I fell from the sky at a terrifying speed, yet a faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips.
I wouldn't die- I knew that much.
I hoped.
Yet, the certainty of severe Injury gnawed at me.
As i plummeted, my body twisted slightly, the howling wind rippling past me.
Now just seven feet above the ground. I exhaled sharply, bracing myself for impact.
I could feel the cold wind gnawing at my skin, the dread of what was to come settling into my spine.
But i shoved it all down. Gritting my teeth as i curled into w-hat seemed like a ball.
This is going to hurt like hell, but I've survived worst.
T-his is nothing.
I did my best to comfort myself, singing what seemed like soothing melodies within the walls of my mind.
Frantic horrifying thoughs slammed onto the walls of my mind, each one more brutal than the last.
My eyes flashed in horror as i crashed with a bone-shattering thud, my body tumbling violently across the ground.
Pain!
Agonizing pain rippled through me as my bones snapped and my flesh tore. Blood splattered the ground as my body ricocheted off walls and doors, my vision blurring with each impact.
I coughed up blood, the metallic tang flooding my mouth. The world around me shifted between an endless black void and a white haze.
I knew i couldn't afford to give in- not here, not now.
Not ever!
I fought desperately against the urge to close my eyes, biting my lips until i tasted blood. My mind teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, but i willed myself to stay awake.
Finally, after slamming through a dark door, my battered body came to a halt. Kneeling on the cold floor, blood poured from the gaping wounds that riddled my body.
I could barely move, but somehow, i was alive.
Albeit barely.
I could barely withstand the horrifying pain that was rippling through me.
It was painful.
Hellish painful.
And i wish for it to stop.
It had to.
The world around me grew darker as my vision wavered. The cold, icy grasp of death inching closer.
B-ut... I wasn't willing!
I wasn't willing to let go.
I have already come this far.
I have come too far to die now!
...I can't.
My fingers dug into the cobblestones beneath me, nails breaking as i clawed at the ground, gasping for breath. Each ragged breath and inhalation only brought more blood riddled coughs to my throat, but i still fought.
I fought to stay conscious.
But alas, I was but just a weak human.
A bitter expression soon tugged at the corner of my lips.
The weight of despair boring down on me in its full eternal glory!
B-ut I wasn't ready to die.
Not yet.
I already came this far.
I was unwilling. Unwilling to start all over again.
Why!!
Why do i have to start all over again?
...Why is life so unfair!
I had broken down completely, my mental strength broken beyond redemption as tears mingled with blood streamed down the corner of my eyes.
Darkness slowly creeping into the edges of my vision.
I fought to gasp for air, but failed woefully.
Every inhalation and exhalation only brought forth- blood riddled coughs.
Darkness slowly encroached upon the walls of my mind.
My body screamed in agony, my soul teetering on the brink of death.
And for a moment, it all seemed so pointless.
The endless cycle of death, the torment, the suffering - I would still come back to go through them once again, over and over until I broke down completely.
Tears came freely now as the endless darkness swallowed me whole!
****
GASSSSP!!!!
I gasped for breath, eyes flaring with a powerful icy blue light as memories of my previous deaths flooded in.
Pain and agony rippled through me.
Dread and fear clawing at me.
I clutched my head, trying to block out the horrors, but the torment was relentless.
And i was tired.
I was damn tired of everything.
Tired of the scars from the never-ending cycles of death, tired of the unending torments.
I am tired of them all.
My tears came freely now, sobs echoing in the desolate silence around me as i resisted the urge to scream to the heavens.
Through the haze of pain, agony even that rippled through me.
Something caught my attention. Something I didn't know still existed within me.
...Sparkling and blazing furiously within me.
A glimpse of hope pierced through the endless darkness encroaching upon the walls of my mind, slowly pulling me back to reality.
As I stared at my surroundings.
My eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
And then, I staggered to my feet, heart pounding hard and fast against my ribs.
Did i really die?
I was confused, shocked even.
I definitely died.
But... Something was off.
Terribly off.
Confusion slowly crept in, dread even.
...This isn't the haunted house i remember.
My gaze shifted towards the shattered door i had once crashed through.
T-his place... this place was different.
Fear gnawed at me- nothing good ever came from hope in this cursed land- numerous resets had taught me this.
'B-ut...what exactly is going on?'
Dread, and fear slowly crept at me, my eyes flashing with a peculiar wariness.
'Perhaps this is all just an illusion? Maybe this is what my mind wants to believe.'
A bitter laughter escaped my lips. A laughter that marked the slipping away of my sanity.
An endless darkness inching closer and closer, as it slowly overwhelmed the walls of my mind.
And just when it seemed like i would really lose it all.
Just when I fought for a logical explanation behind all this.
...A defening crash suddenly echoed through the air. A bile of lump surged to my throat, my heart pounding hard against my ribs as i instinctively dove to the side. Peering through the cracks in the ruined building i hid behind.
There, i saw something that made my eyes shrink in fear.
Hope even.
The skin.
The face.
T- This was someone like me!
There is another human in this cursed land.
He wasn't alone.
He wasn't.
Tears of relief welled in my eyes as i watched the old man battle a towering supernatural creature.
Its form was monstrous, and indescribable - an abomination sculpted straight out of what seemed like my worst nightmare.
Yet the old man stood firm, wielding a strange dark light that made the impossible seem effortless.
My heart raced.
This was my chance- perhaps, my way out of this wretched and cursed land.
I bolted towards the battle, adrenaline surging through my veins.
I had to take the risk.
I had no other choice.
I can't afford to let this opportunity slip past me.
Before i could reach the battlefield, the battle was already over.
The old man severed the creature's head with a blur of motion, blood spraying across the ground as the creature collapsed onto the floor with a loud crash.
I crouched behind a ruined wall, gasping for breath, heart pounding against my ribs as I watched the dead carcass in awe.
Soon, my eyes shifted towards the old man who collapsed to his knees, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
Instinct almost took over me as i surged forth to help the old man, but logic held me back. No doubt, the old man's battle with the dead supernatural creature would have alarmed other powerful monstrosities within the depth of this cursed land.
The old man might survive an onslaught from various supernatural creatures, but the same couldn't be said for me.
...Just as various chaotic thoughts slammed onto the walls of my mind, and as i debated on my next move.
A soft, yet icy cold voice sliced through the air:
"You can come out kid."
I froze for a second there, dread settling into my bones.
Yet i knew there was no use hiding.
I knew i had no choice but to come out of hiding.
My heart pounded in my chest. And with clenched hands and hardened resolve, i stepped out of the shadows, as i slowly walked towards the old man. Knowing full well that my fate now lies in the hands of the fragile, old man before me.