Fixed bugged text -_-
Wha...what happened?
I shook my head, my eyes were not cooperating, and they refused to open. All that was left was to wait for someone to explain it to me. However, it seemed that I was disturbingly alone.
There was nothing, no sound, no visibility, no taste, no sensation...! How could I be so calm in this predicament!? Comprehension didn't come to my mind. I was panicking.
Hah, how pathetic.
I have never felt more helpless than I do now, I didn't even know if I was lying down or if something had happened to my body. All I could do was wonder.
Slowly but steadily, the images began to come together, and I was refreshed from a sense of obscurity.
Agh!
Something cold began to press against my back, wrapping its unseen arms around me as if it wanted to engulf me. I didn't give in to it. I kept thinking, kept thinking. I was alive, it couldn't be otherwise!
Just let me out!
After a moment that seemed to last forever, I finally managed to open my eyes, but I still couldn't see anything. Fear hit me, was I blind, or had someone covered my eyes? What happened to my vision?
"Is anybody there?"
There was something frightening about the silence that reigned around me, it was abnormal. Was this how those people felt who, for the sake of the challenge, locked themselves in rooms that were tight and lined with sound muting?
I thought a lot, too much. However, I couldn't stop. I had to keep thinking to preserve the remnants of my sanity. If not then...
I was sure it had only been a few minutes, and yet it felt like I had been here for hours.
My mind worked relentlessly, trying to make something out of it. It wasn't long before I heard the first sound, something similar to a static taunting my sensitive ears. I soon opened up to the sensations.
I remembered.
Ah... that's right. I was supposed to pick up my little sister from school, and today I was supposed to take her to the cinema for her favorite movie. Spend some time with my family because I work a lot for two.
I loved my family more than anything to the point that I would do anything for them, but unfortunately, the realities of work and responsibilities often took away my ability to spend proper time with them.
Therefore, in the midst of these duties I managed to cough up at least a chunk of time, today was supposed to be the day, and yet... The last thing I remember is the happy smile of my sibling while I was suddenly blinded by the lights.
The only thing I could do was to rush the others.
That's when things got loud.
I remember the sound of the powerful engine's motion and then there was a crash and fire. I inhaled–
PainpainpainsomuchpainhotsomethinghotpressingagainstmyinsidesburningfleshImgoingtodiepleasehelpHELPHELP!–
–and tried to stop the constant assault of overwhelming sensation.
Something grabbed my chest unforgivingly, trying to convey the message fully without exception. No matter how long I was screaming internally, it wouldn't change the barrage of information.
I couldn't deny it any longer.
I'm dead.
I'm dead.
I'm dead.
.
.
.
Why am I here then?
Where is hell and heaven in all this?
I wondered if this was to be my personal hell where I would only get up to think about my grievances. I didn't want it to be my end.
I wanted to return. To return to my family, there is so much I still wanted to do.
The urge to curse whatever deity was out there somewhere came over me, but I found myself feeling immense grief not over my fate, but over what my death might bring.
All the philosophical topics I knew were thrown in the trash, if I'm dead then why can I think?
What have I done to deserve this?
Only one guiding thought in my head remained.
I want to live.
Wooosh.
Suddenly something blinded me, I could compare it to that moment when as a child I looked at the sun hanging in the sky out of curiosity. My mother later yelled at me for my stupidity because I almost went blind.
The blackness slowly left my vision, and to my surprise there appeared to be a transparent plane shrouded in mist.
"Thou wish to live?"
I gaped at the voice coming from seemingly everywhere. Trying to identify its origin was a fruitless endeavor.
The feeling that penetrated the air around me was something I couldn't explain, the accompanying light permeated my body, filling me with a feeling of ease.
"I want to live!" It was a plea straight from my heart, I exposed everything bare for anyone to see, my every thought, I let it flow for me, "Please! Just let me see my family once again! I will do anything!"
I didn't care how pathetic I must have looked now, a broken man who wanted to escape his doom.
I wasn't like those who could accept their fate, my death was not mine. It was done by some bastard.
"Thou would be my next Champion then."
It took me a moment to realize that something was burning my hand. With a cry, I grabbed my hand, feeling a sensation as if lava was being poured over my left limb.
I screamed–
–Burningpainmysoulismeltingdivinefireofthesun–
–and breathed, breathed, and breathed.
I saw it.
Right there, on the back of my hand, a black mark with the symbol of the Sun was engraved.
I should have been horrified by the constant scorching pain, but instead, I was...glad.
The place was suddenly filled with laughter, which after a moment I realized belonged to me. From an outside perspective, I most likely looked like a madman.
Yet that burning pain meant I felt alive.
I could breathe, cry, speak, and move.
"A wish for a wish. With this, our contract is sealed."
When the words were spoken, I felt the presence leave taking the fog with it. I was left gasping as the dreamlike state was no more.
Coolness came back to my head.
Where the fog was earlier, there knelt a man with his back turned to me. He was definitely larger than me and seemed to be older as well.
I took my time approaching him cautiously.
"Um, Hello?"
He didn't answer.
"Excuse me, sir?"
I finally reached him and staggered, taking in his attire. The outfit resembled those strange robes worn by Japanese samurai without armor. Maybe some kind of kimono?
What made him stand out was his appearance, his hair was definitely like nothing I had ever seen. They seemed to curl similarly to burning flames. This immediately came to mind because of their unnatural color, which turned from black to dark red at the ends. If I had been in any other situation than this one, I would have said they were painted.
I was unpleasantly reminded of my death in the fire of the explosion.
There was a strange tattoo of the color red on his face, but I didn't pay too much attention to it.
What made me nervous inwardly were his eyes. Even as I knelt facing him, they still would not perceive my existence. I wasn't the best at reading a person, but there was great pain in the man's eyes even though his expression was like stone.
Who was he, and what it meant for him to be here?
This was more than one of the questions I currently had unanswered. Whether he was a warrior, I saw no tool to suggest that. However, I couldn't shake the feeling as if I were in front of someone with immense power.
"Sir? Can you hear me?" Only now did I notice that he didn't even blink once? It was as if he was in some kind of stop-frame. Stopped in the moment. It's like he is in some kind of stasis...
.
.
.
...exactly like me before.
I couldn't just leave him here, knowing that someone is also locked up with his thoughts like me, for nobody would wish such a fate.
I hold out my hand and–
HEAT.
–his whole figure emanates heat like a bonfire, the heat of the flames fills the air and suddenly I can't breathe. Memories of my accident–
–Helooksatmeeyesfilledwithpowerfireandimageofswordhesays–
"You are..."
–came back to me like never before. Damn PTSD. I'm scared, take the fire and don't come back.
I wanted to curl but different things forced my eyes to lock with his.
The very same black mark is burned onto his hand as on mine, yet he doesn't react at all. The man only stares at it passively as if not acknowledging its existence.
What sort of person doesn't feel this awful feeling of hot charcoal upon their skin?
The man begins to say something, his lips move but I can't hear. There is something about his presence calling to me. I let myself fall asleep in the heat of the fire surrounding me.
The last thing I see is a radiant sun and worried eyes looking at me. A mystical man reaches for me.
Everyone—
ㅤ
I wake up in the forest.
This is something I noticed while opening my eyes for the first time. It's a coniferous forest filled with trees and ambient sounds that I don't have time to pay attention to.
"Where am I?"
If I didn't feel so distraught, I'd say I'm certainly not in Kansas anymore.
No, I'm not an American.
Coniferous trees are most often found in the mountains. At least that's how I associate them.
"I need to get home."
My younger sister is waiting for me, along with my sick mother. I can't waste a moment longer.
I break off into a run, a surge of adrenaline filling my body as I push my way through the annoying weeds.
Minutes pass, still haven't found any path. There is no sign of any civilization, how can this be?
I catch myself out of frustration and notice the lack of presence of my short hair.
A bad feeling is building up inside me. I need something. I need to know. Soon my sensitive ears hear a noise in the distance. There is a river close by.
Stuck by the river I kneel over, it feels as if some weight has fallen off me. I can finally breathe. I try to wipe my face and put my hands in the cool water.
I look down.
The face of the man from before stares back.
"What the fuck?!"
Normally I don't curse because of my younger sibling nearby, but I can't help myself when clearly not my face is looking back at me from the reflection.
I want to hypervate but maybe I can't from the sheer shock.
Unnatural calm consumes me.
While I'm trying to get enough of the whole thing in order, in the distance I see smoke rising above the trees.
That could mean many things but foremostly...
Civilization!
A/N: So...
Hello again!
So I was like after the exams and... watching Demon Slayer season 3 because I didn't have time before. And yep, I hyped myself for Yoriichi again.
It's time to go back to writing I guess but you know... HOW THE HELL HAVE I MANAGED TO GET SO MANY WORDS BEFORE?
I BARELY GO OVER 1000 WORDS!
Ahem, sorry for this outburst haha.
I will try to update Kumoko crossover soon.
I also want to write a chapter for Isekai Phantasm I have an entire idea about this already but... why must it be so hard to write sometimes?
It's not only laziness, it's something else. And no, I'm not searching for excuses.
And I'm not trying to make it 2000 words at all. Aha-ha!
See you next time.