Shun POV:
[Time Remaining: 000:20:00...]
Running water splashed against the earth. Dull thuds exemplified the exertion needed to wade forward—a movement that acknowledged inaudible breaths. A bloodied hand pushed open a wooden door before fading out of view.
Every step created the same faint sound: a compression of air between rolled-up flesh, drenched in blood, and the remnants of skin clinging to it. When they parted, the suction lost its role; popping occurred but failed to resonate beyond the boot before being pressed back down to the wet surface.
A clavicle tapped against a wall, no longer holding the shoulder in place but the body instead. The search conducted came to an end in the centre of a small room.
A beautiful woman appeared.
She pressed her forehead against innocence before rocking the baby to sleep. Long black eyelashes became visible. Chubby fingers balled into tiny fists. A light shone from the rise of plump cheeks; it radiated outward, expanding with every breath she took: an action that confirmed life.
Beauty stood up, and the light faded. She placed the child inside a detailed cot before ripping her skirt further to provide extra padding for my daughter.
‘...Good.’
Strength left me once thoughts returned. I slid down the wall, leaving behind a wet trail, when the woman turned to face me. Pupils dilated. Tears cascaded to the floor. Then, her mouth opened, and a heart-wrenching scream penetrated the darkness.
The woman shot forward but was unable to find an area to start with. No matter where her hands arrived, blood consumed them. She rushed to her feet to look for something—for anything that could be of use.
‘...’
Despite the desperation she exhibited, the woman wasn’t the cause behind the corpse rising. She wasn’t the reason for the rejuvenation that made it walk. A single light drew me toward it until I reached the barrier of wind, protecting my child. It blocked out all sounds, cutting her off from the burden a parent had to bear alone.
This was my fight.
Was this how my parents felt when I was born? Was this how they felt when I hid the suffering I went through to protect their images and the choices they made?
Responsibility.
I misunderstood it at the time, and that caused them both more pain than necessary.
My mother became more vocal after that incident; she checked on me several times at night. I remembered her soft fingers brushing past my forehead and the fall of gentle tears. Whenever I woke up, she would apologise for disturbing my sleep, but it was my fault.
That was why I held her hand tight until the shaking stopped.
My father began reading the same books I did. We often spent hours discussing characters. We analysed the author’s intentions and the thousands of ways the story could develop them further.
What was left of my lips curved upwards at the memories flashing past. It wasn’t over yet.
I wasn’t done yet.
“...I will protect my daughter.”
The weakened body turned around and faced Chloe Ravendawn.
“18 minutes.”
I walked past her trembling frame when she grabbed hold of my arm.
The audacity...
Chloe had not only watched but ordered those soldiers to beat me to death’s door multiple times. Now she thought I needed her pity?!
‘This DAMN WOMAN!!’
I ripped my arm out of her grip and shoved the mentally ill woman backwards. The darkness swallowed her screams. Her shouts of desperation that begged me to stay fell on deaf ears. She pleaded until the doorway drew a line between us.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Pfftt!~ You are one scary kid.”
Penny held the door in her hand before crushing it into dust. A barrier formed from the snap of her fingers and blocked the entrance to the Choga. The Creed flickered into view: none of them injured in any capacity.
But I didn’t care.
“It’s really touching.”
Penny’s laughter vanished. Her gaze shifted to Chloe, resting a hand against the barrier, sobbing.
“…”
Penny turned her attention back toward me.
My hand rose to form a hand seal, but her fist smashed into my face. A spray of blood decorated the front garden while Chloe pounded the barrier. She crashed into it without rest once the beating began.
Consciousness drifted in and out. The assault broke my body further than it had ever been broken before. I lost sense of both time and direction, but I stood. I stood firm in front of the house.
[Time Remaining: 000:05:30...]
I collapsed.
My knees hit the bloodied earth, and my palms faced the sky. Black hair blocked a distorted vision. Through its gaps, I observed the devastation bring Chloe to her knees. Even now, her fists banged the barrier, but her silent screams failed to bypass it.
‘...’
I swivelled my eyes back toward Penny, wiping the blood off her cheek. Her lips spread into a slight smirk before her usual laughing fits began.
“A father’s love deserves more recognition, it seems.”
“...Don’t bother... talking...”
Another laugh, and another assault. My head snapped back into the barrier when a red filter covered the world.
‘Mum... Did I do well?...’
[Time Remaining: 000:04:00...]
‘Dad... Are you proud of me?...’
[Time Remaining: 000:01:00...]
‘Is this it?’
A bloodied fist tore the air apart. It enlarged until there was nothing left in my vision. Would I be transported back to Earth? Or would I die for good this time?
I... didn’t have the answers to those questions.
Memories flashed through my mind. They contained the good, the bad, and the ugly because that... was life. I let my head fall, attempting to withstand the next blow by blocking with my forehead instead.
“That’s enough.”
The fist froze millimetres away from my face. Penny retracted it a second later before bowing her head to someone I couldn’t see through swollen eyes.
“You are a maniac.”
Tembo crouched down, and his face came into view. Dark brown eyes stared into what was left of mine.
“The fact that you went through Ki Deviation multiple times is worth praise. You destroyed your body to such an extent there was a possibility you would be crippled for the rest of your life. A decision made to keep us away and protect your family.”
I tried to open my mouth, but it refused to move.
“It was never about killing you. It was about testing you. If you didn’t meet my expectations, the minimum requirements, your death would have been the natural result.”
Tembo stood up, and Penny rested an arm over his shoulder before blowing away some dirt in her fingernails.
“Is there something you’d like to add, Penny?”
“Pfftt! Not really~”
Tembo tapped her arm away, causing Penny to step back while laughing.
“The Creed have recognised your love and sincerity for Chloe Ravendawn and your unnamed daughter. Your marriage has been accepted, so head back and prepare for the wedding.”
‘...’
He turned around, and The Creed lowered their heads in his presence.
“The rest of Lady Chloe’s restraints will be removed soon.”
Tembo glanced back at me before he dispersed along with The Creed. His words implied that Chloe would be able to take care of me, and the very thought of that happening again made me sick.
[You have cleared the mission: ‘Proof of Love.’]
Blonde hair so light it appeared greyish flocked into my vision. Two hands examined the state of my broken body. I shifted my gaze toward a beautiful woman on her knees; tears streamed down to the earth, forming a puddle that seeped into open wounds.
“No... No, no, no, no! P-please... J-just wait... Wait a little longer... My restraints... Once they’re off, I’ll t-take you to a healer... I’ll kill them. I’LL KILL THEM!!”
The blurry image of a beautiful woman turned into a clearer picture of Chloe crying. Her lips curved into a twisted smile despite the tears that fell. Her fuchsia eyes shook from side to side, despite their arched form.
Something soft rested against my cheek. It caressed the damaged skin in a loving manner.
“I-It’s c-cold...?”
“...”
“S-Shun?... L-look at me... Please... I can’t live without you... Please... I’m sorry... I’m sorry... Don’t leave me... Sweetheart?”
Two arms wrapped around a corpse. They pulled the body in close, resting its head against a warm shoulder. The beautiful woman’s tears wet its back, soaking into blood-stained clothes.
“Please... Please answer me! Answer me, Sweetheart! I-I can’t... I need you! You’re my world!! Without you, I’m nothing! I’m no one! I love you. I love you. I love you, Shun!!!”
Thin lips of perfection pressed against the dead. The woman tried to inject her life back into it, ignoring the role she had played in the young man’s demise. Yet...
Yet it roused a heartbeat. It summoned vestiges of light that flickered across his vision. I pushed away the darkness and was greeted with Chloe gripping her head. She shook it while screaming in agony.
A hand, missing two fingers, stroked her smooth skin. It evaporated the mania consuming her mind and caused a thick heat to wrap around her nose. Chloe’s lips spread into a sadistic smile that faded once we locked eyes.
“...Don’t cry.”
Those two words made her entire body quake.
Those two words shattered her reality.
‘Look... after... my daughter...’
Thoughts failed to be expressed through words, so the depth of my gaze pierced past her bright pink eyes instead.
“S-Sweetheart? D-don’t go... Please don’t leave me... Please... I-I’m... I’m sorry... I beg you...”
The hand slid off her face, and a head flopped forward. Consciousness faded. Comfort came from the arms of my tormentor, screaming in despair.
‘Daughter...’
The end of me…
‘I’m sorry…’
Wasn’t the end of her.
What was another world to me was…
‘Live…’
Her home.