'It hurts...!'

The vision shattered, leaving behind a raw, unrelenting pain that refused to leave. It felt as if someone had punched at my chest over and over again.

No

It felt more like someone had stabbed right through my chest.

"Ukhh!"

A light groan escaped my lips as I tried to move my body.

'...Wait?'

My eyes flared open and light immediately entered my sight.

"I'm alive?"

My voice came out hoarse.

But without a doubt, it was my voice. Albeit unfamiliar.

As my eyes absorbed the light, the world around me seemed hazy. I swallowed my saliva.

"This..."

[Julien D. Evenus]

Level :17 [Tier 1 Magician]

Exp : [0%[16%]100%]

Profession : Magician

Type : Elemental [Curse]

Type : Mind [Emotive]

Spells :

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Anger

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Sadness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Fear

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Happiness

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Disgust

Beginner type spell [Emotive] : Surprise

Beginner type spell [Curse] : Chains of Alakantria

Beginner type spell [Curse] : Hands of malady

Skills :

[Innate] - Foresight

[Julien D. Evenus]

Something floated in front of me. I only caught a small glimpse of it. By the time I blinked, it was gone.

"Ukh."

My head continued to throb.

How am I still alive...?

It didn't make sense.

The last memories I could recall were the last moments before my passing.

The exchange with my brother, the lingering scent in the room, and the bittersweet, yet smoky taste of the whisky coming down my throat.

"How is this possible...?"

As my vision cleared up, I tried to make out my surroundings.

It was an unfamiliar setting.

Nothing like I'd ever seen before.

My initial focus was drawn to the large desk right before me. It loomed large, dominating the space with its gleaming, well-polished wooden top.

Strangely, there appeared to be nothing resting atop the desk except for a vintage, antique night lamp, which emitted a soft, subdued glow, casting an eerie light across the room.

Clank!

"...!"

A sudden noise jolted me from behind, and my body tensed. The back of my hair stood on end, and I flicked my head to look behind me.

Expecting the worst, my legs tensed as I readied to move out of my spot, but...

"No one?"

I frowned.

There was nothing behind me except for a tall wooden bookshelf, adorned with a diverse array of books in various sizes and colors. Beneath it was a small book that seemed to have fallen to the ground.

It must've been the source of the noise.

"Looks like IUkh...!"

A sudden pain jolted me out of my thoughts. It pounded fiercely at my chest, and whatever words I was about to utter stopped.

"Akkh...!"

The pain was intense.

More than anything I had ever felt before. Every part of me shook, and my muscles started to spasm.

"Ha Akh...! What the!"

It was at that moment that I at last laid eyes on the sword jutting out from within my chest.

My entire body tensed as I felt every inch of my mind freeze at the sight that bore before my very eyes.

"H... how?!"

As if the scene from before replayed in my mind a sword appeared. It slowly clawed its way up from my back and into my body.

Horrified, I could only watch as the sword drew deeper into my body and pierced right through my chest.

I wanted to scream. Cling to something. Run.

But...

My body was frozen. I could only watch as the sword pierced through me, and pain invaded every inch of my body.

Blood trickled down my pristine white shirt, delicately drawing webs on my forearm before staining the wooden floor beneath, forming a muted puddle that gradually spread.

Drip. Drip.

Like the repetitive tick of a clock, the blood persistently trickled down to the ground.

The sight turned my stomach, and I could feel the color draining from my face.

It was the first time I had ever witnessed something so gruesome.

"Haa aha"

My breath started to feel heavy and my vision started to blur once more.

But before I knew it, the pain stopped. I didn't know when. I had long last track of time.

I extended my hand towards my back, where I could feel the hilt of the sword.

My fingers brushed against the soft leather grip that encased it, and for a moment, I contemplated pulling the sword out. But then, slowly, I withdrew my hand.

Despite the pain and the situation, I remained rational.

Yanking the blade from my chest would probably kill me. I knew that much.

"H-haa..."

My chest trembled as I took another break. As if I had swallowed lava, my chest burned with each breath.

Drip. Drip.

And blood continued to drip down from my chest.

When I finally found my voice again, I managed a soft mumble,

"Is... this what hell feels like?"

I wanted to laugh then and there.

Because.

"I-t feels like shit."

But pain. I was used to pain. Every part of me hurt, but... compared to what I had been through the past few years, it was manageable.

I could take this much.

Sizzle~!

I believed it was over, but suddenly, a faint sizzling sound caught my attention. At that moment, a searing pain shot through my right forearm.

The pain was just as unbearable as the pain from before. It was entirely focused on my forearm.

But.

"..."

I kept my mouth shut and stared at my forearm.

Pain I could deal with.

It wasn't anything new.

What grabbed my attention was the faint glow that formed on my forearm. On the spot where the pain was radiating.

Gradually, my eyebrows furrowed, and the glow on my forearm subsided.

"...A tatoo?"

A four-leaved clover was deeply etched on my forearm.

It looked like a cheap tattoo. It was all in black, and besides the soft glow that was slowly subsiding, there seemed nothing special about it.

The more I stared at it the more I felt like there was nothing special to it.

Uh...?

That was until all four leaves lit up with a strange white glow.

Stunned, I felt my eyes widen, and just before I could do anything, the world around me froze. I lost control of myself. I could no longer move, and everything around me gradually lost its color.

From the pool of blood beneath me, as though time were unwinding itself, the blood began to defy gravity, trickling upward and returning into my body.

"...Uh."

Yet again, I was shocked. But I could do nothing.

I was stuck in place.

All I could do was watch as time seemed to reverse.

The elaborate blood patterns woven on my forearm began to shift and retract, seamlessly returning to my chest. Simultaneously, the sword that had penetrated my chest initiated a similar backward motion, gradually withdrawing from my chest.

I struggled to come to terms with what I was seeing and all sorts of thoughts flashed my mind, but...

Clank!

They all shattered when I heard the clanking sound of the sword behind me.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

The world regained its color, and I felt my breath again.

"What...?"

Everything around me was back to normal. From the book that fell from the bookshelf to the floor which was no longer stained in blood.

I remained seated where I was. Confused and dazed. It took me a moment to recover my bearings, and when I did, the first thing I did was stare at the sword that was lying on the floor.

There was something about it that felt unsettling to me.

It was as if there was a certain connection that linked between it and me. One that I couldn't explain.

Just as I was about to move to pick it up...

Clank!

The door to the room opened.

"Young master."

A cold and even voice echoed within the confines of the room. It was a familiar voice. One which I vaguely remembered hearing before.

When I turned my head, my hair stood on end.

What...

Two dull gray eyes stared back at me.

For a moment, my thoughts stopped. Why is he here? Who is he...? And where am I?

The man from the vision.

The man from the game.

And the man who killed me in the vision.

"They've called your name. It's your turn to take the test."

Why was he standing before me?

And why did it feel so real?

"Ah."

I've finally lost it, haven't I?

I wanted to laugh but found myself unable to.

"Young master?"

As if my actions seemed weird, he tilted his head.

"Are you okay...? Your face looks a little pale."

He took a step to approach me but I raised my hand to stop him. Recollections of the last memory kept replaying in my mind over and over again. As if it was a tape on repeat.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him but kept my mouth shut.

My instincts, or more like, brain, was telling me that it wasn't a good idea.

"Young master...?"

And just as my name was called out again and he was about to approach me, I helped myself up from the chair.

"Lead the way."