Kabanata 15

The black blood of the monster stained his face but Keenan didn't stop. He raised his other hand and snapped it. Keenan's golden eyes looked deadly as they have a deep color. 

"Guwwaahhh!"

The Zviera cried as its eyes were slashed without him knowing, Keenan did not care about the wailing. He twisted the blade inside the monster and it trembled as its flesh was ruptured inside. When the monster stopped its shaking, Keenan pulled out his blade inside its body and splashed off the blood. He swung the blade to take the disgusting blood out of his blade. He was lost, his mind was consumed by anger. He was panting looking down at the two dead creatures. His teeth were gritting hard that they may crack.

"Roman…"

He turned his head and saw the gruesome meat that was filled with bite marks. He couldn't identify it anymore but he was confident that it was a human, the uniform, and even the ring on the finger… This was Roman, one of his teammates, one of his friends. Keenan couldn't control it and shook his head in realization. 

Keenan gulped but even gulping was hard, accepting this was hard. He may become mature because of the memories he retrieved but he was still a young man. He was just an eighteen years old student that remembered his past life. Seeing his friend lifeless was hard for him. 

His face was ugly as every muscle on his face was contorting. His vision was getting dark and his heart was pounding heavily, he clutched his chest and kneeled. Roman was a good guy, he recalled that Roman wanted to become a High-Class Bestia so that he could give money to his family… But now, that dream will never come true.

Keenan looked at the carcass, as Nightbreaker, they had a silent rule that must be followed. If you found a dead body, you must take his dog tag and deliver it to his family. Keenan had an awful reaction because he couldn't find the dog tag. He touched the body but he couldn't find it. Keenan's vision was getting blurry, his nose was getting sour. His tears started falling, it seemed like the death of his friend was not easy to accept.

Despite having the ability to control his emotions, Keenan lost his will and wept. His hands were covered with blood, searching for the dog tag but it was futile. Keenan decided to take the ring instead, he heard from Roman that this was a memento from his father. Keenan promised that he would deliver it to them.

Keenan glanced at the dead Nightmares, but he was too tired to excavate the N-cores, he decided to leave them. As for Roman, it was unfortunate but Keenan couldn't give him a proper burial, even digging was impossible in this place. The ground was tough and Keenan knew that the monster would excavate it. Instead, he promised that he would give the ring to his family. Keenan was anxious but he still promised or else would lose his determination and die.

A corner of his mind was tugging him about the possibility of his teammates being wiped out. Just the image of Roman being eaten was already harsh proof. As a Bestia, Roman must always be close to his Handler Devon.

"If Roman is here, then Devon is close too…"

He clenched his fist, the ring in his hand ingrained on his skin but Keenan didn't feel any pain. He was busy thinking about the possibilities. Keenan decided to wear the ring since it may fall if he put it in his pocket or pouch. His face was not looking good, he was pale and unfocused, his movement was fast, his feet kept advancing. He found his first clue but it was not a good one, his gut was rotating and he felt like he would vomit.

Keenan lost his balance and stumbled upon the soil, dust floated around him. He tried to get up but a strong disgust rose inside his stomach. Keenan started puking but he only released liquid. For five days he didn't get any solid food except for the N-cores. The N-cores melted in him and became permanent energy. He was panting, the thought of his teammates being wiped out hit him hard.

If his teammates died then his chances of leaving this place further diminished. It may even be possible that he won't escape this place.

"Perhaps I will die here and get eaten by Nightmares…"

Keenan chuckled thinking about the idea of him being devoured. He imagined his flesh being ripped off while he was conscious.

"No… I don't want that to happen… perhaps killing myself will be the best way to escape this hell."

His fortitude was washed away when he found that one of his friends was dead, and perhaps all of them were dead. Right now, the experienced hitman of the Earth disappeared, Keenan was just Keenan. A teenager who lost his family and became an orphan, a guy who promised to become stronger and protect a girl, an ordinary guy who didn't have any talent to become a high-class. Keenan's limitation was Class-B and he already reached that limit.

Breakthrough to Class-A was impossible to him, his body won't keep up with the energy of being a Class-A. He would remain Class-B forever till he died.

"… Dying is not actually bad… I just had to close my eyes and stab my chin up to my brain. I won't feel any pain and my problem will disappear."

He started talking about horrible scenes, Keenan's reasoning was not working right now. He raised his left arm, the solid arm turned into small particles and materialized into a blade. He moved the weapon against his chin. He looked at the sky, he was tired of staying in this forsaken land. Five days was short but for him, it was the longest five days he experienced.

Five days, he fought Nightmares every night, his body was almost torn apart many times. Even a man like him who had a tough mentality would break in this place.

"I'm sorry… I thought I have the will to go on but it seemed like I can't do it anymore. I'm pathetic."

He ridiculed himself, his lips trembled and his tears rolled down on his face. He pushed the blade but a strong wind hit him causing him to cover his eyes, the picture in his pocket flew away. His eyes widened, he extended his hand and reached for the drifting picture.