Time seemed to slow for the boy, as though reality itself bent under the weight of impending death. The monster moved with dizzying speed—almost unnaturally so—while a sinister text hovered above Edo's head:
~| Chance of death: very high, around 95% |~
~| Cause - blow to the chest |~
"I don't stand a damn chance..." Edo thought, fear gripping his heart. "If that's the case... no choice but to use it. That goddamn power." His thoughts raced, but time was not his ally. "Maybe I can survive... even if the vision always ends the same way." He knew hesitation would be his end. He had to act.
He focused on the monster, which had already closed half the distance between them. Gritting his teeth, he activated the power hidden in his left eye. A searing pain tore through him, sharp as a thousand needles.
"Eye activated..." His thoughts steadied, despite the chaos around him. "Now, observe every movement... memorize it before the inevitable happens..."
His heart pounded like a war drum, and the awareness of his end was crushing. Swallowing hard, he fought back the nausea that came with using the power. The visions always ended in his death, and that knowledge strangled him worse than the pain.
"EDO, NO!" Leni's scream pierced the air. She was too far to save him, but still, she ran with everything she had.
Edo kept his eyes locked on the monster. The creature, now just steps away, halted sharply as if bending time itself to its will. With inhuman speed, it aimed a blow directly at his chest. Edo saw every detail of the attack, the trajectory, the raw force—but his body refused to move. Sharpened senses were meaningless against his sluggish limbs.
The strike connected with unrelenting force. The sound of ribs breaking echoed loudly, and waves of pain crashed through his body. The impact sent him hurtling backward uncontrollably. A second later, his back slammed into a tree. Another crack—the spine this time—rang in his ears.
He slid down the trunk, collapsing into a sitting position. The air felt heavy, and blood spilled from his mouth, turning each breath into a desperate struggle.
"YOU BASTARD!" Leni roared, slamming her stone fist into the monster. The force of her attack was immense, but the creature blocked it with irritating ease.
"Well, the appetizer's dealt with. Now for the main course," it growled, low and guttural, as if what it had just done was nothing more than a warm-up.
Edo spat blood. "I fucking knew it would end like this," he thought, trying to muster his strength. He couldn't move; every attempt brought fresh waves of agony. He watched as Leni fought with an intensity he had never seen before—fast, desperate, yet uncalculated. Her attacks were frantic, leaving openings even Edo could spot, despite his limited combat knowledge from games and anime.
The monster quickly caught on to her vulnerability. In a brief lull between her attacks, it materialized a sword and swung with deadly precision. The sound was sharp and final, like a heavy object striking a surface.
Edo's gaze dropped to the ground. Something had fallen. It was Leni's arm.
Blood sprayed in a violent arc, raining down in heavy droplets. The girl staggered, clutching the space where her left arm had been moments ago. Her back obscured her face, but Edo didn't need to see it to know she was in unbearable pain.
Leni stumbled back a few steps, barely maintaining her balance. She didn't give up—she couldn't. She had to adapt; fighting a monster armed with a sword was too risky in close quarters. Quickly assessing the situation, she acted. With her right now he is a good hand, she summoned water magic, directing a stream onto her bleeding arm. In an instant, she froze the water, forming a crude bandage to staunch the flow.
From the folds of her cloak, she pulled out a wand, pulsing with energy, and aimed it at the monster. Before casting, she turned her gaze to Edo.
Her eyes were filled with tears, mingling with unyielding determination. He saw something else in them too—a glimmer of hope that, somehow, they might survive.
"Hold on, Edo. Just a little longer..." she murmured. "I'll take him down. I won't let anyone else die because of my mistakes."
With those words, she leapt into the air, launching stone projectiles at the monster with immense force, signaling the next round of their battle.
Edo lay motionless, watching from where he had been flung. His thoughts swirled with pain and frustration.
"What the hell is she doing? Why doesn't she just run? Why is she throwing her life away?" he wondered, struggling for breath. Each thought dripped with bitterness. "I'm already fucking dead... I have no strength left. That monster is way out of my league..."
His gaze drifted back to Leni, fighting fiercely. Her movements were filled with desperation, but they also carried an unrelenting will to survive. Edo stared at her, a realization slowly taking root.
"And yet... She's still fighting. Fighting for me..." he thought suddenly, as though waking from a stupor. "And what am I doing? Brooding? Drowning in my own uselessness instead of acting? What a pathetic sight!"
Something inside Edo snapped. In that moment, he understood there was no time for self-pity.
"I have my own battle to fight!" he thought with renewed resolve, even as pain wracked his body. "I'm not strong, that's true. But I have something that gives me an edge. This visions... It's just a possible future. I can change it! If I focus, if I use what I've seen, I can avoid death. I can fight for our survival!"
His thoughts circled back to his power. He knew its limits, knew its price. But he also knew it was his only hope.
"This power is fucking disgusting, sure... But it's the reason I'm still alive. The reason I met Leni, who's risking her life for me now," he thought, gritting his teeth against the rising tide of pain. "With this power, I can change my fate. I can stop the vision I saw. This is my fight!"
But his body began to betray him. His eyelids grew heavy, every breath a battle.
"Damn it! I'm running out of time!" he thought, realizing life was slipping away from him. "Through all this chaos, I didn't even notice I'm fucking dying... What a nightmare. And why does it hurt so damn much?!"
The pain was overwhelming, but Edo knew he couldn't give in.
"I have to remember everything I saw..." he thought feverishly. "The monster will kill me with one blow if I let him. I know how he'll attack—he'll stop mid-charge, gather force in a split second, and strike the chest. But what can I do? My left eye sees visions, but I can't use it again on the same attack. If I try, the result will be the same. I need a plan!"
He remembered how, during an earlier fight in a bar, using this power three times had caused him to lose consciousness. So right now he had one last use left.
"Not now..." he thought as his eyelids closed completely. "I have to dodge that first strike. If I do, I have a chance..."
The final words left his lips in a whisper before darkness consumed him:
"Good luck... Leni..."
***
He felt his senses returning to where there had previously been none. Opening his eyes, he saw the monster charging toward him. Quickly, he used his right eye to check if knowing the incoming attack would increase his survival chances.
~| Chance of death - high, around 75% |~
~| Cause - a blow to the head |~
"Yes! The chance dropped! But that percentage is still too damn high. Now's the moment of truth. I *have* to dodge this attack!"
"EDO, NO!" He heard Leni scream. He remembered that right after hearing her voice last time, the monster's attack struck him. Just like before, the monster halted and launched a powerful punch straight at the boy's chest.
But this time, Edo knew exactly what attack was coming. Prepared for it, he positioned his body in such a way that a slight sidestep to the right allowed him to dodge the monster's blow.
"Yes, I did it! Now to use the left eye quickly!" Edo focused, activating his left eye, which throbbed with pain once again.
"Well, well, young one. That was quite the dodge," the monster said in a low voice before swinging its arm again. This time, it struck Edo cleanly in the head. The blow was so powerful that his head was torn from his body, flying far away. Edo didn't even have time to process the situation, dying a swift and brutal death.
***
"Well, well, young one. That was quite the dodge," the low voice of the opponent woke him again.
"Damn it, I need to act now!" Feeling nauseous from his previous uses of the power, Edo barely had a moment to catch his breath but kept his composure.
As before, the monster swung at his head. But this time, Edo ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"That was close! Now I need to use the right eye quickly—I don't have much time. I need to check my survival chances!"
~| Chance of death - high, around 70% |~
~| Cause - a punch to the head |~
"TOO DAMN HIGH! I'm screwed! I have to take a risk, but can I even do it? I've already used my left eye three times—one more might not work. No. I *have* to try. 70% is way too much… Please, let this work…"
His thoughts raced. Edo quickly focused and tried to activate the left eye again. The indescribable pain surged through it.
"YES, IT WORKED!" he celebrated internally.
"Well, well, I didn't realize you were this agile," the monster said with visible surprise, then used its right leg to knock Edo off balance. He had no way to avoid this attack. It sent him stumbling, and before he could even hit the ground, the monster delivered a direct punch to his face.
The blow shattered Edo's head instantly, killing him on the spot. Once again, he died too quickly to analyze the situation.
***
The moment he felt a sliver of energy return, he immediately opened his eyes. He felt awful—utterly wretched, as if he was about to vomit—but he couldn't afford to dwell on it. Instead, he focused on the monster and used the power of his right eye to assess his current chances.
~| Chance of death - medium, around 50% |~
~| Cause - Kick to the abdomen |~
"Okay, fifty-fifty. That's good enough! I can't risk using the left eye again—it's a miracle it worked last time. The theory that the number of uses increases over time might be true after all."
"Well, well, I didn't realize you were this agile," the monster said once more. Hearing its voice, Edo instantly recognized what attack was coming next.
The monster swung its right leg to knock Edo off balance, but the boy jumped as high as he could.
"TAKE THAT, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" While airborne, Edo aimed a strike directly at the monster's forehead, where its core was located. The confused monster took a blow to its weak point, grabbing its head with both hands and screaming in a deep, pained voice.
It didn't even have time to recover before Leni, already in motion, smashed her stone hand into its face, sending it flying six meters backward. The monster crashed to the ground, lying motionless.
"Thanks, Edo! That was incredible! Now it's my turn!" Leni shouted as she pointed both hands at the monster and unleashed hundreds of stone projectiles.
"NO!!!! I WAS SO CLOSE TO ACHIEVE WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED!" the monster managed to yell before the barrage pierced it repeatedly. For ten straight seconds, Leni continued her unrelenting assault before finally stopping. The monster lay still, its body riddled with jagged stones.
"We did it!" Edo shouted, exhausted, collapsing onto his back on the ground.
"Yeah… we really did it. I was so worried about you, but you handled it amazingly. You're truly a skilled warrior," Leni said.
"Yeah… sure..... let's go with that. By the way, Leni, what the hell was that thing? Was it one of those massive monsters with the exposed cores you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes," Leni replied. "This one was one of them, but it was unusually… human-like. And very strong. It could even talk, which is quite strange. But never mind that—it's over!" She smiled, jumping for joy.
"So, shall we head back?" Leni asked.
"What about the crystals?" Edo responded.
"You saw it—they're gone now. Besides, I've had enough of this forest," Leni said as she extended a hand to help Edo up.
"Let's go back," she said.
Edo sighed, a faint smile on his face, relieved that it was all over. He noticed Leni was smiling too, a clear sign of her own relief after defeating the monster. Just as he was about to take her hand, something unexpected happened.
Between them appeared the monster, which had been lying motionless moments ago. It was breathing heavily, in deep agony, its body pierced and riddled with sharp stones.
"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" the monster roared, its previously calm voice now seething with rage.
It moved so fast there was no time to react. With all its strength, it struck Leni in the stomach, sending her flying into a tree. She screamed in pain as she slammed into it, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"YOU WORTHLESS WHORE! I WAS SO CLOSE TO GETTING WHAT I ALWAYS WANTED! I WAS SO CLOSE!" the enraged monster bellowed as it staggered, injured, toward the unconscious women.
"This… this can't be happening… This is bad, really bad. I have to do something! The monster is heavily weakened—maybe I can take it down!"
Edo charged at the monster with his fists, but it was in vain. The creature turned and swung at him, aiming a powerful blow to his chest.
"My left eye… I need to use it!" Edo focused on his left eye, desperate to activate its vision, but nothing happened.
"FUCK!" he managed to yell before the monster's punch sent him flying, tumbling across the ground. The single hit broke four of his ribs, fractured both legs, and left his left arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
"AAAAAARGH!" Edo screamed in agony. The pain was far worse than anything he had experienced in his visions. He wasn't sure if it was the lack of adrenaline or the sheer reality of it all.
"YOU!" the monster growled. "BECAUSE OF YOU TWO, I LOST SO MUCH ENERGY! I WAS SO CLOSE TO EVOLVING, BUT I HAD TO WASTE IT ALL JUST TO HEAL ENOUGH TO NOT DIE LIKE A DOG! NOW YOU'LL LIE HERE LIKE THE WORTHLESS TRASH YOU ARE, AND I'LL FINISH THAT WHORE. HER ENERGY SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO FULLY HEAL ME."
The monster began limping toward the unconscious Leni.
"Damn it! Is there really nothing I can do? Is this really how it ends? No... NO, FUCK THAT!"
The boy's scream tore through the air as tears streamed down his face. Despair choked him, as if someone were squeezing his heart in a merciless grip. He glanced at Leni, unconscious on the ground. Her fragile body looked so small and defenseless as the monster loomed closer, ready to end her life with one brutal strike. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each second dragging on endlessly, as if fate itself mocked his helplessness.
Desperately, Edo tried to activate the power of his left eye. He hoped for a vision—any glimpse of the future that might help him prevent this tragedy. But nothing happened. He gritted his teeth, focusing with all his might, until his scream echoed into the deafening silence.
"Come on, damn it!" he shouted in fury, but only his own voice answered him.
Suddenly, he felt unbearable pain. But this time, it was something different—something unlike anything he had ever experienced in this world. Both his eyes began to throb with a searing pain, as if someone were trying to rip them from his skull with bare hands. Instinctively, he pressed his hands to his face, trying to suppress the agony, but it was no use.
Then, everything disappeared—the pain, the light, the sound. He opened his eyes, but all he could see was black nothingness. He couldn't feel his body, the pain, or even hear his own breathing. It was absolute emptiness. And then, he saw it.
Out of the darkness, words appeared, floating in the air like ethereal letters glowing with light:
~| You are about to witness the life of someone important to you |~
~| A fate that has profoundly influenced your own |~
~| The destiny of the one you care about |~
~| A life you wish to save |~
~| LENI'S DESTINY |~
The darkness began to fade, replaced by a blinding light. The brightness was so intense it felt like it hurt his eyes, though in this void, a body shouldn't exist. Gradually, the light dimmed, revealing a room.
It was a large, richly decorated room filled with handcrafted items and sturdy furniture. Warm sounds filled the air—the cry of a newborn baby. In the corner of the room was a bed, where a tired-looking woman with long black hair lay. Beside her knelt a young girl with short hair, dressed in a simple black shirt and skirt. Elsewhere in the room stood two small boys and a man. In the girl's arms was a baby—the source of the crying.
"A girl," the women said softly, her voice filled with joy and relief.
The two boys, who appeared to be young brothers, stood nearby, their faces a mix of disappointment and happiness. They were upset it wasn't a baby brother, but their joy at having a sister overshadowed everything else. Not far from them stood a short, well-built man dressed in black robes. His stance was stiff and stern, yet tears welled in his eyes. He was crying with happiness.
The woman on the bed reached out with trembling hands, taking the baby from the young girl. Her exhausted yet warm gaze rested on the tiny being in her arms. Then, with a soft voice full of love, she spoke words that echoed through the space.
"Welcome, Leni."