Arlen lay flat on the dirt where Victor had left him, his breath trembling, his body drenched in sweat.
For a moment, he thought the fever had come back.
But then the realization hit.
[One of the diseases probably muffled the pain…]
Now that the disease was gone, every wound was free to scream again.
Each pulse of blood felt like a knife scraping under the skin.
The bite on his shoulder seared like hot iron, the gash on his thigh throbbed in rhythm with his heartbeat, and even his knuckle ached as if remembering every strike they had thrown.
He grimaced, forcing the air out between clenched teeth.
[Onto the last stretch, buddy… buy me a healing potion.]
-Ding!
{Notice: There are 2 Healing Potions in the Inventory.}
Arlen blinked.
[…What?]
A deadpan stare followed before he muttered under his breath, half-groaning, half-laughing.
[No way…. No flippin way]
The interface flickered open at his thought.
{
Inventory:
Crossbow (Heirloom) Laro's Sword (Common) Healing Potion ×2 Coin Pouch (3479 copper coins) Toothbrush (Common) Soap (Standard) Towel (Worn)
}
[Unbelievable.]
He exhaled hard through his nose before swiping the screen aside and pulling up his status, mostly to marvel at his own stupidity.
{
[Protocol: Chronos]
Status: Critical
Condition 01: Core Integrity 7%
Function: Compromised.
MP Regeneration: -5/sec (offline)
Circuits over-exerted.
1 Year before optimal function.
Condition 02: Physical Trauma
1x Left Shoulder Bite (Severe)
1x Right Thigh Gash (Severe)
1x Left Thigh Bite (Moderate)
Multiple lacerations across arms, face, and hands.
Internal contusions detected.
Estimated Time Before Death: 34 hours.
}
Arlen's eyebrow twitched.
[I swear to god… I made poor Victor princess-carry me all the way here while I had two of these sitting in my bag?]
His voice cracked into a strangled laugh that hovered somewhere between hysteria and disbelief.
A thought later, both bottles shimmered into his hands. He bit through their corks, yanking them out before downing both in one go, not bothering to pace anything.
The liquid hit cold, before blooming hot in his chest, spreading outward like warmth seeping into frostbitten limbs, melting the ache out one nerve at a time.
While Victor stood there dumbstruck, watching Arlen recover from a state he had long deemed hopeless.
"Just… what the hell, kid…" he muttered, still staring like he wasn't sure if what he'd seen was medicine or miracle.
"I sorta made a deal with a god," he said, wiping the sweat from his forehead before sitting up. "And yeah… long time no see, Uncle Victor."
Victor blinked, his brow twitching. "Wh–what do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said." Arlen dragged in a slow breath before continuing…
"Every monster, magic beast, or… person I kill makes me a little stronger. And I can…" he lifted his hand, watching faint traces of blue shimmer off his fingertips, "… absorb their bodies and trade them in to buy stuff… From that god. Makes sense?"
Victor stared, mouth half open.
"Barely…" he finally muttered.
His eyes then drifted toward the horizon, where the light had started thinning to amber.
"Arlen… listen to me. We don't have time. We need to get back to that clearing before nightfall."
Arlen frowned faintly, glancing up. The light was already dying between the trees.
"I can walk," he said after a moment, pushing himself up with a grunt. "But why?"
Victor didn't meet his eyes. He just turned toward the path they came from, the muscles in his jaw tightening.
"I'll tell you on the way."
Victor led the way through the forest, silent, tense, and fast.
Arlen followed close behind, still pale but walking on his own.
The sun was almost gone now, with trees painted gold and black.
The quiet between them had stretched too long before Victor finally broke it.
"So…" his voice cracked against the silence, "how's your mother? Bet she's real proud. That red lightning… seems rare."
Arlen's reply came flat, like the words were carved out of stone.
"Killed. Village chief."
Victor froze mid-step. His breath caught as he turned, eyes wide.
"I… I'm so sorry."
Arlen's stare stayed cold.
"Shouldn't you be more worried about your own family?"
That one landed like a blade.
Victor's throat worked, but nothing came out.
He hadn't meant to pry; he just wanted to break the silence before asking about his family.
Finally, he asked what he really wanted to.
"…How are they?"
And Arlen's answer came even colder.
"The village chief happened to your wife a few weeks after you left on your little 'adventure.' She hung herself the same day."
Victor went still. His face emptied.
Arlen stepped closer, his voice growing colder, quieter.
"Mother took your daughter in. She lived with us for a year. Then one night… she disappeared. We never found her."
Victor's body locked in place, eyes wide, jaw trembling, while his hands slowly curled at his sides.
Arlen's stare hit harder the longer the silence dragged.
"Now a question from me…" he took another step closer, voice cracking through his teeth,
"Where the fuck were YOU!"
Victor didn't move. Didn't even blink. His eyes stared straight ahead, unfocused.
His mouth opened, and all that came out was… nothing.
"ANSWER ME!"
The shout cracked through the woods like thunder, snapping birds from trees and echoing between the trunks.
And then Victor… laughed.
It wasn't loud nor was it sane. Just this broken, hoarse sound like someone laughing at a cruel joke he'd only just understood.
His hands trembled. He raised them to his chest and stared at them, shaking, while the laugh slipped through his teeth again, quieter now.
"The fuck are you laughing at?" Arlen growled, stepping forward.
And before waiting for an answer, Arlen's fist shot forward, slamming into Victor's jaw.
But it felt like punching a wall.
Pain shot up his arm, and he staggered back, clutching his fist with a wince.
While Victor didn't flinch. Didn't even blink.
But that punch… did bring him back.
"I asked you…" while Arlen's voice shook with anger, "What the hell are you laughing at!?"
Victor finally looked up. And his voice came out broken, cracked at the edges.
"A monster," he said quietly. "I've become a monster, Arlen. I laugh because… that's all I can do at the cruelty that's been my life for seven years."
He turned away then, shoulders sinking, head low. The strength in his voice was almost gone now.
"I can't even cry anymore… I physically can't"
Arlen stood there, chest heaving, watching the man walk like he'd already died.
But then, with a deep breath, he asked, "What happened that day?"
Victor didn't stop walking.
"I was coming home that night. Out of nowhere, a Manananggal attacked me… and bit me. When I woke up, I was like it…. A monster. So I came here, claimed the borders, and made sure nothing crossed. I thought… maybe if I kept the monsters out, my family would be somehow safe."
He stopped walking. His breathing changed.
"I can't cry, Arlen. I can't feel anything anymore except this laugh and…"
He turned as though something finally cracked, but his face was no longer human.
His eyes glowed a dirty yellow.
His mouth split open, ear to ear, skin tearing at the sides as a maw of sharp teeth revealed itself.
The air itself seemed to have thickened with mana flooding so fast that Arlen's chest locked up.
"…and this rabid rage I can't control!"
His voice came out twisted, demonic in a way that hurt Arlen's ears.
Arlen stumbled back, his hand shooting to his inventory and the next beat, Laro's Sword flashed into his grip in a burst of light..
"Victor!" he shouted, voice breaking.
Victor's eyes flicked toward him, flashing a glint worse than the goblins.
For one second, Arlen thought he was done for.
And the next moment, like a candle snuffed, the glint faded.
The split mouth pulled itself closed while the monstrous breathing quieted.
And when that yellow glint left his eyes, what replaced it was fear.
Victor turned, glancing toward the horizon, at the last line of sun barely hanging between the trees.
"Shit…" he muttered under his breath. Then louder -
"Kid, listen! I'm a Manananggal. I lose control at night. Here's what we're gonna do… I'll run as far from here as I can. You run back to the clearing. I've marked it with my scent; it'll keep the monsters off for the night. Stay there. I'll come get you in the morning!"
Victor then turned to run, but -
"Victor!" Arlen's voice stopped him.
Victor looked back.
While Arlen stood tall despite his shaking legs as he said -
"I'm going to kill the chief… and everyone else responsible for our family's death. And there's no reason for you to protect that hellhole anymore."
Victor's face stayed blank for a moment, as he matched Arlen's gaze and found a promise Victor knew he could trust.
And a beat later, his lips twitched into something that wasn't a smile, but was close enough.
"Kid," he said quietly, "we'll talk in the morning."
-boom!
And with that, he was gone, vanishing into the trees with a gust of wind and a storm of dust in his wake.