How is this possible?
I died. I know I died.
You don't just come back from that. People just don't. That's not how death works.
And besides that, I'm back in time?
Just what is this? What's happening to me?
"Gareth?" Cedric's voice sounds distant. "Did you hear that?" He stops, staring at me. "What's wrong with you? You look..."
But I can't answer. Can't form any words. I'm shaking.
That notification is still blinking in my vision. Not being able to ignore it any longer, I focus on it and text appears:
Toughness +0.05
Below it, more text materializes:
Name: Gareth Wright
Strength: 8.56
Dexterity: 7.34
Toughness: 6.78
Intelligence: 9.34
Resistances: None
I stare at the numbers. My stats.
They're always there if I focus on them, tracking my progress as I work in the forge.
Strength comes from hammering, Dexterity from detail work, and Toughness from the strain.
But Toughness went up by 0.05.
From what? From dying? From a sword tearing through my organs?
I wince. The memory of the pain is still fresh, still vivid. The blade punching through my flesh. The blood. And the cold spreading throughout my body as everything shut down.
But I earned a stat increase from that?
The realization hits me then. Dying made me stronger. Not that much stronger. It's just a 0.05 point increase. But it still makes me stronger nonetheless. Which means if I keep dying, I'll keep getting stronger. The thought makes me want to hurl.
"Gareth, please." Cedric's out of bed now, standing beside me. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"
I look up at him. He looks worried.
"I died," I whisper.
Cedric blinks. "What?"
"This morning, I heard screaming. So, I went downstairs. There was a soldier there. He killed Father, then killed me." The words tumble out. "The sword went through my stomach, and everything went dark. Then I woke up back here. Back in bed."
Cedric goes still. "Father's what? No. That's not—" He shakes his head. "That screaming... it sounded like him, but he can't be—"
"It's him. The screaming stopped, Cedric. That means he's already dead."
"Stop saying that!" Cedric's voice cracks. "How would you even know?"
"Because I already lived through it!"
Cedric stares at me. "But Gareth, we just woke up. You were in bed the whole time. You didn't go anywhere!"
"Because I came back. I reset."
"Reset?" His voice wavers. "Gareth, that's not... that's not possible."
"I know it's not possible!" The words come out louder than I intend. "But it happened. I died and I came back and now it's happening all over again."
Cedric's hands clench and unclench at his sides. "You're serious? You actually believe this?"
"I don't just believe it. I know it." I grab his arm. "Cedric, please. You have to trust me. When that soldier comes through the door, we need to—"
"What soldier?"
"The one who's about to come up those stairs. The one wearing a purple and gold surcoat with a snake symbol on his chest. He's already killed Father and he's coming for us next."
Cedric shakes his head slowly. "Purple and gold? A snake? Gareth, you're describing things you couldn't possibly know. We were asleep. Together. In this room."
"Because I saw him before he killed me!"
"This is insane," Cedric whispers. "You're talking like a madman."
"I know how it sounds!" My voice cracks. "But you'll see. You'll see I'm telling the truth when he—"
There are suddenly footsteps on the stairs.
We both freeze.
Cedric's mouth opens but no sound comes out.
My blood goes cold. "He's coming."
"Who's coming?" Cedric whispers, but there's worry in his voice now. He hears them too. Heavy boots on the stairs. Getting closer.
With shaking hands, I grab my sword from where it leans against the wall.
The door suddenly explodes inward with a crash.
The soldier steps through slowly. His blade is already red with Father's blood.
His eyes lock onto me, then flicker over to Cedric.
Cedric makes a strangled sound. "No way. You... you were right."
"Hey!" I step between them, with my sword raised. "You stay away from him!"
The soldier doesn't respond. He just moves forward, slow and deliberate.
I need time. I need to slow him down somehow, give myself a chance to think, to do something—
My eyes dart around the room. There! My boots are on the floor near the bed.
I lunge for one and hurl it at the soldier's head.
The boot spins awkwardly through the air and misses him by at least two feet, hitting the wall behind him with a dull thud.
The soldier stops. He looks at where the boot landed. Then he looks back at me.
The corner of his mouth twitches, like he's amused.
He starts forward again.
I grab a wooden cup from the small table beside my bed and throw it. This one actually flies straighter. It hits him in the chest and bounces off his armor with a hollow clunk.
He stops again. This time he looks irritated.
"What are you doing?" Cedric's voice is shrill behind me.
"Trying to slow him down!"
I snatch up my other boot and throw it. The soldier swats it aside with his sword, sending it spinning into the corner.
"Enough," the soldier growls. His accent is thick and foreign. "Just die already."
He closes the distance in three quick strides.
His blade comes up and I try to parry with my own sword, but our blades meet with a jarring impact that tears through my arms. The force of it nearly rips the weapon from my grip. I stumble backward.
He presses forward, swinging again. I manage to get my sword up, but barely. The impact drives me back another step. My arms are screaming. My hands are shaking so badly I can barely hold on.
One more strike and my sword flies from my grip, clattering uselessly across the floor.
The soldier's blade continues its arc, barely slowing, and catches me across the throat.
Blood sprays. I try to breathe but I can't. My hands go to my neck. There's so much blood, so much damage. The floor rushes up.
Behind me, Cedric screams before the soldier's footsteps move toward him.
Then there's nothing.
***
I wake to the screaming.
Something blinks in the corner of my vision. It's another notification.
Cedric's sitting up in his bed, his eyes wide.
"What's going on?" he asks.
I just stare at him.
The screaming continues downstairs. Father's voice.
No... Not this again.