Awfully enough, I was introduced to the sight of classmates and other students playing on the grounds. So this was why I was basically forced to come to this dump truck of a school on a Saturday? Sports Practice? Well, if so, it makes sense. Of course, they'd invite the best runner in the whole school. Though, well, this environment seemed a little too positive for me.
Actually, Wait - no. Something was off today. Something was seriously off. Why did it feel like someone I knew was not here? And why did it feel like they were replaced by someone else? What happened?
I noticed the off-setting thing quickly enough. It was obvious with literally half the school glancing at Niko. Half of them were scared, half were nervous. This was definitely weird.
Why did Niko look so... intimidating? And why were everyone looking at him like he was scaring than a group of delinquents? The Niko I knew of was a good kid. He had a smile plastered over his face literally every second of his life. He laughed at jokes that were trashy and stupid. He bought everyone candy on exam days and gave them to us. He even helped people who were depressed or people who people consider 'weird'. Why did his aura now resemble that of a seasoned fighter? Well... there were also his 'dead eyes'. His eyes looked deprived of life, like he had given up on life, but something still kept him alive.
Well, this was my business, as Niko's best friend. I could just tell. Whoever it was infront of me sure as hell was not Niko. This person... he was a Niko but not the Niko that I knew of.
"What is it?" Niko's voice came out rough and tired. Where was the little rabbit that I had befriended? Who exactly was this devil in disguise that stood before me? I needed to know.
"Where is he..?" My voice shaked a little as it exited my mouth. The voice was full of sadness for someone who had reincarnated 136 times. Well, I always was affectionate with my friends.
"Huh?"
"Where is he?! Where is Niko?! Where is MY Niko?!" My voice goy louder, showing a little bit of my possessive side.
"I am Niko. What bullcrap are you shouting out?"
"No! You can't be!! You aren't him!! You aren't Niko!! You can't be Niko!! Niko is a kind and gentle soul?! You aren't Niko!!"
"Huh?! You trying to piss me off, man?! Know your fucking place and scram, you pest!!" Niko's voice was violent... and angry at an unknown something.
The whole playground was silent. Even the light blowing of the wind could be heard. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Even the ones who wouldn't care if a whole room blew up were now silent. Sweat now dripped down everyone's faces, they were utterly terrified and nervous now.
I couldn't hold back anymore. I felt my world fall apart when it was Niko's mouth that said those words. Without warning, I backhanded him across the face. "You. Come with me.NOW!"
Niko went silent. Despite his shock, he obediently followed me. We eventually reached thr remote back corner of the school after a long and silent walk. Now was my time to confront this Niko.
"Who are you?" My voice came out calm yet eerie and icy. It was a cold voice. I continued. "Are you another reincarnator? Did you use some method to take hold of Niko's body?"
"What the fucking hell?! Are you deaf?! I am Niko!! What the fuck even is a reincarnator?!"
"Don't lie to me amateur!! You aren't Niko. Those eyes.. they are the eyes of someone who desires death. The eyes of someone who's lived a tiring life enough to want death!! I am well familiar with those eyes!! I've lived 137 lives, so don't even think that you can fool me!!"
"A reincarnator?! 137 lives?! What even does that mean?! Are you another one of us?! Are you another Divine Curses?!"
"Still choose to act, amateur bastard?!?!"
"Wait! Stop! You've got it all wrong!! I'm not a reincarnator!! I'm a regressor!! This is my 49th regression!!" Niko tried to clarify himself.
"A... regressor?"
Both Niko and I stared at each other. We both had similar fates. One was cursed with reincarnation while the other was cursed with regression. A truly cruel fate of eternal life. Two people who had to live an eternity and had no way to attain a 'true' death.
"So.. um.. care to explain to me what exactly this 'Divine Curse' actually is? Or... like... should I have known?" I finally managed to ask.
"You.. You haven't joined the Freaks yet?!"
"And... um.. who exactly are these 'Freaks'?"
"Wait, wait, wait. Did you basically just tell you lived... umm... 137 lives withoutt using skill points and still haven't lost your mind to insanity and depression?!" Niko asked in a voice filled with shock.
"Hey, hey. Do my eyes not look depressed enough to you? Well, aside from that, I achieved Nirvana in my 76th life as a Buddhist monk. So, I was able to preserve my mind and protect it from insanity."
"Wha?! You... you really achieved Nirvana, a 3 million point skill without the use of skill points?! Are you some sort of God?!" Niko was only getting more shocked.
"Wait! Please! Slow down a little so that I can process everything! You still haven't told me who exactly the Freaks are! What are skill points?! And what do you mean 3 million?! Is that expensive?!"
"What the fuck do you mean by 'Take it slowly'? Do you even have a clue as to how clueless and confused I am?!"
"How clueless YOU are?! YOU are the one who started sporting bullshit that made no sense to begin with!!" Now I also lost my composure. I, too, was honestly just lost for words right now.
Niko opened and closed his mouth over and over again. "Fair point.." He finally said, sighing with exhaustion.
"Now I'm even more confused. I thought I was the only person who was cursed by God. I never knew there was one more person." I finally managed to say after processing everything in my mind.
"No, you're mistaken there. We call those cursed by God as 'Divine Cursed' and the divine cursed we do know of in this world are part of the Freaks. There are actually 36 known Divine cursed in this world, including us that is."