Chapter 1

this is a fictional story by realTensai

“You have two months left to live.”

The tension in the room was so thick that Alvis could have cut it with a knife. His parents stood frozen at his sides like scarecrows, the blood draining from their faces. Of all the doctors that 17-year-old Alvis Silva had been to, this was the first to tell him how much time he had left. The truth had been looming above them for so long that its shadow felt like a permanent cloak around Alvis.

Dimly, he heard his mother protest, desperately grasping at straws that didn’t exist. None of her words registered in Alvis’ mind. It went as blank as the hospital room’s walls, the doctor’s words ringing through it like the toll of a bell. And then, finally, the corner of Alvis’ lips quirked up in the faintest hint of a smile.

About damn time!

After the dots had connected, his body shook, his heart threatening to break out of his ribcage as if it could finally leave its crappy workplace. His trembling hands exposed his excitement, though he clenched his fists to suppress it. Yet his body worked against him, the natural reaction to this good news making not grinning impossible.

Alvis’ throat constricted as he forced out a cough.

Can’t let it show.

He observed his parents’ reaction from the corner of his eyes. His mom’s tears ruined her beautiful makeup and her anguished cries made Alvis’ heart tremble. All his dad could do was embrace her, while his furrowed eyebrows and tense face told Alvis that he was the one who needed a hug the most. Alvis averted his gaze, staring at the ground, not brave enough to continue looking at them.

It had to be this way.

His parents knew this day would come, yet they were always there for him. Even in the times, Alvis was at his lowest point, refusing to leave the house, his parents cared for him. No matter how many times he would hold their hands and tell them how much he loved them, nothing would ever be enough to repay them.

Alvis clutched his chest, guilt gnawing at his heart.

They’ve raised me, a cursed child.

Being a cursed child, it was a miracle that he even lived this long, although his life contained nothing but pain. Well, almost nothing. I still have my parents. Alvis didn’t even want to imagine what he would’ve done to himself if his parents weren’t there for him. A vision of him throwing himself before a truck to save a little cat appeared in his mind and he couldn’t even laugh it off.

“Like you all are well aware of, Alvis has a rare illness,” the doctor started, attracting Alvis’ attention. “Having mana inside him, albeit being a human, already decided his fate as a child. There is nothing we can do about it. The medicine he took all his life was the only reason he survived this long. But no medicine is all-powerful. Even with our modern technology and magic capabilities, we still haven’t found a way to cure his illness. We are sincerely sorry. Please enjoy the limited time you have left with your son to the fullest.“

Alvis just nodded. The doctor’s words were honest, so he didn’t blame him. The Alvis some time ago might have, but he had grown up now. He accepted his fate with open arms. Fighting against the inevitable was way too exhausting, anyway.

His death day was set in stone, but he still had a bit of time left.

Guess I have to find ways to pass this time.

Alvis pondered about the things he always wanted to do, but never had the chance to do. He scratched his head with one hand and his nonexistent beard with the other, but nothing came to his mind.

Shit, I don’t have any dreams!

Considering his health, he had other things to worry about. The biggest wish he always had was to be normal, yet this was a dream that would never come true. He shook his head.

I will think about this later.

For now, he would focus his time on his family. He had tried to blend off his parent’s cries, but their pain kept knocking on Alvis’ heart. He grimaced, his brain warning him that what he wanted to do was a bad idea.

Yet he did it anyway.

Alvis took a deep breath in and out and looked up again. However, what he saw had him hold his breath.

Mom and Dad are crying.

Something inside Alvis twitched. He grabbed his chest, clutching it as hard as he could.

Stop, I don’t want this.

It wasn’t their fault; it was his. He was the one who was cursed. They’ve already shown way too much love to me. Alvis’ hand trembled, and he bit his tongue so he could suppress this weird feeling. Guilt shattered his heart into pieces, his parents’ tears acting like fuel to speed up the process. He didn’t want to feel this way. He didn’t want to regret anything. But watching his parents cry like this, Alvis just couldn’t help but wonder about the slight possibility.

Is there no way for me to live?

He almost punched himself for even thinking that. There was no way for him to live, and he knew it. Accepting his fate and dying would be the way better choice. Heck, he even wanted to die. That was why he couldn’t explain this weird feeling. It didn’t make sense.

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I hate it.

That was why his brain always urged him to ignore this feeling when it came up. He didn’t want to have hope. All he wanted was for this pain to end.

Once again, Alvis closed off all his feelings, caging in his broken hurt. He embraced his parents and didn’t say a word. Silently, he just hugged his crying parents without shedding a tear.

I’m sorry.

With shaking lips, Alvis apologized to them for being born cursed.

——

Some time passed, and they all calmed down a bit.

They couldn’t stay in the doctor’s room forever, so they had to leave. Alvis’ mom was still sobbing, so Alvis lent her his hand. Feeling his warmth, she controlled herself again. She took a deep breath in and forced a smile.

Walking out of the hospital with his family, a pleasant summer breeze cooled Alvis’ head. However, it also made him remember to put on his cap. But it was already too late. As he turned his head, he could see a couple of grannies holding their hands before their mouths as they watched him in disgust.

“Look at his hair?! So he is that guy…”

He just stared back at them, his cold eyes not wavering. As their eyes locked, the grannies turned around, their faces pale as they rushed their old legs to carry them away. Alvis just sighed, putting on his cap to hide his white hair.

It’s always the same.

Suddenly, heat rose within him. Even though he took his medicine in the morning, he could feel how the mana inside him acted up. Like water in a kettle, the mana boiled within him, burning him from the inside and popping his veins. Just walking took a huge toll on his body, and he couldn’t do it any longer. Maintaining his cool demeanor didn’t work, and he fell to the ground.

The doctor was right. There is no way for me to survive more than two months.

Within a second, his dad and mom picked him up. It was nothing new for them, yet their eyes always widened in horror when they saw it.

“Are you alright, Alvis? Do you need your medicine?”

“I-I am good,” Alvis said before grasping her outstretched hand. “Thanks, Mom.”

Supported by his parents, he stood up again.

I can’t be a burden to them.

Alvis suppressed all the pain and managed a sincere smile. They continued strolling and soon arrived in their neighborhood. Alvis glanced around, observing his surroundings, yet something felt odd.

No birds flew around, nor was anyone walking through the streets. He looked at the playground but saw no one. He closed his eyes but didn’t even hear the neighbor’s kids’ usual shouting. Even if it was already in the evening, this wasn’t normal. Alvis held his belly as his inwards twisted slightly.

However, he just shook his head.

I’m probably just imagining things.

And even if something wasn’t right, he couldn’t change it, anyway. That was why they just entered their home. However, the first thing he saw was a man sitting on their stairs.

“It took you long enough.”

Alvis’ eyes widened as his bad feeling proved right. Arriving home, an unfamiliar man greeted them. His bright red suit, paired with his red cowboy hat, had Alvis question his fashion sense. However, as Alvis stared at his pale white skin and blond hair, he noticed how his ears pointed to the sky.

An elf or a vampire?

As Alvis pondered about his race, he almost forgot the most important question.

What the hell is he doing in our home?

Alvis’ heart raced as he theorized about this man. His body froze on the spot, and he didn’t dare to make a move. All he did was watch this strange man’s every move.

“Who are you and how did you get in my house?” Alvis’ father said, his voice colder than usual. “I would advise you to leave now.”

He didn’t wince before the strange man and took one step forward, letting Alvis only see his wide-muscular back. His tone was serious, and he clenched his fist, preparing for a fight. Yet Alvis’ heart wouldn’t stop racing.

This man isn’t a normal thief.

Looking the man in the eyes, cold sweat overcame Alvis. As if he was a gazelle, gazing up at a hungry lion. Alvis instinctively took a step back. His body shook, while every cell in his body told him to run away. His rational mind commanded him to do it.

Call it motherly instinct, but his mother immediately took Alvis’ hand and positioned herself in between the man and her son. The man only watched while this was happening, not leaving his intense glare on Alvis even once. But it was with feeling his mother’s love that Alvis’ heart raced the most, and all the alarm bells within him rang.

I have to protect them! This man is out for blood!

“Leave now. I won‘t repeat myself.”

The man in red just looked at Alvis’ dad, annoyance building up within him.

“Can you shut up already?”

An icy shudder coursed down Alvis’ back as the man uttered those words. The mana inside of him seethed, sending him clear signs.

“Dad, watch out!”

The man held his hand out, and a beam gun appeared. The next moment, golden particles gathered, a laser beam manifesting in the air. Alvis’ eyes widened as this laser beam made its way to its target, penetrating its chest.

However, this target was Alvis’ dad.

Face forward, he stumbled to the ground and his blood covered the white passage in a dark red. Alvis’ eyes were glued to the scene, yet his brain couldn’t process it. He shook his head, his chin trembling as his wavering hands became sweaty. His staggered breathing limited the oxygen supply to his brain, making accepting reality impossible.

All he could do was look at his dad lying on the floor.

His heart shattered while his body trembled, and his knees couldn’t support his weight anymore. His view blurred, fusing his father’s corpse with the red floor as he tried his best to fight against the dizziness and the urge to vomit that overcame him.

T-This can’t be.

His mind spun, trying to rationalize this situation. Yet Alvis didn’t understand what was happening. A vortex of emotions overflowed him, tearing at his sanity.

“What did you do to my dad?!”

Crying, he raised his voice. His voice cracked, proving how he rarely shouted or even let his emotions get the best of him, but this situation was different.

“Dad, dad, dad!” Alvis said, shaking his dad’s dead body. “Please, please! You can’t die on me.”

“Stop crying,” the man said, aiming his gun at Alvis. “I’ll end it now.”

A loud bang made Alvis’ entire body wince. But as the drumming sound in his ears dimmed, he noticed he was unharmed.

He wasn’t the one who got hit.

Another person jumped in between and caught the beam so Alvis wouldn’t die. The person saved Alvis’ life by sacrificing her own.

It was his mom.

Dead, she fell straight into his arms.

Alvis couldn’t even blink. All he could do was see how the light faded out of her eyes. Her blood painted his clothes in a similar color to the clothes her killer wore.

His mouth opened, yet the lump in his throat stopped anything coherent from leaving it. A chill raced through his body, something inside of him snapping.

Alvis never had a stable psyche. His whole life was a disaster. From the moment he was born, the entire world was against him. Only his parents were there for him and were the only mental support he had. They were the sole reason he could endure all this pain.

But now they are gone.

It was as if all the pain he had to endure wasn’t enough and his curse had to take his parents, too. He would have died soon, yet his remaining time on earth couldn’t even be a bit peaceful. Once again, the world showed him his place.

I’m cursed.

The last bit of his sanity vanished, and he couldn’t take it anymore.

“I will kill you!”

He broke down in tears, his mother’s corpse in his arms. With gritted teeth, he stared at her killer, unmeasurable hatred taking over his heart. All the hate he built up in his life was concentrated on him. Alvis didn’t know how to fight, but one thing was certain for him.

I will kill him.

“You truly are the child of the Devil.”

But life was cruel. There was no way for Alvis to kill this man now. The man in red just aimed his gun at Alvis’ head, and it was over in an instant.

Alvis died.

[YOU DIED!]

[SYSTEM UNLOCKED!]

[GAME START!]