My limbs gave out.
Ren's blade was still lodged in my stomach. His cold eyes... flinched.
There were so many regrets—so many I had clung to for reasons I didn't understand. They weighed on me like chains, locked deep in my chest, burning with every breath. I couldn't understand why i didn't let go , why did i keep all these burdens.
Ren pulled his blade free.
The pain surged—white-hot, lancing through my veins, stealing the last of my strength.
It was time to move on.
To finally let go.
[Trait: Divine Light is resonating with your will]
[Divine Light is blossoming]
[An authority has been perceived ]
Then it came—rushing into me.
The energy was clean. Whole. No resistance, no delay.
Pure.
Complete.
Fast.
Ren's blade descended once more.
But I could see it—every motion, every subtle shift. It moved like it was caught in slow motion.
No…
I was faster.
I moved before thought could form.
In a blink, I was behind him.
Light reinforced my body, surging through my limbs. I kicked Ren from behind, my heel slamming into his back. He flew forward, crashing through rubble and dust.
But he didn't stay down.
He twisted in the air and landed on his feet—perfect balance.
Then he charged again. Blade raised. Expression blank.
"Ren, wake up!"
I blocked every strike. His movements were no longer a blur—I could see the patterns. I could feel the rhythm beneath the infection.
"You idiot! Wake up!"
My fist slammed into his face.
Tears blurred my vision as I screamed.
"I know you wanted to protect me. I know why you hid the truth. But who gave you the right to decide for me?!"
Another blow. This time he staggered back.
"So wake up!
Remember your promise!
You're my family.
You're all I have left…
Please, Ren.
Stay with me."
He trembled.
His sword slipped from his hands.
Tears streamed down his face.
"…I'm sorry," he whispered, barely audible.
> [Effects of Thought Infection have been completely erased]
[You have obtained a Title]
[Resistance to Mind Attacks has been gained]
[Divine Light has been deactivated]
The glow faded.
My legs buckled. The pain returned all at once.
I was still bleeding. Still dying.
But Ren turned away, expression firm.
Without a word, he rushed off—hunting the one who caused this.
I couldn't stop him.
Instead, I summoned the Vampire's Cleaver back into my hand.
I stumbled to the pool of blood at my feet and drove the dagger in.
It needed more than just blood to make the elixir.
It needed mine.
I let it drink until my knees gave out.
The world spun.
Then—darkness.
---
Voices drifted in and out.
But my body wouldn't move.
My eyes were too heavy.
I didn't know how long had passed.
But eventually, I stirred.
Wrapped in worn leather clothing. My wounds sealed. Pain dulled.
Yet my body still felt foreign—slow, like it had been shut down and restarted.
I summoned a glass bottle into my hand.
The elixir.
I drank it in one go.
No taste. No burn.
Only numb relief.
Then I poured the rest over my face.
Cold.
When I wiped my face clean, I noticed something strange. No blood. No stains. It was like none of it had happened.
I stepped outside the tent.
The ruined city greeted me—still broken, still scarred.
But I wasn't alone.
Silver stood a short distance away, along with a small group of people I'd never seen before. Strangers… survivors.
My eyes landed on someone in particular.
The look on Silver's face told me who he was before I even spoke.
Marcus.
The one who'd torn a rift between them.
I walked toward him.
He smiled when he saw me. "You're awake."
Without warning, I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back.
"Why did you try to kill me?"
I had no reason, no theory. Just instinct. Just rage.
His grin didn't fade.
"I have no personal reason," he said calmly. "I was simply following orders."
"Whose orders?" I demanded.
He shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. But he told me to pass on a message…"
Marcus leaned in close, eyes glinting.
"Don't forget what happened on that day.
And don't forget what you took from him."
My eyes widened.
Something inside me twisted.
Then—
I felt it.
A presence.
Something had entered the city.
My entire body went still.
Cold swept through me like winter's breath.
My skin prickled.
My aen screamed.
The Hex roared to life in my mind like thunder:
[Conditions have been met]
Before I could react, the others vanished.
Gone. Like dust scattered in the wind.
The earth rumbled.
Rubble began to rise—stone twisting, warping, reshaping reality.
Fear clawed into my chest.
[You are being sent into another timeline]
[Return to your original timeline or you will die]