit by bit, inch by inch, the trembling eased, though the static still crawled beneath my skin like restless lightning.
With a rough gasp I forced myself upright, my limbs shaky but under command again. My chest rose and fell in harsh rhythm, every breath tasting faintly metallic—like ozone before thunder.
"Hah…" I huffed, letting the current subside, feeling it drain slowly from my fingertips. My heartbeat echoed the dying crackles: thump-buzz, thump-buzz, quiet.
When I finally lifted my gaze, I kept my eyes locked on her—the girl who had attacked me. My expression must have been strange: half flustered, half knowing, caught somewhere between gratitude and suspicion.
Now that I could really see her, she certainly didn't look fine. In fact, she looked worse than me. Her breathing was ragged, her shoulders trembling under invisible weight. Strands of hair clung to her face, her aura dim and fractured, flickering with unstable light.
Puzzled by her demeanor, I tried to piece it together—why would someone strike like that, then collapse as if struck themselves?
Then I remembered what the System had whispered only moments before:
> [Truth copied — Electric Expulsion]
[Lie copied — Double Edge]
[Synchronization duration—12hours]
The words replayed in my head like a revelation.
"Shh…" I shivered, understanding dawning. "What a terrifying lie."
She received just as much damage as whoever she attacked. Every strike she made rebounded upon her body—a curse disguised as power.
Quite a funny lie, really. Talk about irony. The kind of cruel symmetry the universe seemed to love.
My own pain suddenly felt… almost justified, even poetic. The sting in my muscles, the ache in my nerves—it made sense now. I wasn't just unlucky. I'd been caught in the backlash of her Truth and her curse twined together.
The static finally faded to a low hum beneath my skin, leaving only soreness and a faint glow at my fingertips. When I looked up again, I realized everyone's gaze had fixed on me. Dozens of eyes, wide and uncertain, watching the boy who had just convulsed, glowed, and somehow survived.
I coughed deliberately, feigning nonchalance as I pushed myself to my feet. "Cough." The sound echoed awkwardly in the tense air. My legs protested, but I managed to stand tall, pretending stability I didn't feel.
Careful not to take even a single step closer to the girl, I brushed the dirt off my clothes, forcing a crooked grin. The last thing I needed was another unwanted jolt.
"Lunatic," I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for the word to satisfy me and no one else.
At least her impulsive attack had come with one silver lining: I had borrowed her power. The surge I'd felt wasn't just pain—it was connection, a copy, the System syncing her Truth to mine, if only temporarily.
That meant I was no longer powerless.
And that, in this cursed place, was everything.
The realization sank in slowly, curling at the edge of a smile I didn't allow to surface. Her reckless move had saved me the embarrassment of having to come in direct contact with anyone else here.
Because honestly, I could only imagine the thoughts that would run through someone's head if a total stranger—one covered in burns, bruises, and the residue of near-death—suddenly reached out and touched them. No one would take kindly to that. They'd flinch, maybe strike, maybe worse. Now, thanks to her, I didn't need to test those odds.
I had power, even if it was borrowed and unstable. Power that still crackled faintly along my arms like faint threads of blue lightning waiting to be called.
Glancing at her again, I saw that she was still staring at me. Her eyes were sharp, unreadable, yet heavy with something that might have been anger—or exhaustion—or maybe both. If stares could kill, I'd probably be a pile of ash by now.
I met her gaze anyway, steadying mine, refusing to flinch. My mind was a swirl of conflicting emotions—relief, curiosity, the lingering ache of residual electricity.
Who told you to attack me when having a damned Lie like that?
The thought pulsed silently behind my expression.
I mentally chuckled, amused at the absurdity of it all, doing my best not to let anything show outwardly. Who knew how she would react this time if she caught even a hint of my amusement?
So I simply held her gaze for a heartbeat longer, the faint scent of burnt ozone still in the air, the last wisps of lightning dancing under my skin,