Chapter 8: (DEATH and HOPE)

Chapter 8: (DEATH and HOPE)

Before I could understand anything, I found myself lying on my bed. My body sank into the mattress as if I had never moved at all. The room was dark, cold, and too quiet until I heard it.

The footsteps. THUMP… THUMP… THUMP…

The same footsteps, I heard before I died the same footsteps of the creatures that killed me. Each step growing closer and clearer. For a moment, I couldn't even breathe. My whole body froze as the sound travel into my ears.

I slowly turned my head toward the window. The wooden window still not broken. It was the same window those dark, shadowy figures had broken. And now it looks like Nothing had happened.

I tried to pushed myself up with shaking arms, my movements slow and stiff —im someone who should've stayed dead before and now. My chest rose and fell as my breathing grew heavier and faster.

"Ha… ha…" I gasped, gripping the sheets tightly.

My voice finally broke out in a trembling whisper.

"What… is happening!? Why am I here!? Didn't I just… die!? What are those creatures outside!? Is this also a dream!?"

Then, before I could even calm my breathing, the air in front of me rippled like a thin sheet of water being disturbed. A faint ding echoed in my ears. I flinched, my shoulders jerking slightly as glowing letters slowly appeared in front of my face.

The system popped out—floating, mid air.

A red rectangular screen appear.

[DEATH RECORDS]

[Original Death] — Subject drowned within a river current. Vital signs terminated due to prolonged oxygen deprivation.

[Original Death] — Subject committed self-termination using a dagger. Fatal wound resulted in catastrophic blood loss.

[1st Death] — Subject was struck in the forehead by an arrow before being stabbed in the back by two shadowy figures. Cause of death: severe cranial trauma and extensive internal damage.

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening, feeling every muscle in my neck grow stiff. I reached toward the floating screen with a trembling hand, but the glowing letters flickered away from my touch, as if refusing to let me erase the thought of this is all is just a figment of my imagination.

"Death records? Liam!!! What is the meaning of this!?" I barely finished shouting when something whistled through the air.

SHHHK!!!

A spear burst through the wooden window, splinters scattered everywhere, and the tip slammed straight into my eye.

A sharp, violent CRACK echoed inside my skull.

I collapsed back on the bed, my body trembling.

"AAAGHHH—! MY EYE!! It—hurts…!" Warm blood flooded down my cheek. My hands shook as I tried to push myself up.

Before I could even breathe. THUD—SHHHK!

A second shadowy figure burst through the window, its spear driving deep into my stomach. The force slammed my body onto the mattress, pinning me down.

"Ghh—!!"

My spine arched, and a thick stream of blood spilled from my mouth. "Blurrg—blurggg… h-help me… Liam please…"

As the shadowy figure pinned me down with the spear, I grabbed the shaft with both hands and tried to stop it from sinking deeper into my stomach. My arms trembled from the pressure as I pushed against it with all my strength, but the figure’s weight and strength slowly forced the blade further in. "Let... me... go you son... of a bitch..."

Through the broken window, where moonlight spilled into the room, I saw both of them gripping the spear lodged in my body—shadowy figures standing motionless, their faces stretched into wide, unnatural smiles that spread too far across their cheeks.

They didn’t move. They only stared at me, their mouths slowly opening, and then the laughter came quiet at first, then louder, more twisted and extremely delighted.

"Hee-hee-hee… hah… hah… hah… ha! Ha! Hahaha!!!!"

The room spun around me as everything slowly faded. The familiar cold spread through my whole body while my vision gradually darkened once again.

This bastards they were enjoying it. their grins widened, and their laughter grew louder.

Tick... Tack... Tick... Tack..!

The familiar ticking of an old clock could be heard once again.

[YOU DIED]

I opened my eyes. I was back in the bed, lying in the exact same position. My breathing was shaky and uneven. My heart was still pounding, and the pain from being stabbed in the eye and abdomen still lingered in my body.

The system window slid open, revealing the red rectangular screen in front of me.

[DEATH RECORDS]

[Original ....]

[1st Death] — Subject was struck in the forehead by an arrow before being stabbed in the back by two shadowy figures. Cause of death: severe cranial trauma and extensive internal damage.

[2nd Death] — Subject was struck in the eye by a spear before being stabbed in the stomach by a shadowy figure. Cause of death: ocular trauma and abdominal penetration resulting in fatal internal injuries.

My throat tightened as I swallowed hard, struggling to breath properly. I raised my trembling hand and touched my eye, then slowly lifted my shirt and pressed my fingers against my abdomen. There was nothing. No pain, no blood, no scars—only smooth, intact skin, as if nothing had ever happened.

“…I’m alive again…?!”

I stood up and immediately decided to move away from the window.

SHHHK—! CRASH!

The same spear suddenly bursed through the window, shattering the glass into fragments. Splinters scattered through the air, passing close to my face. This time, it didn’t hit me, but it came so close that I felt the rush of wind brush against my cheek.

My whole body froze for a second, then instinct kicked in.

I grabbed the sword beside the wall, my hands shaking as I tightened my grip around the hilt. I ran toward the door, my footsteps uneven as they slid across the wooden floor. I forced the door open with my shoulder, and then I saw them.

They were standing closer than before. Their silhouettes were no longer just shadows, I could see their faces more clearly now.

Their eyes didn’t blink. They only stared straight at me.

"G-Get away from me!!!" I shouted, stumbling backward. "You monsters!"

I tried to run past them, tried to force my legs to move faster, but the moment I turned around, something sharp struck my back. Then another. And another.

My knees weakened and buckled. My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I couldn't control my breathing. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and my vision began to blur.

Just like before…

my body collapsed on the cold ground, blood pooling beneath me.

Once again—

I died.

And then died again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And again...

I died... Fifteen times.

Each death felt different, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but every time I opened my eyes, I was back in the same bed.

My hands trembled as I sat up.

"This is… impossible," I whispered. "How can I escape this place? How do I escape if I'm just going to die over and over again?"

My voice cracked with frustration and fear.

I clenched my teeth and ask, "Liam, how long does this keep going? How long until I actually die for real?"

A notification appeared.

[SYSTEM NOTICE]

Death restriction protocol active. Subject cannot be terminated by any means under normal conditions.

Exception condition detected: replication of original death scenarios.

If subject dies via original recorded death conditions, revival protocol will not activate.

[Result: permanent termination confirmed.]

I stared at the message, my breathing slowing down. "So that means…" I muttered. "Ok I understand. I'll keep that in mind."

I reached to the small wooden box that I hid in the bed, opened it, and took out the old clothes inside. I wrapped it onto my right wrist, tightening it.

I lowered my left arm, covering the wrist full with the clothes using my other hand…

My chest rose and fell as I prepared for the next death. This time, I'd try to survive just one or more second longer.

Even if it meant dying a sixteenth time or even hundred time.

[There is no such thing as an easy life… or an easy death in this world.]