10th January 2022, 04:00 am

I wake up on the cold hard floor, smells of blood old and new wafted into my nose. I rip open my eyes, control of my body flooding back to me. I survived. I fought against that beast and survived. That thought filled me with glee. If I can survive against whatever that thing was then, I could have a chance. All I need it to get stronger. stronger to defeat that monster and the psycho that it was birthed by.

I clamber up to my feet, I don't have any time to waste if I want to take revenge. Looking around me, I find myself in a abandoned warehouse. Not what I expected but okay, I can work with this. The warehouse was scattered with dried blood and papers, as if someone had rushed to grab everything before I awoke. This must be where that psycho did some of his experiments. The papers contained bank notices, spam letters and much of nothing information wise about what the hell they did. There were dried blood all over the little documents that actually say anything, as if it was intentionally done this way.

On a desk next to where I woke up, lay a fresh set of clothes, a blood stained scalpel and my phone, a few more cracks covered the screen then I remember. That's suspicious but I need all I can get currently. I just have to play into whatever twisted game he thinks we're playing.

I open my phone up to something that confuses me severely. The date hadn't changed from the last time I check which would've been roughly 1 to 2 days ago depending on how fast I self revive myself or whatever that system does to me. How? I assumed that the trait was just healing me after I die but what if it's moving me back in time to the morning of the day every time. Though that doesn't make sense. I'm always in different places whenever I come to. If it was just that simple, I would've woken up in my bed rather than a dumpster or a blood stained floor.

Maybe the phone is wrong, that makes more sense but it's still possible that to not be the case. I mean... in the past few hours or days, I've been killed multiple times and fought a bastardized version of myself so time travel is not entirely out of the question.

I focus on opening the system menu, maybe there's something in there to help me there.

Being

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0042 - "John Smith"

Age

21

Traits

Chronokinesis (Thanatosis)

The system pops up in my face, showing the same information it did when I first opened it. I read through it again and again. Firstly, the ID number surprises me. I'm not the first person to be forced into gaining this system. There are 41 people before me. 41 people who could be working with the boss. 41 people who could potentially help me. 41 people who haven't succeeded in stopping that psychopath in bringing me into this. 41 people who have failed me.

My trait isn't that interesting. Chronokinesis. Chronos or Chronus is the personification of time in early Greek philosophy. I know that well, my parents made that so. Kinesis as a suffix means the movement of the prefix stated. Chronokinesis is the power to move time and that other word, Thanatosis, is the way I'm moving time, which is most likely my death.

The idea of traits, however, is very interesting. What are traits exactly? Can I earn them? If I can, how? Is the trait board just telling me what I've achieved with my own skill or given to me by some aethereal power? Why use the word Trait? Why not Skill or Talent? Why Trait?

I shake those useless questions out of my head. I don't have time to think about every logistic. I need to think about what to do next? How to take revenge?

…

Augh! There's not much I can do. I can't go home. They would've known where I lived before creating a whole fucking skin-walker of me. The same goes for my parents house. They might even be happy for it, finally becoming something more than a son of failed... whatever they did. It sickens me to the core, seizing everything in my life without a second thought.

I could stay here. It's risky but would they really think I would just stay here. It's paradoxically the most and least safest place I can be. Or I could stay out on the street. Unpredictable but also dangerous. Other aspects could be added to the equation like thugs and the police. The police could be even in on it too. I have no idea how strong the enemy I'm facing is or how much they've integrated into this shithole I live in.

Both have their positives and negatives. Staying here allows me to stockpile things like bullets and documents that I get. I even get a shelter to sleep at. Leaving allows me to be able to be less likely to be ambushed, though I still can if I become too predictable. It also allows me to get stronger faster as I would fight far more different fighting styles whilst developing my own.

I think for a moment. This is a really important decision and I can't be rash about it.

Sadly, that wasn't my decision to make.

The door to the warehouse is smashed open and I'm met with a powerful punch to the jaw.