Nathan walked through the desolate landscape, a scorched, dead wasteland that seemed to stretch on forever. Around him, charred trees twisted like tortured specters, and the air smelled of ash and decay. His tired eyes focused on something that didn’t belong: a bright red fruit hanging from a withered tree.

“Hmm. What do you think, Skizo? Kind of strange to find something like this in a hellhole, right?” Nathan said, wavering between disbelief and exhaustion.

Skizo, floating nearby with his usual mocking expression, frowned. “That looks suspicious, Nathan. Something that well-preserved in a place like this... doesn’t sit right with me.”

Nathan sighed, brushing off the comment. He was exhausted from wandering through this hostile world. “Whatever… I just want to get out of here,” he said, reaching for the fruit.

The tree’s trunk creaked under his touch, as if it might crumble to dust. The charred bark looked ready to fall off, but the fruit… the fruit was perfect. “This is too weird,” Nathan thought, but hunger and desperation won over. “Let's just get out of here,” he muttered, pulling the fruit from the tree with an ironic smile.

“Alright. Eating this thing, mission accomplished,” he joked, toying with the fruit in his hands.

Before he could take a bite, a shiver ran down his spine. Skizo, who had been silent until now, spoke in a haunting tone: “Nathan... check behind you.”

Nathan scoffed, rolling his eyes in exasperation. “Oh, please, don’t start. I’d rather not think about bad stuff. If I don’t think about it, it can’t affect me,” he said, trying to hold onto a bit of confidence.

Skizo, clearly worried, insisted. “Stop talking nonsense and look behind you. Now.”

“Fine, fine. What could be so terri…?” Nathan turned his head, and his body froze. Behind him stood a tall, thin figure cloaked in darkness, watching him. A bloodstained knife hung from his hand, and a macabre grin stretched across his pale face.

Cold sweat trickled down Nathan’s body as his eyes locked onto the grotesque smile of the man. Time seemed to stand still, and fear hit him like an unrelenting storm. “W-what the hell is that?” he murmured, his voice cracking.

“Told you,” Skizo replied with a disturbing grin. “You’re on your own now, my dear master.”

Before Nathan could react, the cloaked man lunged at him, knife in hand. Nathan barely managed to dodge, throwing himself to the side and crashing into a dead tree. Without thinking, he grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at his attacker, buying himself a few precious seconds to get up and run.

The forest around him transformed into a deadly trap: pressure plates, bear traps, and arrows shooting from the shadows, firing automatically. As he ran, the sound of his own panting mixed with the echo of the assassin’s footsteps in pursuit.

NecroRune Watch:

Chase Mode Activated

“Skizo! Help me, please! Do something, damn it!” Nathan yelled, his heart pounding wildly. Fear was clouding his judgment.

“I can’t do anything, master. You’ve entered ‘Chase Mode!’ I can’t interfere now,” Skizo’s voice sounded amused, coming from somewhere invisible.

“What the hell does that mean?!” Nathan shouted, dodging a thrown blade that narrowly missed his cheek. The fog around him thickened, turning the forest into a maze of shadows, traps, and death.

The assassin’s silhouette leaped between the burnt trees, moving with inhuman ease. Nathan could hear his sinister laughter, getting closer. His skin prickled, and the terror made his legs weak.

“Skizo, damn it! What do I do? Tell me something useful!” Nathan begged, hiding behind a charred trunk.

“You need to find the Interdimensional Tree. Sense the pure energy… only then can you escape,” Skizo’s tone was serious for the first time.

“Pure energy?! What the hell does that mean? How am I supposed to do that while I’m being chased?” Nathan’s desperation mounted as the cold edge of a blade sliced through the air close to his face.

The assassin found him again, this time managing to wound him. The knife sank into his flesh, opening a gash in his arm. Nathan screamed in pain, but something inside him changed.

Adrenaline boiled in his veins, and the NecroRune on his wrist emitted a strange glow.

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NecroRune Watch:

New Message

-Adrenaline Detected-

Status: Adrenaline Boost

-Capacities Enhanced-

Nathan felt his body respond differently. His reflexes sharpened, his strength increased, and fear turned into a fierce survival instinct.

“Nathan! You’re in the Adrenaline Boost State. You’ve got more strength, speed, and agility. Use it!” Skizo shouted in his mind.

Nathan dodged the assassin’s attacks with more ease, but he could still feel the blade grazing his skin. “It’s not enough! He’s still catching up!” he cried, panic still laced in his voice.

Running, jumping, and dodging traps, Nathan felt his strength waning. His thoughts became chaotic. “Why is this happening to me? I’m just a kid! Am I going to die here?” he thought as tears of anger and pain mixed with the sweat and blood staining his face.

Finally, the assassin caught up to him again. With inhuman strength, he stabbed Nathan in the chest, ripping a scream from him. Nathan struggled to fight back, but the pain was overwhelming. In a last, desperate act, he brought his bloody hand to the fruit he still held and bit into it, hoping it would be his salvation.

NecroRune Watch:

Mission Complete 1/3

Life Acquired +1

Total Energy Increase 12%

Nathan felt the fruit regenerating his body, but the pain still held him down. Skizo watched silently as Nathan’s body slowly began to heal.

After two minutes...

“Damn... am I alive again?” Nathan murmured, his voice broken and full of pain. He could barely move; each attempt only intensified the agony.

“No, Nathan. You just survived. That fruit you ate has regenerative properties… quite rare,” Skizo replied, his tone serious. A question lingered in his mind: How is this possible? Could it be a divine fruit? And if so, then his power increased by 24%.

“Really...? What kind of god would let a 13-year-old go through this...? But… it feels good to still be alive. I didn’t want to die… or test if I could revive,” Nathan said with difficulty, bringing a trembling hand to his chest. His open wound slowly closed, the flesh knitting back together at an unnatural pace.

Skizo observed in silence. “I’m sorry, Nathan. It shouldn’t be like this… but you’ll have to accept this is your new reality,” he said, leaving behind his usual mocking tone and speaking sincerely.

“How can you expect me to accept this?! I’m suffering… going through things no one my age should. I don’t want this life… I want my normal life, the quiet life I had before I went exploring!” Nathan broke down in tears, the physical pain a mere shadow compared to the emotional weight crushing him.

Skizo let him cry in silence. They’d found a safe spot while Nathan was unconscious, and he understood the boy needed space.

While Nathan rested, Skizo returned to the NecroRunic watch, searching for answers about the entities in the Putrid Realm. He looked up Jeff and found what he feared: a legendary assassin, eight divisions above Nathan. It’s a miracle he survived…, Skizo thought, impressed by the boy’s potential and the divine power that protected him.

But there was more… Jeff was a hunter. He didn’t just kill; he pursued his prey until he was sure they couldn’t escape.

Materializing again, Skizo woke Nathan urgently. “We need to go, quickly. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes… I’m fully healed now.” Nathan forced a smile, though a strange pride shone in his eyes.

NecroRunic Watch:

New Message

Regeneration Complete.

Energy Increase: 4%.

“Hey, look at this,” Nathan pointed to the notification on his watch.

“Oh, right. I almost forgot… It’s a unique feature of the NecroRunic watches. Every time you’re on the brink of death and survive, your power increases. God removed this ability from the NecroRunic implants because it was too powerful, but in the watches… it still remains.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me… You’re telling me I have to almost die to get stronger?” Nathan’s disbelief turned into bitter disdain.

“Exactly, Master Nathan,” Skizo replied with a malicious grin, savoring the irony.

“That’s a disgusting mechanic… But why didn’t you help me more? You just gave me tips and left me to fend for myself…”

“It’s simple. When you enter combat, the watch sends me to a parallel dimension until the encounter is over. I can communicate with you mentally, but I can’t interact in any other way.”

“Great… I’ll just have to handle things on my own,” Nathan sighed, resigned.

“Oh, by the way, what are these ‘states’ you mentioned?”

“They’re something like your divine gift. God granted you certain states that enhance your physical abilities and energy.”

Suddenly, a chilling cold enveloped the place. The fog thickened, the air grew heavy, and slow footsteps echoed in the distance, drawing closer.

Nathan’s face paled. “No… Tell me it’s not him. We’re far away…!”

Skizo’s expression turned somber. “Jeff, that assassin, doesn’t leave things unfinished. He’s coming for you, and this time, there’s no escape.”

"Right… I forgot. But I was researching how to detect pure energy. All you need to do is focus on the Interdimensional Tree… that should help you," Skizo explained.

Nathan closed his eyes, trying to clear the panic from his mind. He visualized the giant tree he'd seen before, its white, ethereal leaves, the misty aura surrounding it.

"I can feel an energy… Let’s go!" Nathan shouted, and they both took off running.

Fear clung to Nathan like a second skin. He felt something hunting them, each step heavier than the last. He turned and saw Jeff’s tall, hooded figure, holding a knife in his hand… the same knife that had nearly taken his life, still dripping with his blood. Jeff watched him with a cruel smile, licking the blade with twisted delight.

Revulsion and terror filled him, but he didn’t stop. They reached the Tree, where Nathan had sensed the energy, and it let him pass, taking him to the Interdimensional Tree just in time. Before disappearing inside, Nathan saw Jeff watching them from afar, a silent promise that the chase was far from over.

Inside the tree, as they were being transported, Nathan couldn’t shake a single thought: Maybe it’s time to accept I’ll never live the life I wanted. Every wound reminds me this isn’t a dream, and maybe someone else will live the life I dreamed of… But I’ll do whatever it takes to free myself from this curse. I’ll get rid of this fate I never chose.

End of chapter.