Even though I was hesitant to go to the Black Sea, I knew that Ivy was right.
If I returned to my parents' house with blood all over my body, that would probably be the last straw that my mother could take.
I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to execute me herself, claiming that I was some sort of demon.
When we emerged from the trees and onto the black sand of the beach, an endless sea of blue water stretched out ahead of us.
Ivy led me over to the water, and we began to clean ourselves of my blood.
I was wearing brown farmer rags, but she was wearing a white religious robe. It took longer for her to clean herself.
As I watched the young girl humming a song to herself, I couldn't help but feel afraid.
The way that she had killed me was incredibly brutal. Why did she have to stab me three times in three different areas?
If she wanted to simply prove her theory, wasn't one death enough? Why kill me three times?
She could argue that to truly test her theory, three times was necessary. But I don't know.
At that moment, I saw her as a maniac. A beautiful maniac who was capable of sick acts.
Yet still, she was my friend. My only friend, and the only one who had accepted me for whatever I was.
Except for Doctor Frost. He seemed to have accepted me as well. However, a year after treating my wound, he had suddenly gone missing.
I always wondered where he had gone, and why.
Could it have been linked to my immortality?
"What are you thinking about?" Ivy asked, noticing me staring at her.
"About the future, and what my life might look like."
It was partially the truth.
After discovering that I was unable to die, my eleven-year-old mind was filled with existential dread.
What if I were unable to die of old age? Would I be forced to see the destruction of the fourth world, and the fifth, and the sixth?
"Isn't it obvious?" Ivy asked as she rose to her feet with a smile on her face. "You have to prevent the end of the world."
"..."
"..."
"..."
All I could do was stare at her in silence.
Prevent the end of the world?
This was a task that we had been attempting for millennia.
The Fourth World was once the First, Second, and Third worlds. As the years passed, the Outer World Beasts would attack our world with increasing strength, until eventually everyone was dead, and civilisation was destroyed.
However, each time the world was destroyed, one corner of the world lived on. They would repopulate humanity, and leave records describing what had happened during their apocalypse, in hopes that in the future, humans would be able to prevent the apocalypse.
The Empire built academies in every country of the world, where they would raise up the strongest students, whose tasks would be to fight against the beasts, and hopefully save the world.
Each time, the humans failed.
"Why would my existence make any difference? Just because I can't die, doesn't mean I am strong."
Ivy shook her head. "That's not true."
She then began to explain.
"With the power to never die, you can face death again and again, pushing your body to its limits. With this, you'll be able to reach ranks that no other human has before."
I couldn't help but palm my face. "For that to work, I would have to Awaken."
Ivy nodded her head. "I know. And I believe that once you become a teenager, you will awaken."
I couldn't understand this faith that she had in me. Didn't she understand the training that a kid had to receive in order to be blessed by the Allfather?
Before I could say anything, Ivy pointed out at the black sea. The sun had now set behind the horizon, turning the sky dark.
"One day, evil will travel across the seas and kill everyone we know. The Apocalypse Demons are ruthless. You've read the stories about them, right?"
"Yes."
There were many. Tales of the strongest of warriors and mages fighting against demons that were beyond our comprehension.
These humans had reached the highest ranks known to our knowledge, and some had pushed even further. Yet still, they all reached the same fate.
Ivy knew this, but she had faith.
"The demons have never faced an immortal human. You're the change that we need, Leox. You can change the world!"
She turned to me. A smile was on her youthful face.
Much faith. Oh, she had so much faith.
Yet I struggled to share that faith.
She must have noticed this as she didn't say anything else, and simply took my hand, guiding me back to the forest from where she came.
We travelled back to Everhurst Village and went our separate ways.
As I entered my house, the lights were off. There was a figure sitting at the dining table with a mug in front of them.
After getting a closer look, it was a mother. Her cheeks were red and her clothes messy.
She was drunk.
"Oh look, the devils returned home." She said with a laugh.
I ignored her. Whenever she was drunk, she made these remarks.
I walked past her and started making my way up the stairs to head to my room and sleep. Before I was able to close the door, I heard her mutter downstairs.
"Can the apocalypse come faster. Take me from this world. Take me from this demonic family."
I entered my room and closed the door behind me. For some reason, her words filled me with conviction that I didn't have before.
I felt as though I wanted to prevent the apocalypse. I knew that it was so far from my capabilities, but that night, I was determined to do the impossible.
Not because I wanted to perform a righteous act, but simply to spite my mother and deny her wishes.