"Koeff!" I cough out a mouthful of blood, splattering it across the ground in crimson. A relentless pounding throbs at the back of my head, accompanied by an uncomfortable, pinching sensation gnawing at my stomach.

Get up! They are just around the corner!

'Pak!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!'

Needle-like spines shoot into the air, their ends gleaming wickedly. One heads toward me like a speeding torpedo of death.

My legs cry out in pain as I swiftly move out of the way, dodging the spine.

'Puak!'

Glancing behind me, I see a boy collapsing to the ground, a spine embedded in his stomach, exposing his insides. He gasps like a fish out of water, his eyes quickly clouding over.

He's dying! What do I-

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

Quickly turning around, I raise a shield as explosions erupt, nearly reaching me.

'Boom!'

My shield shatters completely, and I'm flung into the air by the impact

'Pak!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!'

More needles shoot into the air, and one grazes past me, nicking my arm. Pain flares from the wound as my face nears the ground.

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

I draw more asura out of my Asura organ, gathering them into my hands and weaving them into a giant sphere.

Come on come on come on come on.

Hastily finishing it, I throw it below me. It hits the ground with a tiny bounce.

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

I collide with the sphere, which yields slightly but remains firm against my body.

'Crack!'

Sudden, excruciating pain washes over my back as the pounding in my head worsens

Damnit what went wrong? What did I mess up?

Something heavy slams into my side, piercing my ribs. I stumble to the ground, clutching the obstruction as I fall.

"Get away!" The owner of the obstruction struggles between my limbs. "Get away! Get away! Get away!"

The person on top of me is a young girl, her eyes replaced by a large gash. Her hair is matted with blood and mud, and three silver stars are embedded in her school uniform.

Wait, Sarah? Is that her?

She struggles harder, waving her limbs around madly, causing a shooting sensation up my back. Looking down, I see a pink translucent blade piercing my stomach—attached to the rest of the girl's arm.

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"Sarah, is that you?" I ask through gritted teeth, using some of my asuras to hold her down. "Hold on, I think one of your arms is inside me."

Seeming not to hear me, she tries to pull her arm out of my stomach. I bite down on my bottom lip, gripping her wrist tightly to keep her in place.

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

Drawing more asura from my reserve, I hold it close to my wound and carefully extract the pink blade. It dissipates, revealing the rest of Sarah's arm.

'Pak!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!'

After removing the blade, I release my grip on Sarah's wrist and use my other hand to press against the wound. Pain intensifies as blood gushes out.

'Boom!' 'Boom!' 'Boom!'

Gritting my teeth, I press harder on the injury, channeling the asura from my hands into the wound. The flesh around the puncture gradually closes up, stemming the flow of blood.

It's hastily made, but it would do.

'Boom!'

The ground trembles beneath me, knocking me off balance.

'Boom!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!'

A heavy weight lands on me, driving my face into the mud. The air is thick with the coppery smell of blood and charred flesh filling my nostrils. I squirm, desperate to free myself, but my limbs won't respond. They feel like lead, moving in slow motion.

'Boom!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!' 'Pak!'

More weight presses down on me, forcing my face closer to the ground. Mud infiltrates my mouth and nose, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

Jolting myself to a sitting position, I leap out of the sleeping bag. The tentacles send out waves of annoyance and surprise.

Why-what?

My legs feel unsteady as I look around. The ledge beneath my feet is barren, devoid of any signs of life. Below me, people meander about, some engaged in conversations.

Holding a hand to my forehead, I close my eyes.

So it was just a dream.

One of the tentacles sends a questioning pulse. Sighing, I firmly reply 'It's nothing' before turning to the sleeping bag.

----------------------------------------

"Well, you look lovely this morning," Travis squints at me. "What happened? Get stampeded by a herd of Rockbulls?"

Ignoring him, I rub my eyes to keep myself awake.

I guess it was too much to hope for a peaceful night of sleep. Of all the memories, it had to be the one where I first entered a dungeon. I swear I acted like a headless chicken, fumbling around and wasting my asura.

The person on top of me is a young girl with a large gash where her eyes should be. Her hair is matted with blood and mud. There are three silver stars embedded in her school uniform.

I can't believe I thought she was Sarah. They looked nothing alike. She was already dead years before that happened.

"Do you know where they're setting up the meal station?" I ask, covering up a yawn. "I want to get there before the others."

"Over there," Travis points to a small clearing surrounded by rocks. "They're not going to open for a few hours, so you'll be waiting a long time."

Putting my hand down, I glance up at him.

"It can't be that long," I say, pulling my sleeve up, "My watch says-oh."

Ah, fudge. It is too early to be up. I don't want to try to go back to sleep. I can't. I don't want to face them again.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Travis grunts, rolling his shoulders. "I'm usually the one who's up first. This is the first time someone has woken up before me."

Without a word, Travis slithers to his tent. Raising an eyebrow, I follow him. The cobra sits on a dead tree trunk and pulls his backpack onto his lap.

"What are you doing?" I ask, peering over his shoulder.

Maybe I could help him with this, it's the perfect distraction I have plenty of free time too much time on my hands. to spend.

Travis jolts in surprise, his hood briefly flaring out.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" Travis mutters, pulling out various tools. "Like sleeping?"

He looks up as a loud snore rings out from the tent. Shaking his head, he fights back a smile twitching on his lips.

"Not really," I shrug. "I don't think I can go back to sleep."

What am I doing? Just because Travis hasn't eaten me so far doesn't mean it's safe to keep hanging out with him, especially near his belongings; many cobras are known to be territorial.

The tentacles protest at my words, radiating annoyance. Instinctively, I shove them out and wall up my side of the bond. Travis glances up from his work before looking away.

"Alright," He relents, tossing me a pair of rubber gloves, "But you might as well earn your keep. I'm not having you constantly look over my shoulder."