Chapter 19
Shin stands still.
A letter rests in his hand.
Slightly wet from the rain.
He reads it again.
And again.
As if the words might change.
They don't.
"Shin… Mina is gone."
No explanation.
No details.
Nothing.
Just those words.
His grip tightens.
The paper crumples slightly in his hand.
"…Gone?"
The word feels empty.
Unreal.
Time passes.
He doesn't know how long.
Then he starts walking.
The city slowly fades behind him.
The noise disappears.
The people vanish.
Only silence remains.
Shin walks aimlessly.
No direction.
No goal.
Just movement.
His thoughts feel heavy…
yet his body feels light.
Why do I feel like this…?
He is exhausted.
But at the same time wide awake.
A strange feeling…
A mix of relief… and sadness.
The sky darkens.
Rain begins to fall.
Cold drops hit his skin, soaking his clothes.
He doesn't turn back.
Then something changes.
The air grows colder.
Heavier.
Shin slows down.
His eyes narrow.
…What is this?
For a brief moment he feels like he's being watched.
The rain grows louder.
The world feels distant.
Unreal.
Then a scream.
Sharp.
Desperate.
Followed by crying.
Shin's eyes widen.
"Mina?!"
This time he runs.
Fast.
Branches snap beneath his feet.
Mud splashes as he pushes forward.
The sound gets louder.
Closer. Closer
Then he stops.
A figure stands in the rain.
Still.
Unmoving.
And in its grasp Mina.
Her body trembles.
Tears run down her face.
Fear fills her eyes.
Shin steps forward slowly.
His gaze locks onto the figure.
Shin (cold, controlled):
"Who are you…?"
Rain falls between them.
Shin:
"…Let her go."
The figure doesn't move.
Its presence feels wrong.
Cold.
Empty.
Then it speaks.
Figure:
"If you want to save her…
you must escape the Eternal Sacrifice Trial."
Shin's eyes narrow.
Shin:
"What is that…?
And why should I listen to you?"
The figure laughs.
A hollow, distorted sound.
Figure:
"Because… I have erased her existence."
Silence.
Shin freezes.
The rain… disappears from his awareness.
Only those words remain.
Erased…?
Figure:
"The only way to bring her back…
is to complete the trial."
Shin lowers his head.
His expression darkens.
No panic.
No hesitation.
Only determination…
and something deeper.
Pain.
Shin (quiet, broken but firm):
"…Then tell me the rules."
The figure answers immediately.
Figure:
"The one you wish to save… has only three lives."
A pause.
Figure:
"You… have infinite."
Shin's eyes flicker.
Figure:
"You will be thrown into random environments.
You must overcome each trial."
The air grows heavier.
Figure:
"The first task… is simple."
A pause.
Figure:
"Escape."
Shin closes his eyes for a moment.
Then opens them again.
Calm.
Resolved.
Shin:
"Start it."
No hesitation.
The figure raises its hand.
Light spreads across the ground beneath Shin's feet.
Cold.
Unnatural.
Reality itself begins to distort.
Before the light fully consumes him the figure throws Mina toward him.
Shin catches her.
For a brief moment, he holds her close.
Then he looks up.
Shin:
"…Who are you?"
The figure smiles.
A smile that doesn't belong in this world.
Figure:
"I am death…
for those who question everything."
The light swallows them.
Silence.
Then cold.
Shin opens his eyes.
His breath turns visible in the air.
Shin:
"…It's cold."
Snow.
Everywhere.
An endless frozen world.
He looks down and freezes.
His body…
is small.
A child.
Again.
His hands tremble.
Beside him Mina.
Unmoving.
Shin (quiet):
"Mina…?"
No response.
He kneels beside her.
Her breathing is faint.
Barely there.
Realization hits him.
She's not asleep…
She's in a coma…
Shin stands up slowly.
The cold bites into his skin.
The wind cuts through him like blades.
But he walks.
Step by step through the snow.
His body grows weaker.
His movements slow.
His vision blurs.
I have to get out…
No matter what…
The wind howls louder.
The world turns white.
Then dark.
A presence.
Behind him.
Shin's eyes widen slightly.
But he's too slow.
Too weak.
A sharp sound cuts through the air.
Slash.
For a moment he feels nothing.
Then his vision tilts.
The world spins.
His body is no longer his.
His head falls into the snow.
Silence.
Darkness.
His first death.