One minute…
Dan's stamina was taking a toll. He had Ethan's mace, but it wasn't enough.
He never said a word. Instead, he tried harder.
To Ethan and Claire, he was holding up well. How could they think otherwise? His back was sturdily facing them, just like a big tree shading weaker seeds from the intense heat of the sun.
Only Dan knew that at any minute now, he might collapse, and that terrified him more than being infected by the mindless monsters.
So he smiled. Brighter than ever.
Reassuring Claire and Ethan that he could do it. No, he must do it.
Two minutes…
'Why am I helping them?' the thought came to Claire's mind.
To Dan, she was an easy-going girl and to Ethan, she was someone suspicious but with value worth keeping.
But to herself? She was someone… she didn't know.
An empty existence, a joker, or perhaps… a chameleon, if one must say.
A human who only acted accordingly to what was happening. No thought nor reason behind it.
But here she was, trying her best for two strangers.
She smiled, genuinely—a new emotion.
'Maybe, humanity is still worth siding with,' looking at Dan's back as she cast a spell that could seal the entrance.
Three minutes left…
With agonizing pain, he didn't shout.
Was it bravery? Or was he already immune to such torment that he wasn't making a sound even after his two limbs were twisted, broken, and crushed?
No, that's not true.
Ethan might be a reincarnator, but he was still human.
He felt the agony—his broken limbs, the eaten flesh. He felt it all. It didn't show, but he wanted to give up. He wanted to tear his own arms off himself right now.
He felt fear.
The past he knew was changing, so what was the point of his past knowledge? It wasn't the change that scared him, but the uncertainty of the future.
Self-doubt and self-blame.
He noticed it; he was changing. Everything he did was different from how it used to be.
Was it the constant betrayal of humanity that changed him? If so, this was just his way of protecting what was precious to him now.
But… what if it wasn't? What if… something inside him was actually changing?
In the end, all he could do was stare at his friend's back.
'Haha, I was too arrogant.'
The thought instantly crossed his mind.
He had arrogantly claimed he would protect Dan in this life, but look at him.
Dan was protecting him… again.
'Was I too rushed? Because I came back to the past, did I think everything would go according to what I planned?' It wasn't a question, but a mockery to himself.
Looking at his friend, even without Dan voicing it out, he knew. Dan was about to collapse, and that terrified him.
The image of Dan's corpse in front of him again? It would make him go insane.
Every second felt like a ticking bomb, but he couldn't do anything.
'Humanity's strongest hero, my ass. I can't even protect you.'
He almost laughed. Then, his body froze.
Dan's neck was turning back into human flesh.
"Fuck, Claire! Hurry! God damnit!" Ethan yelled.
Not angrily… but desperately.
"I need two minutes more!" Claire replied.
Ethan knew there was nothing both of them could do in this situation.
If he asked Claire to hand him the bottle of whiskey, that split second would take a toll on Dan.
What if the parasite didn't calm down? Then what?
Ethan looked at his shaking hand. If he failed, they all died. But if he stayed like this, Dan was already dead.
The logic was cold, but it was certain to happen.
'No, no, no, I won't let you die again, Dan!' His mind was chaotic.
He tried to stand, but there wasn't an ounce of strength in his legs.
In a last attempt, he chose to abandon his humanity—the very thing he fought for in his previous life.
'You… Do you enjoy this? Seeing me suffer again?'
Silence…
He gritted his teeth. It wanted him to beg.
'I know you can hear me! This is the only time I will ask for your favor.'
Ethan wasn't joking.
Sensing this, his consciousness was pulled and he passed out.
When he opened his eyes, he was back in a place he wished he would never see again.
A dark place with a rotting smell.
Then suddenly, the darkness in front of him smiled. It formed into the shape of lips and grinned at Ethan.
His whole view was just this creature's amused smile.
It was big, too wide.
It was as if a dark fog had formed into a massive mouth. Or maybe it wasn't just a big mouth—maybe Ethan was just too tiny to see its whole body.
"So… you needed me in the end. I told you, there would be a time you would need me, whether you liked it or not."