Chapter 6
this is a fictional story by realTensai
Alvis was ready. He was ready to die!
A rush of heat flushed his cheeks, and his pulse drummed in his ears, questioning his resolve. Yet Alvis’ mind was set.
The weird smile on his face didn’t seem to vanish, as it was a clear sign of his madness. Having died twice in such a short time already showed its effects on his psyche. Alvis still didn’t see himself as suicidal, but what he was about to do fit just fine in the definition of suicide.
Well, I guess I’m insane after all.
Alvis saw no other way to solve his problem. He had to die and come back stronger if he wanted to defeat the assassin. The police were of no help and running away didn’t work too, so his only option was to beat the assassin on his own. That the only way for him to survive this situation was to beat a trained vampire assassin spoke volumes about how insane this all was. He could only chuckle.
One last time, Alvis took a deep breath in and out. It was his favorite way to collect his calm and face overwhelming situations. And even though Alvis felt ready to tackle this now, his body still sent him several unmissable signs warning him not to do it.
But Alvis just suppressed them.
He couldn’t waver now!
Alvis started dragging one foot after the other, slowly approaching his house, his heart skipping with every step. The air turned thick, constricting his chest as though an invisible weight bore down on him. The acrid scent of fear trickled his nostrils, filling his entire body with a wave of ominous. Every step he took took him closer to his death. His body kept resisting, and nearing his house took a huge toll on him. However, Alvis kept moving as if having to walk through an ice storm with his body exposed to the frigid cold.
Now he stood before his door.
Covered in sweat, he could not move anymore. Standing before his door, unlocked an unpleasant memory of his. The dead body of his father and the feeling of his mother’s corpse started haunting him. Vomit reached all its way up to his throat and the salty and bitter taste of digested food already lay on his tongue. His body trembled, primal fear taking over.
I don’t want to go there.
Alvis asked his brain for other ways to solve the problem. Perhaps he could call the police again and this time other officers would come. Or he could ask neighbors for help. Or, or…
He just shook his head, clenching his fist.
Don’t be stupid now!
He knew he didn’t have another choice. He knew what would happen if he kept wasting time like this.
Everything would repeat itself!
His parents would come back soon, and Alvis didn’t want them to die again. So the only thing he could do now was keep moving forward.
One last time, he suppressed all of his fears. He blocked out his memories of how the last runs ended and entered the cage of the lion.
As soon as he set foot in his house, he saw him. Sitting on the stairs was a man wearing a red suit and a red hat. His skin was as pale as that of a corpse and his ears stood up. His yellow eyes were fixed on Alvis, looking at him just like a predator would look at its prey. Alvis met his gaze, trying to look confident, though he was not sure how well it worked.
“You are finally here,” he said, his voice low yet still threatening. Just hearing him made an icy chill course down Alvis’ spine. “I certainly didn’t expect the police to show up instead of you. How did you know I was here?”
“How did you get them to leave would be the better question?” Alvis asked, skillfully avoiding his question.
Alvis still didn’t know their reason for leaving the assassin alone. He could think of many reasons, but he wanted to hear the real one out of his mouth.
Though the assassin just laughed.
It was the first time Alvis heard the assassin laughing. His laugh sounded like a malicious giggle straight out of a horror movie. A shiver ran down Alvis’ spine just by hearing it. The assassin could not stop laughing and his shrieking voice resounded through the house. Alvis was tempted to hold his ears, but he decided against it because he figured he would not hear his response if he gave one.
“I told them that you are a demon,” the assassin said, unable to hold in his laugh. “Just telling them that I wanted to dispose of a demon was enough for them to happily leave and let me kill you. Can you imagine that? Kihahaha! Here in Utopia, the country created by the World Race Organization, the nation of equality, the police that are supposed to protect you just let you die because you aren’t of their race!”
Alvis clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he tried his best to control his seething rage. Several veins popped on his forehead and he was practically fuming out of rage. He already knew the police were racist, yet he did not think they were that racist!
Just because they thought I was a demon, they let a civilian die?! What the fuck is wrong with them?! And I’m not even a demon!
However, Alvis couldn’t waste his energy on being angry. He had other things, more urgent ones, to worry about.
The assassin would kill him soon, so he at least wanted to get as much information as possible out of him. Maybe the assassin would even spill out something that might help Alvis after he respawned. That was why Alvis asked the question that plagued him since the first time he died.
“What did I ever do to you? Why do you want to kill me? Did someone send you to get my head?”
Alvis had to know why this assassin wanted to kill him. He didn’t remember earning the ire of some famous person or someone like that, so he didn’t know why this assassin was on him. Also, why would someone send an assassin on someone who was about to die soon, anyway?
Like all they had to do was wait for two months and I would be dead.
However, the assassin just started laughing again.
“Why should I tell you? I see no benefit in telling you that.”
Alvis sighed. Of course, he would say that. I also see no benefit in getting killed!
“Well, you will kill me anyway, so what is the matter? I think it’s just fair for me to know why I will die.”
Alvis suppressed a smirk, hoping the assassin would take the bait.
“Ha, you got a valid point there,” the assassin said, falling into Alvis’ trap. “But I think my answer won’t help you. I’m just following orders the higher-ups gave me. We don’t ask questions. We just execute the things they tell us to do. It’s as simple as that. And my mission right now is to kill you!”
Suddenly, the pressure emitting from him increased. It was like a switch flipped and the assassin turned on the killer mode. Alvis couldn’t breathe and staying on his feet as the killing intent weighed down on him was almost impossible. The assassin took out his beam gun, and Alvis knew he had to fight now. But just when he was about to get ready to fight, he heard a soft click and then a long creak.
It was as if lightning struck Alvis because he suddenly couldn’t move anymore. Time stood still for him as his brain processed the meaning of this sound. Alvis’ chin trembled, his head already shaking, yet his body instinctively turned around, making him face reality. As Alvis saw their worried faces, all the alarm bells within him rang.
They’re here!
“Alvis? What is going on here? Who is that man?” his mom asked, not hiding how irritated and worried she was.
Hearing the soft voice of his mother made his heart beat even more. And it was also her voice that triggered the memory of her death. Her bloody corpse in Alvis’ arms. How she died protecting him!
Everything would just repeat itself!
“Get out of here! Now!”
Alvis shouted out of the depths of his lungs. It was the loudest he ever was in his life.
After hearing his desperate shout, they just had to listen. It was because they knew their son and how he never raised his voice that they knew how serious this situation was. His mom hesitated, but his dad grabbed her by her hand and tried to get her out.
“As if I would let you go!”
The voice of the assassin echoed within Alvis’ head, and he instantly turned around, trying to stop him. But Alvis just saw his malicious grin! With his beam gun out, he aimed at Alvis’ parents. Moisture welled up in Alvis’ eyes as an overwhelming surge of emotions took hold. Desperately, he stretched his hand out, but in vain.
“NOOOOO!”
“BOOM! BOOM!”
Alvis’ entire body winced as he heard the shots. Everything went blank and silent, as Alvis didn’t dare to turn around. His legs shook, and he collapsed to the floor. Alvis knew he didn’t want to see it. He knew he would turn berserk if he would face reality now. Yet he still did it. Alvis turned around.
Just before the door lay his parents, the floor beneath them steadily turning into a red sea. They didn’t move, their eyes as cold as that of a dead fish. Alvis’ brain shattered, unable to bear this any longer, yet his eyes would not leave this tragic scene. However, his sight became blurry. It became harder and harder for him to see, and something flowed down his cheeks. At first, he thought he was sweating, but when he realized it came out of his eyes, he knew what it was.
Alvis was crying.
It was the moment he realized this that a flip switched.
They are dead.
Again! Again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again, again and again!
Alvis never had a stable psyche. His parents acted as a pillar that kept him sane throughout his life. But now they were gone. Again. Even though Alvis knew he would respawn after he died and everything would reset, he couldn’t bear watching his parents die. Within such a short period, he saw his parents die twice. And who knew how often he would keep seeing them die? Alvis didn’t have a problem with dying on his own, but he just could not let the people he cared for die because of him.
“Don’t worry, you will follow them soon!”
As Alvis heard these words from the assassin, something inside of his head clicked.
He is the reason I have to suffer… I will kill him!
Mana coursed through Alvis’ veins, crackling like lightning beneath his skin. He pivoted, facing the person responsible for all of this. He locked eyes with him, his stare piercing, carrying a silent promise of vengeance. The assassin winced, his eyes displaying horror upon seeing Alvis’ sudden change.
Because of his last run, Alvis now had a basic idea of how to use his mana. He also unlocked the skill of basic mana manipulation and got his mana to 66 stat points. The mana still felt like an uncontrollable monster within him that tried to break free, yet this time Alvis knew how to deal with this monster.
The assassin’s arm trembled slightly as he raised the gun, the red dot of the beam wavering dangerously across the room, but before he could shoot, raging flames attacked him. This time, the flames were even hotter and everything within their path turned to ashes.
The assassin even jumped away, not wanting to get caught by those flames, even though he had regenerative abilities. This just showed how dangerous those flames were. It also confirmed that the assassin was not invincible.
Yet Alvis wouldn’t let him escape!
He created even more flames, fully exploiting the depths of his mana. The house turned into a flame bath and the assassin had nowhere to run anymore. Everything fumed and even Alvis had a hard time breathing while his flames set the entire house on fire. However, the assassin, now being cornered by flames, shifted up a gear.
He ran straight through the blazing flames, not caring about getting burned. Within a second, he reached Alvis and, just like last time, he tried to grab him by his throat. Maybe it was because he did the same thing last time or because Alvis’ reflex stat had risen, but Alvis ducked to the side, evading the vampire’s deadly grab. And because he could avoid this attack, Alvis saw an opening.
The vampire didn’t guard his face!
Alvis concentrated, channeling his inner energy until a searing orb of flames coalesced in his palm, dancing with fierce intensity. He had never done it before, yet it felt like the most natural thing to do.
The fireball hovered over his palm and just waited to be fired. Alvis aimed at the vampire’s head, going straight for the kill. Like a gunshot, the fireball accelerated with massive power.
Yet, with a reaction time only a vampire could have, he swung his head to the side, almost dislocating it. Alvis’ fireball flew just past him and hit the wall, setting it ablaze. However, the fireball still grazed him, but this was only enough to make him lose his ear.
Alvis couldn’t even sigh in defeat. He just saw how the nails of the vampire extended and how they penetrated his chest in the next instance.
A stabbing pain spread through his body and Alvis coughed blood. His vision started to become blurry and Alvis knew he would die soon.
His health indicator flickered ominously, each flash signaling an irreversible march toward oblivion, seconds slipping away. Soon it would hit zero. One last time, Alvis looked at the man responsible for everything. As their eyes met, Alvis used his last strength to voice his hatred.
“I-I will fucking kill you!”
“You truly are the son of the Devil!”
These were the last words Alvis heard before he died.
[YOU DIED!]
