As I looked down at my trembling hand, a voice echoed inside my mind. Is this what they call Ascendent—the power gifted by the gods?
All those times I died... they were real.
I continued to vomit, the bitter taste burning my throat.
I couldn't see her face clearly, but this time she moved straight toward the door.
When she spotted that indescribable monster waiting beyond, she struck without hesitation.
With lethal grace, she killed it—effortless, like a shadow cutting through the night.
Then, with a sweeping arc of her spear, she shattered the cursed area that had trapped us.
I guessed she'd known all along.
Maybe she just wanted me to figure it out for myself.
But this time, she did it alone.
Without looking back, she pressed forward toward the next door.
Fear welled up inside me like a storm.
"Stop! You're walking right into another monster!" I called out, voice cracking.
My heart hammered in my chest, the weight of death crushing me from within.
She didn't even slow down.
"You're weak," she said coldly. "Monsters are monsters. Whether we die or not, we have to finish our mission."
Her words didn't fully make sense.
Before I could process them, a monstrous axe made of shadow cleaved the door in half.
Then it swung again—clean and merciless—severing her head in one brutal stroke.
The castle's windows, once proud and proud, were now swallowed in darkness.
The shadow crept forward, swallowing all light.
It grabbed me—limb by limb.
It ripped the inside of my mouth apart.
It tore me open.
Kept me alive.
A cruel puppeteer playing with my organs, cutting me open like a broken doll.
It forced my eyes to stay open, refusing to let me collapse.
I died there, trapped in pain and silence.
And then, I woke up again.
Next to her.
I staggered after her, heart pounding in a chaotic drumbeat of panic and desperation.
"Wait!" I shouted, grabbing her arm. "We can't just keep walking forward! We need to go back—destroying that room won't stop what's coming."
Her eyes flickered with cold defiance.
"We finish the mission," she said flatly, pulling free. "No turning back."
I could feel the weight of her resolve—unyielding and immovable.
But I couldn't let her walk blindly into death again.
I took a deep breath, pain gnawing at my ribs, the ghost of that shadow still clawing inside my chest.
I forced myself to step in front of her, blocking her path.
"No," I said firmly. "We go back. Together."
She stared at me—no anger, no fear—just unreadable silence.
Then, finally, a nod.
We turned.
The castle's cold breath seemed to grow heavier, shadows twisting in unnatural ways as we retraced our steps.
Every step felt like dragging chains through my soul.
And then—there it was again.
The monster.
The same nightmare from before.
Its presence slammed into me like a tidal wave of dread.
My legs trembled.
My breath hitched.
The memory of death—raw and fresh—clawed at my mind.
But I couldn't give in.
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.
I clenched my fists, feeling the strange threads inside me pulse with reluctant strength.
"I won't let it end like last time," I whispered.
The monster lunged.
And this time, I fought.
To survive, no matter what.