This was the end…
End of him…
And the beginning of me…
My consciousness slowly melded with the body of the deceased, becoming one with Lukas. It was a surreal experience—like opening my eyes for the first time but trapped in the echo of his suffering and being able to feel his agony and his emotions.
From now on, I was Lukas and Lukas was me.
We were one, eternally bound.
And then, as I opened my eyes again, the suffocating darkness that had enveloped me for so long dispersed, replaced by an unsettling clarity.
I knew what was going on, and where I was. There was no room for doubt.
"Ah…" I tried to speak reflexively, but a heavy metallic taste filled my mouth.
Blood.
It was a familiar taste, accompanied by a deep, throbbing ache all over my body.
"Kurgh-!" I groaned as the pain surged throughout my body, overwhelming me. My right arm seemed to have snapped from the fall along with my right ribs and a small crackhead above the ears from where blood oozed out.
However, rather than making me feel uncomfortable, all this made me feel like I was alive once again, thanks to the pain assaulting me.
"I am alive… I am alive… Hahahahahh!"
I couldn't help but laugh crazily… Since nothing I had experienced all this long could be said to be normal.
"Kughhh… Spat!"
Followed by another groan, I spat the blood trailing in my mouth and gritted my teeth with immense hatred, burning brighter with every second.
However, that wasn't all there was to it…. The anger in my heart was increasing as the feelings submerged in my heart exploded.
It wasn't just Lukas' anger at his traumatizing experiences, but my own—helpless and haunting feelings of being a silent observer, trapped and powerless.
From the moment Lukas was born, I had been watching him each day while being slowly rotted away in the cage tormented by the world with nowhere to vent.
REVENGE!
That word burned through my mind like fire.
But my hatred wasn't limited to the Wraiths or the Specters who had purged Lukas's life; rather it was also directed towards the origin of that hand.
"Is it one of your puny plans?" I snarled.
"To mould my mindset, to turn my anger towards revenge on you and not commit suicide…"
"Hahaha!" I laughed crazily, flicking the long hair over my eyes with my left hand but then the laughter died as quickly as it came.
"Then congratulations… You have succeeded. Congrats, for you have managed to piss me off…"
"BLOODDY FUCKERR…" I spat, venom dripping from my words.
"Fucker… I don't care who you are, but I swear…"
"I swear in the name of my parents that bred me."
"I swear in the name of Lukas Star. Whoever you are. Whether you are a Demon, a Devil, or a damned God. Once I find you, I am going to fucking kill you. And when I do, I will shove that hand you used to drag me here straight up your ass."
BOOOOOOM!
As if responding to my wrath, the sky exploded with a heavy sound of thunder boom and the lightning illuminated the desolate world.
_____
"Lalalalala!"
Meanwhile, in a quiet infirmary, a dark-haired woman hummed to herself while filing her nails. She glanced out of the window at the burst of rain.
Thinking about something, her mood couldn't help but turn sour.
"It's so peaceful now, but once the session starts, this place will be swarmed to the brim. Truly a place filled with brutes…" she muttered, her tone laced with irritation.
Then her eyes flicked to her phone, where a zombie apocalypse drama played, the eerie atmosphere in it matching the storm outside.
"Come to think of it… The weather is as bad as the series…" she mused.
CREAK!
A creaking sound of the door echoed as it opened, interrupting her motion and making her snap her head towards the direction only to see a disgruntled humanoid crawler working in disjointed motion.
BOOOOOOM!
She looked up, squinting through the dim light as the lightning continued to flash outside, trying to make sense of the odd shape lurching toward her.
The figure's movements were halting, each step jerking unevenly as if his limbs refused to cooperate. His head hung forward, his chin nearly touching his chest, and his arms dangled unnaturally at his sides before swaying out in an eerie, twisted motion.
The dim lighting cast deep shadows across his face, accentuating every raw wound and a bruised, swollen patch of skin. Blood trickled from a gash above his ear, running down his cheek like a dark, wet trail. His clothes were shredded and smeared with dirt as if he'd clawed his way out of a grave.
Her mind raced immediately, her thoughts spiralling into panic.
"AHHHHH! ZOMBIEEEEEE!"
As he stumbled forward, his lips parted in an unsteady, crooked smile. His eyes, glazed and half-lidded, barely focused as he reached out instinctively to steady himself by catching the edge of the table.
"Alive… I… am… alive…"
But the woman wasn't in the condition to listen. Her heart was already pounding wildly as she screamed again, clutching a wooden bat and swinging it towards the figure's head. "Zombie!"
To her astonishment, he managed to duck. Their eyes met for an instant—his wide with confusion—before he slipped on the slick floor and crashed down with a groan. It wasn't the growl of the undead but a very human, frustrated groan.
"Alive… I… am… Alive…"
The woman froze mid-swing, the bat still raised in the air.
"…"
A brief silence lingered.
_____
I don't know where I traded my luck.
First, I took over this broken ragged body, and then when I came to the infirmary, I was mistaken for a zombie.
"Cough… I apologize…"
"No, problem Miss Brenda…" I answered quickly, fully conscious of her mortified expression.
Brenda was the Chief Healer of this institution, a Priest, and a doctor.
She wasn't a major character in the game but as they say, it's wise to maintain amicable relations with doctors.
With a guilty-ridden expression, Brenda first fixated my dislocated right arm and snapped it back. Then, after a thorough inspection, she cast a major healing spell for it.
Brenda was a kind soul. Even though the academy session hadn't started and the staff didn't need to return, she came every day to do her duty in case an emergency occurred.
Brenda looked gloomy and dull as she stared at the purple-haired boy before her. As she observed the bruises and marks underneath what remained of his clothes, her heart wrenched for the poor soul.
Despite the pungent stench coming from me, she didn't hesitate to touch my body to examine.
"So many bruises and injuries…" she murmured, her soft touch tracing my wounds.
"Were you bullied?" She asked, clearly worried.
Seeing me keeping mum, she spoke, her voice tinged with worry, "You should complain."
"No need, please just treat me quickly," I rebutted her coldly.
Complaint…
I couldn't contain my laughter upon hearing her words.
Report it? Here?
The place was a hell hole. Unless you were someone notable, nobody would even bother if you went missing or died.
I mean they would bother enough to write your name in a death record, at least.
And if you managed to find a suitable righteous teacher, so what?
If the bully were noble, then you are just fucking yourself more badly since they don't hesitate to go after your parents.
Brenda swallowed hard and ceased the meaningless banter while casting an intermediate healing spell to heal cuts and bruises.
A warm golden glow radiated from her hands, pouring warmth into my battered body.
I could feel something seeping inside my skin and energizing my tired body. A crackling sound echoed as the rib bone began to mend back.
Before my eyes, I saw my wounds healing, the pain subside, and my skin regrow, but the bruises over my body had yet to be healed.
"I am sorry," Brenda said softly. "I can cast an adept healing spell as best as I can. The scars on your body had been there for a long time and it would need Master level spells to be fully healed."
"Umm…" I gave a curt nod before standing up.
"Thanks!"
After giving her a low bow, I hurried away, ignoring her bewildered expression.
Once out, I ran away as fast as possible, I desperately needed a quiet moment for myself. My mind was racing, my body still trembling from the ordeal.