The scene was tragic for both of them. Their feet began to sink into the cold river water as the giant skeleton’s roar echoed. The undead rushed toward them like an unstoppable wave.
Clark deduced in his bewildernt: "It seems he’s the one who brought them back to life... summoned them!"
The sll of coagulated blood filled the air. Jin stood beside Clark, who felt sothing stirring inside him—was it tension? Or excitent for battle? His instincts scread one word: "Run!"
But there was no running. Clark attacked one of the undead, but the corpse swiftly turned and countered. Jin’s cold eyes t Clark’s.
He said: "No escape. We fight... or die and beco part of his army."
The air was scorching. Clark’s sword clashed with Jin’s as they prepared themselves.
Clark whispered his plan: "We’ll cut our way through them. It’s the only way."
Jin shrugged his shoulders: "Which path do you prefer? Back, right, or straight ahead?"
Clark looked back, aware of the route he wanted. Then they charged.
Despite his amnesia, Clark moved like a seasoned warrior. He gripped his sword with his left hand, dodging a soldier’s blow aid at his face. His sword struck the undead’s blade, but Clark’s strength shattered the opponent’s sword, and he slit the attacker’s throat.
He felt sothing strange. Jin... seed to enjoy the chaos, stabbing the corpse repeatedly, his face drenched in blood, a wild smile on his lips. But just as the undead were about to surround Jin, Clark reached him.
"Run, you fool!" Clark shouted, grabbing Jin’s arm.
Jin looked at him with a savage gaze and replied calmly: "Relax. Why the rush?"
The tension grew. Suddenly, a strange rain fell—not ordinary water, but glowing crystalline shards. Sharp and small, they cut them in several places.
Clark cursed: "Damn it! To that cave, now!"
They moved quickly, their nerves tense. Clark removed his armor to protect his head from the flying shards.
As soon as they entered the cave, Clark spat on the ground: "What the hell happened?"
Jin examined his damaged shield: "The damned rain... caused all this."
The two sat quietly, lost in thought. Clark broke the silence: "I’ll keep watch at the cave entrance for eight hours and guard the place so you can rest. After that, you take my place, and I’ll rest."
Jin was nervous but didn’t show it. He replied coldly, as usual: "Fine."
---
(Jin’s Perspective)
What’s wrong with ? I don’t know what I did. I felt a strange pleasure, as if sothing whispered: "Stab... torture him." But he’s already dead—why did I lose control? My vision blurred, and a strange light appeared. It was the past, or whatever it was, and dreams had swept into my mories.
---
Jin snapped to attention—a speeding car almost hit him.
He muttered: "Thanks, Irina. Seems I skipped breakfast."
Irina replied in her beautiful voice: "You need to focus! Do you want Clark to outperform you again? We need to get into the sa university."
"Clark is my friend, but I won’t let him surpass ."
Soone mocked him in a provoking tone—it was his friend Clark: "Keep dreaming, Jin! You’d need a thousand years to surpass soone like !"
Jin pressed his forehead against Clark’s and retorted defiantly, steam of rivalry puffing from his nose: "You think you’re worthy of that?"
Clark’s friend stepped between them: "Stop it, you two."
That strange, orphaned girl, so gloomy... Clark never touched her or even kissed her, though he hid it not because she disliked it, but because she was alone—her mother had died under mysterious circumstances, almost like a disappearance. Her na was Scarlet, her hair crimson, her beauty even surpassing Irina’s. But I didn’t care—my heart belonged to Irina.
I walked beside Clark as the two girls led the way. We talked about typical teenage stuff: video gas, novels.
But Clark brought up sothing interesting: "Listen, Jin, I finished a novel last night. It was about a hero’s journey to immortality. His actions were evil but justified—he lost everything but managed to return and change his fate. But what struck at the end was: Did he deserve immortality? I an... he said he could do anything after achieving it. Was it symbolic or physical immortality? Like being immortalized in people’s minds. If symbolic and more, he feared nothing, not even death, even after achieving his dream. His will never wavered."
I replied: "I don’t know, but you’re right. No one wants to die. But it’s strange that soone wouldn’t oppose death."
We reached school. Clark and I were in the sa class, the girls in others. But Clark was still pondering the topic.
He asked : "Sotis I wonder: Will my love for Scarlet last, or will it fade with our high school days? Sotis I feel like everything could evaporate like water."
"Just live your days happily, Clark. Why overthink?"
I truly felt sad for Clark, and my sadness deepened when I learned the truth.
School ended. I couldn’t find Irina, and Clark couldn’t find Scarlet.
I said: "Let’s go look for them."
Clark looked at with a sorrowful gaze, as if he wanted to say he’d suppress any attempt to contact them, or perhaps he just thought it. But his phone vibrated with a ssage. Clark ignored it and left with .
I returned ho, my mind heavy with thoughts. I felt uneasy, sensing sothing was about to happen. But what broke everything was Irina’s call: "Co to the school alley at ten." I heard the tension in her voice.
I panicked and arrived half an hour early. I hid behind a wall, watching to see if anyone entered the alley.
Then Scarlet appeared, frightened, constantly checking the ti.
I wondered: "What’s going on?"
Then Irina arrived, wearing a jacket and covering her head. Her gaze was cold, terrifying even .
Irina said to Scarlet: "Are you ready for this?"
Scarlet replied: "Yes, Irina. That’s how I recognized you. Rember when you thought I was a prophet? But I’ve lived this mont over and over. Every ti I die, ti resets. I knew many things—even in one of my deaths, I died by your hand."
I was shocked. Scarlet continued: "Rember when I told you the police would catch you because soone would film you doing it? In truth, I killed myself to turn back ti and save you, no matter the cost. I wanted you to kill —I never expected we’d beco friends, or that you’d hesitate."
Irina’s eyes were dry, as if she’d run out of tears long ago.
I kept watching, unsurprised that Irina was a killer. In fact, I knew, and it excited . Watching her torture people, her eyes full of life and vitality, made feel alive too. But now, she felt none of that.
I coldly asked one question: "Will ti reset imdiately after you die?"
Scarlet replied: "I don’t think it’ll reset right away. Also, I’ve told Clark everything. I need one last favor, Irina: Take my body back ho."
Irina cried: "Okay."
She pulled a knife from her pocket, hesitating. But Scarlet grabbed Irina’s hand and stabbed herself.
Irina bit her lip, crying, and continued stabbing. She stabbed with rage and bitterness, an overwhelming fury in her heart.
I tensed up. I didn’t know—my tongue tied from the horror.
I started seeing sothing... my vision distorted. Sothing pushed ...
---
It brought back to my harsh reality.
It was Clark saying: "Hurry! A battle broke out—let’s go see."
I felt sothing strange, unsure what it was. I didn’t care about what I’d seen—it didn’t stir my emotions, only curiosity. I wanted to know what had happened and what might happen. Was this my mory? Or sothing distorted?
Clark grew annoyed at my distraction and silence: "Hurry!"
And then I saw...
To be continued...
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