Live TO DIE
BY
XANITY CYPHER
© 2025 Xanity Cypher
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or other information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in the Philippines by XANITY CYPHER
First Edition
Dedication
To my family — Miguel, Charlotte, Manuel, Carla, and Maynard Manyaman —
for teaching me that love, laughter, and even dark humor can survive the harshest of storms.
To Hannah Variote Manyaman, my partner in life, for inspiring every word
and every moment of this story.
And to all those who find strength in surviving the absurdity of life,
this story is for you.
Table of Contents
Title Page ................. 1
Copyright Page ............... 2
Dedication Page .............. 3
Table of Contents ............ 4
Prologue ................ 5
Chapter 1 – The Encounter .............. 6
Chapter 2 – The Curse Awakens .......... 7
Chapter 3 – Shadows of Loss ............ 9
Chapter 4 – The Heist and the Hidden Cost ...... 11
Chapter 5 – Pain and Consequences ........... 13
Chapter 6 – The Choice of Mortality .......... 15
Life
By Xanity Cypher
Prologue: The Cat That Wouldn't Die
The night smelled of rain and rust. The city, half-asleep, was blinking with tired streetlights and tired people — one of them was Mandy Manyaman, a man too ordinary for destiny to notice. He worked a regular job at a small company where the coffee was free but the dreams were not.
Mandy walked home through the same cracked sidewalk, the same corner sari-sari store that sold cigarettes by the stick, and the same stray cat that always glared at him like it knew his secrets. But tonight, the cat wasn't glaring. It was dying.
It lay beside a garbage bin, its fur matted, breathing shallowly. Its eyes — one gold, one green — flickered like the last light of a candle. Mandy crouched down, scratching his head.
"Poor thing. You hungry, ha?"
He tore a piece of his pandesal sandwich and placed it in front of the cat. The creature sniffed weakly, then, with surprising strength, lifted its head.
"You shouldn't have done that," it said.
Mandy froze. "Hoy—! Did I just—?!"
"You fed me," the cat continued, its voice calm and weary. "Now you must listen. I cannot die until I pass my burden. I have lived nine hundred lives, and each one ended in sorrow. Feed me, and you inherit what I carry."
"Burden? What, rabies?"
"Curse," said the cat. "You will live when others die. Your breath will outlast every heartbeat you love."
Mandy snorted. "Great. Talking cat *and* emo prophecy. Love that."
The cat's eyes dimmed. "When you realize what you have taken… you will beg for death."
Mandy blinked again — and suddenly the cat was gone. Only the pandesal remained, soggy from the rain. He laughed nervously, rubbed his eyes, and went home. But the echo of the cat's last words followed him like a shadow.
'Every life you touch will pay for your borrowed breath.'
Chapter 1 – Ordinary Days and Unordinary Nights
Mandy Manyaman wasn't special.
He wasn't rich, wasn't handsome enough to trend on TikTok, and wasn't smart enough to get promoted fast. He was simply the kind of man who remembered to water his mother's plants but forgot his own lunch.
He worked as a junior staffer in a logistics company whose motto was "Fast, Friendly, and Frequently Late." Every morning he rode his beat-up motorcycle, dodging tricycles like he was in a live-action video game. His best friend Jomar, an IT graduate who still lived with his parents, often met him at a karinderya before work.
Jomar: "Bro, if you die on that motor, can I have your helmet? It looks expensive."
Mandy: "It's ₱500 in Shopee, you cheapskate."
Jomar: "Still… sentimental value."
They both laughed, sipping instant coffee that tasted like homework and exhaustion.
Despite his simple life, Mandy was happy. His family loved him — especially his mother Charlotte, who called him "my hardworking boy" even when he broke more things than he fixed. His father Miguel was a junk-shop owner who claimed he could build a spaceship using only scrap metal and duct tape. Carla, his sister, loved teasing him about marriage; Maynard, the youngest, looked up to him like a superhero with a mid-range salary.
And there was Hannah Variote, his fiancée — sweet, practical, and occasionally terrifying. Their wedding was only twenty-five days away, and Mandy felt like he was floating on borrowed happiness.
That night, after another long day at work, Mandy walked home. The street was quieter than usual, the kind of quiet that made every sound echo louder — the chirp of crickets, the clinking of a jeepney in the distance, his own thoughts asking, "Did I turn off the rice cooker?"
Then he saw the cat.
The same cat that had been haunting the alley for weeks — small, black-furred, eyes like mismatched coins. It looked half-dead, trembling beside a trash bin. Mandy sighed.
"Poor thing. You hungry, ha?"
He tore a piece of his sandwich and offered it. The cat looked up, weak but defiant.
"You shouldn't have done that," it said.
Mandy blinked. "Excuse me? Did I just— are you possessed by a call center agent?"
The cat's tail twitched.
"I cannot die until I pass my burden. Feed me, and you inherit it."
"Wait, burden like bills? 'Cause I already have those."
The cat ignored the sarcasm.
"Your life will stretch beyond death's reach. But every heartbeat you love will be taken as payment."
Mandy chuckled uneasily. "Wow, so you're a fortune-teller and a scammer. Should I GCash you too?"
The cat's golden eye dimmed.
"Laugh while you can, mortal."
Then, as if the world blinked, the cat vanished. Only the leftover bread remained — soggy from drizzle and fear.
Mandy shook his head. "I'm definitely switching to decaf."
He walked home, unaware that his ordinary life had already started cracking — quietly, like glass under a slow heartbeat.
Chapter 2 – The Curse Awakens
The hospital smelled like antiseptic and sadness. Mandy Manyaman lay on a white bed, his head bandaged, staring at the ceiling. The accident had been brutal — a motorcycle collided with a delivery van, and he had somehow survived with minor fractures… or so the doctors said.
"Your survival is miraculous," Dr. Ramos said, adjusting his glasses. "You should've been…" He paused, frowning. "…gone."
Mandy let out a sarcastic laugh. "Great. I've officially annoyed death itself. Do I get a discount card for surviving?"
Beside him, Jomar sat slouched in a chair, checking his phone like nothing had happened.
Jomar: "Bro, you've got like, superhero vibes now. Can you fly or shoot lasers?"
Mandy: "Not yet. I just get shot, stabbed, and crushed — then wake up like it's a nap."
As Mandy drifted into sleep, a familiar presence appeared — the black cat from the alley, glowing faintly under a moonlight that only he could see.
"You survived," the cat purred, voice echoing like a memory.
"I did. Somehow. And I still want coffee."
The cat's eyes narrowed.
"Because you helped me, I can give you something more. A curse… or a gift. Your choice."
Mandy blinked. He remembered the fractured street, the blurred world of his near-death, the plead for his life. He could feel it all again — the heartbeat, the panic, the strange calm of accepting fate.
"You want to live," the cat said. "But there is a price. Every life you hold dear… every heartbeat of love… will be at risk."
"Wait, so if I survive, my family… my friends… die?"
"Not immediately. Only when the time comes. You will be untouchable by death, but those you love will not be."
Mandy hesitated. He thought about Hannah, his fiancée. He thought about his parents, his siblings, Jomar. His chest tightened.
"Fine," he said finally, his voice darkly humorous. "Give me this… curse. But let's call it a gift. Gifts sound better at parties."
The cat blinked slowly.
"Gift it is. Remember, mortality is a choice you take for them, not yourself."
The next morning, Mandy woke surrounded by his family. Charlotte fussed over his bandages, Miguel hovered nervously, Carla teased him endlessly, and Maynard peeked at him like he was seeing a superhero for the first time.
Charlotte: "Mandy! You're alive! I thought I would have to sell your favorite motorcycle to pay for a priest!"
Mandy: "Relax, Ma. I came back for the food, mostly."
Carla: "Don't lie. You came back so you could bother me about marriage."
Mandy smiled weakly. Despite the dark weight of the curse resting in his chest, he felt the warmth of family — their closeness, their love, their teasing. Even in tragedy, life had its small, absurd joys.
After breakfast, his family decided to go home. Only Hannah remained by his side, tears of relief shining on her cheeks.
Hannah: "Mandy… I'm glad you're alive."
Mandy: "Yeah, well… I had a cat deal."
Hannah: "A… cat deal?"
Mandy: "You don't wanna know."
Outside, as they walked past the hospital doors, Mandy noticed an ambulance. The paramedics rushed a patient inside — a familiar face. Manuel, his older brother, was on the stretcher. Mandy froze, his legs weak. The world tilted, and he collapsed briefly before catching himself.
Mandy's curse had begun, and he didn't even fully understand it yet.
Chapter 3 – Shadows of Loss
The funeral home smelled like incense and sadness. The family had gathered to mourn Manuel Manyaman, Mandy's older brother, who hadn't survived the accident. Mandy stood quietly, his hands folded, staring at the casket with a blank expression. He felt the familiar weight pressing on his chest — the curse he had inherited from the cat, the gift that had spared his life but punished his loved ones.
He could see the grief in his mother Charlotte, who kept wiping her tears with a lace handkerchief; his father Miguel, stiff as scrap metal but trembling at the edges; his sister Carla, holding back sobs with the toughness of someone who had to stay strong; and little Maynard, clutching a toy car like it could somehow bring his brother back.
Mandy (thinking): "If only Manuel had this curse… maybe he'd still be here. Or maybe not. Maybe I'm cursed enough for all of us."
Beside him, Jomar shifted uneasily.
Jomar: "Bro… you okay?"
Mandy forced a smile.
"Yeah… I just feel like life's giving me a private comedy show, and I'm not laughing."
He looked at the coffin one last time and whispered:
"I hope you find peace, brother. I hope it wasn't just me who had to carry all this…"
The next few days were a blur. Funeral wakes, prayers, condolences from relatives — everyone was present. Yet, Mandy felt the curse's shadow looming over each interaction, each smile, each tear. It reminded him of what he had agreed to in that dreamlike encounter with the cat: survival came at a price, and the price was already being paid.
Back to Daily Life
Despite the tragedy, life had to continue. Mandy returned to his simple apartment with Hannah. He carried a quiet, dark humor in his heart — a shield against despair. He helped his father Miguel fix the old fence around their junkshop, hammering nails with the precision of someone who had seen death up close.
Mandy: "Father, can you hurry? We need this fence done so we can prepare the wedding feast."
Miguel: "Hurry? I am hurrying! These planks have a mind of their own."
As Mandy pulled a stubborn metal spike, he accidentally cut his lip and stubbed his leg against the iron. The wound should have hurt, but it healed instantly, leaving him confused.
Mandy: "What… the hell?"
He looked around — no one had seen it. The gift. The curse. Dark humor was now mandatory survival training.
The Wedding
Days later, Mandy's wedding with Hannah Variote Manyaman went on without a hitch. Friends laughed at his sarcastic remarks, family cried happy tears, and for one brief moment, Mandy felt almost normal. He joked with Jomar about dodging flying rice grains during the ceremony.
Mandy: "Jomar, if you throw one more rice grain, I'll call it an attack. A legally binding attack."
Jomar: "Bro, I'm just contributing to your insurance claim."
Hannah rolled her eyes, smiling. Mandy laughed despite the shadow looming in his heart. Life was fleeting, fragile, absurd — and he was cursed to watch it all, untouchable by death himself, but never free from loss.
Closing Thoughts of Chapter 3
Even in laughter and celebration, Mandy couldn't escape the weight of what the cat had told him. Family closeness, love, and daily absurdities were comforting, but they reminded him that every heartbeat he survived carried a silent toll on the ones he loved.
And deep inside, Mandy thought:
"Maybe one day, I'll pay the price… but not today."
Chapter 4 – The Heist and the Hidden Cost
Life after the wedding settled into a rhythm, though for Mandy, "settled" never meant peaceful. A week after their honeymoon, he returned to his mundane job while Hannah stayed at home. But a gnawing worry troubled him: his salary, even with overtime, would never be enough to secure a stable life for his new family.
Mandy (thinking): "If only money grew on trees… or if the city allowed me to hack ATMs legally."
Jomar, ever the tech genius, noticed Mandy's restlessness one evening.
Mandy: "I have a plan. Crazy, insane, illegal… but it will work."
Jomar: "Bro, remember last time you said 'plan' and we ended up almost arrested?"
Mandy: "This time, you'll love it. And I swear — I have powers now."
Mandy demonstrated by stubbing his arm with a knife during dinner prep. The wound healed instantly. Jomar nearly fell off his chair.
Jomar: "You… you're not human. Are you a vampire? Or a… cursed superhero?"
Mandy: "Call it a gift. I call it convenient timing."
Together, they devised a daring heist: Mandy would enter the bank, while Jomar hacked the cameras and alarms. The plan was audacious — but with Mandy's unnatural ability to survive, they felt invincible.
The Bank
Mandy slipped through the bank doors like a shadow, his movements precise. He reached the vault, scooped the cash, and felt the thrill of success. But then — a guard spotted him. Two shots rang out.
The bullets tore through air… and through Mandy. He barely flinched, picking up the money and walking out calmly as if nothing had happened.
Outside, Jomar waited, face pale but elated.
Jomar: "Bro… are you okay? You're… you're not bleeding. You're not even… hurt."
Mandy (grinning): "Never been better. Let's celebrate before I accidentally heal into a hero of crime."
They celebrated at their hideout, counting ₱50 million in cash, planning to convert it into cryptocurrency. Dark humor clung to the moment like smoke from street vendors outside.
Family Matters Intrude
The next morning, Mandy returned home with Hannah. They decided to visit his parents. Charlotte welcomed them warmly.
Charlotte: "Have you eaten?"
Mandy & Hannah: "Not yet."
As they ate, Mandy inquired about his younger brother, Maynard.
Mandy: "Where's Maynard? I haven't seen him all day."
Charlotte: "He's been lying in his room… sick for three days. He refuses to go to the hospital."
Mandy frowned. The curse was more than a gift; it was a shadow lingering over his family. But he pushed it aside. For now, there were more pressing concerns — like hiding a mountain of cash without Hannah noticing.
Closing Thoughts of Chapter 4
Mandy's laughter masked the tension in his heart. He joked with Jomar, teased his parents, and smiled at Hannah. Yet, deep down, he knew the curse's price: he might survive, but those he loved were always in danger.
"Funny… life keeps giving me victories that feel like defeats," he thought, swiping a piece of leftover kakanin.
Chapter 5 – Pain and Consequences
Mandy's life, once ordinary and mundane, had become a relentless sequence of tragedies.
It started with unexpected joy: Hannah was pregnant. Mandy tried to celebrate, but the happiness was short-lived. Maynard, his youngest brother, succumbed to an infection he refused to treat seriously. Despite Mandy's insistence, it was too late.
Mandy (thinking): "Another one… this curse… or just life being a mean prankster?"
He turned to Jomar that night, sitting on the roof of his apartment.
Mandy: "Jomar… sometimes it feels like I'm cursed. Everyone I love dies, one by one. I can't stop it."
Jomar: "Or maybe it's destiny, bro. Maybe some things just happen. Random, cruel, unfair."
Mandy's hands shook, thoughts spinning with rage, sorrow, and helplessness.
The Confrontation
Hannah found out about the bank heist. Their fight was explosive.
Hannah: "Mandy! How could you?!"
Mandy: "I'm trying to secure our future! You and the baby shouldn't have to worry about money!"
Hannah: "And what about the law? About morality?"
Mandy: "Morality doesn't pay bills!"
He continued with his dark humor, trying to mask despair:
Mandy: "Besides… I'm unkillable, remember? It's like a weird superpower."
But no power could save him from the emotional consequences. One fateful Friday night, his sister Carla died.
Mandy (thinking): "Another one… why do I survive when they don't?"
Carla's death was brutal. She had defended a third party when her lover, Carion De Guzman, a police officer, fired his gun in a fit of rage. The bullet struck her lower back, ending her life instantly.
Jail and Fury
Mandy was arrested shortly after, compromised during one of his schemes. Jail walls closed in around him, suffocating and cold.
Mandy: "Great… surviving death is easy. Surviving life… impossible."
Even in jail, fate found him. He got into a fight with another inmate and was stabbed — yet he healed almost instantly, leaving other prisoners in horror and awe.
Mandy (thinking): "Maybe Jomar was right… or maybe the cat is just laughing at me somewhere."
Funeral and Recklessness
Monday came. Mandy was granted leave to attend Carla's funeral. Tears blurred his vision as he remembered their childhood, their laughter, and their closeness.
Anger surged in him. He borrowed Jomar's car and drove recklessly to confront the man responsible — Carion De Guzman. The recklessness nearly cost him his life when he collided with a truck, plunging into a river. Somehow, he swam out, drenched, bruised, but alive.
Mandy (thinking, sitting on a bench): "Maybe the law should handle this… maybe the cat was right. Death is easier than living with this curse."
After regaining composure, he returned to the funeral, silently agreeing to let justice take its course.
The Final Tragedy
A week later, Mandy and Hannah were shopping for baby supplies. Life seemed a fleeting moment of calm.
Hannah: "Kwek-kwek!"
Mandy: "Of course… we can't let street food ruin our parenting journey."
But tragedy struck again. A mentally unstable woman, enraged by her own life's misfortune, stabbed Hannah. Mandy called an ambulance, but it was too late. Both Hannah and the unborn child were declared dead on arrival.
Before he could recover from this blow, Jomar called with yet more tragic news: Mandy's parents had died in a car accident.
Mandy (sitting in silence): "I survived everything… but at what cost?"
Closing Thoughts of Chapter 5
Darkness consumed Mandy. The curse had shown its cruelest side: he lived, while everyone he loved perished. Humor and sarcasm remained, a shield against despair, but for the first time, Mandy truly understood the weight of immortality — or cursed survival.
"Life is nothing but a cruel joke… and I'm the punchline."
Chapter 6 – The Choice of Mortality
The funeral of Mandy's parents had left him hollow. Jomar tried to keep him awake, talking in fast, awkward jokes, but Mandy's mind was elsewhere — replaying every death, every loss, every painful laugh that masked despair.
Jomar: "Bro… seriously, you've been awake for 60 hours. Close your eyes for even a nap. Please."
Mandy: "Sleep? I've slept while dying. Nothing new here."
Finally, Jomar pushed him onto a chair. Mandy reluctantly closed his eyes.
The Cat Appears
As soon as sleep overtook him, the black cat appeared — its golden eyes piercing the dark.
Mandy: "You again… I thought I imagined you."
Cat: "You did not. You remember, yes? The agreement you made before death found you."
Mandy struggled to recall the conversation from the car accident — the details were hazy, masked by trauma and near-death delirium.
Mandy: "What exactly did we agree on? I remember… living. But at what cost?"
Cat: "Because of your determination to survive, you accepted the curse: You will not die. But all your loved ones will. Once. Every time."
Jomar, listening nearby, grew pale.
Jomar: "Bro… you love them, right?"
Mandy: "More than myself… sarcastically, ironically, heroically… yes."
Jomar: "Is there any way to reverse it?"
Mandy: "The cat said… to break the curse, I must die… in the same place I almost died before. Possibly. Not guaranteed."
The Last Attempt
Mandy convinced Jomar to help him. They drove to the scene of the original car accident. With trembling hands and a heavy heart, Jomar fired a single shot at Mandy's heart.
Mandy (thinking as the world blurred): "If I fail… then everything ends. If I succeed… maybe, just maybe…"
Suddenly, time twisted. Mandy's consciousness spiraled backward. He awoke to find himself in the hospital, the day after his original accident. The curse had reset partially.
A Second Chance?
This time, Mandy was mortal. His loved ones were alive. His family and Jomar crowded around his bed, anxious and relieved.
Mandy: "I remember… everything. Every death. Every loss. Every joke I used to hide the pain."
Jomar: "So… we did it?"
Mandy (smiling weakly): "Yes. But… life remains fragile. And I remain mortal. The gift was too cruel to keep."
Days later, the wedding proceeded as planned. Hannah and Mandy exchanged vows with genuine laughter and tears. Their baby was born, healthy, and they finally saw a moment of family joy.
Mandy (to Jomar, jokingly): "I finally understand… being mortal isn't so bad. Though I miss my superpower sometimes. Shooting bullets? Fun times."
Jomar: "Bro, you nearly killed me too. Let's stick to jokes."
Mandy embraced his family, laughing at Maynard's silly antics, teasing Carla, and exchanging glances with Hannah. The closeness he had lost and regained felt profound, bittersweet, and oddly comedic amidst all the darkness.
The Twist of Fate
As Mandy opened the door to greet Jomar, a voice called his name. Mandy stepped forward — and then… he woke up.
The world was dark. The room unfamiliar. Panic surged.
Mandy (thinking): "It's… not over. I didn't make it back. I'm… still mortal. And I've lost them all.
TO BE CONTINUE…