I'm going to die.
Each thrust of the blade is an explosion of agony, slicing through muscle and bone with brutal precision. The girl's screams blend into the background, drowned out by the sickening sound of my blood and flesh being torn apart as the blade relentlessly pierces my back.
Every stab feels like a new betrayal, an unending assault that leaves me gasping for breath, my vision blurring as my body struggles to endure the onslaught. Through the haze, I catch a glimpse of her eyes—golden, with pupils fluctuating wildly, filled with disbelief at the sight of me.
_________
[System]
Bestowing attribute by the sealed god.
Attribute: Second Chance
_________
Second Chance?
"Yes." A voice cuts through the darkness that envelops me, the same darkness that consumed me after my first death. "You can't die without your path being laid." The tone is sly, as if hiding the truth beneath its words.
"What do you mean?" I spin around, searching for the source of the voice in the void, only to feel a pair of arms wrapping around me.
"Everyone has their purpose; however, you are different," it says with a confidence that almost convinces me. "You have two pathways before you." Two images materialize in front of me.
They are both me.
One path is drenched in red, the other in white. "These paths represent the choices you can make." Its cold hands, which I dare not look at, gently guide my chin, forcing me to face the two paths. "Good—the path where you find yourself and save others from the impending doom that awaits. Or..." It turns my gaze to the darker path. "Bad—where you gain power rivaling the very gods who seek to help you, becoming the harbinger of chaos across this realm and many others."
"I…" I struggle to decide, torn between what feels right and what I truly desire. But all I can think of is my mother and her words. "I don't know."
The manifestations of myself fade, and suddenly, I'm transported somewhere else. A light breeze brushes against my skin, the melody of laughter mingling with the scent of honey buns filling my nose.
My mother.
On a vast field of grass, near a cottage nestled amidst vibrant greenery, a woman with light brown hair, dressed in a simple brown dress, hums a familiar tune while hanging wet clothes on a line. "Is this the woman you keep thinking about? Your mother."
"Yes!" I reply hastily, my voice cracking with emotion.
"After her death, she was stuck in eternity for a few years." The voice behind me continued. "And that's the man you still don't know whether to resent or forgive?" Footsteps sound as the wooden door of the cottage opens, revealing a man in a loose white shirt and pants. His grayish hair shines under the sun's rays.
"Father." I blurt out, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of him, the same warm smile he gave me before the drinking began.
"After your death, he took his life, since he had nothing to live for again."
Then light laughter fills my ears, and a boy dashes out from inside, his silver hair dancing in the wind as he runs towards them with arms wide open. "Mother! Father!" he shouts, and they stop what they're doing, opening their arms to catch him as he leaps forward.
"What's happening…" I manage to ask, looking at them.
"The parents you never had are the ones he is receiving," it whispers in my ear, the words piercing my heart like daggers.
"That can't be. I have been here for years, that's just not-"
"Possible?" It finishes for me. "But it happened. Stop blocking out the truth and accept it, after all you are called Cipher for a reason."
"A person of no importance," I answer, the truth finally seeping into the cracks in my mind.
"The son you could never be, that is the son they have now." it adds, its voice filled with dark amusement, deepening the wounds in my soul that I can no longer heal.
The realization crashes over me like a suffocating wave, heavy and cold. Shock and disbelief give way to a profound sadness, an unbearable sense of loss for the relationship that was never mine to have.
"False love…" My chest tightens, making it hard to breathe. My lungs expand, but no air fills them; the world spins, and everything crumbles around me. "Maybe… Maybe they can't remember me," I try to convince myself, clinging to the lie.
But we remember everything, from our past lives, we remember no matter what but many choose to forget them seeing that it makes no sense now in their current life.
But I can't, I will never forget my past life and the horrors they put me through.
"You know the truth," it reminds me, even as I try to deny it. The cracks in my psyche widen as the false memories of love are exposed as nothing more than lies. "Now choose."
The same choices appear before me once more.
"It's only a matter of time before the gods find you, take you, and trap you in eternity."
All I ever wanted was to be loved. All I ever wanted was to live. All I ever wanted was to be free. ALL I EVER WANTED WAS TO BE SOMEONE OF IMPORTANCE. I wanted to show them, to prove myself to my father and earn his love. All I needed was for the gods to acknowledge me.
Tears turn to rage—anger at my misfortunes, anger at those who wronged me. I always believed my mother was the only one who loved me. I see now how wrong I was. Every word she spoke was a lie.
That's what humans and gods are good for.
Lying.
They'll…die..I'll be the one to end them..I extend my hand. "I choose the path as the villain in everyone's story."
"That's it. Follow that path and never waver," the voice says, fading into the darkness. "I'll be waiting for you to unseal me," it whispers before disappearing completely.