Finally, Nathan collapsed from the significant blood loss. Though he believed he had died, he was still alive... but not entirely. It was as if his existence had been suspended, trapped in an immense darkness. He was neither conscious nor absent; it felt like sleeping without dreaming, floating in a timeless, formless abyss.

Suddenly, a deep heartbeat resonated in his mind.

After two minutes...

Nathan opened his eyes—“Damn... did I come back to life?”—he murmured, his voice broken and filled with pain. He could barely move; every attempt only intensified his suffering.

“Well, no. You survived. What you ate was a divine fruit; they’re not rare in worlds like this,” Skizo replied in a serious tone. A question gnawed at him: A divine fruit, huh… As a child, I wonder if the power boost will affect him.

“It doesn’t matter, I’m still alive. Tell me, Skizo, how could your God allow something like this to happen to a child? You know... I didn’t want to test if I could come back to life,” Nathan said with difficulty, bringing a trembling hand to his chest. His open wound slowly closed, the flesh restoring at an unnatural pace. “The fruit was my only hope; thank goodness it worked out,” he thought as silent tears streamed down his face.

Skizo watched in silence. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I know it shouldn’t be this way, but... you’ll have to accept your new reality,” he said, dropping his usual mocking tone and speaking frankly.

“Accept? Accept what, damn it?!”—he shouted, his voice breaking with each word—“I’m just a kid! This isn’t fair!”—He rolled onto his side, turning his back on Skizo. His tears soaked the ground, washing away his rage and helplessness.

Skizo let him cry in silence. He had dragged Nathan to a safe place while he was unconscious, understanding that the boy needed space.

While Nathan rested, Skizo returned to the interior of the NecroRunic Clock. Inside the NecroWatch, Skizo frantically researched the Putrid Realm and its entities. The ancient chronicles spoke of beings born from stories, classified from Normal to Legendary based on their impact and legacy.

Among them, the Jersey Devil was one of the Legendary entities, famous for its cruelty and obsession with finishing what it started.

“Interesting... if Jersey discovers that Nathan survived, it will hunt him to the ends of the earth,” Skizo murmured, closing the book with a sharp snap.

He materialized back into the physical world, urgently waking Nathan.

“We need to leave quickly,” he said, looking at him, assessing him a bit, and asked, “Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah. What happens now?”—Nathan asked, his voice weak but filled with disdain.

NecroRunic Clock:

New message:

Regeneration complete.

Energy boost.

“Eh? What’s this?”—Nathan pointed, showing the notification on the watch.

“Oh, it’s an exclusive mechanic of your NecroRune. Whenever you’re on the brink of death and survive, your power will increase.”

“Is this a joke?”—Nathan sat up from the ground—“Do I have to almost die to get a power boost?”—His disbelief turned into bitter disdain.

“Just as you say, Nate,” Skizo replied with a mischievous smile, enjoying the irony.

“What a disgusting mechanic. Hey, why didn’t you help me?”

“Do you really expect your servant to do everything for you?”

“No, but... I don’t know, you could have done something. Maybe a fireball or something.”

“Haha, I’m not one of those who scream and suddenly get a super magical power.”

“Shut up, those things are cool. Anyway... what or who prevents you from helping me?”

“The watch. When you enter combat or pursuit, it forces me to respond to its call. It’s like having a jealous wife: it locks me in the house and won’t let me out, no matter how much I want to.”

“Fantastic… I’ll have to manage on my own,” Nathan sighed, resigned.

“Hey, you know, I was wondering... what happened to me when you mentioned ‘divine gift’? I felt like I suddenly got stronger.”

“Oh, that’s the main ability of your NecroRune. It’s unique, you can’t change it, and it’s assigned randomly. You’re lucky because you got one of the best: ‘The States.’”

“The States?”

“Yeah, they enhance your body’s natural mechanics, like adrenaline. In this case, your adrenaline state boosted your adrenaline and most of your basic attributes.”

Suddenly, an icy chill enveloped the place. The fog thickened, the air became heavy, and the slow footsteps of someone echoed in the distance, followed by an animalistic breath. It was the Jersey Devil.

“Hey Nathan... I think your dear friend is here,” Skizo whispered, with a calmness that didn’t match the gravity of the situation.

“Yes... I noticed,” Nathan whispered, his voice trembling as his heart began to race.

Skizo quickly responded, saying, “From what I know, it pursues its target until it finishes it off.”

And Nathan, terrified and furious, exclaimed quietly, “Damn, if you see that I can move now, you should have told me!”

“I forgot... But you can detect the pure energy of the central tree. You just need to focus on the Interdimensional Tree... very easy, don’t you think?”—Skizo explained.

Nathan closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind of panic. He visualized the giant tree he had seen before, its white ethereal leaves, the galaxy landscape surrounding it.

“It feels weird! But I think I know where it is!”—Nathan whispered, and both took off running.

Fear enveloped Nathan like a second skin. He felt something stalking them, each step heavier than the last. He turned and saw the tall figure of Jersey, with its sharp claws—the very ones that had almost taken his life. Jersey looked at him with a cruel smile, licking its bloodied claws with perverse delight.

Disgust and terror consumed Nathan; a freezing chill ran down his spine as his legs seemed to move out of sheer desperation. Each step felt clumsier, his ragged breathing mixing with a whirlwind of chaotic thoughts: “I don’t want... to feel those claws again.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Suddenly, the Jersey Devil, with its macabre smile, lunged from a nearby hill. Its claws, sharp as blades, glimmered under the faint light breaking through the fog. Its body moved with inhuman speed, its paws hitting the ground with such force that each step echoed like thunder.

“NO, NO, NO, NO! DAMN IT!”—Nathan screamed, feeling like his heart was about to explode.

Skizo was abruptly absorbed by the watch. From within, his voice, though mocking, held a slight urgency.

“Run faster, kid! I wouldn’t want to see you in the state I left you in,” he said, laughing in his characteristic tone.

Nathan didn’t hear him. His mind was dominated by a single instinct: survive. He jumped over a fallen tree, his feet slipping on the damp ground filled with roots, almost falling into the abyss that opened before him.

Jersey relentlessly followed him, its eyes glowing with an unnatural red, and its grotesque tongue licking the remnants of blood still clinging to its claws. A low, guttural growl emanated from its throat, as if it were relishing the fear consuming Nathan.

“It’s going to kill me, it’s going to kill me!”—Nathan shouted between gasps, his voice breaking with terror.

As he ran, he spotted the tree.

Without hesitation, he ran with all his might and made a desperate leap, crashing into the tree, managing to enter. His body trembled, his muscles burning, as he felt the force pulling him inward.

Jersey, furious, slammed into the tree with all its might. The demon’s claws scraped the mystical bark, leaving a sound that echoed like a scream in the void. But the Tree did not yield. Without a NecroRune, the Jersey Devil could not enter.

From inside the Tree, Nathan, gasping and with glassy eyes, turned to see the demon. Jersey was there, on the other side, motionless. Its grotesque face contorted into an even wider smile. Slowly, it raised a bloodied claw and traced it across its neck in an unmistakable gesture.

Nathan recoiled, his heart in his throat, as the Tree enveloped him in its interdimensional light. But even as he disappeared inside, he felt the weight of that promise: the Jersey Devil would not rest until it reached him.

Nathan began to walk as he watched everything change, just like before but in reverse.

Inside the tree, as they were transported, Nathan couldn’t help but think:

“I don’t know if it’s time to accept that I won’t live the life I wanted. Every wound reminds me that this isn’t a dream. Someone else will live the life I dreamed of... Still, I will do everything in my power to free myself from this Watch.”

The black earth and the place filled with the smell of decay began to change.

The ground transformed into roots, the fog disappeared, and the smell shifted to earth and moisture.

Nathan, emerging from the tree still gasping, collapsed to the ground.

“Damn it, Skizo... that damn Devil almost got me... Did you see how that son of a bitch licked my blood?”—Nathan said with a broken voice, trying to shake off the anguish of his last fight.

Skizo looked at him with an expression that mixed exhaustion and disgust.

“Kid, wash your mouth; that trucker language doesn’t suit you. You don’t speak like an eleven-year-old. But I admit it would have been funny to see that scene.”

Nathan let out a nervous laugh, but his hands trembled.

“Yeah... it was crazy, right? But... what do we do now? We’re back in the center of the Tree... let’s continue with the missions.”

Skizo glanced at him sideways, sighing.

“Before you jump into more missions, check your watch. You won’t want to waste a trip if you simply don’t have time.”

Nathan blinked, confused.

“Time? Oh, I had forgotten about that.”

“Nathan, with a growing sense of panic, quickly looked at his watch. The cold in his hands intensified as he saw the countdown ticking down relentlessly.

“What happens if I don’t make it in time?”—he asked, his voice barely contained.

Skizo grinned maliciously.

“You lose opportunities, equal to the number of incomplete missions. Remember that now?”

Nathan’s heart sank. He tried to feign calm.

“Well, it’s not that bad... I thought it would be worse.”

Skizo let out a mocking laugh.

“Not that bad? Oh, did I forget to mention? You’ll also feel indescribable pain multiplied by the number of incomplete missions.”

Nathan’s eyes widened, his breathing quickened.

“More or less... what will I feel?”—he said, trying to maintain his composure, but his body began to tremble as cold sweat invaded him.

Skizo, with a cruel smile, only watched him.

“Physical pain, maybe emotional; I don’t know, but it’s likely you’ll feel like all your bones are breaking. And don’t worry, Nathan... it’ll be a long process. And... painful.”

Nathan started to hyperventilate, his mind collapsing into despair.

“BROKEN BONES?! No, no, no! Skizo, please! Do something! I can’t take any more pain! HELP ME!”—His voice cracked, and the pressure in his chest grew until his hands began to tingle from panic.

Skizo shrugged, feigning indifference.

“I could, but... there’s no time left.”

Nathan looked at the watch on his arm, and a strange tingling sensation ran from his feet to his head.

(3)

Nathan approached Skizo, knelt down, and tried to place his hands on his shoulder, but they only passed through his body—“Skizo, I’ll do anything, please!”

(2)

“Skizo, you’re my servant”—Skizo listened to Nathan shout as he knelt on the floor.

(1)

Nathan lifted his head and looked Skizo in the eyes, saying—“Damn it, help me...” Nathan took a breath and shouted—“DO IT!”—His saliva flew out with the scream.

(0)

The watch stopped counting; instantly, he felt a hot knife enter his body—“AAHH!”

Nathan’s scream tore through the air as his body contorted in pain. Every bone inside him began to break, one by one, in unbearable agony.

Nathan felt his blood spilling from the internal fractures; each heartbeat intensified the torture. His mind imploded, unable to process such misery.

“SKIZO!”—he shouted, stretching out his arm, trying to reach him, his voice choked by pain and his eyes clouding over.

Skizo crossed his arms, watching with a macabre smile.

“I wouldn’t miss this show just to help you, kid.”

His mind, on the verge of shattering like glass under a hammer, remained tethered to a body that cruelly refused to surrender to the final embrace of death.

“Damn... what the hell is this? UUGH! Where... are you, Mom... and Dad?”—he said between sobs, utterly shattered.

And then, just when he thought there couldn’t be more suffering, his veins exploded, filling his body with searing pain. Unable to scream.

“It hurts...! It hurts too much...!”—Nathan thought, his mind flooded with a torrent of fear and despair.

Hot tears streamed down his face as his thoughts spiraled into chaos.

“Am I going to die? I don’t want to die! Mom! Dad!”—The image of his parents flashed in his mind like a distant spark, a warm memory that now felt cold and unreachable.

“I’m scared! I’m so scared!”—He wanted to scream, but he could barely think. Terror enveloped him like a dark tide, drowning him in a bottomless abyss.

He could barely contain the words in his mind, as muffled sobs escaped from his throat. The weight of pain was overwhelming, but fear surpassed it.

“Am I going to die? Am I going to die?! No! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

Darkness began to slowly drag him down. He could no longer distinguish where pain ended and emptiness began.

His thoughts faded, growing ever more distant.

Finally, the suffering ended. Now everything was dark.

Nathan felt an absolute void, as if everything had shut down at once. Then, a white, luminous leaf fell from the heights of the Interdimensional Tree. The moment it touched the ground, every muscle, bone, and skin reformed, emitting an ethereal glow that seemed to come from the roots of the Tree. Nathan jolted awake, gasping as if he had just emerged from an icy lake.

Although his body was intact, the memory of his agony remained embedded in his mind.

“Ahh, damn! What... what happened? Didn’t I die?!”—Nathan shouted, confused and terrified, unable to comprehend how he was still alive. He had felt everything fade, how the cold of death embraced him, and a darkness as if he had been sleeping without dreaming, unknowingly, but now he was back... as if nothing had happened.

“Calm down, Nathan,” Skizo said, his voice calm yet firm—“You’re fine. The Interdimensional Tree took your life, but it has returned it to you. Everything is okay.”

Nathan looked at him with wide eyes, his mind spinning in a spiral of confusion and fear.

“Me?! Am I someone else now? If I die, will something else take my place... just like what happened now? Who am I?”—Nathan clutched his head, feeling as if reality itself was shattering before his eyes.

Skizo leaned toward him, looking at him with a serious expression.

“You are the same as before, Nathan. Nothing has changed. Your soul, your memories, everything remains intact. Reviving doesn’t change who you are, but it can make you doubt. Don’t torment yourself with those questions,” he advised, trying to calm his growing despair.

Nathan looked at his hands. Around him, the corpse that had been his body faded into the air, like dust carried away by the wind. Terror crawled through his mind, a feeling that something in him had broken forever.

“But... I died. I felt it. I felt death...” —Nathan whispered, his voice trembling.

“Death is just a door, Nathan,” Skizo replied, his tone serious and distant—“The soul does not perish. It lives on forever.”

Nathan looked at his trembling hands, unable to erase from his mind the echo of his bones breaking and the emptiness of death.

But then he clenched his fists. If this damn machine wanted to break him, it would have to try harder.

“Skizo... show me the way home. I will find a way... to destroy this stupid watch.”

“Alright,” Skizo replied, nodding solemnly.

Both walked in silence, crossing one of the ancient root bridges of the Interdimensional Tree, disappearing into the thick fog that shrouded the ground.

End of the chapter...