[Day 15 — 9 Days Left]
Eric awoke inside a hospital room. He slowly looked around, noticing the dim lighting through the window. It was about 7:00 p.m.
A nurse entered the room and immediately froze in shock when she saw the patient's eyes open. She quickly rushed out to call the doctor and Chief Marshall.
After a brief rehabilitation session, Eric subtly used his ability to accelerate the healing process of his injured back.
Marshall: How are you doing, kid?
Eric:(Heavysigh) How long was I out?
Doctor: Seven days. We weren't sure if you were going to wake up or not… but I'd say you were lucky.
Eric lowered his gaze.
Eric: I lost the fight, sir…
Marshall nodded slightly.
Marshall: We know. Zerathos isn't someone who can be dealt with alone. Did you see his power?
Eric: Yes… it's terrifying. He can foresee the future, but I believe there are limits to it. And that's not all… his true ability is far more dangerous.
Marshall leaned forward slightly.
Marshall: What do you mean?
Eric shook his head slowly.
Eric: I don't know exactly how it works, but somehow… he negates my power. Not only that, he turns it against me. Every attack I launched became completely futile against him.
Marshall remained silent for a moment before speaking again.
Marshall: Which means he's invincible. Did you see his face?
Eric: Clearly. He had two. One human… and the other was a demon-like face.
Marshall: Can you describe it?
Eric: It's a face I can never forget.
Marshall nodded slowly.
Marshall: Good. Let's discharge you and get a sketch artist to recreate the bastard's face.
Eric: With pleasure.
Kael and Reuben had separated from the others the previous day to help refugees arriving from the neighbouring city, F City. Through their communication devices, they planned to regroup later that day near the end of Sector 11 Train Station.
By 10:45 a.m., Kael and Reuben were standing near a small park, bustling with people and children enjoying the morning.
Reuben: So… what do you plan on doing after... Zerathos?
Kael: I haven't really thought about it. But I guess… I'd like to have a decent house to live in with my mother, a proper job, and maybe—after a couple of years—a wife.
He glanced toward Reuben.
Kael: What about you?
Reuben: Well, I—
Suddenly, both of their watches vibrated with a notification.
They had just stopped near a liquor shop when Kael checked the alert. The moment he read it, his expression froze in utter shock.
The news alert arrived from WHA, displaying a sketch of Zerathos' human face. Moments later, the same image appeared on nearby billboards, warning civilians to run immediately if they spotted him.
Kael's eyes widened.
Kael: It can't be… This face… Reuben, you're—
Suddenly, he felt an ominous presence behind him.
Before he could finish his sentence, Zerathos struck, punching Kael straight through the front of the liquor shop. The impact shattered shelves of fine wine, glass bottles exploding across the floor.
Zerathos slowly stepped inside.
Zerathos: They couldn't keep their mouths shut… could they?
Kael struggled to push himself up, only to freeze in even greater shock as he saw Zerathos' true entity face, a face that looks like a storm with red glowing eyes.
Kael: You…? After all this time? We trusted you—
Zerathos let out a short laugh.
Zerathos: Ha. Trust? What do you know about trust?
He tilted his head slightly.
Zerathos: Especially when you're the one who betrays your best friend. Oh… wait. Ex-best friend.
Kael quickly grabbed a broken bottle from the floor and hurled it at Zerathos, imbuing it with SecondErasure.
But to his shock, Zerathos caught it effortlessly.
The attack had no effect.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Zerathos threw the bottle toward the shop owner.
The moment the bottle struck the man's head, his head vanished instantly, the force sending the decapitated body collapsing as blood sprayed across the shattered store.
Kael: No! You monster!
Zerathos looked back at him calmly.
Zerathos: That was your fault, Kael. If you hadn't fought back, that man would still be alive. Your arrogance cost that man his life.
Kael: I'll kill you, you bastard!
Kael rushed toward Zerathos, confronting him head-on.
He unleashed a series of punches and kicks, but Zerathos effortlessly dodged them, as if avoiding the tantrums of a child.
Finally, Zerathos moved.
He delivered a brutal kick to Kael's abdomen, then grabbed his wrist and hurled him straight out of the liquor shop. Kael crashed violently into a sturdy tree, the impact staggering him.
Zerathos slowly stepped outside.
Zerathos: Don't make me do this, Kael. You and I both know you can't win against me in your current state.
Kael forced himself back to his feet.
Kael: Then you also know I'm not giving up anytime soon… right?
Zerathos sighed.
Zerathos: Great. Here we go again.
Kael charged forward for a second attempt, but this time Zerathos didn't bother playing around. He grabbed Kael by the face and slammed him into the ground.
Desperate, Kael grabbed Zerathos' arm, attempting to erase him through direct contact.
But something went terribly wrong.
Kael did grab Zerathos' arm.
However, when he activated First Erasure, the lower half of a nearby man — who had been standing beside his six-year-old daughter — suddenly vanished instead before their eyes. The man collapsed onto the ground, blood splattered across the pavement as he gasped desperately for air. Beside him, his daughter screamed in pure terror, crying out for her father.
Zerathos: Look where your power leads. Your ability exists only for chaos and destruction. You cannot save anyone… and you've seen that many times already.
He slowly gestured toward the dying man.
Zerathos: Go ahead. Try again if you want. Who knows… the next person you erase might be that little girl.
Kael froze.
Deep down, he knew Zerathos was right. If he used his powers again, he might erase another innocent life.
So he didn't move.
Seeing Kael submit, Zerathos smirked faintly and activated his ability, forcing Kael's lost memories to awaken.
________________________________________
Five hundred years ago, the two of them had once been the closest of friends.
Back then, Reuben was the name Kael carried.
Both of them shared the same obsession: archaeology.
One day, during a private expedition in search of the hidden truths of the world, they discovered an ancient temple in Z City.
At first glance, both the exterior and interior of the structure appeared ordinary.
Until they uncovered a secret passage leading deep beneath the temple.
The writings, inscriptions, and strange symbols carved along the underground walls were drastically different from the ones they had seen above.
The language was unlike anything they had ever seen—completely unfamiliar compared to the known languages of the world. They eventually referred to it as an alien language.
The deeper they ventured, the colder the air became. At the same time, faint lights began appearing ahead of them, growing brighter with every step.
When they finally reached the base of the passage, what they saw left them in shock and awe.
Zerathos: What a magnificent sight.
Reuben: At last… we found it, brother.
Before them stood an alien structure.
Four towering pillars surrounded the chamber, each embedded with a glowing white orb at its center. At the very middle stood a smaller pillar—but its orb was significantly larger than the others.
Thin streams of light connected the four outer orbs to the central one, as though the pillars were feeding energy into it, forming a massive power system.
Nearby stood what appeared to be a control console, covered with strange symbols, buttons, and unfamiliar markings carved into its surface.
Along the chamber walls were numerous paintings and inscriptions, depicting unknown figures interacting with the strange machinery.
Not far from the console, they also discovered several capsules, large enough to contain an entire human body.
Zerathos: Hey… how about we test those out?
Reuben: What? No! We don't even know what these things are or how they work.
Zerathos: That's exactly why those paintings are on the walls.
He pointed toward one of the murals.
Zerathos: Look. Those figures entered the capsules and activated the system… and nothing bad happened to them. In fact, they looked more than alive.
He turned back toward Reuben with a grin.
Zerathos: Come on. I know you're curious too.
Reuben:(Sigh) I don't know, Zet. I feel like we aren't supposed to be here…
Zerathos: Reuben, Reuben… this—this is the reason we're here. The reason we became treasure hunters. To uncover things like this!
Reuben: And we did. Now it's our responsibility to report this back—
Zerathos: Not until we explore everything this place has to offer. I'll volunteer myself… but I need your help. Please, just this once.
Reuben:(Thinksfor a moment) I'll... study the paintings first… then we'll do it.
Zerathos: Yes! You won't regret this, I promise.
After carefully studying the paintings on the walls, Reuben realized they were not merely decorative murals. They were instructions—a guide explaining how to operate the strange machine.
A specific sequence of symbols had to be pressed in order to activate the capsule.
After briefly figuring out the process, Reuben instructed Zerathos to enter the capsule.
Zerathos stepped inside eagerly, while Reuben began pressing the symbols on the control panel one by one. The capsule slowly closed around Zerathos, sealing him inside.
Only one final symbol remained to activate the system.
Reuben hesitated.
For a moment, he simply stared at the final key.
Zerathos looked toward Reuben from the capsule through the small transperant glass and gave a slight nod, signaling him to proceed.
Reuben: Here goes nothing…
He pressed the final button.
The machine immediately sprang to life.
Wires running along the pillars began glowing with a brilliant white light, channeling their energy toward the capsule.
The capsule itself shone intensely, illuminating every dark corner of the underground chamber.
At that moment, Reuben noticed a painting he had overlooked earlier.
The mural depicted a man emerging from the capsule, surrounded by a dark, ominous aura.
But before he could fully comprehend its meaning, the process had already finished.